If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

Mamas and the Papas became the model for other dysfunctionally self-involved groups like Fleetwood Mac. But none of that is evident on their 1966 debut, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears; rather, it's the quartet's dreamy vocal interaction that is the highlight here. "California Dreamin'" is a touching honeymoon of a song; and its follow-up, "Monday Monday," is much the same--though it comes this close to overwhelming sappiness. "Spanish Harlem," "In Crowd," and Mama Cass Elliott's lead on the Beatles' "I Call Your Name" are just as enjoyable. Though the accompanying music on this album was not the focus, it's every bit as strong as the vocal arrangements, with Larry Knetchel, Joe Osborne, and Hal Blaine handling the chores here. --Randy Silver

Deliver/the Papas & the Mamas

Two of the hit California-based pop vocal group's original LPs together on one CD, 1967's 'The Mamas & The Papas Deliver' (which stayed at #2 for seven weeks in a row at the time!) and 1968's top 20 'The Mamas & The Papas'. Includes the hits 'Dedicated To The One I Love', 'Look Through My Window', 'Creeque Alley' and 'Dream A Little Dream'. A combined total of 25 selections, also including the bonus track 'The Right Somebody To Love' (Alternative Version). All tracks digitally remastered from the original master tapes. Also features the original cover art & additional sleeve notes. 1999 release.

The Mamas & the Papas - Greatest Hits

The Mamas and the Papas had a sound that helped define a portion of the 1960s. Their breezy folk classics had a bit of San Francisco psychedelia woven in, and, despite the sweet harmonies, there was also a noticeably dark feel to some of their more popular work. "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" both utilized enough minors to give them a spooky edge. Greatest Hits is an essential part of any audiophile's collection, especially if they don't have the original recordings that spawned the hits. "Dedicated to the One I Love" is almost ironic for its tenderness, considering the turmoil that rumbled through the band's interrelationships. While John and Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty were all responsible for the success of the Mamas and the Papas, listening to this collection reveals that the late great Mama Cass was not only the heart but the soul of the band. Greatest Hits closes with her "Dream a Little Dream of Me," and serves as a touching tribute to Cass Elliot's talent. --Steve Gdula

DVD - California Dreamin' reminds us that '60s pop paragons The Mamas & The Papas had an appealing new sound, made some terrific records, and left behind a legacy that lives on more than 35 years after they called it quits. This hour-long documentary, originally aired on PBS, has all the standard elements of the genre: interviews (including some from 2004 and '05 with surviving members Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty, as well as 1986 recollections by John Phillips, who died in '01, and a few brief words from Cass Elliot, who passed away in '74), photos, home movies, and a generous helping of music clips. The latter come from both television (Shindig!, Hollywood Palace, The Ed Sullivan Show) and concerts (Monterey Pop); some are totally lip-synced, some find the group singing to a pre-recorded track, and some are completely live. Almost all of the clips manage to convey the magic of a quartet that had a unique charm, both visually (the beautiful blonde Michelle, the corpulent Mama Cass) and musically (Doherty had perhaps the best singing voice, while John Phillips' songs and vocal arrangements were nearly the equal of, say, Brian Wilson's); and all highlight their remarkable vocal blend, described by Lou Adler, their producer and label owner, as the sound of the Four Freshmen or the Hi-Lo's updated with a rock beat. The hits keep on coming, not only the familiar "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" but also "Creeque Alley," "Words of Love," their covers of the Beatles' "I Call Your Name" and the Shirelles' "Dedicated to the One I Love," and at least a dozen more, including three bonus tunes not part of the original broadcast. All in all, this has to be the definitive Mamas & Papas video collection. --Sam Graham

BOOK - Projecting a sunny, carefree image with folk-pop hits such as "California Dreamin' " and "Monday, Monday," the Mamas & the Papas pioneered the kind of complex internal dysfunction later popularized by Fleetwood Mac. Greenwald, a rock journalist and long time fan, collects quotes from new and existing interviews with M&P friends and associates to tell the group's soap-opera story. The band itself is represented by new interviews with surviving band members Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty, a previously unpublished interview with the late Cass Elliot, and previously published quotes from the group's recently deceased leader, John Phillips. The oral biography approach has pitfalls, as many of the quotes seem muddled without an author's narrative to provide background and context. Once the account reaches the group's break up in 1968, important later events are given short shrift. For instance, it is unclear from the text exactly when Elliot died; only a caption from a funeral photo tells readers it was 1974. Later, an early Eighties reunion fronted by Doherty and John Phillips is ignored completely. Also annoying are a significant number of typographical errors in the proofs. Still, the lurid details of sudden fame, drug consumption, and an affair between Michelle and Doherty (leading to Michelle's firing and rehiring and Mama Cass's jealous wrath) make for fascinating reading. Recommended where there is demand for Sixties rock music titles, especially since the dueling autobiographies of John (Papa John) and Michelle Phillips (California Dreamin') are out of print. Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
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