Customer Reviews

John the Wolfking of L.A.

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

One of my favorite all-time albums, this new reissue sounds great, if a tad different than the vinyl. I don't much care for digital, but this baby has presence and feel. Nice job. As for the music - every song is classic melodic pop/rock with superb instrumentation. I love the fact John's voice is buried somewhat in the sound. It provides an homogeneous feel that causes me to turn up the volume and surround myself with memorable music. The original collection of songs are quality, only diminished slightly by the new bonus tracks. Like another reviewer stated, this album will last a long, long time. It's a prime candidate for the Repeat button. A no-brainer.

This is an album I have been trying to buy for several years on cd but the only versions available have been a Japanese cd and an equally hard to find British version on Edsel.These always seemed to sell for upwards of $100.00.
I read in the now defunct ICE magazine that "Wolfking" was being reissued in the states at last by Varese but almost 18 months went by with no further word, nor did it appear on their website.
Well, it's here at last and well worth the wait. This was John's best post Mama's and Papa's work. The songs are all top notch and John's performances are great. The band consists of the cream of LA's session players, many of who had also worked with the M&P's and Johnny Rivers among many others.
The 8 bonus tracks include works in progress,leftover sessions and the single version of the lp's only hit, "Mississippi". My recomendation is to grab it while you can. It could be equally rare as the previous reissues soon.

I missed this when it was originally released--and I can't say I regret it. There's nothing here to remind one of the Mamas & the Papas work. Instead of memorable melodies, these are pleasant but forgettable. Phillips' lead vocals are likewise pleasant but not distinctive. And the vocal arrangements that were so brilliant on the M&P records aren't present here.

The playing on this album--by the cream of the L.A. session musicians of that era-=is impeccable, and the slight country touches added by way of fiddle, guitar, steel guitar and dobro are fine as well, but the writing and singing are just uninspired. It's obvious from listening to this album that the burst of creative energy that made the M&P records so extraordinary was gone by the time Phillips went into the studio to record this.

When I'm in the mood for laid-back country-folk rock, this album is one of my favorites, along with John Hartford's "Aero-Plain," John Prine's first album, Jerry Jeff Walker's "Viva Terlingua," Shawn Phillips' "Second Contribution," and Neil Young's "Comes a Time." This album is consistently strong, with few weak songs; my favorite is probably "Topanga Canyon," but it all goes down very well. Overall, the extra cuts are excellent, and could have easily fit on the original release. Others have complained that this isn't like the Mamas and Papas. Thankfully.

John Phillips is best known as the musical force behind The Mamas and the Papas, where he primarily focused on musical arrangement and support, and appeared content to leave the lead vocals to his bandmates. On John the Wolfking of LA, we find him at a time in his career after the group's dissolution where he is finding his own voice in a fragile but beautiful way. Reportedly, John was quite self-conscious about his singing, and sought to de-emphasize this on this album. He needn't have worried, because his voice is a good fit for these beautiful, often country-tinged, universally well-written songs. The vulnerability and sensitivity of the material makes this a work of art quite on par with the best singer-songwriter albums from the era, when the pop sensibilities of the 60's were giving way to this more introspective genre. It is a shame that this album is not better known and does not get the respect it deserves- until it does, it will remain one of the most under-appreciated gems ever recorded.

A very quietly performing album. You can hear some similarities to Mamas And Papas, and
some to Greateful Dead as well when it comes to sound. Louis Armstrong sings also backing vocals
on one track. This is not rock at any level, but the opposite. A laid back pop country album with progressive angles. And his voice
can remind a little bit of George Harrison, in a more laid back style. Probably ends in the singer/songwriter category.

Retrofan

It is just okay to me. I think I like a different type of music sound....this is not to discount that it is a good album.