The Mamas & the Papas - People Like Us

Digitally Remastered Collection of Hits and Album Tracks from One of the Best Selling and Best Loved Vocal Groups of the 1960's who Helped Define What Would Be Known as the "Southern California Sound". This Set Includes Both Tracks from the Quartet ("California Dreamin", "12:30", "Creeque Alley", "i Saw her Again") as Well as Solo Hits by Cass Elliott ("Make Your Own Kind of Music", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "it's Getting Better"). Album Details

No Salt on Their Lips [3.5 stars]

People Like Us wouldn't exist if the brass at Dunhill hadn't threatened the M&Ps with a $250K-per-member lawsuit for breach of contract. At the time of its shotgun birth, the band had been dissolved for three years, John and Michelle had been divorced for one, and Cass was in ill health (and likely vexed at having her burgeoning solo career put on hold for the sake of old business). The group's signature harmonies were created via individual overdubs, a method unheard of in that so-called "first golden era". The album's light-funk approach met with either disappointment or indifference from the same record-buying public that made them one of the most popular American groups of the late sixties. It limped into the album charts (barely aided by the #81 single, "Step Out") and dropped off shortly thereafter. The Mamas & the Papas were officially (and legally) no more.

Sounds like an unfortunate waste of energy, doesn't it? And yet I can't not like this album.

Perhaps the fate of People Like Us was sealed from the start (do you honestly think they would have toured to support it?), but had the title track, "Shooting Star", or "European Blueboy" been the single rather than the comparatively sleepy "Step Out", Top 40 radio might have been a little more receptive, and the M&Ps might have gone out with a deserved bang. The title cut especially would have sounded at home alongside "What's Going On" that year...Papa John's affinity for Motown was still evident.

Besides the occasionally dippy lyric, the most audible weak spots are "I Wanna Be A Star", which Michelle penned (but Cass should have taken the lead on), and the awkwardly-spliced piano-chord coda of the Janis Joplin ode "Pearl".

Nobody in the group was too fond of their forced denouement; John and Denny often said that the material for John's solo debut (Wolf King of L.A.) would have made a grander finale. With so much time (and 75% of the group) having passed, and oldies radio's limited scope having drained their biggest hits of wonder, People Like Us deserves a revisitation. Spend a warm, lazy afternoon with the final dozen recordings of the original Mamas & Papas and see if you don't cozy up to this collection by the final note. Pass the chips. February 16, 2008

Great Final Album from The M's & P's

This final 1971 album by The Mamas & The Papas has been a favorite of mine for decades. There are some fine songs that are melodic, memorable & musically hold up after all these years. If you are a big fan of the group, there will be songs you'll like here. When they did this album, they had been broken up for 3 years. Today, that is the time between albums for artists. The group had experienced a lot personally between them, so it did affect the vibrancy of their sound. But they had already shown musical change on their previous album in 1968, " The Papas & The Mamas ". So, it's not the group sounding like it's 1966, which would have been impossible anyway.

Some fine songs, singing & performances , especially on group-sung efforts like NO DOUGH, BLUEBERRIES FOR BREAKFAST, PEARL, and SHOOTING STAR. I really like this album & having heard it for 30+ years, it's still good to hear, and knowing it's the last album they were signed to ABC/Dunhill to do, we are lucky for this final 5th studio album. John produced it, and Denny & Michelle & Cass & John all share lead vocal lines. There isn't a Cass solo unlike the previous 4 albums, but that's the way it was at the recording of this album. Denny sings some great leads, Michelle sings lead on her own song I WANNA BE A STAR , & John sings lead on LADY GENEVIEVE, with some great vocal backgrounds by the group that only he could arrange. I like it better now than way back then.

This album may have been unfairly looked down upon, maybe in part because all the group's members felt more of their own personal toll & criticized it themselves , hence hard to seperate their own personal feelings on it, but it's musical & still a Mamas and Papas treasured album. October 21, 2007

great album

I can see why a lot of Ms&Ps fans didn't like this album very much, as it does not sound like their earlier music. Give it a listen, though--check it out for yourself. I love this album because the music is really good, very listenable, and it's very unique. There's not much music that sounds like this. For me, the best part of the album is the second half of it. Great harmonies and great, laid back music. For those who love the Wolfking of LA album by John Phillips or the Whatcha Gonna Do from Denny Doherty, you should definitely check this one out. Maybe people who have burned out on too much standard Mamas and Papas radio-fare could get into this, as you probably haven't heard any of these songs. August 13, 2007

GREAT TO HEAR THE ORIGINAL FOUR AGAIN

This album has been so maligned by the press (and group themeselves). Rolling Stone review from 1971 gave it 4 stars. It is a pretty spectacular collection, especially when you realize that the members were not always in the same place at one time. John Phillips did a masterful job at production. It remains to this day one of my favorite Mamas and Papas albums. Great songs and performances. May 30, 2006

None of the chaos shows...but there's no joy, either

Contractually required to come up with a record, John Phillips closes the chapter on his Mamas & Papas tale with a lovely but inconsequential record. It opens with a blissful title cut, but loses inspiration from there. Yes, it is enjoyable in spots, but there's very little personality in evidence, no heart and no soul. C+ April 12, 2005

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