This is the album that made this band famous - it has all their best songs!  Despite having owned this album for decades (I now have a CD version!), I have only recently learned that, apparently, the original sleeve was controversial and quickly changed.  Why?  Because it included a toilet bowl!  This was covered-up on later versions (including the one I’m offering here) by a big yellow “sticker”!  Just for fun, I have included (as the last photo) a shot of the original!

The vinyl is in good condition and plays well – the sleeve is sound overall but shows some wear (particularly to the RHS - the ‘mouth’ side), as clearly shown in the photos.  Incidentally, what looks like a nasty tear to the rear of the sleeve (second photo) is, in fact, the branches of a tree in the sleeve photo!

General

Album name:

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

Genre:

Pop/Rock

Product type:

12” Vinyl LP – 33rpm - Stereo

 

Label:

RCA Victor

Number of tracks:

12

Pressing:                            Germany

Tracklist:

A1. The Mamas & the Papas - Monday, Monday

3:03

A2. The Mamas & the Papas - Straight Shooter

2:55

A3. The Mamas & the Papas - Got a Feelin'

2:44

A4. The Mamas & the Papas - I Call Your Name

2:32

A5. The Mamas & the Papas - Do You Wanna Dance

2:58

A6. The Mamas & the Papas - Go Where You Wanna Go

2:32

B1. The Mamas & the Papas - California Dreamin'

2:32

B2. The Mamas & the Papas - Spanish Harlem

3:22

B3. The Mamas & the Papas - Somebody Groovy

3:06

B4. The Mamas & the Papas - Hey Girl

2:21

B5. The Mamas & the Papas - You Baby

2:15

B6. The Mamas & the Papas - "In" Crowd

3:10

 

Description

In the spring of 1966, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears represented a genuinely new sound, as fresh to listeners as the songs on Meet the Beatles had seemed two years earlier. Released just as "California Dreaming" was ascending the charts by leaps and bounds, it was the product of months of rehearsal in the Virgin Islands and John Phillips' discovery of what one could do to build a polished recorded sound in the studio -- it embraced folk-rock, pop/rock, pop, and soul, and also reflected the kind of care that acts like the Beatles were putting into their records at the time. "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'" are familiar enough to anyone who's ever listened to the radio, and "Go Where You Wanna Go" isn't far behind, in this version or the very similar rendition by the Fifth Dimension. But the rest is mighty compelling even to casual listeners, including the ethereal "Got a Feelin'," the rocking "Straight Shooter" and "Somebody Groovy," the jaunty, torch song-style version of "I Call Your Name," and the prettiest versions of "Do You Wanna Dance" and "Spanish Harlem" that anyone ever recorded. If the material here has a certain glow that the Mamas & the Papas' subsequent LPs lacked, that may be due in part to the extensive rehearsal and the exhilaration of their first experience in the studio, but also a result of the fact that it was recorded before the members' personal conflicts began interfering with their ability to work together. The work was all spontaneous and unforced here, as opposed to the emotional complications that had to be overcome before their next sessions. ~ Bruce Eder

Bruce Eder

Contributors

Artist: The Mamas & the Papas Violin (Electric): Peter Pilafian Engineer: Bones Howe Vocals: Denny Doherty Vocals: John Phillips Producer: Lou Adler Vocals: Cass Elliot Record Label: RCA Liner Notes: Andrew Wickham

Unlike many (most?!) ‘professional’ dealers, this record will be very securely packed between stout card boards (I am particularly sensitive about this, having myself received postage-damaged media in the past!).

 

From a smoke & pet-free home.