The Mamas & The Papas - The Mamas & The Papas 1966

The Mamas & the Papas' second album was made while the group was still riding high from the chart success of their first album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, and the two singles, "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'," that made them icons of the young pop generation. At the same time, their personal lives were so messy that Michelle Phillips got bounced out of their ranks for a few months. Only the good vibes made it on the record, though, as the same creative team sought to recapture the beautiful harmonies and jangling, sometimes moody folk-rock that made their debut sound so good. To that end, they definitely whip up a similar vocal blend, with Denny Doherty's velvety smoothness at the center of the swirling, almost medieval mixture of voices. He's a perfect vessel for John Phillips' melodies and lyrics, mixing up folk earnestness and night-club suavity perfectly. Doherty can tackle chamber folk ballads like "Dancing Bear" with a straight face, strut convincingly on polite rockers like "I Can't Wait," and sound like the happiest guy on earth on the record's hit single "I Saw Her Again," a song that sounds the way a flowered minidress and a fringed vest looks. He also sounds wonderful with the harmonies surrounding him like fluttering birds, and when his crystalline voice pairs with the one-of-a-kind pipes of Cass Elliot on tunes like the orchestral tear-jerking ballad "No Salt on Her Tail," it's transcendent. They bring some of the songs, which don't always rise to the level of those found on the previous record, to pulsing life. When Elliot is given the spotlight, she makes the most of it, and then some, romping through "Words of Love" with brassy, showstopping soul. They also apply their gentle template to a couple of covers, turning the old show tune "My Heart Stood Still" into a slice of dramatic big-band folk-rock and taking a groovy stab at "Dancing in the Street." Though it may not have scaled the same heights as the band's debut, The Mamas & the Papas easily avoids the dreaded sophomore slump and solidifies their position as one of the weirder, more interesting groups to achieve massive success in the mid-'60s. AMG.

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The Mamas & The Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears 1966

In the spring of 1966, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears represented a genuinely new sound, as fresh to listeners as the songs on Meet the Beatles had seemed two years earlier. Released just as "California Dreaming" was ascending the charts by leaps and bounds, it was the product of months of rehearsal in the Virgin Islands and John Phillips' discovery of what one could do to build a polished recorded sound in the studio -- it embraced folk-rock, pop/rock, pop, and soul, and also reflected the kind of care that acts like the Beatles were putting into their records at the time. "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'" are familiar enough to anyone who's ever listened to the radio, and "Go Where You Wanna Go" isn't far behind, in this version or the very similar rendition by the Fifth Dimension. But the rest is mighty compelling even to casual listeners, including the ethereal "Got a Feelin'," the rocking "Straight Shooter" and "Somebody Groovy," the jaunty, torch song-style version of "I Call Your Name," and the prettiest versions of "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Spanish Harlem" that anyone ever recorded.

If the material here has a certain glow that the Mamas & the Papas' subsequent LPs lacked, that may be due in part to the extensive rehearsal and the exhilaration of their first experience in the studio, but also a result of the fact that it was recorded before the members' personal conflicts began interfering with their ability to work together. The work was all spontaneous and unforced here, as opposed to the emotional complications that had to be overcome before their next sessions. AMG.

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The Mamas & The Papas - Deliver 1967

By the time the Mamas & the Papas recorded and released their third album, the group was continuing, in the words of singer Denny Doherty, "on its own momentum." Acrimonious personnel changes, rock stardom, fame, money, and drugs (among other factors) were taking their toll on the group's chemistry. Fortunately, this momentum is precisely the reason that the album succeeds. Buttressed by the singles "Creeque Alley" (the sometimes hilarious story of how the group came together), "Look Through My Window," and the stupendous remake of "Dedicated to the One I Love," the album has some exquisite moments. "Look Through My Window" is also one of the group's most realized recordings, and the cover of "Twist and Shout" is an absolute killer. Much of the record, frankly, doesn't sound too different than the group's first two albums, but with the songwriting, vocal, and production excellence, why tamper with genius? The group felt so too, which is why this album is Michelle Phillips' personal favorite. It's not too hard to see why. AMG.

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