Chillin' with John, Denny, Michelle, & Cass

Yeah, these discs really take me back to when girlfriends Cass and Michelle, and my men Denny and John, were so much a part of my life. I remember their gig (on the portable record player) at my dad's party the day he made journeyman electrician at Fords . And I remember kicking it with them in my room, using Crayolas to stand in for their physical selves.

But mostly I remember standing over our console stereo, enthralled by the melodies coming out as the "Dunhill" label spun around and around. At four and five, I preferred "Dancing Bear", the song about a kid dreaming of far away places and animals, to "Monday Monday", But I did like the harmonies.

On this collection, it's easy to appreciate the beauty, and in some cases complication, of the Mamas & the Papas' harmonies . One of my favorites musically is "Once Was a Time I Thought"; especially since you hear the group put the final touches on the recording. It seems they haven't overdubbed this accapella full of fifths and sixths, yet it sounds like a whole choir full of people is singing, not just four. Other arrangements on songs like "No Salt On Her Tail" are often unpredictable and refreshing.

Hearing the voices of the band and the history from the Big Three and Mugwumps is delightful, with one caveat. These folks wear their hearts on their sleeves, as anyone who has heard "I Saw Her Again" can attest to. They court each other, warn each other, build each other up, and finally, in Creeque Alley, vilify each other in song. I for one can't listen to the line "No one's getting fat except Mama Cass" without squirming. Still, I would highly recommend this collection of songs. They provide some beautiful melodies, and the history of one of the most important American pop bands of the '60s.

I should know. They lived on our stereo.

FOR COMPLETIST'S ONLY: OUT-OF-DATE AUDIO QUALITY!

This set will indeed take you back in time, but, unfortunately, not due to the music: It sounds like it's coming out of an AM radio because it was released fifteen years ago and has never been remastered.



If you are seeking the best reproduction of the TM&P's sound, serious consideration should be given to the remastered, 2001 2-disc set "ALL THE LEAVES ARE BROWN: THE GOLDEN ERA COLLECTION".



"ERA' contains the complete first four TM&P's LP's, plus the non-LP single, "Glad To Be Unhappy" in glorious remastered sound.



"ERA" is also superior in sound to the MCA "GREATEST HITS" single disc CD released in 1998.



"CREEQUE ALLEY" should only be purchased if you desire to explore the more obscure tracks and dialog bits included here.



My advice: Carefully examine the track lists for both "ERA" and "CREEQUE" to determine if the more obscure content justifies the expense of this additional set.

Solid history of excellent group

This compilation was released in the early nineties, since when other compilations have been released with improved sound quality. Nevertheless, this compilation includes tracks that pre-date the formation of the group as well as solo tracks recorded later, so there are tracks here that will be of interest to die-hard fans, which might not be easy to find elsewhere.

Mama Cass began her career in the Big three, which evolved into the Mugwumps. Two tracks from each of these groups begin this collection. As the Mugwumps, they recorded one album before splitting up. One member of the Mugwumps (Zal Yanovsky) went on to form the Lovin' Spoonful with John Sebastian, who had been a sideman on the Mugwumps' album. These four tracks are followed by a Barry McGuire solo track featuring the Mamas and Papas on backing vocals. The sixth track is a dialog by John Phillips. The remaining sixteen tracks on the first CD and the first thirteen tracks are by the Mamas and the Papas. The set closes with tracks recorded after the group broke up - three Mama Cass solos, a Mama Cass dialog, one solo song by each of the other three and one more Mamas and Papas track from a reunion made to fulfil contractual obligations.

The classic Mamas and Papas songs are all here including California Dreaming, Go where you wanna go, Monday Monday, I saw her again, Words of love and Creeque alley. These are classic slices of sixties folk-rock, some of which at least you must be already familiar with.

Also in this collection are their great covers including I call your name (Beatles), You baby (Turtles), Spanish Harlem (Ben E King), Dancing in the street (Martha Reeves and the Vandellas), Dedicated to the one I love (Shirelles), My girl (Temptations) and Twist and shout (Isley brothers). Do you wanna dance was originally an American hit for Bobby Freeman but later became a British hit for Cliff Richard and an American hit for the Beach Boys. Dream a little dream of me was over forty years old when the Mamas and Papas recorded it - this song was actually the first Mama Cass solo recording though the group was still united at this stage. Some of these covers were also hits for the Mamas and Papas.

Of the solo tracks recorded after the group broke up, the most important is It's getting better, a top ten UK hit for Mama Cass.

This is a fine collection but unless you are particularly interested in the rare Big three and Mugwumps recordings, you might be better to buy one of the more recent compilations. Some of these contain the later solo recordings and some don't, but the Mama Cass solos are available separately.