The Mama's and The Papa's - Discography - 320kbps Bitrate

The Mama's and The Papa's

The leading California-based vocal group of the '60s, the Mamas & the Papas epitomized the ethos of the mid- to late-'60s pop culture: live free, play free, and love free. Their music, built around radiant harmonies and a solid electric folk foundation, was gorgeous on its own terms, but a major part of its appeal lay in the easygoing southern California lifestyle it endorsed. The group's success was as extraordinary as it was brief, and onlookers may well wonder what went wrong with a performing group that seemed to have the world at its feet for all of two years. The irony behind the Mamas & the Papas' story is that the same forces that made it possible for them to create extraordinary music together also made it impossible for them to stay together for more than a short time.

The group's founder and de facto leader, John Phillips, born in 1935, was actually quite a bit older than most of the figures who emerged as rock stars during the middle and late 1960s. He was more of Elvis Presley's generation, the product of a chaotic home life with a difficult childhood and adolescence, and seemed to be headed for life as a low-level delinquent until he was scared straight, and then had been headed for the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. In the background, however, was music, the guitar, and the sounds of Elvis Presley, the Platters, Teresa Brewer, and everyone else charting records in the mid-'50s. He eventually entered music professionally, while his first marriage produced two children (one of them future actress MacKenzie Phillips). Phillips' first music forays moved from pop to soft jazz and finally into folk music, through groups such as the Smoothies and the Journeymen. The latter group, a trio with Dick Weissman and Scott McKenzie, was one of the most promising small ensembles of the early-'60s folk music boom, but it never connected with the public despite being signed to Capitol Records -- in fairness, the label already had the Kingston Trio, and Phillips' group was perhaps just a little behind the curve of where public taste and radio programming were heading.

1966 If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears

1966 The Mamas & The Papas

1967 Deliver

1971 Monterey International Pop Festival (Live)

1971 People Like Us

1986 16 Of Their Greatest Hits

Creeque Alley - The History Of The Mamas And The Papas

CD01 - CD02

1991 The Ultimate Collection

1992 Best Selection

1992 The EP Collection

1992 Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

The Papas & The Mamas

The Mamas & The Papas (In Concert)

Hits Of Gold

1995 California Dreamin'. The Very Best of The Mamas & The Papas

1995 The Best Of The Mamas And The Papas