The Mamas & the Papas Album: “If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears [Remaster]”

No single group flashed faster to the top nor created more hype than the fabled the Mamas and the Papas. From their initial burst onto the scene with "California Dreaming" to their final efforts with "For The Love Of Ivy", they created a new, exciting, and melodramatic form of vocal harmonies into the folk-rock mainstream. The album featured here was their freshman effort, and it is indeed a classic, containing wall to wall hits with "Monday Monday", "I Call Your Name", "Go Where You Wanna Go", and of course, "California Dreaming".

The cover shot of the four of them gathered fully clothed in an empty bathtub was typical of their earthy presence and flair the unconventional. Within a couple of years they had conquered the pop heavens, had an incredible string on non-stop hits, and promptly dissolved among the internal frictions so common to mid-sixties super-groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and a number of others. Yet the incredible sound they created remains, and I defy anyone to listen to this album without snapping a finger or tapping a foot in time with incredible sounds emanating from the stereo. This album is a must-have for collectors of sixties folk-rock music. Enjoy!

This is a review of the vinyl reissue LP of this classic album by the Sundazed label in 2010. I've listened to this album since I was 7 years old in 1967, and had the original mono Dunhill LP, then the stereo Lp, cassette, , a German LP reissue and 2 CD reissues. With The Mamas and The Papas, the biggest distinction of listening to them in mono, is that the vocals and instruments are all in the center. Having listened to the stereo LP's and CD's for decades, the layers of vocal tracks would be on both the right and left side channels. You could hear the switching between both speakers. With this mono mix, the vocals are blended more cohesively together. That is the biggest difference listening to this album in mono. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' really comes alive, with Denny's lead vocal, the backing vocals, the flute solo and all the instrumentals in a perfect blend. There are other differences, which are more subtle, with a nuance here or there that sounds just a little bit different. Basically, this Sundazed mono reissue is the same as the original Dunhill mono LP that was first released in 1966.

There's just a few songs which fade out a few seconds longer. DO YOU WANNA DANCE and GO WHERE YOU WANNA GO have just a couple seconds longer endings. Conversely, MONDAY MONDAY is several seconds shorter , just like it was on the original mono album. The sound overall is very clear and crisp, though with all the layers of tracks of vocals, instruments & the strings on GO WHERE YOU WANNA GO, it is more condensed than the stereo version. But what a timeless album. The album was sequenced perfectly. The music all fits together. Their biggest hits start each side. Denny opens the album with MONDAY MONDAY and Cass sings her heart out on the closer IN CROWD, a bombastic song with some jazz & R&B influences. Michelle is clearly an important key in the sound , particularly on GOT A FEELIN' , SPANISH HARLEM, SOMEBODY GROOVY and the backing vocals on IN CROWD. And John was the primary songwriter of the group and the arranger. It's a perfect album that stands the test of time.

As for the packaging, you get the original cover with the then " indecent " toilet in clear view. There is a new sticker on the shrinkwrap that covers it, but only on the shrink, not on the cover. It looks exactly like the original cover , except for catalog number and a cover up of the back Dunhill ad with Sundazed's address. They even duplicated the Dunhill label on the record. The only thing that I was disappointed in was that there is no special inner sleeve of photos or additional new liner notes. I thought that there would be being that Sundazed has custom inner sleeves on many of their vinyl reissues. An interview with Michelle would have enhanced this entire reissue.

Coming at a time prior to the '67 Summer of Love, but riding the crest of folk music's metamorphosis into electric psychedelia, this stunning debut is packed with gorgeous pop melodies enhanced by The Mamas & The Papas soon-to-be trademark harmonizations. All of the classic singles are here: "Monday, Monday" , "Go Where You Wanna Go" and "California Dreamin'", and even when they are covering other songs, they create fascinating interpretations that stand on their own. Bobby Freeman's "Do You Wanna Dance" is a good example: The Mamas & The Papas take this classic rollicking dance-hall number and strip it down to a beautiful, almost melancholy love song. Elsewhere, they do a vaudevillian send-up of The Beatles' "I Call Your Name", with Mama Cass on lead. And I still like their version of "You Baby" better than the better-known Turtles version. This is easily their masterpiece in a short and turbulent career.

I have been waiting for this album to come out on CD in Mono. I absolutely detest the Stereo version of "California Dreamin'". And now, this album is in my hands and I love it. Beautiful sound quality. Rich tones and Beach Boy-Like harmonies. Superb! Alert: There is some analog hiss at the beginning of most of these songs. I can hear it with headphones but not on my stereo system. The original mono master tapes were supposedly lost and I'm sure that these songs were taken from a very clean record. But the vocals are so much better in Mono that, to me, it's not a problem. That's how it sounded on the album when I bought it in 1966. And it's great!

To me, great debut albums are few and far between. These days, there's just too much hype made about this group and that group; and, even if they are good, so much media overkill and overplay gets done that you're sick of hearing about someone before they've really had a chance? "IF YOU CAN BELIEVE YOUR EYES AND EARS" is one of those great debut albums--almost a "sleeper," if you will--that can't be beat! From start to finish, you want to hear more; and usually do wind up playing it a second (and maybe even a third) time around before walking away and saying, "Wow," to yourself over and over again. I can only compare that to, say, the first Beatles album (take your pick between the first UK or US release), Boston's debut LP, Skynyrd's "PRONOUNCED," or (another "sleeper") "LISTEN UP... IT'S THE ECHOES"--the latter, in some ways, reminding me of The Mamas & The Papas magic and honesty? This group's definitely earned itself a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I only wish there were more like them!