The Mamas & the Papas Album: “Best of the Mamas & the Papas: 20th Century Masters”

The first two songs on this cd are fine. After that, the instrutmental section is so loud that you can hardly hear the vocals. I found the same to be true on the cd of the Greatest Hits by the Mamas and Papas. Very disappointed!

For the Mamas and the Papas to have only been together for 2 years, they certianly produced some wonderful tunes. "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" are the two standards most ppl identify, but "Creeque Alley" and "Make your own Kind of Music" are very personal songs from the band and Mama Cass. I've never been a big fan of this band, but I felt the urge to order this cd for a "101" perspective. I can not find any similarities in their vocals, chord progressions, or harmonizations to any other band before them. One would think the Beatles influenced most acts in the late 60's, but this isn't the case with the Mamas and Papas. However, I believe they influenced a great deal of artists in the 70's. Bette Midler, for example. In the song "Dream a Little Dream of Me" Mama Cass's voice sounds exactly like Bette's. I also believe Billy Joel was subconsciously influenced by their lyrics. I also believe the album "Double Fantasy" from John and Yoko owes alot of gratitude to the Mamas and the Papas.

Since these are the original recordings remastered, you don't get a lot of bass. But the soaring vocals, ornaments, and guitar riffs in the treble register more than make you "feel" the musical idea! :-)

This collection has eight of the Mamas & The Papas' nineTop 40 hits (why they included "Dancing Bear" instead of"Glad to be Unhappy" is a mystery) and two of Mama Cass's chart hits. As such this is a terrific collection of this group's folk-pop music and vocal harmony magic during the second half of the Sixties. "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" undoubtedly get the most classic rock radio play, but "Creeque Alley" is an amusing band biography and they all exhibit how well their four voices blended together.

MCA has not, however, done the consumer any favors with this 20th Century Masters series. In 1986, MCA took 1970's 16 Greatest Hits and released it on CD. That has since gone out of print in favor of this 11-song collection. The other option is to go for the 40-track Creeque Alley retrospective at double the price. That may be more than the casual fan needs, but the 20th Century Masters series once again shortchanges the consumer. It would not have cut into the record company's profits substantially to add another half dozen or so tracks to this collection. Not only could it have made this collection definitive, it would have sold substantially more copies in the bargain. [What were MCA executives thinking when they put this series together! ]...

Despite the cheesy marketing ploy by Universal to sell this and other "best ofs" as "the Millennium Collection", this set of most of the band's hits is a must-have for casual listeners. True fans will bypass this in favour of a more in-depth, comprehensive collection. But for others who just want to hear what the Mamas And The Papas really sounded like and the material they recorded, this is a good choice to make. Indeed, one listen through is not enough. Though the biggies "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday" are still great to listen to, it's their lesser known hits that really stand out on this recording. "Creeque Alley" is one of the greatest bio-songs ever recorded. The harmonies on "Dedicated To The One I Love" and "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon)" are perfect. Listeners will also discover what a great vocal talent Cass Elliot was. Denny Doherty's male lead vocals sound great as well. Though they were around for only a brief period, The Mamas And The Papas created a folk-rock sound that is just too good to be ignored. They will forever be identified with the '60s, though the sound they created there has been heard through several decades and through many performers. They are an essential part of music history.

I was surprised to see how many bad reviews this album has received. To each his own. I considered myself only a slight fan of this band, and wanted certain songs. I enjoy most of the album(all but two songs) , but the ones I do like I like enough to give the CD five stars. I think someone like myself who is just becoming interested in the Mamas and the Papas would find this album a very good starting point. If you're expecting the amount of material that a boxed set would provide, then you'll be disappointed. But if you want the basic hits of this band, this seems to be a good disc.