Customer Reviews

Complete Anthology

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4 star:		(2)
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You need no other CD by the "Mamas and the Papas" if you own this 4 CD set of 101 songs. It is ALL inclusive. Not one song is missed in their history. Some of the studio clatter can be annoying, but the big fans won't mind it. It is the equivalent to the sixties type version of `ABBA's" box set, "Thanks You For The Music" in its inclusiveness.

Some of the highlights are the Beatles covers as well as the `live' versions on the "Ed Sullivan Show" and the "Monterrey Music Festival" (completely arranged and invented by John Phillips!).

Don't freak out - all songs have been digitally remastered and the sound is fantastic! Mind you, even in the sixties, their production team made an extra effort to accentuate the stereo sound (try listening to "California Dreamin'" with just the left channel and then just the right channel). It's like two different songs, which should not be a surprise, as John Phillips was a master at vocal arrangements. I only wish they had recorded John Philips song "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)".

The 74-page booklet and 100 photos is a wonderful addition in a time when box sets can be terribly short on information. This is the box set of the year. Enjoy!

but...the single version of "Creeque Alley," the one with a horn-blowing free-for-all, is NOT in the collection. Thank goodness I still have my scratched-up 45rpm... Other than that, all six albums, except for "A Gathering of Flowers," are wholly-represented. Some dialogue and rehearsal cuts from that two-LP anthology are included, though.

There is an entire disc of rarities and solo cuts from each group member. Unfortunately, the songs representing Cass are the same-old, run-of-the-mill cuts ("It's Getting Better," "Make Your Own Kind of Music" and "New World Coming"). What about "Talkin' To Your Toothbrush," or "You Know Who I Am?" Or even "Burn Your Hatred?" Fortunately, the theme from "Doctors' Wives" is included. I never heard it before. (What we need to hear next is the theme from "L'Amour.") I've heard some, but not all, solo recordings of Michelle, John and Denny, so I was pleased with the cuts representing their work.

I know that the group members and many fans hated "People Like Us," but I have to admit that I always loved that album!! The notes indicate that that recording may have hurt the careers of the individual group members, that they never made the charts on their own accord again. Sorry, but I don't agree. Had Cass lived longer, she would definitely have made the charts again. She was in the process of finding herself as an artist. The other group members did not try to find solo success beyond a limited number of recordings, and each ultimately pursued a different direction.

Summing up, it is amazing that this foursome created such an awesome body of work that was so small, yet so affecting. Their harmonies were amazing! And their material, even the filler and contractually-obligated, is worth listening to today, 40 years after "California Dreamin'" was released.

Once again, a reason to despair for the questionable state of affairs known as the American music industry of today and it's quest for youthful, talentless hacks who need to be filtered, edited, vocodered, sampled, sweetened, fixed. Why, oh why, did this unparalled, marvelous set have to be compiled & released in the U.K.? The British arm of Universal is even willing to give so much room & accuracy to the American chart & release histories, not only of the band in it's regrettably all too brief period of existence, but of the subsequent individual careers of Cass, Michelle, Denny & John. Many kudos to them.

The effortless, seemingly pure harmonies, let alone the individual talents have had an unrivalled, eternally lasting, effect on anyone who loves, or even remotely gives a hoot, about what vocal music can be. The beautiful remastering of EVERYTING included in the lavish set is beyond reproach. Yes, even "People Like Us." The long ridiculed, yet not at all out of step with the period it was recorded sounds exemplary in this set. Frankly, if anything is out of step with this collection it is the Barry McGuire tracks that finish off the forth disc, but with the unmistakable vocals that back him, it is easy to forgive their inclusion.

The book is equally incredible. Previously unseen photos & artwork abound, recording & release details. Unlike so many "so-called" anthologies of more than a decade, the "digipack/book" concept is meant to be accessed, read, poured over. No threat of the book falling apart over time from poor binding, or getting lost if not put back in a jewel case immediately.

As a personal recommendation, it would be well worth any effort to follow this with the recent releases of the respective solo works from Hip-O of both Cass & Michelle. Hopefully, someday, the same will happen for the long ignored solo works of Denny & John, not to mention the difficult to find RCA releases of Cass.

Great sound, rare material - and disc three is maybe the worst CD ever issued on a major group, grouping the extremely lame contractual obligation album "People Like Us" and the completely unrehearsed and almost entirely embarrassing Monterey concert (John Phillips was the co-producer and had no time to rehearse the group - it sounds like Michelle's microphone is either turned off or she's not singing into it, which did her reputation no good). Though this may be the final word, it still leaves you wanting more - surely there is a tape of a great live Mamas and Papas show or at least a few songs to issue. The complete performances from the Rodgers and Hart television special would have been interesting, if they weren't just the studio versions with applause dubbed in (the one track on the set sounds like it is). The box highlights the sad effect drugs can have on creativity - John Phillips was a genius close to Brian Wilson, but only produced a large handful of songs - nearly every one a gem - in this time, filling out the albums with wonderful covers and toss-offs, when he should have been writing and writing and writing. Enough kvetching - it's priceless. Shamefully, of course, no US issue is planned apparently. Less avid Mamas and Papas fans might look to the US double CD of the four great LPs, though you'll miss a handful of interesting cuts. You will get the rare alternate second album cover there with Michelle's short-lived replacement - Michelle was sleeping with everyone except Cass, which got her tossed. Her forward here is not a completely adequate replacement for that. One peculiarity - no doubt it was Lou Adler's fault, but the instrumental breaks on the first two albums are mostly just out of tune - particularly the flute solo on "California Dreaming", infamous in musician's circles. Perhaps it's just that the Mamas and the Papas are so dead on pitch for pop singers it sticks out by contrast. But with today's technology you could correct what should have been fixed with another take all those years ago.

For all of you M & P fans out there, here is a collection worthy to be called an anthology. Finally "Nowhere Man" and "Here in My Arms" has been released on CD. Also, the M & P's background vocals with Barry McGuire are all here, too. Loads of solo material by each of the performers is also included (as well as alternate and "chatter" versions of certain songs). "The Right Somebody To Love" (the extremely rare alternate version) is a track that is hidden at the beginning of the song "Gemini Childe" for a listener's surprise. The liner notes and pictures are spectacular. It even has a foreward by Michelle Phillips herself. You cannot go wrong with this box set! Enjoy!

Of all the compilations of the Mamas and the Papas that have been released, this is, without a doubt, the absolutely best collection of their music from beginning to end. All five of their studio albums are hear along with their live recordings from the Monterey Pop festival along with such rarities like their TV performances of "Nowhere Man" and "Here in My Arms". There are also selected solo material from all four members as well as the background vocals they recorded for Barry McGuire.
And, there are also outtakes from their studio rehearsals of songs like "Once Was a Time I Thought", "I Can't Wait" and "Do You Wanna Dance". There is a nice selection of pictures of the group along with it's history featuring a foreword by Mama Michelle Phillips.

I read through the reviews on here and one reviewer referred to the Mamas and Papas music as "a blip on the radar screen of rock and roll history". Not only is this statement insulting, it's totally inaccurate. Although the Mamas and the Papas were together for less than three years, they achieved more in that time period than most groups together for 10 years or more never could hope to achieve. The facts speak for themselves:

1. Between January, 1966 and June, 1967 the group sent 6 singles ("California Dreamin'", "Monday, Monday", I Saw Her Again", "Words of Love", "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Creeque Alley) to the Top 5. Additional singles like "Look Through My Window", "Glad To Be Unhappy", "Twelve Thirty" and "Dream a Little Dream of Me" all made the Top 40.

2. In fact, "Monday, Monday" which went all the way to Number 1 sold 160,000 copies on the first day it was released which for 1966 was amazing. They also won a Grammy Award for this song.

3. Their first 3 albums all went to the Top 5 and were certified gold. Their debut album, "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears" went to Number 1; their second album hit Number 4 and their third album, "Deliver" hit Number 2.

4. They appeared on every top rated variety show on televsion at the time including "American Bandstand", "Hullaballo", "The Hollywood Palace" and 3 appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show".

5. They performed sold out concerts in the top venues across the country - from the Hollywood Bowl to Carnegie Hall.

6. They organized and were the headliners of the first outdoor rock festival in history - The Monterey Pop Festival in June, 1967.

7. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1998) and the Vocal Hall of Fame (2001)

8. "California Dreamin'" is listed at Number 48 on the Billboard 100 Greatest Hits of Rock and Roll.

9. According to Michelle Phillips, a movie on the life of the group is currently in pre-production and is slated for the big screen in the upcoming future.

10. Any true fan of the group can easily name 10 songs that weren't considered "hits" but easily could have been, such as: "Go Where You Wanna Go", "Straight Shooter", "I Call Your Name", "Trip, Stumble and Fall", "My Heart Stood Still", "Dancing in the Street", "I Can't Wait", "Sing For Your Supper", "Free Advice" and "Did You Ever Want to Cry".

Not bad for being just a "blip on the radar screen of rock and roll" don't you think? In the final analysis, any true fan of rock and roll will admit that the Mamas and the Papas were perhaps the greatest vocal group of all time and, even though their time together was brief, they achieved a permanent place in the history of rock music and in the hearts of every true lover of great music.

The Mamas and the Papas posessed four of the most beautiful voices of all time and looking back, it is hard to believe they were only around for a few short years. This anthology endorssed by Michelle Phillips hereself, contains everything the group ever recorded, plus selected highlights from all their solo careers. Some of these songs have been staples of the radio ever since the sixties, some are true gems to be discovered along the way. My personal favorite is "Look Thru My Window" not one of their biggest hits but certainly a most compelling one. Check out the line "Where nothing's quite as sure as change" So true and yet John Phillips said it first. If you are a lover of four part harmonies drenched in gentle warm breezes This group will truely knock you out. The Mamas and the Papas had many imitators during their short time, but really no equals. Unique and lovely.

I wish all box set collections put out by other musicians and bands were as good as this one! This has my award for one of the most thought out collections ever released!! Fantastic song collection (All of the Mamas And Papas studio album releases are here, along with very rare bonus tracks, single releases, live performances from television and the Monterey Pop Festival, and then to top everything off...Solo recordings by each of the groups members after the band split up. My favorite being the incredible, late Cass Elliot. Miss you Cassie!) The packaging is probably the best I have ever seen! Strong cover and back, Perfect use of A cover photo and readable listings on the back cover (Very easy to look at and read!) Inside, it's very sturdy as well! Cd's hold great, and the incredible book is something every fan of this group should see and read! The set is also slim-lined. Meaning, that it's not bulky like some box sets I have. The sound is mastered perfectly!! Crisp, loud, and no noise. Overall, A hands down winner of one of the greatest collections ever made. This is A MUST HAVE for any fan of the Mamas And Papas!! And that goes for the casual fan as well! The band offered much more than "California Dreamin'", "Monday, Monday", or "I Saw Her Again". It's A real mystery why some of there lesser known tracks never made it into the charts, because some of them are just great! Do yourself A favor and pick up this perfect collection of songs and rare gems before it's long gone. They don't make them like this very often! A+

All of The Mamas & The Papas albums in one box set is very handy & necessary to have. Being a huge fan, I had almost everything on here , but with Disc 4 , there are many very rare tracks that I had to have. These are the only unreleased songs that exist by the group: a short TV performance from Hullabaloo in 1966 of NOWHERE MAN, which is just gorgeously sung, and the completed studio track HERE IN MY ARMS from The Rodgers & Hart Today special filmed in 1966. Denny sounds like an angel singing it, with heavenly back up from Cass & Michelle. Too bad that Dunhill Records lost the master of it.

Plus, there are rare solo singles from each M&P that are making CD debuts, and a nice booklet with a forward by Michelle. They should have gotten Denny too to write something for the box set. And of course you get the 5 classic Mamas & Papas studio albums that will hold up musically forever, and the legendary Monterey Pop performance by the group in 1967. Only released in the UK, which Universal USA should be ashamed of that it wasn't released here, it's a must for a big fan .

Disclaimer: I did not write this review. But it's so well-written, I thought it could be helpful to include it for Amazon customers.

What's in a name? If you love mid-'60s folk-rockers the Mamas & the Papas, this four-volume U.K. Complete Anthology (2004) speaks for itself. The 101 selections run in excess of five hours centering on the vintage long-players If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966), The Mamas & the Papas (1966), The Mamas & the Papas Deliver (1967), The Papas & the Mamas (1968), People Like Us (1971), and The Monterey International Pop Festival (1971). For many, that gracious plenty would be sufficient. But the real icing (or cake for the hardcore fan) comes in the form of the nearly 90 minutes of hard-to-find material ranging from the quartet's debut as support vocalists for Barry McGuire, to rare singles, audio from a pair of television appearances, and a bevy of post-Mamas & the Papas entries from John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Cass Elliot, and Denny Doherty as solo artists. The contents of the first four LPs sound uniformly excellent, on par with the domestic North American All the Leaves Are Brown: The Golden Era Collection (2001) anthology. They seemingly share the same source -- an actual 45 rpm platter -- for the monaural versions of both "Words of Love" and the autobiographical "Creeque Alley." The latter title is of special mention as the original mix is conspicuously different from the more familiar one that turned up on The Mamas & the Papas Deliver. The 7" contained considerably less reverb throughout, but the most obvious disparity comes during the line "And California Dreamin' is becoming a reality," which is repeated. On the one folks are probably most accustomed to hearing, only the last syllable in the word "reality" is audible. Earnest collector-types should note that a higher-fidelity rendering was incorporated into the D.A. Pennebaker documentary Monterey Pop (1968). Additional extras worth citing are the brief dialogue segments by John Phillips and Cass Elliot that surfaced on A Gathering of Flowers (1971) and were merely excerpted on the two-CD Creeque Alley (1991) package. Similarly, the studio chatter and rehearsals of "Once Was a Time I Thought" and "I Can't Wait" at the end of disc two are also holdouts from A Gathering of Flowers. John Phillips' "Revolution on Vacation," "Cup of Tea," Elliot's "Costume Ball" -- from the Doctors' Wives (1970) motion picture soundtrack -- Doherty's "To Claudia on Thursday" -- off of Jimmie Haskell's California 99 (1971) concept album -- "Indian Girl," and "Baby, Catch the Moon," as well as the majority of the Michelle Phillips sides all make their digital debut here. Complete Anthology (2004) concludes with seven cuts from Barry McGuire's This Precious Time (1966). It was during these fall of 1965 recording dates that producer Lou Adler gave the Mamas & the Papas their initial opportunity behind the microphone. Listeners will instantly recognize McGuire's rendering of "California Dreamin'" as it boasts the very same instrumental backing with a few minor alterations. Producer Adler simply replaced McGuire's voice and harmonica. Well sort of, as traces of his foghorn-like pipes are on the Mamas & the Papas hit. The 74-page liner tome is a great read, although arguably revisionist. The reams of rarely published photos, complete American discography, and chronological time line of key events make it as thorough a work of prose as exists on the foursome. Completists will want to hold onto copies of All the Leaves Are Brown if for no other reason than the mono "I Saw Her Again," the sole Mamas & the Papas-related release absent from Complete Anthology. ~ Lindsay Planer