Comments: 8

• 50 Baby from ColoradoThe secret to many successful groups like the M & Ps back then was their deep apprenticeship in the decade of the folk wave, and their rich well of old melodies, tight harmonies, and basic quality acoustic picking that gave them so much to build on. Phillips may have been a jerk, but he was a skilled producer who knew how to frame Mama Cass's brilliant voice with their distinctive sound. Creeque Alley is both a great song, but living scrollsheet of careers intersecting theirs. Sadly, young listeners mostly miss this sort of historical appreciation, apart from the few who dive into search engines; at least YouTube has preserved a lot of material only the dusty basements of record stores held prior to the 90s.
• Roger from SocalI've been a huge Beatles fan since the very beginning, but this is one time I think a cover blows away the original version. John Philips' arrangement, and the vocal performances are just sublime - that ending still give me goosebumps 55 years later!
• Anton from UsaRingo and his band did a better version than the Beatles. They raced through this recording and did not give their best effort. And John didn't care because it was an old song he didn't think much of. But very poignant lyrics about the loss of his mom and dad, neither of whom raised him.
• Elmer H from Westville, OkI have always loved this version of the Lennon composition. The production is simply fantastic. I was in college when the "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears" album climbed the charts & The Mamas and Papas were "kicking up dust" in the music industry. So many things were happening in the U.S. music scene in 1966. I still love this group's music after all these decades. They had quite a history with the personality clashes, the creative burn-outs, the bursts of genius in the studios, and their significance on the concert trail (i.e., Monterey Pop Festival & others). And this song brings back the memories!
• Esskayess from Dallas, TxWell, that's what I read in the liner notes of the collection I heard it on. Sadly, the parties in question are no longer here.
• Jack from Mesa, Azthanks esskay, I came here wondering about that.... are you sure she didn't mean John Phillips?
• Esskayess from Dallas, TxYou twice hear Cass whispering "John" during the instrumental bridge, both in tribute to the song's writer and the fact that she had a crush on him.
• Zabadak from London, EnglandI actually prefer The Dakotas' version of this to The Beatles'...

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