Mamas amp Papas - All Leaves Are Brown Golden Era Coll (52 tracks) +Album Reviews

Better Even Than You Remember

James D. DeWitt | Fairbanks, AK United States | 11/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It starts with the quality of the sound. It's simply superb. I'm not sure what digital magic was used, but the music sounds far superior to most re-mastered works from the late 1960's. From the clarity of the voices to the stereo separation, this is an aural treat that will make you smile with delight. Buy the CD for the sound quality alone. "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears" indeed.It's also a treat to have the first four albums on one double CD (plus the single, "Glad to Be Unhappy"). Except for the remarkable improvement in the sound quality, the compendium doesn't fiddle with the songs or their order. You're listening to the first four albums. And if you do listen to the double CD, you'll find The Mamas and the Papas were considerably more than their "16 Greatest Hits" and other foolishness. Much of the time a group's experiments reveal more about them than their Top 40 successes ever can. It's all here for you.A few quibbles: Cripes, the printing on the liner notes requires a magnifying glass - a powerful one, too - if you want to read them. And out of the thousands of photos, I think they could have found some better ones. But you won't buy this CD for the liner notes or the photos. The Mamas and the Papas spoke with their music, sometimes gloriously, sometimes painfully, always beautifully. In two and a half years, they put together music that may very well be immortal.Highly recommended."

You'll Never Hear Voices This Clear and Beautiful Again!

barbe4 | Wauwatosa, WI United States | 08/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This fabulous 2-CD set consisting of the Mamas & the Papas digitally re-mastered first four albums is a big bonanza for fans! John Phillips, Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot, and Michelle Phillips' beautiful vocals JUMP RIGHT OUT AT YOU !!! These songs with their poignant lyrics, exquisite harmonies and lovely melodies show why the group has transgenerational appeal.The primary musical creative force of the Mamas & the Papas was John Phillips. He was a solid songwriter who put his pain to pretty music. But John Phillips' true brilliance was in arranging vocals. You'd get a "high" from the Mamas & the Papas' soaring harmonies. When the foursome sang AT THE VERY TOP OF THEIR RANGE, it was instant magic. Phantom overtones!Here are gems that show that Denny Doherty's one of the greatest singers of the rock era! His voice is clear, rich and effortless, and his beautiful lead vocals are showcased on killer tracks as "Do You Wanna Dance" "Twist and Shout," "My Girl," "Dancing Bear" (a Cass Elliot favorite), "Spanish Harlem," "You Baby," "Too Late" and not to exclude the sweet 'n hummable, "Nothing's Too Good For My Little Girl."Denny sang lead on two of the Mamas and the Papas biggest hits; the chart-topper, "Monday, Monday" and the infinitely popular "California Dreamin." If you love his singing as much as I do on these tunes, you must get his two solo CDs: "Waiting For a Song" features romantic Denny in fine voice as well as Cass and Michelle on backing vocals. "Watcha Gonna Do," has a country-folk-rock favor, supreme musical arrangements and some of Denny's best songwriting. In addition, check out Denny's peerless work as lead vocalist on pre-Mamas & Papas' "The Complete Halifax Three."No one sang like Cass Elliot! She was "a big girl who could sing her tail off." Cass had a rich timbre in her voice and would belt her heart out on every number. Elliot shines on the Vaudevillian, "Words of Love." Also great is her straight-from-the-heart, "Sing for Your Supper." Cass' super lung work on Lennon-McCartney's "I Call Your Name" exposes her "lust" for Beatle John, and she does a superb salute to Motown with "Dancing in the Streets." "Glad to Be Unhappy" sings of unrequited love, where Cass Elliot can be heard singing "and I got it pretty bad," about her crush on Denny, perhaps? Some rumblings between John and Michelle surprisingly interject Cass' pretty "Midnight Voyage" lead on this number, and Elliot shows why "Dream A Little Dream" was the launching pad to her successful solo career. You've never heard a soprano so pretty and pure as Michelle Phillips' on "Dedicated to the One I Love." Michelle also plays the ultimate rock fan with her lead vocal on "String Man." I enjoy Michelle's ethereal intro on the tune, "Got a Feelin.'" [Denny performs this number again on his great "Watcha Gonna Do" solo CD] Both "Got A Feelin' and the Ms and Ps' classic, "I Saw Her Again" were written by Denny Doherty (melody) and John Phillips (words) about Michelle Phillips & Denny's love affair. They are two of my favorite songs. Doherty performs both these numbers in his current musical "Dream a Little Dream - the Nearly True Story of the Mamas and the Papas," along with other Mamas & Papas' hits. P>"Straight Shooter" is a great rocker, as is "That Kind of Girl" ("?.you're on your first, and she's on her twelfth.!" "?that kind of girl's the kind that makes you dizzy?you'll always ask and wonder who is he?!). "Go Where You Wanna Go's" harmonies are stellar. "No Salt On Her Tail" (another Cass Elliot favorite) has the "boys and girls" echo each other. I love the guys' lower range here! And "Trip, Stumble and Fall" is?well?really cool!"Strange Young Girls" is hauntingly beautiful, with nice solos from Cass and Denny. The duos' duet on "Safe In My Garden" is lovely, as well.The surreal ending of "Even If I Could" may have put ideas in the heads of Lennon-McCartney for their "Strawberry Field's Forever" finish. The climatic ending of "My Heart Stood Still" (Michelle Phillips' favorite) will take your breath away. And "Once Was A Time I Thought" is done acappella. No other pop foursome could sing together without accompaniment this well! "For the Love of Ivy" was a D.Doherty/J. Phillips composition that almost made the theme song for a Sidney Poitier movie, immediately after Sidney's huge success with "To Sir With Love." The rhythmic changes will blow you away.Also included, the awesome 1967 hits, "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming To the Canyon)," and Creeque Alley" (pronounced "Creaky"), the semiautobiographical story about how the Mamas & the Papas got their start. Witness rare lead vocal by John Phillips on the peaceful, "Meditation Mama." And for a change of pace, "Mansions" a song about the group's lavish living, is worth a few listens. You'll never hear voices this clear and beautiful together again!"

Convenient; nice price

MurrayTheCat | upstate New York | 11/04/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Those who know me know my distain for compilations. But this isn't exactly your usual compilation; it is the first four albums plus some extra tunes. All of the albums are presented in their correct order of play - a must to make this finicky critic happy. Three of the four albums here are available separately, all but the glorious second album. If you love this group, doing without the second album is not an option. If you don't already own it, the release at hand becomes a must.My review of the first album appears under its title, "If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears." The second album, called "Cass, John, Michelle, Dennie," begins with "No Salt On Her Tail" and ends with "Once Was A Time I Thought." It has the variety of the first album, but the more darkly hued tunes are even more moody and beautifully wistful. "Dancing Bear" and "Strange Young Girls" are even as magical as the enchanting "California Dreamin'." "Words Of Love" is, of course, classic Cass. (After the short instrumental break, the bridge returns and she really lays it on us: "You oughta know by no-o-ow...you oughta know, YOU OUGHTA KNOW BY NOW!" Cass knocks my socks off.) "I Saw Her Again Last Night" is one of the most deliriously delicious songs I've ever heard. Chords, melody, harmonies, the tension on the bridge (different key from verse), the brash modulation back to the verse, the "too-oo-oo-oo-ooh" add-on to the chorus after the middle eight, the raucous slamming of the double-time drum accents on the last half of the second bridge, the stop-time break just before the coda, the shock wave of "Ah!" harmony when the coda kicks in...pure ecstasy from start to finish.The third album, called "Deliver" (1967), is similar to the first two (both 1966), but the imagination isn't as intense. It's quite enjoyable, but it's not the classic that the first one is, nor does it pack the wallop of the second one. The fourth, "The Papas and the Mamas" (1968), is the most psychedelic of the lot. John's best songwriting was on the first two albums, but as far as I am concerned, this group could do no wrong. So, while the first two albums are my favorites, I still love the other two and I couldn't do without all four.Drawbacks: I rarely listen to two albums in a row by the same artist; also, the fourth album differs a little from the first three stylistically. Therefore, a bit of programming might be in order if you decide to get this. "Deliver" is split between the two discs - an inconvenience no matter how you look at it, but an absolute disaster while driving a vehicle. With these slimline, dual-CD cases it's a two-handed affair to remove and replace the discs, lest you risk breaking the case, a disc or both. If this sounds like a potential problem, you could supplement this set with the single copy of "Deliver." (Oh, that we lived in a perfect world!)Compared to many other releases in the current compilation glut, there's really nothing stingy about this release. But, splitting the "Deliver" album between the two discs mutes my enthusiasm. Nonetheless, if you don't own any of the original albums on CD, this release is appealing and quite a bargain considering all you get for the price. If you get hooked on this group, you'll want their reunion album, "People Like Us" (1971), as well.
Cheers,
Murray"

California Dreamin' Forever!!!

MurrayTheCat | 05/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This collection is and always will be the best Mamas and Papas CD anyone could ever want to own. Why? Because it contains EVERY MAJOR RECORDING THEY MADE IN THE EXACT ORDER THEY MADE THEM. Nothing is missing!! Of course, I'm dismissing the half-hearted "People Like Us" contractual-obligation album recorded four years after their break-up. That one sounds like it came from another band (and Cass barely appears on it). No, these are the songs to have, and this is the place to get them. It's not just the overly familiar hits that make this indispensible. One after another, the unique album cuts reinforce why the Mamas and the Papas were so special. Songs like "No Salt On Her Tail", "Dancing Bear", the exquisite "Strange Young Girls", and the almost overwhelming "My Heart Stood Still" display the legendary harmonies of this group in all their splendor. No one was ever remotely able to duplicate what this bunch did in a few short years. It's interesting that the Mamas and the Papas were so embraced by teenagers in the 60s, because this is rather adult music, in theme and approach. Of course, no one looked or sounded like them, and the accompanying essay and photos give the uninitiated an idea of how striking and unique they truly were. Hipsters, yes. Musicians, without doubt. Listen and learn."

The GLORY Of The Mamas And Papas Rescued From The Void!!!

Christopher Bryant Olson | Federal Way, Wa United States | 09/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This set is...an INCREDIBLE gift from the music Gods!!! All four of their original albums REMASTERED...what GLORIOUS sound! The packaging is beautiful, though it could have been better, but so WHAT? The music sounds GREAT;
"If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears" sounds even better here than on the remaster of two years ago; their VERY best album "The Mamas And The Papas" is rescued from inexplicable obscurity, featuring "Strange Young Girls" and the STUNNING "My Heart Stood Still"; their stylistically adventurous third "Deliver", with the lost gems "Boys And Girls" and "String Man" (a showcase for Mama Michelle's talents); and their bizarre, psychedelic fourth "The Papas And The Mamas" (with the masterpieces "Safe In My Garden" and "Mansions")...wich needs to be treated as the unique individual work of art that it is! BEST OF ALL...those four distinct voices blend gorgeously in harmonies that will melt your heart! And like never before, the individual gifts each singer brings are crystal clear! NEVER have they sounded this magnificent on disc! A remaster and reconsideration of all of the M & P's solo efforts is long overdue as well! In the meantime REJOICE that we have been given this...and buy it for everyone you love!"

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