A Window To The True Spirit of the 60's

Those who are looking for a "favorable, but.." review or more crass and cruel jokes about ham sandwiches, look elsewhere.



For us hippies in the 1960's, there were two songs that made us realize that moment when we looked up when everyone else looked down: If You're Going To San Francisco and California Dreamin'. We realized that it had nothing to do with actually GOING to San Francisco or LIVING in California - it was the idea that things would be approached differently from then on.



John Philips wrote both songs. We knew he understood something deeper about a vibe that was in the country but had not been codified - and he wasn't even a hippie himself. Funny about that.



What he did was to select the finest voices he could find among the end of the popular folk music era and bring them together to perform a new kind of music. People who mistakenly lump his work in with The Association have ears of tin (though I like their work). This is instead the crossroads of The Hi-lo's, the Weavers and a kind of unabashedly romantic soft rock (before that was a pejorative term)that has not been performed since.



This collection comprises some of the finest pure SINGING of the decade of the Sixties, and that was my revelation from it. I had not properly remembered just how good a singer Cass Elliott was. Her voice is just magnificent. Denny Doherty, as one of the two great classic voices to come out of California in the Sixties ( the other being Marty Balin) is just breathtaking in both his approach and his mastery of the material. John's backup singing and his incredible vocal arrangements just lead me to wonder what he could have done with a modern studio with 128 vocal tracks. And as for Michelle, aside from being the absoulute pinnacle of attractive female rock singers then or now, I only wish the interior relationships would have permitted her to sing more leads. The great thing about this collection though is that you can hear EACH VOICE in EACH SONG to the extent that you can follow just John's voice in I Saw Her Again or just Denny in Stumble and Fall. Every lyric in every song can be clearly heard. Imagine that today!



There is more to this collection than just music - it contains artistry. If you like SINGING, even if you aren't sure about the material, BUY THIS SET. If you like the Mamas and Papas, YOU NEED THIS SET. If you want a quick Cliff's Notes on what late 60's music was really supposed to be all about YOU WANT THIS SET.

PS: Make absolutely sure you listen to the "studio chat" piece on the end of Disc 2...it'll clean your ears.



And by the way, speaking as a hippie - Cass died from a heart attack, not from a ham sandwich. Please don't defame her memory any longer with that sad-a**ed urban legend..

Four Albums in One!

How can one understand a two and a half year collaboration of one of the finest vocal groups of the 1960's? Listen to the four albums they created (and the singles that were major hits), that's how. This album (2 CD's) really rocks. You learn from the music itself how a groups of individuals interpreted the times from flower child to self-examination and the pursuit of individuality. All members of the group show they stuff! Buy it; turn out the lights; and burn a candle from a old wine jug. The trip through the music will make you feel good and keep you in touch with the best things in life worth remembering and continuing to do in your own life!

Four Complete Albums - Plus!

This 2 CD collection of the Mamas and Papas contains their complete 4 first albums + plus a few rare single tracks. Their relatively weak reunion album from 1971 "People Like Us" is not represented on this collection.



So if you want more than just the familar big hits, there are plenty of other goodies to go for here. Though most of their best songs were actually relased as singles, there are great gems such as "Got a Feeling" and "You Baby" from the debut album.



From the second album the casual Mamas and Papas listener probably won't be familiar with great songs like "No Salt on Her Tail" and "Once Was a Time I Thought".



From Deliver songs like "String Man" and "Did You Ever Want to Cry" stand fine along with the great hits "Dedicated to the one I Love" and "Creeque Alley".



Their 1968 album was their most experimental and besides 4 single hits ( some big / some not so big ) it contains gems like "Nothing's Too Good for My Little Girl", "Medication Mama" and "The Right Somebody to Love"; the latter is the fine intro to my favorite M & P song "Safe in My Garden".



Highly recommendable!