The Mamas & the Papas are a shining example of the transformative power of music and the captivating allure of the California counterculture. Scott G. Shea, writer of “All the Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas & the Papas Came Together and Broke Apart” reveals his top 5 hidden gems, the deep cuts that have been overlooked amidst their discography. Get ready to discover the songs that deserve a second listen, the underappreciated masterpieces that will alter your perception of the Mamas & the Papas.
Do You Wanna Dance
This frenetic R&B dancer, written and recorded by California native Bobby Freeman, crossed over to the pop charts in 1958 and surely made listeners want to get up and dance. It was one of those beautifully muddy 1950s recordings with just the right amount of vocal reverb, a pounding piano and a studio drummer beating on empty cases, giving a wild conga effect. So, it seems weird that, in the hands of John Phillips and Lou Adler, they’d tamp the song down for slow dancing. But it works, and to great effect! Opening with a few light bongo taps, it’s quickly accompanied by a tambourine and some gentle strumming from John’s guitar, perfectly setting up Denny’s achingly vulnerable tenor. He’s soon joined by Cass and Michelle’s lovely backing vocals and a luscious string arrangement that crescendos into a haunting string solo. Coming in around the midway point of their 1966 debut LP “If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears,” it almost seems as if the group is inviting everyone to join them in the glorious dance they’re about to undertake. Lou Adler thought so much of this slower arrangement that he recreated it for Johnny Rivers’ November 1966 album, “Changes.”
No Salt on Her Tail
The Mamas & the Papas self-titled second album contains no shortage of John Philips breakup songs aimed at his wife and bandmate Michelle. This leadoff track is perhaps the best of them. It was during these sessions that her affair with ex-Byrd Gene Clark came to light and drove the group to near extinction for the second time in its short life. The title comes from an 18th century Simple Simon nursery rhyme John remembered from his childhood and is based on an old English idiom that if you sprinkled salt on a bird’s tail, it would be temporarily unable to fly away. Four months before his own group entered the studio to record their debut single, Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek was enlisted to play the Hammond organ that’s featured prominently throughout. Following drummer Hal Blaine’s snare kick, pitter patter intro, it lifts the song off the ground, giving it a contemporary Dylanesque sound. With a host of musicians who’d just finished playing on the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” LP, “No Salt on Her Tail” helps to keep that vibe going, making the Mamas & the Papas sophomore effort sit comfortably next to Brian Wilson’s masterpiece.
Even If I Could (stereo LP mix)
If there’s any track out there that exemplifies John Phillips’ talent at shaping unique musical and vocal arrangements, this is probably it. It’s another deep cut off their self-titled second LP recorded at Western Recorders with the Wrecking Crew. The song features a very intricate arrangement loaded with chord changes that gives the listener some enjoyable surprises and keeps the song moving at a steady pace. And then there’s Joe Osborne’s fat bass line! Two versions were released. The single version, which was the flip of “I Saw Her Again,” features Michelle singing background along with Cass but are much lower in the mix. The stereo LP version included here, features the Mamas more prominently, but Jill Gibson’s voice is heard in place of Michelle’s. She had temporarily replaced Michelle during her brief ouster.
Sing For Your Supper
By the time their third album, “Deliver,” was released in February 1967, John and Michelle were back together and the original four Mamas and Papas were fully reunited. John, however, was in a writing slump that hindered the group from a creative standpoint. It was the beginning of the era of the completely self-sustained pop artist and cutting-edge acts like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Byrds and others had seemingly left covering other artists’ material in the dust. Not so for the Mamas & the Papas. “Deilver” contains four cover songs, including this one written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for their rather obscure 1938 Broadway musical, “The Boys from Syracuse.” Like he did with their hit “Dedicated To The One I Love,” John Phillips makes someone else’s song sound uniquely his own by fashioning an updated arrangement. There are a few changes of pace offered by the rhythm section, and a ragtime piano that runs throughout, a la “Words of Love.” As he did with that song, “Sing for Your Supper” showcases Cass Elliot’s honey-drenched lead vocals with the other three taking a backset, providing only sparse accompaniment at the bridge, and more robustly near its end. It’s a more than suitable update of a Broadway tune that helped fans fall more in love with Mama Cass as a soloist.
Snowqueen of Texas (2016 mix)
1971’s “People Like Us” album is much maligned and often dismissed by many fans of the Mamas & the Papas. It was an album recorded simply to keep from getting sued by ABC who’d threatened the group with a $1 million lawsuit. But the songs’ lyrics and arrangements are fantastic and so are the musicians John used this time around. Stepping away from the same ol’ same ol’, John recorded the backing tracks at the Sound Factory with ex-Motown sessions musicians and members of the Jazz Crusaders instead of the usual Wrecking Crew ones as he’d employed on their four previous LPs. They give the recordings a more updated sound, which could’ve been forgiven had John not completely buried Cass’ vocals in the final mixes. A 2016 anthology collection issued by Universal Music sought to rectify that mistake by providing a new mix of their final album with Cass’ vocals elevated to their rightful place. Many songs benefited tremendously from this effort, including “Snowqueen of Texas,” which was an abstract tribute to cult model Deborah Dixon. The remix is more crisp and makes Cass much more audible. It also shows the magic that only John could make with Michelle’s otherwise pedestrian vocals, especially on lines like “boots of Spanish leather/I never meant you any harm.“ “I’m on my knees, your majesty/Snowqueen! Save a cold kiss for me” hits you right in the heart as does the guitar work by David T. Walker’s that brings the song to its fade.
Further information
All the Leaves Are Brown: How the Mamas & the Papas Came Together and Broke Apart by Scott G. Shea is out now.
