Best of the Mamas & the Papas: 20th Century Masters [Digipak] [Remaster]

Performer: The Mamas & the Papas
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: The Mamas & The Papas: John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Cass Elliot, Denny Doherty. Includes liner notes by Joseph Laredo. Digitally remastered by Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studios, No. Hollywood, California). This is part of MCA's 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection series. The Mamas & the Papas: Denny Doherty, John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Cass Elliot. If you want an inexpensive all-meat, no-filler Mamas And The Papas compilation with the best possible remastering, then their entry in MCA/Universal's 20TH CENTURY MASTERS series is for you. At 11 tracks, including two solo singles by Mama Cass ("Dream a Little Dream of Me" and "Make Your Own Kind of Music"), there's no room for anything but the hits, and those hits have never sounded better. "California Dreamin'," "Monday Monday, "Creeque Alley," and the glorious "Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)" sound so vibrant and live that it sometimes seems like Cass, Michelle, Denny and John are in the room with you. The Mamas And The Papas' catalogue had been so shoddily treated for so long before this remastering series was done that the quality of these versions is a revelation. Like any record company worth their salt, MCA knows a good gimmick when they see it, and when the millennium came around -- well, the 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection wasn't too far behind. Supposedly, the millennium is a momentous occasion, but it's hard to feel that way when it's used as another excuse to turn out a budget-line series. But apart from the presumptuous title, 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection turns out to be a very good budget-line series. True, it's impossible for any of these brief collections to be definitive, but they're nevertheless solid samplers that don't feature a bad song in the bunch. For example, take the Mamas & the Papas' 20th Century volume -- it's an irresistible 11-song summary of their MCA recordings. There may be a couple of noteworthy songs missing, but many of their best-known songs for the label are here, including "California Dreamin'," "Monday, Monday," "Creeque Alley," "Dedicated to the One I Love." "Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon," "Look Through My Window," "I Saw Her Again Last Night," and Mama Cass' "Make Your Own Kind of Music." Serious fans will want something more extensive, but this is an excellent introduction for neophytes and a great sampler for casual fans, considering its length and price. That doesn't erase the ridiculousness of the series title, but the silliness is excusable when the music and the collections are good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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