Dave Mason & Cass Elliot [IMPORT]

Elliot/Mason

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 17, 2008)
• Original Release Date: February 1971
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Rev-Ola
• ASIN: B0018RWDLS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,258 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
2008 reissue of this album from the Traffic singer/guitarist and one fourth of The Mamas & The Papas. Originally planned as a Dave Mason solo album, it is certainly one of his finest and coupling him with Cass Elliot was an utter stroke of genius, as she goes from being "just" producer and backing vocalist to being the shining guest star of the album. Cass provides excellent background vocals on her non-lead songs alongside sister Leah Kunkel making up an impressive harmony stack. The album is propelled by Mason's superb songwriting talents and tracks such as 'On and On', 'Walk to the Point', and several others bear this out. His guitar playing is some of his finest recorded work, especially the epic 'Glittering Fa‡ade', where he layers acoustic and electric guitars to a scintillating effect. Rev-Ola.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Boy, is this one hard to find!, February 14, 2006

By	Robert G. Daugherty (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dave Mason & Cass Elliot (Audio CD)

Mystifying. This CD is unbelievably rare. It's also unbelievably great! "Dave Mason & Cass Elliot" has truly aged to perfection. I bought it when it first came out on LP and have sought it on CD for years. When I finally got it (at an outrageous price I might add), I was truly surprised to find out how good it was.

And why shouldn't it be? It's Dave Mason at his creative peak, only a few months after "Alone Together". Mama Cass is in peak form as well. This is a good as anything she's done, including the Mamas and the Papas.

Why this album is so hard to find on CD is truly mystifying. A re-release would seem to be a no-brainer, particularly since there are legions of Dave Mason fans who have yearned for a worthy followup to "Alone Together" but could never find one. Well, DM fans, look no further. Here it is, in all its glory. Ten Dave Mason originals, impeccably perfomed and sung by two artists at the peak of their creative powers.

It doesn't get any better than this.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Mason/Elliot collaboration finally available again, June 26, 2008

By	Wayne Klein "If at first the idea is not absu... (My Little Blue Window, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

When Dave Mason left Traffic he produced a number of strong albums fresh out of the gate. "Alone Together", "It's Like You Never Left" and "Dave Mason" among many other gems. This terrific album is also part of that set of classic releases. Recorded just after he left Blue Thumb Records over a contract dispute (it would take some years and a bankruptcy to free him from the label). Featuring Cass Elliott on harmony vocals, Mason turns in some of his best material and guitar playing on this terrifc album. Cass appears as lead vocalist on her lone songwriting contribution "Here We Go Again" and its a reminder of what a terrific vocalist she was. She and Mason should have continued on as they generate magic on this terrific album.

The reissue by Rev-Ola sounds quite good although I favor the original issue on MCA (which was released in a no-frills package) as the mastering is better with a crisper, less compressed feel to it. Still, Rev-Ola has done a fine job on this reissue since the original had no liner notes or credits for who played what (for the record session legends Russ Kunkel, Bryan Garofalo and Paul Harris provide drums, bass and keyboards/string arrangments with Mason playing everything else).

This is one of Mason's finest albums and it's interesting to compare this along with his first solo album to the albums by Traffic after he left--they were on somewhat similar roads musically but its quite clear why Mason's vision for the band conflicted with Winwoods with Mason relying much more on traditional song structure vs. more jamming approach of Winwood's efforts with his band.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Glittering Facade !!, February 22, 2005

By	Celso Eduardo Franco "celso eduardo de araujo... (Rio de Janeiro ,Brasil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dave Mason & Cass Elliot (Audio CD)

Well, I bought the original Elliot/Mason band album in 1971.I could never stop listen to it.It's always fantastic.The combination of the two voices could not be better.She only sings lead in two tracks: Something To Make You Happy which is a pretty good tune wrote by her and Dave Mason and Here we go again ,wrote by her and Bryan Garo.Since Wild Women, from the The Big Three,it's the first time Cass co-write songs for her albuns.The vocal structure it's almost the same as it used to be in the Mamas & Papas albuns, the group sung together most of the songs,and Cass does only two solos. Songs like On & On in which Cass made her superb backing vocals,as well as Pleasing You, Sit & Wonder and Next To You, has always been my home soundtrack.The duet between her voice and Mason's acoustic guitar solo in Glittering Facade it's rhythmcally incredible.It's a great CD and it's a pitty that MCA doesn't release the tapes from the concert that The Elliot/Mason Band did in 1971 at Winterland,San Francisco, as a Collector's item.