Mamas & Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
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Free Music Notes for If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears
Free Music Review: Metamorpho, Metamorpho...So Good to 5 Stars
People, people. I remember a long time ago, when I was a Metamorpho in training, trying to angle my radio in just a certain way to pick up a radio station in Boston to hear the latest. Even though I lived in the suburbs of New Jersey - extremely close to N.Y.C. - they really weren't up on it as far as new music was concerned. So.... there I was... trying to get under just the right cloud formation. And then I heard it (Bless Boston, Massachusetts!), California Dreamin'!!!! Then they announced that it was by The Mamas and the Papas. My teenage brain repeated over and over to me.. "MUST GET THIS".
Of course, I had to wait for New York to catch up, and then I had to wait for the album release. It was well worth the wait! At that time (65-66) I remember how unique they were. I mean. who dressed like that? Not even my beloved Beatles took that chance (Sgt. Pepper was years away). As I knew full well upon first hearing, "California Dreamin'" eventually went to Number 1. And not too long after that, they doubled that gift by releasing "Monday, Monday." Accessible pop done expertly.
This first album has many things to reccommend it. The arrangements, the vocal harmonies, the professional session men who provided the backdrop for these voices. The "definitive" Mamas and the Papas, if you ask Metamorpho.
So many good tunes. That great riff on the pop-rock "Straight Shooter", the carnival take on "I Call Your Name", the great tick-tocking of time on "Got a Feelin'". Wonderful, lush, great mid-sixties pop. Memorable and you always felt better after hearing it.
The Mamas and the Papas were different than anything else at the time. Their legacy lives on because there was quality there. Metamorpho is sad because he no longer discovers great music by transistor radio. He is sad because the times have moved from quality to quantity. To quote Metamorpho in one of his more reflective moods, "The discovery of great music is 50% of the joy upon hearing it." I hope my anecdotes and humor help you to the joy of new discoveries! Bye my people.... Metamorpho
Free Music Review: words and music
Hit: 5 Stars
The Mamas & The Papas turned out this excellent debut album in early 1966; and the music was way above par from the start. This album almost instantly shot to the top of the charts and even today, all these years later, it's easy to understand why.
The album offers beautiful music; but of course there are some songs that particularly impress me. "Monday, Monday" is a stream of consciousness song with great singing, harmonizing and percussion. Awesome! "Straight Shooter" is a strong ballad with harmonizing and a terrific beat that feels like a blend of folk rock and mainstream rock. Moreover, listen for "I Call Your Name;" The Mamas & The Papas handle this tune by members of The Beatles and press their own stamp on it with an excellent interpretation of this ballad.
"Do You Wanna Dance" gets a much slower tempo than usual to infuse this number with a folk rock flavor. Of course, "California Dreamin'" was one of their greatest hits ever; this number inspired many young people to flock to California in search of inner peace, love and a better quality of life. "California Dreamin'" is performed flawlessly by this group and it will always be a fixture in the world of music.
"Spanish Harlem" also gets a folk rock treatment which works rather well, actually. Denny sings this very well. Michelle and Cass do great harmonizing on the backup vocals and I think you will enjoy "Spanish Harlem" very much.
The album ends with "The `In' Crowd;" Cass sings this one a bit more forcefully than she could when she had to reign herself in to avoid obscuring Michelle's "thin" voice. Cass could really belt `em out; and on this final track we see some of that rather easily.
The Mamas & The Papas didn't stay together all that long; but whatever they did produce was more than enough to make them a solid fixture in the world of great music. I highly recommend this album for people who like folk rock mixed with mainstream rock from the `60s.
Free Music Review: The Best Debut Album of All Time!
Hit: 5 Stars
I guess I'm a little biased about this album because it was the Number 1 album the day I was born back in May, 1966. "Monday, Monday" was also the Number 1 song in the country and, along with "California Dreamin'" is still one of the best songs ever written. Not even the Beatles could come up with a debut album as good as this one.
I think the Mamas and Papas success came from what these four talented individuals brought to the group. First and foremost, John Phillips wrote some of the great songs in pop music history but his real talent was vocal arranging. His fellow Papa, Denny Doherty, had perhaps one of the most under-rated voices in all of pop music. He sang lead on most of the groups biggest hits and his voice was romantic, soulful and poignant in it's delivery. Michelle Phillips was the typical California girl - thin, blonde and beautiful with a pretty soprano voice that was better than she was given credit for. She brought the rock and roll spirit to the group. Last, but certainly not least was the late, great Mama Cass Elliott - the big belter of the group. Her beautiful and powerful voice really helped create the sound that the Mamas and the Papas became known for. She became the undisputed star of the group, and along with Denny, shared lead vocals on some of the group's biggest hits.
Every song on this album is a winner - showcasing the groups tight vocal harmonies which would bring them a Grammy award for "Monday, Monday", induction into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Hall of Fame - and most importantly, a permanent place in the hearts of every true fan of great pop music!
Free Music Review: incredible
Hit: 5 Stars
I had NO idea the Mamas and Papas were actually a really good pop band. For years people have been telling me they are nothing more than a 2-hit wonder band. Really? Then why are the vocals on If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears absolutely *immaculate* from beginning to end. I can't get enough of them! The album is too short!
"Monday Monday" and "California Dreamin" are, of course, the big hits and the obvious highlights for most people (including me) but I can NOT ignore the quality of the rest of the tracks either. Seriously, the rest of the album has vocals very similar to "Monday Monday" and the album as a whole is deserving of classic status, and calling the Mamas and Papas a band that only had a few good pop songs is laughable to me (and I know a few people who have the audacity to claim this!)
I say pick up this album because the girl in the back of the bathtub is incredibly scorchin' hot... I mean! Because the way the two men and two women sing together is almost heavenly. It *is* heavenly. All four singers have (had) an amazing gift as far as their splendid vocals are concerned.
I actually think the Mamas and Papas should be remembered for more than just three or four songs. We're talking one great pop song after another. It never lets up either, which is great because I prefer listening to albums with no filler (well-balanced albums).
Pick up this album as soon you can afford to do so... ah, it's not THAT expensive is it? No excuses then!
Free Music Review: Their Fabulous Classic First Folk-Rock Album!
Hit: 5 Stars
No single group flashed faster to the top nor created more hype than the fabled the Mamas and the Papas. From their initial burst onto the scene with "California Dreaming" to their final efforts with "For The Love Of Ivy", they created a new, exciting, and melodramatic form of vocal harmonies into the folk-rock mainstream. The album featured here was their freshman effort, and it is indeed a classic, containing wall to wall hits with "Monday Monday", "I Call Your Name", "Go Where You Wanna Go", and of course, "California Dreaming". The cover shot of the four of them gathered fully clothed in an empty bathtub was typical of their earthy presence and flair the unconventional. Within a couple of years they had conquered the pop heavens, had an incredible string on non-stop hits, and promptly dissolved among the internal frictions so common to mid-sixties super-groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and a number of others. Yet the incredible sound they created remains, and I defy anyone to listen to this album without snapping a finger or tapping a foot in time with incredible sounds emanating from the stereo. This album is a must-have for collectors of sixties folk-rock music. Enjoy!