Customer Reviews

People Like Us

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Mamas & the Papas' John Phillips, Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips, were one of the most musically literate groups on the pop scene in the mid-sixties. Their sophisticated harmonies set them apart from any other group.

Vocal-arranger genius, John Phillips' and the big 'n brassy, Cass Elliot's voices aren't as prominent on this Mamas and Papas' fifth album, originally released towards the end of 1971. Normally, the mellow tunefulness of Cass Elliot's peerless alto eclipses Michelle Phillips' pure soprano, but on the "People Like Us" CD, it seems to be just the reverse. I actually prefer it this way.

Denny Doherty's celestial voice is featured on "Step Out." I absolutely love this song and think it's a masterpiece. It is Denny Doherty at his best! Michelle compliments Denny's clear and rich lead vocal with her angelic harmony. I agree with other reviewers that "Step Out" should have shot to the top of the charts when it was released as a single. Denny had just finished writing tunes and singing on his great solo 1971 album, "Watcha Gonna Do," -- with his beautiful "Waiting for a Song" LP (Cass and Michelle on background vocals here) still three years in the future.

Doherty currently sings "Step Out" and stars in his musical, which he co-created with director, Paul Ledoux, entitled "Dream a Little Dream, the Nearly True Story of the Mamas and the Papas." The show played to packed houses in Canada and will probably be coming to the states soon.

No money? No problem. In "No Dough," you distinctly hear Denny and Michelle echoing each other, having the perfect, romantic honeymoon in bed. I love this number. ".....Pass the chips, you have salt on your lips....."

Cass Elliot and Denny have nice solos on the gem, "Pearl," And the bouncy, "Pacific Coast Highway" is the ultimate song for cruisin'!

Michelle's sweet soprano highlights "Snowqueen of Texas" which brims with melody, and the group's harmonies on "Grasshopper," along with the CD's title track, "People Like Us," are luminous.

John Phillips produced the "People Like Us" album and wrote all the songs, with the exception of Michelle Phillips' clever, self-penned, "I Wanna Be a Star." John Phillips' lyrics are slightly weaker on this album, but the melodies shine. And as the Mamas & the Papas weren't really together in 1971, the passion normally present in the group's vocals seems lacking in some numbers, but that was also what was in vogue in the early '70s.

I do miss the sound of "Chunga," John Phillips' 12-string guitar on this CD. So did Denny. He plays a 12-string in his musical, and also on his "Watcha Gonna Do" album. "Watcha Gonna Do" features some fine guitar work, too, from Denny's friend singer-songwriter, Eddy Fischer, currently of Robin and Eddy fame, the duo whom Denny occasionally performs and records with now.

Yet "People Like Us" is a relaxing and pretty album. By the time the final tune comes around, lyrics like:

"Blueberries for Breakfast
Love in the Afternoon
Butterflies in My Trousers
Under the August Moon" - (John Phillips) ....seem quite charming to me :-)

Much like the similarly denigrated 1973 BYRDS reunion album, this album is much better than you've been led to believe, although it is by no means a masterpiece. Can't we listen to these records with unbiased ears instead of being influenced by the unfair expectations of yesteryear? I actually like the loose (under-rehearsed?) feel of the music. One puzzle - where the hell is Mama? I only hear her take a lead once. But, you do get more Michelle, and I find her work on this utterly charming. I think John was running a little dry in the songwriting dept. after his great solo debut, but there are 7 or 8 inventive sounding tracks, I especially love Shooting Star (the harmonies weirdly remind me of Stereolab!) If you love the early M&P's, maybe this isn't the best album for you, it has a different sound for the most part. If you have more varied tastes, especially the soft-pop or sunshine pop sound of the Millennium/Free Design/Curt Boettcher/the Association et al, you should check it out.

Most people put down this cd alot because there isn't as much electricity as when the group were together in the 60's. This was a reunion album in the 70's and the group was more into their own individual voices at that time. But, I don't mind this album that much. I think its pretty good for what it is and Im glad I got it. It shows a different style to the Mamas and Papas' voices, and Step Out and Pearl are outstanding tracks. The cd is worth buying just for those songs!

This album has been so maligned by the press (and group themeselves). Rolling Stone review from 1971 gave it 4 stars. It is a pretty spectacular collection, especially when you realize that the members were not always in the same place at one time. John Phillips did a masterful job at production. It remains to this day one of my favorite Mamas and Papas albums. Great songs and performances.

I can see why a lot of Ms&Ps fans didn't like this album very much, as it does not sound like their earlier music. Give it a listen, though--check it out for yourself. I love this album because the music is really good, very listenable, and it's very unique. There's not much music that sounds like this. For me, the best part of the album is the second half of it. Great harmonies and great, laid back music. For those who love the Wolfking of LA album by John Phillips or the Whatcha Gonna Do from Denny Doherty, you should definitely check this one out. Maybe people who have burned out on too much standard Mamas and Papas radio-fare could get into this, as you probably haven't heard any of these songs.

People Like Us wouldn't exist if the brass at Dunhill hadn't threatened the M&Ps with a $250K-per-member lawsuit for breach of contract. At the time of its shotgun birth, the band had been dissolved for three years, John and Michelle had been divorced for one, and Cass was in ill health (and likely vexed at having her burgeoning solo career put on hold for the sake of old business). The group's signature harmonies were created via individual overdubs, a method unheard of in that so-called "first golden era". The album's light-funk approach met with either disappointment or indifference from the same record-buying public that made them one of the most popular American groups of the late sixties. It limped into the album charts (barely aided by the #81 single, "Step Out") and dropped off shortly thereafter. The Mamas & the Papas were officially (and legally) no more.

Sounds like an unfortunate waste of energy, doesn't it? And yet I can't not like this album.

Perhaps the fate of People Like Us was sealed from the start (do you honestly think they would have toured to support it?), but had the title track, "Shooting Star", or "European Blueboy" been the single rather than the comparatively sleepy "Step Out", Top 40 radio might have been a little more receptive, and the M&Ps might have gone out with a deserved bang. The title cut especially would have sounded at home alongside "What's Going On" that year...Papa John's affinity for Motown was still evident.

Besides the occasionally dippy lyric, the most audible weak spots are "I Wanna Be A Star", which Michelle penned (but Cass should have taken the lead on), and the awkwardly-spliced piano-chord coda of the Janis Joplin ode "Pearl".

Nobody in the group was too fond of their forced denouement; John and Denny often said that the material for John's solo debut (Wolf King of L.A.) would have made a grander finale. With so much time (and 75% of the group) having passed, and oldies radio's limited scope having drained their biggest hits of wonder, People Like Us deserves a revisitation. Spend a warm, lazy afternoon with the final dozen recordings of the original Mamas & Papas and see if you don't cozy up to this collection by the final note. Pass the chips.

That was my initial reaction when I first played this final contractual compilation of the Mamas And The Papas. Even though I was aware that this cd was definately a departure (In more ways than one) from their hit record days, I just had to hear it for myself and decide.And I must say,the first time that I played it I thought,"Well, maybe the dentist's office could use it for background music in the waiting room. but don't play it while he's working on you because even novacaine wouldn't kill the pain! So then I thought that MAYBE I was being too judgemental and Maybe I should give it a second chance. To do just that, I played it once a day at different times, mingled in with other types of music for four days. By day three, I was looking forward to hearing it! To me, this is more of a contemporary,easy listening sound that is ideally suited for lounging by the pool, or playing it on a kick back Saturday afternoon while cruising around.Background music? Thats what it is to me. But very good background music! There are some very good songs on it and each individual's taste may be different, but for me personally,I am enjoying it. Would I buy it again? Yeah, I would. It's earned it's place in my music collection!

...good but not great. If only the band had been in a better place or even been a band at the time (which they weren't) they might have made a classic more contemporary album say a la Fleetwood Mac's Rumors. However, they didnt and were unable to stay together or relevant at the time. Cass had success at first as a soloist and later Michelle tried but it seemed like all the solo efforts were doomed by the phenomal success they had in the sixties. This album I like better than the Papas and the Mamas-I find that album boring. I really enjoy Shooting Star, Pearl, I Wanna Be A Star, and Pacific Coast Highway. This album leaves the 60s sound behind and leaves you wanting a group album from the mid or late 70s even though due to Cass's untimely death that wouldnt have really been possible.

There's only one reason not to like this album, and that of course would be the writing. Yeah, I know, there's all the stories of how they were never in the studio all at one time, blah, blah, blah.... no matter, the singing and the vocal arrangements are still first-rate, if maybe a trifle short of the absolute magnificence of their work prior to this.

Back to the writing, there is no doubt that this being a contractual fulfillment plays the biggest part in the weakness of the material. John certainly didn't want to embarass himself, but it's obvious his heart wasn't in it like before. Or maybe his well had just run dry for a spell.
Whatever, it's painfully obvious to even the most casual listener (much less the rabid fans) that this is weakest of the five studio albums, compostition-wise, by a huge margin.

Everyone will decide for themslves what redeeming features, if any, this album will hold for them. I myself like the opening and closing tracks the best. The rest go from mediocre to awful. And the cover photo is just horrendous as well. Of course it's high art compared to the photo of Cass on Don't Call Me Mama Anymore. Ugh!!

Anyway, like I said, the vocals and John's arrangements are still real good, so that's something.

This final 1971 album by The Mamas & The Papas has been a favorite of mine for decades. There are some fine songs that are melodic, memorable & musically hold up after all these years. If you are a big fan of the group, there will be songs you'll like here. When they did this album, they had been broken up for 3 years. Today, that is the time between albums for artists. The group had experienced a lot personally between them, so it did affect the vibrancy of their sound. But they had already shown musical change on their previous album in 1968, " The Papas & The Mamas ". So, it's not the group sounding like it's 1966, which would have been impossible anyway.

Some fine songs, singing & performances , especially on group-sung efforts like NO DOUGH, BLUEBERRIES FOR BREAKFAST, PEARL, and SHOOTING STAR. I really like this album & having heard it for 30+ years, it's still good to hear, and knowing it's the last album they were signed to ABC/Dunhill to do, we are lucky for this final 5th studio album. John produced it, and Denny & Michelle & Cass & John all share lead vocal lines. There isn't a Cass solo unlike the previous 4 albums, but that's the way it was at the recording of this album. Denny sings some great leads, Michelle sings lead on her own song I WANNA BE A STAR , & John sings lead on LADY GENEVIEVE, with some great vocal backgrounds by the group that only he could arrange. I like it better now than way back then.

This album may have been unfairly looked down upon, maybe in part because all the group's members felt more of their own personal toll & criticized it themselves , hence hard to seperate their own personal feelings on it, but it's musical & still a Mamas and Papas treasured album.