The Mamas & the Papas Album: “Greatest Hits”

I remember that when music changed from the 60s sound to disco, I heard the song "Monday Monday" being played on a radio station and I became teary eyed. Mama Cass was still alive so, it wasn't as though I was grieving for a band that could never be reassembled. Rather, I was grieving for a contemporary music style that would never be recaptured. In the sixties, there was the San Francisco sound and then, there was the more laid back sound from Southern California exemplfied by the Mamas & the Papas. Monday Monday was so evocative to me because that song epitomised this sound which was now relegated to the status of "oldies but goodies." Of course, "Monday Monday" and the equally laid back "California Dreaming" sre included on this cd, as well as the lively "Go Where You Wanna Go" (My favorite song on the cd). Another Favorite is the beautiful arrangement of the Shirelles standard "Dedicated to the One I Love" (Gosh!! weren't the Shirelles great too!!??). All in all, there are 20 well selected hits and I think you will love this collection. Now that a second band member, John Phillips, has died, it is time to revisit this group of my fond memories.

If you are searching for the definitive M&P collection, keep looking... this is not it.

This compilation boasts that it is digitally remastered. However, the instrumentals are crisp and sadly to the fore, on most tracks the vocals have been muddied and diminished.. Cass would have not been amused.

Regrettably my cassette tape of the M&P purchased in 1969 puts this assemblage to shame.

'The Mamas and the Papas' had a sound all their own, a unique kind of Southern California blend, a harmony of at times melancholy beauty. They had one great singer, Mama Cass, whose 'Dream a Little Dream of me' is perhaps the closest thing they ever produced to a really great 'solo'. Their signature song and one of the unforgettable sixties song is 'California Dreaming'. It seemed to express a certain haunting longing , the longing for a place which then represented to many Americans, California, the golden land of escape and new home.

John Phillips who like Mama Cass is no longer with us was the arranger, director who really made the 'Mamas and Papas' into such a great group.

It is strange even then their sound evoked a certain feeling of 'nostalgia' but four decades later the jump of initial joy hearing them brings is truly complemented by the sense of a world long gone.

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.

The Mamas and the Papas' music is something truly awe-inspiring. And most people find, when they sit down to write a review, that it's difficult to classify. Rather than shuffle it into some odd mix of a genre like "choral rock pop folk hippie jazz minstrel jump swing," it's much easier (and far more accurate) to just give it the title "beautiful music." Because that's what it is.

For a single disc compilation, Greatest Hits is absolutely packed to the brim with wonderful material that sounds great without being dated. It's an album you can just pop into the player without bothering with programming or track-skipping; you'll want to play every track. Then start it over and play every track again. It's a wonderful CD with wonderful music that'll bring you hours of enjoyment.

Highly recommended!