Side two is just as good, showing how the group could be a whole choir when they were really going I Saw Her Again , or as intricately jazzy as the acapella showpiece of Once Was a Time I Thought, delivered as smoothly as the Hi-Lo's or Lambert, Hendricks and Ross.

Side Two is also very dark: Strange Young Girls is a spectral dirge about the girls of Sunset Strip, and the following three songs are downright nasty in their lyrics, scolding and gloating over someone else's fall.

Overall the mood of the album is despondent, even angry peaking with the rare appearance of an electric guitar solo in That Kind of Girl. The Mamas and the Papas are often given the label "Sunshine Pop", but this album is anything but, and is the better for it, a haunted place of spectral voices and xylophones. I would add a kind of extra note that the group was undergoing great strains and stresses at the time this album was made, and for a while Michelle was formally expelled from the group.

And truly expelled and even replaced, including on some of the vocal tracks and even a reshot cover. Her replacement was Jill Gibson Lou Adler's girlfriend and she even toured a bit with the other three in the summer of '66, but it didn't work out and Michelle returned. You can see why if you've seen the Jill Gibson cover: she just doesn't seem of the same essence as the rest of the group. She seems too worldly, too much like a fashion model, more for the cover of Vogue.

The look of the Mamas and the Papas was as important to their success as their singing and Michelle was as important to that look as Cass. Michelle, so fresh, wistful and angelic looking was a big part of the group's appeal and not only got more boys interested in the group than otherwise would have been the case, but became a prototype for the new American girl.

Her look was taken up by girls for years after. She was also the unfortunate cause of a great deal of the group's troubles and tensions - often through no fault of her own. This was unknown at the time this album was released, and everybody thought they were a big happy family. In retrospect it makes some of the songs' meanings much clearer and explains some of the troubled darkness of the album as a whole. Top critical review. If you are expecting stereo.

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, This is a Mono album! My original Stereo version from back in the 60's actually sounds much better. If you are expecting stereo, shop elsewhere. The song brought the band international success. When the album was released in , it peaked at number four in the US, continuing the band's success.

Deliver came in the autumn of Shortly afterward, a non-album single called "Glad to be Unhappy" was released. A world of vinyl at your fingertips. Find a store. Side A 1. California Dreamin' 2. Monday, Monday 3. The first grade is for the sleeve and second grade is for the disc. If there is only one condition, i. Records that aren't in picture sleeves will either be in a company sleeve or a generic plain sleeve. If you have any questions please get in touch.

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Read more about our deliveries here. One of the few easy decisions concerning classic rock era groups. The Mamas And Papas in the way of compilations are represented well now. Steves and The recent Real Gone reissue.

Easy peasy. Location: Hendersonville, Tennessee. Myke , May 1, CrazyCatz , May 1, CrazyCatz likes this. You must log in or sign up to reply here. Show Ignored Content. Share This Page. The Mamas and the Papas. Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Articles with hAudio microformats Album articles lacking alt text for covers.

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