The Mamas & the Papas Album: “Papas & the Mamas”

This is by far the best CD I own. The Right Somebody to Love is an intreguing poem; Safe in My Garden has a well proven point; Meditation Mama is very enchanting and relaxing; For the Love of Ivy is a good easy listening song; Dream a Little Dream of Me is a nice Mama Cass solo and a good lovesong; Mansions is an excellent group autobiography; Gemini Childe is probably the best track on the album, because of the superb guitar and the well organized tunes, but you will have to know quite a bit about the group to understand its lyrics; Nothing's Too Good for my Little Girl is a nice Philips original; Too Late is a relaxing, passionate song; Twelve Thirty is an outstanding song, as it has good tune and lyrics; Rooms kicks @$$ because it is so original and smart-lyriced; Midnight Voyage is neat in that it offers a chance to hear some of their studio talk This CD is worth ten times what you will pay for it. I liked it so much I went and bout the old vynyl record!!! BUY THE CD!!!

This is the second Mamas and Papas album I had bought and WOW! I love it. The album starts off with a accapella poem by Michelle Phillips. When I first heard it, it sent chills up my spine as it has a haunting sound with comical lyrics. Next, the song Safe In My Garden, has a real 60's social awareness message to it as it marches away, as heard in the chorus. Meditation Mama is relaxing. Mama Cass' Dream A Little Dream Of Me is a good solo and probably best represents Mama Cass' unique voice. Their Room song has a defiant sound to it which has a good guitar background with good harmonies. Midnight Voyage is absolutely dreamy while also being humorous as during this song, they take a break to adjust their harmonies, the air conditioning, the TV set and the earphones. This album is very worth listening to, and if you like 60's music then you'll be listening to this one over and over.

The Mamas and The Papas are often dismissed today as a hippie band, but they were one of the most unique vocal groups in rock history with great talent in both singing and writing, and, in my opinion, this album is the best example of their gifts. While you won't hear many familiar hits here with the exception of Cass Eliot's "Dream A Little Dream", the album shows the band at the top of their game and well in control of their arrangement and production without the commercial whizbang audio effects from their other albums. It's a collection that holds up well today if you've never heard it, and brings back memories of LPs on the record player if you grew up in that golden era.

THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST OVERLOOKED ALBUMS OF THE M&P'S CAREER. TRUE, THE SONGS ON THIS ALBUM ARE A LITTLE MORE CYNICAL AND HEAVIER (REFLECTING ON WHAT WAS GOING ON BEHIND-THE-SCENES IN THE BAND MEMBERS' REAL LIVES/CAREERS) THAN IN THEIR THE PREVIOUS ALBUMS, BUT NONE THE LESS GREAT. THIS IS TRULY AN ALBUM THAT ONLY GETS BETTER THE MORE THAT YOU LISTEN TO IT. THE WAY J. PHILLIPS OVERLAYS THE HARMONIES AND BLENDS TOGETHER THE QUARTET'S (BUT IN A STRANGE WAY SHOWCASES THEIR INDIVIDUALITY, AT THE SAME TIME) VOICES IS AMAZING. THE MORE THAT YOU LISTEN TO THESE SONGS, THE MORE DETAIL THAT YOU PICK UP. EVERY TIME THAT I LISTEN TO IT, I PICK UP SOMETHING NEW. IF YOU ARE EVEN A PASSING M&P FAN, I URGE YOU TO ADD THIS CD TO YOUR COLLECTION. IT'S JUST WONDERFUL.

"The Papas and the Mamas" was the final album from the Mamas & the Papas and is a solid effort given that the group was about to self-destruct highlighted by what is clearly the most mature songwriting of John Philips, who never wrote a more beautiful song than "Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)." You can also make the argument that the group never sounded better as their richer harmonies also reflected a sense of maturity. Then you can throw into the mix Cass Elliot's best "solo" effort, "Dream a Little Dream of Me." This album clearly has the distinction of having the best songs by the Mamas & the Papas that you will not find on their greatest hits collections, with "Safe in My Garden," "Mansions," and "Midnight Voyage." As you listen to these songs a few time the only real glaring weakness you find in the songs overall all the lyrics. For example, "Too Late" is a great sounding song with forgettable lyrics and you can say the same thing for "Meditation Mama" and "Rooms." But then the point of the Mamas & the Papas was always the sound and on that score there is little to complain about here. Consequently, this 1968 album is not only the group's last effort, not counting a 1971 reunion effort, but arguably the one Mamas & the Papas album that you would want to pick up in addition to a solid hits collection.