This Precious Time/The World's Last Private Citizen

Barry McGuire | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 22, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collector's Choice
• ASIN: B002IUNUKW
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,766 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. This Precious Time

2. Let Me Be

3. Do You Believe in Magic

4. Yesterday

5. Hang On Sloopy

6. Just Like Tom Thumb s Blues

7. Upon a Painted Ocean

8. Hide Your Love Away

9. I d Have to Be Outta My Mind

10. Child of Our Times

11. Don t You Wonder Where It s At?

12. Top O the Hill

13. Cloudy Summer Afternoon

14. Secret Saucer Man

15. There s Nothing Else on My Mind

16. Walkin My Cat Named Dog

17. Masters of War

18. Inner-Manipulations

19. The Grasshopper Song

20. Why Not Stop and Dig It While You Can

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barry McGuire with The Mamas & The Papas, April 9, 2010

By 

gassy goon - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Precious Time/The World's Last Private Citizen (Audio CD)

It took a long time but the 2 albums on 1 CD features the 1965 album THIS PRECIOUS TIME by Barry McGuire with the first recordings of The Mamas & The Papas backing him up on vocals. Out of the 12 songs on this album, 7 have the group supporting McGuire with backing. That in itself is reason enough to hear this music. The distinctive sound of the group was already fully formed, albeit in just a support role. But the group did more than this, supplying him with CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'. Here is the first version of it, with McGuire singing the lead. There is a harmonica solo instead of the flute solo that we all know, and another difference with background vocals on the first 2 lines of the second verse that are not on The Mamas & The Papas classic version. With McGuire's gruff voice, it doesn't have the magic of Denny Doherty's lead vocal that just sealed the deal on making the group's version a major hit, and creating history. It is a groove , as they would say at the time to hear the sound of The Mamas & The Papas on then-contemporary hits like DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC, YESTERDAY, and YOU'VE GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY . The version of HANG ON SLOOPY is like an extended jam party , good time music at it's best. To hear the blend of Cass and Michelle on it is a groovy gas. Their vocals are more prominent on the album , than Denny's. It's got the strong Cass Elliot sound. The title cut, THIS PRECIOUS TIME is a sublime P.F. Sloan song with anthem-like lyrics of personal freedom, and shimmering, gorgeous backgrounds by the group. These 7 cuts are certainly more than being odds and ends to the Mamas & Papas golden era. They bring back the magic sound of the group. The rest of the album is Barry's with protest songs,folk/rock and feel good 60's sounds.

The second album, THE WORLD'S LAST PRIVATE CITIZEN is an obscure 1968 release that is more of a compilation of songs from 1965-1968. It includes the #1 hit EVE OF DESTRUCTION, so it's an extra plus to have his only real hit on this CD. There's nothing earth-shatteringly great on this 2nd album of the two here, but it's nice to have . All produced by Lou Adler, of course. This CD is worth getting just for The Mamas & The Papas vocals.