Customer Reviews

The Mamas & the Papas - Greatest Hits

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Anyone who listened to top-40 radio in the 60's has to remember the first time they heard "California Dreamin'". The haunting lyrics and the tight, clear harmonies had a folkish sound that was clearly ahead of its time. When their music finally became available on CD, the textures became more apparent and the true artistic content was more clearly defined. On this disc, which was carefully remastered from the original analog tapes, the Mamas and the Papas are finally heard at their best. While there was clearly not enough room for all their great songs, all of their major hits are included, including my favorite, "I Saw Her Again"... complete with Denny's goof that became a feature of the song. The voices are clearer and lyrics more understandable, and the instrumental backup, which was somewhat unconventional in itself, is clearer as well. Being the fan that I was since the first hearing, I have to rate this 5 stars... a real winner in both music and technical quality.

I remember that when music changed from the 60s sound to disco, I heard the song "Monday Monday" being played on a radio station and I became teary eyed. Mama Cass was still alive so, it wasn't as though I was grieving for a band that could never be reassembled. Rather, I was grieving for a contemporary music style that would never be recaptured. In the sixties, there was the San Francisco sound and then, there was the more laid back sound from Southern California exemplfied by the Mamas & the Papas. Monday Monday was so evocative to me because that song epitomised this sound which was now relegated to the status of "oldies but goodies." Of course, "Monday Monday" and the equally laid back "California Dreaming" sre included on this cd, as well as the lively "Go Where You Wanna Go" (My favorite song on the cd). Another Favorite is the beautiful arrangement of the Shirelles standard "Dedicated to the One I Love" (Gosh!! weren't the Shirelles great too!!??). All in all, there are 20 well selected hits and I think you will love this collection. Now that a second band member, John Phillips, has died, it is time to revisit this group of my fond memories.

This is an OK compilation, but if you are looking for the most up-to-date mastering of these classic hits, spend the extra dollars and purchase the 2001 2-disc All the Leaves Are Brown: The Golden Era Collection over this 1998 single-disc package.

The vocals are much more up-front in that edition (although this disc is a big improvement over "Creeque Alley", which sounds like an old AM radio).

"GOLDEN ERA" also delivers the complete content of TM&TP's first four LP's, plus the non-LP single "Glad To Be Unhappy".

2/06 UPDATE: Universal, in their infinite wisdom, has killed the 52-track "ERA" set and replaced it with a 2CD, 33-track "Gold"-series disc. The audio masters are the same, they just whacked out almost half the songs.

Try to find a used "Era" disc, either here on Amazon or on ebay: It's worth the search to have the complete M&P catalog.

It's also worth not buying the "Gold" set, and lining Universal's pockets, for a sub-standard version.

If you are searching for the definitive M&P collection, keep looking... this is not it.

This compilation boasts that it is digitally remastered. However, the instrumentals are crisp and sadly to the fore, on most tracks the vocals have been muddied and diminished.. Cass would have not been amused.

Regrettably my cassette tape of the M&P purchased in 1969 puts this assemblage to shame.

I bought this CD with high expectations and was not disappointed with the quality of the music. The songs are great, but the transfer to CD is not. I'd recommend a remastered recording over this, even if it doesn't contain all their greatest.

'The Mamas and the Papas' had a sound all their own, a unique kind of Southern California blend, a harmony of at times melancholy beauty. They had one great singer, Mama Cass, whose 'Dream a Little Dream of me' is perhaps the closest thing they ever produced to a really great 'solo'. Their signature song and one of the unforgettable sixties song is 'California Dreaming'. It seemed to express a certain haunting longing , the longing for a place which then represented to many Americans, California, the golden land of escape and new home.
John Phillips who like Mama Cass is no longer with us was the arranger, director who really made the 'Mamas and Papas' into such a great group.
It is strange even then their sound evoked a certain feeling of 'nostalgia' but four decades later the jump of initial joy hearing them brings is truly complemented by the sense of a world long gone.

There are names in music, that stand amongst the giants of their own. Great songs that eventually become classics, because they are literally a piece of artwork, audio art. The Mamas and Papas are for sure, one of those artists that can claim the title of immortal rock gods, the sweetness of Mama Cass, the wonderful harmonies and haunting lyrics are forever captured here on this greatest hits album. I can honestly say that no matter the music genre, I am a music fan, everything from Blondie-Zeppelin, if it's good, it's that simple. Mamas and the Papas have withstood the test of time and still sound amazing. Monday Monday, Dedicated to the One I love & California Dreaming are just masterpieces in audio art, and I salute them for allowing us to forever enjoy their music with their eternal gift.

Denny Doherty died earlier today, and I'm one proud Canadian, god speed Denny, they dont make them like they used too.

The Mamas and the Papas' music is something truly awe-inspiring. And most people find, when they sit down to write a review, that it's difficult to classify. Rather than shuffle it into some odd mix of a genre like "choral rock pop folk hippie jazz minstrel jump swing," it's much easier (and far more accurate) to just give it the title "beautiful music." Because that's what it is.

For a single disc compilation, Greatest Hits is absolutely packed to the brim with wonderful material that sounds great without being dated. It's an album you can just pop into the player without bothering with programming or track-skipping; you'll want to play every track. Then start it over and play every track again. It's a wonderful CD with wonderful music that'll bring you hours of enjoyment.

Highly recommended!

The great bands and groups of the sixties tended either to be focused on albums or on singles, and the Mamas and the Poppas definitely were a singles band. Therefore anyone today wanting to explore their music really needs to do so through a good anthology. There are a confusing number of collections of their music out there, but I think this is for most the best of the bunch. This album is allegedly remastered, though in fact the bulk of the remastering took place on the earlier version of this set, CREEQUE ALLEY. Still, this set has perhaps the best sound of any collection avaiable and collects all the crucial songs in their catalogue.

The Mamas and the Pappas were the creation of John Phillips, who was one of the truly great arrangers for voices on the entire music scene in the sixties. No other group in the sixties was anywhere near as focused on what could be done with the intricate arrangement of voices. Crosby, Stills, and Nash and the Byrds also were vocally oriented, but no one in those bands had Phillips's abilities to work with voices, and those others weren't blessed with a blend of two female and male vocalists. To be honest, for the most part the vocals in the band were greater than the sum of their parts. Only one singer, Casssandra Elliot aka Mama Cass, was a truly great singer, but the four voices blended wonderfully and Phillips gave them some truly great material to work with. Visually the band was perfect for the time, with the two long-haired guys, the utterly gorgeous Michelle Phillips as one singer, and the obese Mamma Cass, who didn't look like anyone else in music.

Though the group was together for only a brief period of time, they managed to crank out a large number of first rate singles. Everyone knows such iconic songs as "California Dreaming" and "Monday Monday," while other singles like "Go Where You Want to Go," Mama Cass's wonderful version of "Dream a Little Dream With Me" (a harbinger of her impending solo career), and the great "Creeque Alley," inspired by the contemporary West Coast music scene.

Those familiar only with the groups' two huge hits should definitely explore further. And you will not find a better collection of their music than this one. Definitely one of truly great vocal groups of the decade.

I bought this CD in late March while I was visiting my Mom in Phoenix and I finished listening to it a while ago. Fabulous! Thanks to this I have fell in love again with the Mamas & Papas. I am reminded of the liner notes to the "Forrest Gump" soundtrack in which they said that you fell in love with the songs, fell out of love, then fell in love again. Not only have I reconnected to their hits like "California Dreamin'","Monday, Monday," "I Saw Her Again (Last Night),"Go Where You Want to Go," "Words of Love","Creeque Alley," "(This Is) Dedicated To the One I Love," and "Dream a Little Dream of Me," but I've also been introduced to "Dancing Bear" (which I thought the title was somewhat amusing),"Glad to Be Unhappy," "Twelve-Thirty," "Safe in My Garden," and their versions of "I Call Your Name," "Do You Wanna Dance" (more subdued to what Bobby Freeman and The Beach Boys did), "You Baby," "Dancing in the Streets," and "Twist and Shout." But the one song on the CD that almost made my jaw drop was their version of "My Girl" and with the vocals of John, Michelle, Denny, and Cass colliding in together, they blew The Temptations' version right out of the water and that should be considered as one of the best harmonic songs of the decade. The cover of the CD is just a classic (Does Michelle Phillips' pantsuit look a lot like what Michael Keaton wore in "Beetlejuice" with yellow a stand-in for white?). For those who love 60's music, must get this.