The Mama's And The Papa's* ‎– If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears

An absolute classic album for everyone to enjoy especially with classic hits such as Monday Monday and Californian dreaming

no jacket, sleeve mangled, right edge torn open record in good shape

I have the version where it doesn't show the toilet, anybody know how much that's be worth?

The Mama’s And The Papa’s seem to have been dodging a bad rap forever, yet their vocals and harmonies were without a doubt some of the most lush, complex and deeply arranged material of the day, perhaps only bested by The Beach Boys. I realize that’s a bold statement, though with each member being a knockout singer in their own right, and with Phillips lavishing his simple melodies with deep and nearly bottomless arrangements that allowed each song to sound epic, this was material that no one saw coming. Unexpectedly, they also managed to create a timeless visual component to those tracks in a manner that only Dylan had managed to do up until this point.

Back in 1966 If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears ushered in a genuinely new sound, one that was filled with radio friendly songs that were polished and bright, filled with brilliant hooks and imagination that embraced blues, pop, and folk rock. Even the cover tracks found here have a sound that sets them squarely at the feet of the Mama’s And The Papa’s, allowing even the casual listener to be swept away by the warm glow of unforced honest spontaneousness that seemed to nearly roll of the cuff, sounding effortless, and worthy of exploration.

Most odd is the fact that hands down, this album is their crowning achievement. There was an exhilaration found on this release that did not show up on any other … perhaps this is due to the fact that these songs had been sung and rehearsed countless times, and certainly the band’s infighting, an aspect that began almost immediately and haunted the band for years played into their future works, works that should have sounded even better, yet lacked the presence of what was laid down here.

This recording is not to be missed, it’s a seminal album, one that spans time and space, never failing to fill me with good vibrations.

*** The Fun Facts: If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears was one of the first albums to have several different covers. The first cover features the group in a bathroom sitting in a bathtub with a toilet in the corner. Copies with this cover were pulled from stores after the toilet was declared indecent. The remaining covers featuring the toilet have since become collector's items. A second album cover was released with a scroll [text-box] over the toilet listing the presence of the song "California Dreamin'" on the album. Two more songs were later added to the text-box over the toilet. And later still, a Gold Record Award blurb was added (in black) to the left of the group. Finally, a later album cover was released with a closely cropped shot of the band surrounded by a black border that removed any hint that the picture was taken in a bathroom. Cover art produced and shot by photographer Guy Webster.

Review by Jenell Kesler

My copy has different correct centre labels on both sides 1 and 2.

no toilet on this edition. Fuck censorship!

This Is An Alternate Cover