I Can See You - by Paddy Summerfield c. 1986

Thursday, October 16, 2025

John Sebastian & David Bromberg - PBS Soundstage, WTTW Studios, Chicago, IL, USA 1974 | Albums That Should Exist

 

John Sebastian & David Bromberg - PBS Soundstage, WTTW Studios, Chicago, IL, 12-9-1974

Paul says : I recently posted a "PBS Soundstage" episode starring Donovan. I noted that another episode recorded that same day at the same location jointly starred John Sebastian and David Bromberg, which allowed Donovan to have them as guests on one of his songs. A commenter noticed that and asked me to post the Sebastian and Bromberg show sooner rather than later. So here it is.

Sebastian and Bromberg are singer-songwriters. (Both are still alive as I write this in 2025.) Sebastian had a lot more success than Bromberg, first with his band the Lovin' Spoonful in the 1960s, and then with his Number One smash "Welcome Back" in 1976. Bromberg did a lot more work as a session musician in the 1970s, while also releasing a series of solo albums.

At first glance, there doesn't appear to have been much connection between these two. For instance, they never put out an album together, or were in a band together. According to their banter between songs in this concert, they were working on a studio album, said to be called "Fish and Fire." I don't know if that was supposed to be a Sebastian album or Bromberg album or what, but no such album ever came to be. However, I did notice that in later years, meaning 1980s and after, they did tour together sometimes.

In any case, they were very collaborative in the concert. The first half was dominated by Bromberg and the second half by Sebastian, but both of them generally played on all the songs.

Generally speaking, the sound quality is pretty good, though not great. The only major problem I had was the last song, "Summer in the City," which was a Number One hit by the Lovin' Spoonful in the 1960s. Unfortunately, it got cut off before the song ended. I couldn't find another version from around this time. But I patched in a part from earlier to at least give it a better sounding ending.

This album is 48 minutes long. 

01 Hard Working John [Instrumental] 
02 talk 
03 Don't Put That Thing on Me 
04 talk 
05 Si Bheag, Si Mhor [Instrumental] 
06 Nobody's
07 talk 
08 I'm a Hog for Ya Baby
09 Stealin' 
10 Guitar and Harmonica Duet [Instrumental] 
11 talk (
12 Friends Again 
13 Harmonica Song [Instrumental] 
14 Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind 
15 You Didn't Have to Be So Nice
16 Do You Believe in Magic 
17 talk
18 Summer in the City [Edit] 


(all songs John Sebastian & David Bromberg) 

)regulars will know my affection for John Sebastian and why, along with the Lovin’ Spoonful, my teenage dreams revolved around him and the band. I appreciate Bromberg and his collaborative work with others but don’t have anything solo by him I don’t think. However this looks truly fascinating as it is largely numbers, apart from the obvious Spoonful tracks, that I haven’t heard John cover before. 

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