1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 60. The Mama’s and the Papa’s - If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966)

 

I was thinking about this, and I’ve got a feeling that this is the first time we get male and female voices singing in harmony on any of the albums so far. We’ve had a few duets (notably with Louis Prima), and maybe one or two with female backing singers to a male lead (maybe?), but here for the first time do we get the distinctive lush four-part harmonies of the Mamas and the Papas.  

Mostly it’s Denny Doherty giving the lead, with the other three as backing, although “Mama” Cass Elliott is allowed to take centre stage for a funky cover of The In Crowd. The classics California Dreamin’ and Monday Monday feature on this album, and the others are a mix of fast and groovy (Somebody Groovy), covers (Spanish Harlem), a bit of folk, a bit of soul, a bit of blues when you strip away the harmonies and Byrds-esque jangle (what is now coming to feel like a “California” sound). 

There’s no denying that they sound beautiful, and it’s funny how such a sound comes out of a group that will go on to be beset by drug abuse, divorce, arrests, recriminations, and sudden death. It really feels with this album that the flower-power part of the Sixties is arriving. 

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