Mamas & Papas - The Mamas & the Papas - Greatest Hits
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Free Music Notes for The Mamas & the Papas - Greatest Hits
Free Music Review: Cass Was A Sophomore Wanted To Go To Swarthmore !
Hit: 5 Stars
The Mamas and the Papas bridged the gap between the migratory avocado pickers' "Folk" crowd (Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Hank Williams), the 50's San Francisco "Beats" (Kerouac, Cassady, Ginsberg), and the 60's Flower Powered psychedelized version of "Folk Rock": (The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Allman Brothers, Billy Graham and Fillmore West)..And spread it virally from coast to coast, to mainstream "American Grafitti" radio play..A Zeitgeist..Nowhere will you find a CD so replete with great hits, resonating with such awesome variety and "right on" harmonies..John Phillips could flat out write lyrics, and Mama Cass could belt them out like the rock diva that she was..What a voice! Equal to and as unique as Janis Joplin's, another S.F. contemporary..The Mamas and Papas were precocious leaders, innovators, and as important as the Byrds were when they electrified Dylan, and Pete Seeger..Changing the folk landscape from country corn to better, more sanguine music.."California Dreaming" is the anthem you'd expect to find in "The Grapes of Wrath"..On the road with the Joads..People stuck in the cold canyons of New York City wishing they were sunning in the glow and aura of California sun.."I walked into a church, I passed along the way, well I got down on my knees and I began to pray, you know the Preacher likes the cold, he knows I'm gonna stay, California Dreaming on such a Winter's day"..This album contibuted to the migration of New Yorkers to the West Coast and helped launch the bi-coastal lifestyle..Every cut on this CD is operatic in its own way..Mama Cass, ever the arranger, the fixer, hooked Graham Nash up with David Crosby..She was the den mother..The block boss of the folksy Sunset Blvd. crowd..A pure rock diva/queen..Her brains, charisma, and knock-out voice was the backbone of the group..Not quite forgetting John Phillip's lyrics and blind ambitions for the group mattered equally as much..This album should be a staple in any serious Rock/Folk collector's grabbag..It's a rock tapestry..And a must have for anyone that appreciates harmonies ala CSN&Y..The Hollies..I think The Mamas and Papas are Beatlesque in their vocalizations..Too bad things ended so suddenly for the group, because there was so more great music warehoused within John, Denny, Cass , Michelle..But the music remains timeless..And contemporarily classic..Buy the CD! "YOU'LL BE DANCING IN THE STREETS"..and "CALIFORNIA DREAMING"..Getting higher than Maguire..in LA you know where that's at!Free Music Review: Heavenly California Sounds!
Hit: 5 Stars
Crawdaddy's Paul Williams wrote: "'Monday, Monday' is an excellent song, melodically complex with simple yet elusive lyrics. The song is transformed by the lead singer (Denny Doherty) into a work of beauty, a gentle portrait of love and uncertainty. The other members of the group turn their voices into musical instruments, backing up Denny's lead with much success." - P.W.
With his warm, clear and romantic leads, the gallant Denny Doherty changes the approach on Bobby Freeman's classic "Do You Wanna Dance" and the Beatles' hit "Twist and Shout" to the listener's advantage!! Doherty's mellifluous tenor is showcased on P.F. Sloan's, "You Baby," the Temptation's charttopper "My Girl," and the haunting "Dancing Bear."
The group's coloratura, hypnotic beauty Michelle Phillips, is featured on the Shirelle's classic, "Dedicated to the One I Love." Her pristine vocal on the introduction is a conversation stopper!
Cass Elliot, the quartet's large, lusty and bawdy contralto, uses amazing histrionics with her leads on "Words of Love" and "I Call Your Name," giving both numbers a great, Broadway feel. Her lovely "Dream a Little Dream of Me" starts as if it were a lullaby and "Dancin' in the Streets" displays Cass Elliot's Motown perfectionism. She is fabulous!
(Check out Denny Doherty's NEW version of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" on his CD "Dream A Little Dream, The Nearly True Story of the Mamas & The Papas." It is beautiful! The tune features him and Doris Mason from his musical he co-created w/director, Paul Ledoux.)
Romantic, dreamy and budding love formed the mainstay of the Mamas & the Papas' work. Chief songwriter and baritone, John Phillips, deserves kudos for the ethereal arrangements and intricate, erotic harmonies of the foursome's satiny vocals.
If you're "classic-conscious," enjoy songwriters John and Denny's Michelle-ful composition "I Saw Her Again." Also hear writers John and Michelle Phillips' group autobiographical "Creeque Alley," -- and "California Dreamin," with a crisp lead vocal by Denny. John Phillips' groupie-watching,"Twelve Thirty" is also wonderful, as is "No Salt On Her Tail" which is about John's fleeting wife.
Really, any one of these 20 digitally remastered numbers on this compilation is a gem and is a MUST for ALL music fans! (Good notes by Joseph F. Laredo.) YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EARS!
Free Music Review: Probably the best place to go for the music of a great group
Hit: 5 Stars
The great bands and groups of the sixties tended either to be focused on albums or on singles, and the Mamas and the Poppas definitely were a singles band. Therefore anyone today wanting to explore their music really needs to do so through a good anthology. There are a confusing number of collections of their music out there, but I think this is for most the best of the bunch. This album is allegedly remastered, though in fact the bulk of the remastering took place on the earlier version of this set, CREEQUE ALLEY. Still, this set has perhaps the best sound of any collection avaiable and collects all the crucial songs in their catalogue.
The Mamas and the Pappas were the creation of John Phillips, who was one of the truly great arrangers for voices on the entire music scene in the sixties. No other group in the sixties was anywhere near as focused on what could be done with the intricate arrangement of voices. Crosby, Stills, and Nash and the Byrds also were vocally oriented, but no one in those bands had Phillips's abilities to work with voices, and those others weren't blessed with a blend of two female and male vocalists. To be honest, for the most part the vocals in the band were greater than the sum of their parts. Only one singer, Casssandra Elliot aka Mama Cass, was a truly great singer, but the four voices blended wonderfully and Phillips gave them some truly great material to work with. Visually the band was perfect for the time, with the two long-haired guys, the utterly gorgeous Michelle Phillips as one singer, and the obese Mamma Cass, who didn't look like anyone else in music.
Though the group was together for only a brief period of time, they managed to crank out a large number of first rate singles. Everyone knows such iconic songs as "California Dreaming" and "Monday Monday," while other singles like "Go Where You Want to Go," Mama Cass's wonderful version of "Dream a Little Dream With Me" (a harbinger of her impending solo career), and the great "Creeque Alley," inspired by the contemporary West Coast music scene.
Those familiar only with the groups' two huge hits should definitely explore further. And you will not find a better collection of their music than this one. Definitely one of truly great vocal groups of the decade.
Free Music Review: Harmonies and GREAT tunes make this a no-brainer.
Hit: 5 Stars
The origin of the Mamas & the Papas is an interesting one, and for the most part us fans pretty much care mostly about what made them great: the music. When all is said and done, John Phillips has been regarded as a lot less of a talented songwriter than he truly was. When you can wake up in the middle of the night and force Michelle Phillips to write down the lyrics to a song that's been bouncing around your head for a few hours and it turns out to be "California Dreamin" you can consider yourself an accomplished songwriter (IMHO). That is easily the best song written basically while asleep since "Yesterday" by Paul McCartney.
While "California Dreamin" wasn't their all-time biggest chart topper, it is most assuredly the song that us fans think of most often when we read or hear about this amazingly talented Quartet. Drugs, alcohol and who knows what else very much contributed to a great deal of the problems and in some respects their eventual break-up, but NOBODY can seriously take away the impact that they have had over the years.
Personally I feel that Denny Doherty was one of the most underrated singers of the 60's. His talent on their signature song is unmistakable, and since his passing recently, will be sorely missed. As it stands, we now only have Michelle left of the original four members. All I can say is for the casual fans of the band, this is a great collection to have, and you will be amazed at the selection of songs that you probably haven't heard before that are assembled here. For the true Mamas & the Papas fans, it'll take you on an incredible trip down memory lane the way only great music can. I find that through specific songs I can remember obscure moments of my life that otherwise I honestly would have totally forgotten otherwise. Its an amazing medium and one I am fortunate to work in regularly.
While I didn't hit my teen years in the 60's, I was fortunate to have worked at an Oldies themed radio station for several years which helped me to really learn to love this music in a way I probably never would have in any other way. Give this CD a shot and get ready for hours--if not years of pure enjoyment.
Free Music Review: Great Compilation Of Their Best Hits!
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. This, one of several terrific compilations of their greatest hits, features most of their classic hits, from "Monday Monday" to "I Call Your Name", from "Go Where You Wanna Go" to "California Dreaming", and from "Twelve Thirty" to "Creeque Alley". My own personal favorites are "I Saw Her Again" and "Words OF Love".The cover shot of the four of them on-stage was taken in a rare moment of group unity; as at various times they actually kicked Michelle out of the band and replaced with another female lead singer in the midst of one the group's pitched fur-fights. Later she was allowed to rejoin the group, and the rest, as they say, is history. Everything about the Mamas and the Papas seemed unconventional, yet much of what they did was better planned and more contrive than it appeared. This isn't to say that their earthy presence and flair for the controversial wasn't real. It certainly was.
Indeed, within the space of 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!