What are you listening to?

[Savonarola]

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears - The Mamas and the Papas (1966)

Or "The Mama's and the Papa's" as the album cover spells it; the album cover is also famous for being banned for featuring a toilet .

The Mamas and the Papas would never sound as good as this again, the harmonies are simply gorgeous and the production (mostly done by The Wrecking Crew) matches that.  The album covers a lot of ground R&B, soul, folk and rock and roll, but all done in their distinct style.

The album is seen as a milestone of then nascent counter-culture; celebrating California (California dreaming) and its youth lifestyle (The In Crowd, Go Wear You Wanna Go.)  If anyone thinks that the "Culture War" is a recent phenomenon, the album that preceded this at #1 on the Billboard charts was "The Ballad of the Green Berets" by SSgt Barry Sandler.  (In the spirit of the times, it was proceeded by  Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass's "What Now my Love?" )

[Eddie Teach]

If anyone thinks that the "Culture War" is a recent phenomenon, the album that preceded this at #1 on the Billboard charts was "The Ballad o5f the Green Berets" by SSgt Barry Sandler

The conservatives are doomed.

[Admiral Yi]

Sav's claim that the Mamas and Papas would never sound that good again made me do some poking around.  Couldn't find a source that shows all albums, dates, and titles, so I'm unable to dispute his pernicious and false doctrine, but I did find a link to a description of their four disc anthology album, and was somewhat surprised to see the number of solo writing credits Michelle Phillips has.  I just figured she was golden throated eye candy.

[Savonarola]

Here's the Mamas and the Papas discography.  They only had five albums; I don't think the others are anywhere near as good as "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears."

[Savonarola]

The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (UK) (1966)

The first Rolling Stones album consisting entirely of original compositions; this is a hit or miss affair.  The hits (Mother's Little Helper, Stupid Girl, Lady Jane and Under My Thumb) are great, if more than a little misogynistic;  but the fill, oh the fill, the better US version cuts the song count from 14 to 11 and even that doesn't get rid of all the fill. 

Country is starting to appear on the albums (High and Dry and the overlooked I Am Waiting.)  The lyrics are becoming clever even in fill songs like Flight 505 they have their moments.  There's much more experimentation than previously, the dulcimer in Lady Jane, the Marimba in Under My Thumb and Out of Time.  The eleven minute Goin' Home was revolutionary for its length (on a rock album), but, unfortunately, it's just not very good.  There's some Dylan and Beatles influence that works out well and there's some Beach Boys influence that does not, notably on What To Do.

[Savonarola]

The Mamas and the Papas - The Mamas and the Papas (1966)

In the six months between this and "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears" Michelle Philips managed to have an affair with both Denny Doherty and Gene Clark (of the Byrds.)  Given Mama Cass's feelings for Doherty, John Phillips marriage to Michelle, personnel changes (Jill Gibson replaced Michelle Phillips) and  the sheer amount of drugs Papa John was doing it's a wonder this album got made at all, much less that it's as good as it is.  The second side is almost all about love gone wrong, (not much of a surprise), the first side is more like an art school project.  It's a mess, but a wonderful mess.

Is this the one you were thinking of, Yi?  I'm not hearing anything on this that sounds as good as "California Dreaming," or "Go Where You Want To Go;" but it's still a great album.

[Admiral Yi]

I Saw Her Again is a great song.

[Savonarola]

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

For one, brief, moment everything came together for Brian Wilson.  The songs about longing and adolescence (a fixture on every album since Today!) now sound surprisingly mature (most were co-written by jingle writer Tony Asher.)  The experimentation all works out (it wouldn't on "Smiley Smile.")  The Beach Boy's harmonies are their most sophisticated and best.  He'd never manage to capture this magic again, and by 1967 the Beach Boys would go from revolutionary to nostalgic (in fact their next two albums would be "Greatest hits" compilation.)

[Savonarola]

Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde (1966)

Released the same day as Pet Sounds (May 16, 1966), that was a good day for popular music, a very good day indeed.

(There is some dispute on the release date, some music historians put it a few weeks later.)  Blonde on Blonde tends to end up on critics "Best of" lists.  Personally I prefer Highway 61 Revisited; Blonde on Blonde tends to wander and just doesn't hold my attention the way Highway 61 does.  Individually, though, the songs on Blonde on Blonde are all among Dylan's best.  Dylan was on top of his game here, my favorite is "Fourth Time Around" in which Bob Dylan impersonates John Lennon writing a Bob Dylan influenced song.

This would be the end of Dylan's Rock Star period.  He'd have a serious motorcycle accident in July of 1966; and did some soul searching while recovering.  His next studio album, John Wesley Harding, would be in a very different direction.

[Eddie Teach]

The Po-Po- Synchronicity. Kind of a weird album, experimental at times. Only a couple big hits.

U2- The Joshua Tree. Honestly wasn't paying that much attention.  lot of good songs though.

Pearl Jam- 10. A classic. Heard many times before.

[The Minsky Moment]

Prince - Sign of the Times

Prince has got something for everyone -- R&B, funk, rock, pop, doo wop, jazz, electronica, psychedelic - every musical development in America from WW2 to the release of the album finds its way into this album.

[Savonarola]

The Po-Po- Synchronicity. Kind of a weird album, experimental at times. Only a couple big hits.

I once told Mono that Synchronicity Part II should be his theme song.  He didn't like the song, though.   

[The Brain]

You don't have to like your theme song.

[garbon]

Prince - Sign of the Times

Prince has got something for everyone -- R&B, funk, rock, pop, doo wop, jazz, electronica, psychedelic - every musical development in America from WW2 to the release of the album finds its way into this album.

Starfish and Coffee & If I Was Your Girlfriend

[frunk]

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds (1966)

For one, brief, moment everything came together for Brian Wilson.  The songs about longing and adolescence (a fixture on every album since Today!) now sound surprisingly mature (most were co-written by jingle writer Tony Asher.)  The experimentation all works out (it wouldn't on "Smiley Smile.")  The Beach Boy's harmonies are their most sophisticated and best.  He'd never manage to capture this magic again, and by 1967 the Beach Boys would go from revolutionary to nostalgic (in fact their next two albums would be "Greatest hits" compilation.)

When I listened to the whole album for the first time a couple of years ago the song that took me by surprise was I Know there's an Answer.  I had been listening to the cover Hang onto your Ego since the early 90s without realizing it was a cover.