Customer Reviews

If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Of the four studio albums this highly influential group recorded during their all too brief career (1966-68), their debut is still the most thoroughly satisfying. It contains their two signature songs and biggest hits--"California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday"--and both sold over a million copies.

Almost every song on this album would have succeeded as a single, but by the time "Monday, Monday" was dropping off the charts "I Saw Her Again" (from their soon-to-be released sophomore album) was already climbing the charts. [In fact, their first three albums were released during an astonishing 12-month period!]

Whether doing covers like "I Call Your Name," "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Spanish Harlem" or John Phillips originals like "Straight Shooter" and "Go Where You Wanna Go," the group's folk-pop sensibilities and lush vocal harmonies make this album a real treasure.

While internal friction caused the breakup of the group by mid-1968, they left behind a body of work which rightfully earned them a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

No single group flashed faster to the top nor created more hype than the fabled the Mamas and the Papas. From their initial burst onto the scene with "California Dreaming" to their final efforts with "For The Love Of Ivy", they created a new, exciting, and melodramatic form of vocal harmonies into the folk-rock mainstream. The album featured here was their freshman effort, and it is indeed a classic, containing wall to wall hits with "Monday Monday", "I Call Your Name", "Go Where You Wanna Go", and of course, "California Dreaming".

The cover shot of the four of them gathered fully clothed in an empty bathtub was typical of their earthy presence and flair the unconventional. Within a couple of years they had conquered the pop heavens, had an incredible string on non-stop hits, and promptly dissolved among the internal frictions so common to mid-sixties super-groups like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and a number of others. Yet the incredible sound they created remains, and I defy anyone to listen to this album without snapping a finger or tapping a foot in time with incredible sounds emanating from the stereo. This album is a must-have for collectors of sixties folk-rock music. Enjoy!

In an era where groups were categorized as 'Vocal', 'Motown', 'Folk', 'Girl Group', 'British Invasion', and 'Rock and Roll', along came The Mama's and the Papa's (at the time, resplendent with their apostrophes). What, exactly, do you call them? Part of the magic of the band was that you couldn't label them with anything that existed at the time - they really did carve their own niche... then immortalized it in the 2 years they were together. Their effect was profound, even leading to a 4/4 time drum beat that's colloquially referred to as 'Mamas and Papas'. The Classics IV would name a song after them; Peter, Paul and Mary would dedicate an entire verse to them in their hit "I Dig Rock and Roll Music"; Donovan would write a song for Cass. The group was as adept at others' material (a full HALF of this album is comprised of tunes by other artists), as they were at their own.

California Dreamin' - an ageless classic which made Rolling Stone's top 100 of the best songs ever recorded, and with good reason. A haunting, minor-chord revelation, the song takes the beachy California confections of the early 1960's and gives them folk's depth and mood. And, by the way, the second verse ends with "you know the preacher LIGHTS the COALS, he knows I'm gonna stay (get it, it's cold outside, the preacher lights a fire for the wandering troubadour who's dreamin' of California - the Beach Boys cover of this song sported a video that illustrates this point with some clarity).

Straight Shooter - Rock and Roll, pure and simple. Driving, groovy, and downright sexy towards the end (listen carefully for Cass's grinding 'half of that belongs to me' at the end of the song).

Got a Feelin' - One of the first four songs the group ever composed, the liner notes of the album refer to the song as 'feathery'. I really can't improve on that.

I Call Your Name - Cass' first showcase on the album, it defines the Mama's and Papa's brilliance (for the most part) at recording other's tunes, and Papa John's ability to rearrange a song and make it completely different. The Beatles' rock and roll standard becomes an almost ragtime love song, if you can believe your ears...

Do You Wanna Dance - another cover tune, late of Bobby Freeman AND the Beach Boys, it is arguably the group's best version of someone else's song - so good, in fact, that Dunhill - the group's record label - would mine it for a single TWO YEARS AFTER THE FACT. The beauty and sincerity of this song is BEGGING to appear on a soundtrack of a romantic comedy. Brilliant beyond words.

Go Where You Wanna Go - simple, cool, four-part-harmony fun. The first single - though preemptively - released from the album, it was quickly pulled in favor of California Dreamin'. The 5th Dimension would later cover the song and send it into the American Top 20, thus launching THEIR career.

Monday, Monday - won the group the Grammy in 1966, and with good reason. It's a symphony. In stereo, the one speaker will produce Cass, John, Michelle, and the strings, while the other will feature Denny's lead, the harpsichord (!) and percussion. It is technically awe-inspiring, simple and complex at the same time. Michelle thought it was pretentious at the time, and potentially career-limiting. Never has an artist been so happy to be so wrong. I can hear this song 1,000 times - and have - and can still find something new to love about it.

Spanish Harlem - on par with Do You Wanna Dance, Denny's vocals are pristine and plaintive, with the girls' harmonies behind him evoking the balcony to which he's singing. A love song lovers' love song.

Somebody Groovy - another of their first four tunes, it - along with the rest of the album - demonstrates the group's ability to be good time rock n' rollers. It's got a great beat, and you can... well, you know.

You, Baby - The Turtles are targeted in this cover, and I'm hard-pressed to decide who's won. The boys do it a little faster; the Mama's and the Papa's do it a little more rock-er. One of the few times the group would take on another artist's tune and match it closely, rather than re-invent it entirely.

Hey Girl - A great answer-back pop tune that should've appeared on more of the millions of compilations than it has. An early showcase for the girls' voices.

The In-Crowd - Watch Cass take a soul tune and make it her own. The other side of the coin from I Call Your Name, here Cass is finally unleashed on a song, her barreling contralto owning every note.

I still cannot imagine, after all the greatest hits re-do's, that California Dreamin' and Monday, Monday actually appeared on the same album together ORIGINALLY. Universal in its acceptance, If You Can Believe is to the Mama's and the Papa's what Pet Sounds is to the Beach Boys, and Sgt. Peppers is to the Beatles.

Yes, there was Abba, the Carpenters, the Sunshine Company... but FIRST, there was The Mama's and the Papa's.

Buy this album. Right now.

After listening to this album, I've got a feelin' that this is their best album. I have all their other albums and I really love this 60's group. There is variety of soft and fast paced songs on the IF YOU CAN BELIEVE YOUR EYES AND EARS album, which probably best represents them. Mama Cass' The In Crowd really cracks me up at the end of the album and if you love 60's music, you'll definately love the Mamas and Papas.

Coming at a time prior to the '67 Summer of Love, but riding the crest of folk music's metamorphosis into electric psychedelia, this stunning debut is packed with gorgeous pop melodies enhanced by The Mamas & The Papas soon-to-be trademark harmonizations. All of the classic singles are here: "Monday, Monday" , "Go Where You Wanna Go" and "California Dreamin'", and even when they are covering other songs, they create fascinating interpretations that stand on their own. Bobby Freeman's "Do You Wanna Dance" is a good example: The Mamas & The Papas take this classic rollicking dance-hall number and strip it down to a beautiful, almost melancholy love song. Elsewhere, they do a vaudevillian send-up of The Beatles' "I Call Your Name", with Mama Cass on lead. And I still like their version of "You Baby" better than the better-known Turtles version. This is easily their masterpiece in a short and turbulent career.

This was the bands first and possibly best album. Released in 1966 this was considered a landmark effort. The harmonies swept over you like breath of fresh ocean air. They are still to be marvelled at to this day for those that appreciate beautiful vocal arrangements !

All the cuts are great. The biggies are here with Monday Monday and California Dreamin.However don't overlook Straight Shooter or Got a Feelin. These are lesser known but still wonderful tunes.

John Phillips was a music industry journeyman (literally!) and knew that they would have have to make an impact right away to be noticed. Phillips pushed himself, his wife Michelle, Cass Elliot, and Denny Doherty to sing like angels -he succeeded! This is a must have for have for everyone from the casual fan to the biggest devotee's. Timeless majesty !

You'll play this CD countless times and still look forward to another go round.

5 plus stars !

To me, great debut albums are few and far between. These days, there's just too much hype made about this group and that group; and, even if they are good, so much media overkill and overplay gets done that you're sick of hearing about someone before they've really had a chance? "IF YOU CAN BELIEVE YOUR EYES AND EARS" is one of those great debut albums--almost a "sleeper," if you will--that can't be beat! From start to finish, you want to hear more; and usually do wind up playing it a second (and maybe even a third) time around before walking away and saying, "Wow," to yourself over and over again. I can only compare that to, say, the first Beatles album (take your pick between the first UK or US release), Boston's debut LP, Skynyrd's "PRONOUNCED," or (another "sleeper") "LISTEN UP... IT'S THE ECHOES"--the latter, in some ways, reminding me of The Mamas & The Papas magic and honesty? This group's definitely earned itself a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I only wish there were more like them!

I have been waiting for this album to come out on CD in Mono. I absolutely detest the Stereo version of "California Dreamin'". And now, this album is in my hands and I love it. Beautiful sound quality. Rich tones and Beach Boy-Like harmonies. Superb! Alert: There is some analog hiss at the beginning of most of these songs. I can hear it with headphones but not on my stereo system. The original mono master tapes were supposedly lost and I'm sure that these songs were taken from a very clean record. But the vocals are so much better in Mono that, to me, it's not a problem. That's how it sounded on the album when I bought it in 1966. And it's great!

This CD is incredible. I'm very fussy about sound quality and I never thought it could sound this good. If you're a fan of this music at all this is the one to get. They did release at least two other very good albums. I hope sundazed gives them the same treatment.

This is a review of the vinyl reissue LP of this classic album by the Sundazed label in 2010. I've listened to this album since I was 7 years old in 1967, and had the original mono Dunhill LP, then the stereo Lp, cassette, , a German LP reissue and 2 CD reissues. With The Mamas and The Papas, the biggest distinction of listening to them in mono, is that the vocals and instruments are all in the center. Having listened to the stereo LP's and CD's for decades, the layers of vocal tracks would be on both the right and left side channels. You could hear the switching between both speakers. With this mono mix, the vocals are blended more cohesively together. That is the biggest difference listening to this album in mono. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' really comes alive, with Denny's lead vocal, the backing vocals, the flute solo and all the instrumentals in a perfect blend. There are other differences, which are more subtle, with a nuance here or there that sounds just a little bit different. Basically, this Sundazed mono reissue is the same as the original Dunhill mono LP that was first released in 1966.

There's just a few songs which fade out a few seconds longer. DO YOU WANNA DANCE and GO WHERE YOU WANNA GO have just a couple seconds longer endings. Conversely, MONDAY MONDAY is several seconds shorter , just like it was on the original mono album. The sound overall is very clear and crisp, though with all the layers of tracks of vocals, instruments & the strings on GO WHERE YOU WANNA GO, it is more condensed than the stereo version. But what a timeless album. The album was sequenced perfectly. The music all fits together. Their biggest hits start each side. Denny opens the album with MONDAY MONDAY and Cass sings her heart out on the closer IN CROWD, a bombastic song with some jazz & R&B influences. Michelle is clearly an important key in the sound , particularly on GOT A FEELIN' , SPANISH HARLEM, SOMEBODY GROOVY and the backing vocals on IN CROWD. And John was the primary songwriter of the group and the arranger. It's a perfect album that stands the test of time.

As for the packaging, you get the original cover with the then " indecent " toilet in clear view. There is a new sticker on the shrinkwrap that covers it, but only on the shrink, not on the cover. It looks exactly like the original cover , except for catalog number and a cover up of the back Dunhill ad with Sundazed's address. They even duplicated the Dunhill label on the record. The only thing that I was disappointed in was that there is no special inner sleeve of photos or additional new liner notes. I thought that there would be being that Sundazed has custom inner sleeves on many of their vinyl reissues. An interview with Michelle would have enhanced this entire reissue.