Maps of Music
If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966)
Where the lyrics of If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears take you, and where it was really made.
The original cover was pulled from stores once the toilet in its corner was judged indecent, so the first pressing is now a collector's item.
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Recorded at Western Recorders in Los Angeles (1966)
Recording site EastWest Studios — The album was recorded at Western Recorders in Los Angeles. The point marks the studio building itself, not a specific room or session date. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: See the map for directions.
Album story
Overview
- Debut studio album by the American-Canadian folk rock vocal group The Mamas & the Papas
- Released 28 February 1966 through Dunhill Records
- The UK edition came out as The Mama's and the Papa's on 10 June 1966, on RCA Victor
- The group's sound is built on its vocal blend and harmony style
Background
- Members: Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot, John Phillips, Michelle Phillips
- The album had major success on both sides of the Atlantic, with the singles California Dreamin' and Monday, Monday
- Lou Adler produced the album
Recording
- Recorded at Western Recorders, Los Angeles
- Bones Howe engineered the album
- Session players included Larry Knechtel, Hal Blaine, Joe Osborn and Bud Shank
Cover
- The original cover shows the group in a bathroom, sitting in a bathtub with a toilet in the corner
- The toilet was judged indecent, and the cover was pulled from stores
- The cover art was produced and shot by photographer Guy Webster
- The cover shows the artist as The Mama's and the Papa's, a grammatical error not corrected on any reissue
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org
Artist
Formation
- Formed in New York City in 1965 by John Phillips, Michelle Phillips and Denny Doherty, with Cass Elliot as the last member to join.
- Built on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips, adapting folk to the new pop beat of the early 1960s.
- Signed to Dunhill Records after an audition with Lou Adler in 1965.
Members
- Denny Doherty (Canadian), John Phillips (American), Cass Elliot (American), Michelle Phillips (American).
- Jill Gibson briefly replaced Michelle Phillips in 1966 before she was reinstated.
Career
- Released five studio albums and 17 singles; six singles reached the Billboard top 10, and sales are close to 40 million records worldwide.
- Hits include "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday", which became the band's only US No. 1 and won a Grammy in 1967.
- Performed at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967 and split in 1968, then briefly reunited to record People Like Us in 1971.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998; a later New Mamas & the Papas lineup toured through the 1980s and 1990s.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
Reappraisal
- Placed 112th on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
- The album is the group's debut and sits at the start of its catalogue
- Its stereo mix was later collected on a double CD compilation of the group's first four albums
Records
- The album is the only one by the group to reach number one on the Billboard 200
- UK release reached number three on the Record Retailer Albums Chart
- UK edition released on RCA Victor, 10 June 1966
- Gold record certification in the United States
- Sold strongly in France and in the US, with singles that charted on both sides of the Atlantic
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- The original cover shows the group in a bathroom, sitting in a bathtub with a toilet in the corner.
- The original release with the uncensored 'toilet' sleeve was soon withdrawn from retail outlets.
- The track 'In Crowd' is a deep social satire, later recorded by Roxy Music.
- The stereo mix is included on All the Leaves Are Brown (2001), a double CD compilation of the band's first four albums and various singles.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · pt.wikipedia.org
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