John the Wolfking of L.A.

John Phillips | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B000HT366E
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,633 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. April Anne

2. Topanga Canyon

3. Malibu People

4. Someone’s Sleeping

5. Drum

6. Captain - The Mermaid

7. Let It Bleed, Genevieve

8. Down the Beach

9. Mississippi

10. Holland Tunnel

11. Shady - Previously unreleased

12. Lonely Children - Previously unreleased

13. Lady Genevieve - Previously unreleased

14. Black Girl - Previously unreleased

15. French Man - Previously unreleased

16. 16mm Baby - Previously unreleased

17. Wolfking of L.A. - Previously unreleased

18. Mississippi - Original single version, first time on CD

Editorial Reviews

In 1969, John Phillips was moving past The Mamas and The Papas, and assembled a collection of songs at his home studio that would eventually become his first solo album, and the only one to be released during his lifetime. It is a album reflective of the changing era, and the ever-changing composer and arranger. The album was produced by Lou Adler, who also produced all of The Mamas and The Papas' recordings, as well as Carole King's Tapestry and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Playing on the album are many of the session musicians who contributed to the success of The Mamas and The Papas, Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson, as well as countless other recordings in the '60s and '70s, and whom John dubbed the greatest players in the world (including Hal Blaine, Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn, James Burton, Buddy Emmons and Red Rhodes). This expanded and completely re-mastered edition features eight previously unreleased bonus tracks, all recorded during the original sessions for the album. This classic album has been unavailable in the U.S. for over 36 years, and is being officially issued on CD here for the first time. This CD is the first in a series of official releases from the archives of the John Phillips estate.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superfine John Phillips' music box, October 18, 2006

By 

jayhikkss - See all my reviews

This review is from: John the Wolfking of L.A. (Audio CD)

The great, late John Phillips will forever be associated with "The Mama's And The Papa's" with whom he enjoyed terrific critical and commercial success, writing or co-writing 11 of the group's top 100 singles (5 others hits were covers).

After the group's split (due to internal frictions and a changing musical climate), John Phillips recorded this splendid solo album using his regular ace studio cats (augmented by steel guitarists Buddy Emmons and Orville "Red" Rhodes, along with Elvis Presley's guitarist James Burton.) The inclusion of the latter musicians certainly explains, in part, the country tinge apparent in the arrangements. The sound proves much more laid-back than the one previously associated with his former group. John Phillips composed every track on the original album and handled the lead vocals; vocal backgrounds came courtesy of the Blossoms, a superlative trio of back-up female singers, including the underestimated Darlene Love).
The "big voices" from Cass and Denny were gone, but John Phillips was endowed with a very pleasant, smooth voice that had more of a singer-songwriter feel to it. I often think that it's too bad that John was so unsure of his lead vocals that he kind of buried them in the mix whilst I think that they should have been brought up quite a bit more forward.
John Phillips' compositions on his first LP are excellent with supremely tuneful, finely crafted songs. The man is really at the top of his game here. The very good lyrics convey more sentiments of melancholy and world-weariness, as well as a darker edge, than those previously heard on the Mama's And The Papa's recordings. References to relationships old and new abound, either romantic or not. In the sometimes-cryptic lyrics, one gets the feeling that John was writing a lot about a coterie of LA friends and foes.

At the time of release, I recall reviewer Richard Williams stating in the (now defunct) "Melody Maker" that he felt like he would still be playing this album in ten years time. I have been regularly listening to this album on LP and/or CD for more than 36 years now and, not only has it retained its original freshness, but it has never stopped growing on me. To this day, it definitely stands as one of my all-time favourite albums.

Despite very good reviews, the album was, unfortunately, a commercial failure. Its best US showing was # 181 on the charts (May 1970) whilst the inferior (though IMO rather good) Mama's And The Papa's last studio album ("People Like Us") still managed to reach the # 84 slot one year later. This was hardly an isolated case. Look i.e. to Gene Clark's output after leaving the Byrds! He would only chart solo once in his lifetime with the beautiful, innovative "No Other" LP, which reached # 144 in late 1974, whilst the rather mediocre "The Byrds" reunion LP (on Asylum) made the top 20 in 1973 (with Clark's contributions almost the only points of real interest on it.)

I think that once people grow accustomed to a style that pleases them, they would rather have more of the same. Besides, John Phillips - as an artist - was far less well known than were the Mama's And The Papa's.

The new CD adds eight new-to-CD tracks to the original album. Most of them are slow and do not feature backing vocals. The already converted will not want to miss them. I will give a short appreciation of each new track:

11. Shady - very good melody; slow, country styled, finished track; James Burton and Larry Knechtel shine on dobro and piano, respectively.
12. Lonely Children - another pleasant, finished track; very laid back vocals from John.
13. Lady Genevieve - a monaural, demo version of a very nice tune that would be later reworked for "The Mama's and The Papa's" final studio LP ("People Like Us"); this stripped down version features John Phillips' vocal backed by acoustic finger picked guitar.
14. Black Girl - an (almost?) finished take of Leadbelly's "In The Pines" featuring steel guitar; a strange choice, IMO, even if John Phillips had already covered the tune, in 1961, with the Journeymen; nothing embarrassing but very average still. A bit of trivia here: the aforementioned Gene Clark also recorded a cover of this song on his 1977 "Two Sides to Every Story" LP.
15. French Man - this one is also average by John Phillips' standards.
16. 16mm Baby - a monaural, unfinished attempt at taping a song written by Matthew Reich, Michelle Phillips' first husband; vocals (and laughing!) backed by basic guitar strumming; a finished take might have proved interesting though.
17. Wolfking of L.A. - instrumental backing track featuring piano, electric guitar, bass and drums; pretty boring actually; it is my guess that this "tune" has nothing to do whatsoever with the album's title.
18. Mississippi - a different, shorter version of the tune that appeared on the original mono single version of the tune; it reached # 32 on the US pop single charts (a bit strange as, at that time, most singles by major artists were released in stereo).

For this Varese Sarabande reissue, brand new analogue-to-digital transfers are used whilst engineer supreme Dan Hersch (of Rhino fame) expertly handles the remastering. The original Dunhill/Warlock LP release was already state-of-the-art but the sound of this CD is truly outstanding. The rhythm section, in particular, has superb clarity and definition; it is also sounds more forward in the mix than on the LP.

Do not let this gem of an album pass you by.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's not really a surprise, February 12, 2007

By 

Elliot Knapp (Seattle, Washington United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: John the Wolfking of L.A. (Audio CD)

No, it's not a surprise that John the Wolfking of L.A. is a great record--John Phillips was the pen behind the Mamas and the Papas, transforming the emotional turmoil of the group's inner drama into some of the most classic and catchy pop music made in the late 60's as their primary songwriter and vocal arranger. Although he wasn't thought of as the group's best singer (and unfortunately didn't highlight his vocals on this record as much as he could), I think Phillips has a very soothing and emotive voice--of course he didn't compare to the technical prowess of Denny and Cass, but they were doing something different--more of a slick pop sound that was more about straight-up aesthetics. This record is pure personality.

The opener is pure magic--Phillips sings over Elvis Presley's backing band (a tight rhythm section and some great pedal steel texture) about "April Ann," a tale full of colorful and melancholy characters, quoting several popular film titles along the way. Although Phillips reportedly buried his own voice in the mix, I don't think it's really that hard to hear, and a pleasure to hear at that! After the first track, the album just keeps up the quality. The second song is another melancholy slow-burner, with great lyrics and some great stoner imagery.

Overall, Phillips' record is laid-back good times music--I guess you'd call it country-rock (because of the pedal steel), but really it doesn't fit too neatly into any genre--it's just well-written, mellow, catchy rock and roll, and after a couple listens you won't really care how it's categorized--you'll just want to keep listening. John the Wolfking is definitely a vacation and beach album--several of the songs reference the ocean and the beach ("Malibu People" and "Down the Beach") as well as referencing broad ranging locales, like Tangiers and Mississippi.

Phillips sure knows how to set a mood, and the infectiously mellow groove permeates his best solo record. I think the song that might sum it up best is "Mississippi," a listless (just like the river) thumper, with some feel-good vibes and some sly lines. John the Wolfking of L.A. puts on no pretense, and it comes off great as a result. It's too bad Phillips never achieved much solo success, since he would have produced quite a bit of great music continuing in the same vein. I highly recommend this album to fans of country/folk rock, as well to adventurous fans of the Mamas and Papas (it's not terribly similar though). I should also add that the album has several bonus tracks that are only slightly less strong than the original album, which should be listened to as its own discrete unit, separate from the bonus tracks. Hope you enjoy!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PHENOMENAL WORK OF ART, September 15, 2006

By 

Paul A. Amato (hollywood, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: John the Wolfking of L.A. (Audio CD)

I am thrilled this CD has been reissued. Sound quality is much superior to the original Edsel CD release. I wore out my Dunhill/Warlok vinyl, so was nice to see Varese Sarabande re-release this collection with 7 previously unreleased tracks. I have been playing non-stop for approximately 30 hours now. Thanks Varese Sarabande. I doubt there is much profit in this for your company, but this gift is greatly appreciated. I also appreciate your past releases of the Denny Dohery "Waiting For A Song" and "Magic Circle..Before they were the Mamas and the Papas" CD.