Mamas & the Papas

Yesterday, January 19, 2007, Denny Doherty one of the Mamas and Papas died. This was a good group in the 1960's and Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot, John Phillips, and Michelle Phillips were the foursome. Listen to "Creeque Alley" for an autobiographical sketch of the group's formation. I confess that this is the only song of the Mamas and Papas that I have on my IPod.

I always liked the big hits as they have great harmonies and most importantly a real evocative vibe. Thing is, few of their other tracks stand up to 'California dreaming', 'Monday Monday' and 'Dedicated to the one I love'. The cover of 'Do you wanna dance' in particular stinks.

Cass Elliot was a great singer who didn't need to look great to be appreciated. Michelle, though, is drop dead gorgeous, and still looks hot! Many of their songs are still fun to listen too, many though are just 60s fluff.

The Mamas and Papas were truly underrated. I think people tend to dismiss them because they did not last that long and some of their music was old-fashioned. However, I think even the most casual listener would agree their music is both energizing and soothing. Fans should buy the All the Leaves Are Brown cd in order to truly appreciate their variety of music styles. This cd has all four of their albums before their breakup in 1968 and includes such gems as Mansions, Did You Ever Want to Cry, and String Man ( which features a rare lead vocal by Michelle). Most people know their biggest hits, but some of their best songs were not released as singles or relegated to b-sides such as I Call Your Name, Go Where You Wanna Go, Got a Feelin', Trip, Stumble, and Fall, and Do You Wanna Dance.

Tight harmonies were the order of the day in the mid 1960s and along with the Beatles and Hollies the Mamas and Papas were right up there with the best of them and in the view of many, were the best of them. Some songs like I Saw Her Again bordered on being over produced but when you hear the 4 of them singing with no Phil Spector like background (such as For The Love Of Ivy) you know you're hearing musical magic. Originally John Phillips did not think that Cass Elliot's voice would blend in with the group. She followed the trio of John and Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty (known as The New Journeymen) wherever they played including the Virgin Islands which is where they finally made her part of the group. Also, to correct the record, it had been widely reported, and I admit that I believed for many years that Cass Elliot died from choking on a ham sandwich. I did some research recently to check my accuracy and discovered that she in fact died of a heart attack in July 1974 due to o... Read more

For the uninitiated, The Mamas & The Papas were a late 1960's quartet which developed a highly distinctive sound based on folk, vocal harmony, and the prevailing California sound of the day. In short, the group was a capella with acoustic accompaniment. Most casual fans have the opinion that Mama Cass Elliott was the base upon which the others members built, but they are only half right as it was largely the song writing of Papa John Phillips that provided the material with which to work, most notably "California Dreamin'" and "Monday Monday." Nevertheless, the band was relatively short-lived (1966 to 1968) as a result of the inevitable "internal strive" which brought the party to an unceremonious end. Nevertheless, this was probably not too bad a turn of events as with all a capella type music, a little goes a long way, and I doubt they would have survived the rise of harder, glam rock just around the corner. This meant that the band went out on top avoiding the dreaded lingering... Read more

They were ok. Mama Cass had a great voice, of course, but I also liked the male singer. He does a great job on "I Saw Her Again".

Very distinct sound and a great band.Lots of inter turmoil in the band also makes for a great story.

ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREAT BANDS. THEIR MELODIES WERE SIMPLY ASTOUNDING--AND THEIR MUSIC STANDS UP EVEN TODAY. THEY HAD SUCH A SHORT RUN BUT THEY WERE SUPERB, NONE-THE-LESS.

overrated plan and simply.

They're really a great band. Their career spanned only a few years, but Mama Cass is a well-known, great singer. She was one of the greatest female vocalists to ever live. If you listen to any collection of their greatest hits, you will hear their nice sound from the late '60s and enjoy yourself for awhile.

"I Saw Her Again," "California Dreamin'" and Michelle Phillip's good looks make this group at least okay!

I LOVE the Mamas and Papas! I don't care what anyone else says, they were one of the best bands in the 60s and of all time! I prefer their music to the crap you hear on the radio today. They harmonized so wonderfully and the arrangements were intricate and complex, making the harmonizing that much more unique because it's so hard to accomplish. Mama Cass kicked butt; she was and still is one of the best female singers ever, even if she's been gone for over 27 years. I was sad to hear of John Phillips' death earlier this year - it makes their music that much more special and meaningful. My favorite songs include "California Dreamin," "Creeque Alley" and "Dedicated to the One I Love."

Cass Elliot was the star of this group. What of beautiful clear voice! She left us too soon.

Cass Elliot had one of the clearest most intensely pure sounding voices ever to be captured on vinyl. It's a crying shame she didn't gain control of her addictions before they did her in. Really sad when you consider she was just about to come into her own as a solo artist at the time. The "Mamas and Papas" were great as a group with some wonderful hits, but, as far as I'm concerned, the other three were mostly just excellent backup for Cass.

the Mamas and the Papas were good group in the 1960s the sang some great songs like, Monday, Monday. Creque Alley,This is Dedicated to the one i Love. What I loved about this group is that they were really good at harmonizing.their voices meshed together so well. I also love some of the singles that Cass Elliott sang like Dream a Little dream of me.Too bad they were not around for very long. ONly a few years in the sixties.

What an amazing band!!! California Dreaming is by far their best... what beautiful harmonies... hippie music at its best;)

The Mamas and The Papas are an extremly underrated group. They were so colorful, that it didn't matter if their music was lousy. Mama Cass was so cool on H.R. Pufnstuf, and it's a shame that we lost her and that other guy.

I have always liked the Mamas and the Papas...

The voice of Cass Elliott only comes around once in a life time. Her range was incredible. The sound she gave us was a rare richness that is not heard today.

I hear ya, Ruby. We did had some wonderful music from them. Mamma Cass was one of the ultimate alto voices. They had a unique sound, mainly because of the vocal talents. But it only lasted a few years. It's worth it to pick up a greatest hits. One of my favourite tunes is "Sing For Your Supper."

This old 60s band is in the news b/c Papa John just died. They had a couple tremendous hits ("California Dreamin" "Monday, Monday" were the best) that were cultural markers in the 60s (as the Beach Boys lush harmonies were adapted to the dawning hippy era). But let's not get carried away and call them an important group in any meaningful sense.