Jump to content

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
the band members all squashed into a bathtub together; a toilet is prominently visible to the right
Studio album by
the Mamas & the Papas
ReleasedFebruary 28, 1966
RecordedOctober–December 1965
Genre
Length33:42
LabelDunhill
ProducerLou Adler
The Mamas & the Papas chronology
If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
(1966) 		The Mamas & the Papas
(1966)
Singles from If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
  1. "Go Where You Wanna Go"
    Released: 1965
  2. "California Dreamin'"
    Released: December 8, 1965
  3. "Monday, Monday"
    Released: March 1966

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears is the debut studio album by the American folk rock vocal group the Mamas & the Papas (stylized as The Mama's and the Papa's), released on February 28, 1966. The stereo mix of the album is included on All the Leaves Are Brown (2001), a double CD compilation consisting of the band's first four albums and various singles, as well as on The Mamas & the Papas Complete Anthology (2004), a four-CD box set released in the UK. The mono mix of the album was remastered and reissued on vinyl by Sundazed Music in 2010, and on CD the following year. It is the band's only album to reach number one on the Billboard 200.

In 2003, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears was ranked number 127[3] on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, with its rank rising to number 112 in the 2012 revision.[4]

Cover art

[edit]

Five versions of the album cover were produced:

  • No. 1: The original cover (shown at upper right) features the group in a bathroom, sitting in a bathtub with a toilet in the corner. These were pulled from stores after the toilet was judged indecent;[5] since then they have become a collector's item, with one copy selling at an auction for $300.[6][7]
  • No. 2: Most of the toilet bowl is covered with a scroll listing the presence of "California Dreamin'" on the album.[8]
  • No. 3: Two additional songs from the album are shown on the scroll: "Monday, Monday" and "I Call Your Name".
  • No. 4: Same as No. 3 but with a gold record award blurb added (in black) to the left of the group.
  • No. 5: Black cover with a closely cropped shot of the group that hid the fact that the picture was taken in a bathroom.

The cover art was produced and shot by photographer Guy Webster.[9]

The cover shows the artist as "The Mama's and the Papa's", a grammatical error that has not been corrected on any of the album's reissues.[10]

Critical reception

[edit]

Contemporary reviews

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Record MirrorStarStarStarStar[11]

Contemporary reviews of If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears were highly positive and frequently emphasized the Mamas & the Papas' vocal blend and harmonic style. Record Mirror called the album "very sweet", noting its "clever harmonising" and describing it as "good listening".[11] David F. Wagner of The Post-Crescent described the group as part of a "limited, but forceful" trend of "good time music" and wrote that their voices "play against, yet complement, each other through counterpoint harmonies", resulting in a sound "as fresh as today".[12] The Journal & Courier's Angelyn Rizzo wrote that their sound featured "marvelous harmony" along with "unusual contrapuntal harmonies and unique individual vocal arrangements" that "make the album an entire pleasantry".[13] Norman Barry of the Sunday Independent argued that the album demonstrated the group's "versatility, originality, harmony and above all, their willingness to experiment and create".[14]

Bill Hilton of the Santa Barbara News-Press expressed surprise at liking a folk rock–based record but described the album as "good to listen to", praising the group's "uncommon blend of voices" and writing that they "harmonize beautifully" without being overshadowed by instrumentation.[15] The Daily Telegraph's Anne McDonald called the album "brilliant" and said their "voices that blend so perfectly" and orchestral backing "create a feeling of spine-tingling nostalgia".[16] Ernie Santosuosso of The Boston Globe wrote that the group "can do no wrong with a song" and compared their role in folk-rock to the Four Freshmen's position in jazz vocal music. He highlighted their "meticulous sounds and feeling for harmonics" and described the album as containing "refreshingly creative choral magic".[17]

Looking back at If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears a year later, critics regarded it as their defining work for the Mamas & the Papas and emphasized its importance. Robert Christgau called the album "a classical record with a new approach", and Paul Krassner commented that the group "feel good to hear". Richard Goldstein stated that the album "has the strongest composition on it" and argued that it "influenced the way other performers use harmony", while also noting that later records were "really only remakes of this first unique album". Robert Fulford likewise described it as the album that "defines them". The Star Weekly wrote that the "crystal voices" of the group were heard at their best on the debut and added that its songs "would make the album a significant contribution to the pop-rock scene if they never cut another".[18]

Retrospective reviews

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStarStar[19]
The Great Rock Discography7/10[20]
Record CollectorStarStarStarStar[21]
The RepublicanStarStarStarStar (1998)[22]
StarStarStarStarStar (2011)[23]
Rolling StoneStarStarStarStarHalf star[24]
The Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarStarHalf star[25]

The album received a positive retrospective review in Rolling Stone, in which critic Rob Sheffield remarked "The Mamas and the Papas celebrated all the sin and sleaze of Sixties L.A. with folksy harmonies, acoustic guitars, and songs that told inquiring minds way more than they wanted to know. And on their January 1966 debut, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, they somehow made it all sound groovy." He described the album as a dark look at L.A. culture that sounds accessible and optimistic thanks in large part to Lou Adler's production.[24] Bruce Eder wrote for AllMusic that the album "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." He added that it had a stronger polish than the group's other albums, in part because it predated the personal conflicts that tainted their later works.[1] The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[26]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Monday, Monday"John Phillips3:28
2."Straight Shooter"J. Phillips2:58
3."Got a Feelin'"
2:53
4."I Call Your Name"
2:38
5."Do You Wanna Dance"Bobby Freeman3:00
6."Go Where You Wanna Go"J. Phillips2:29
Total length:17:26
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."California Dreamin'"
2:42
2."Spanish Harlem"
3:22
3."Somebody Groovy"J. Phillips3:16
4."Hey Girl"
  • J. Phillips
  • M. Phillips
2:30
5."You Baby"
2:22
6."The 'In' Crowd"Billy Page3:12
Total length:17:24

Personnel

[edit]

The Mamas & the Papas

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[38] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f Eder, Bruce. "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears — The Mamas & the Papas". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2006.
  2. ^ Harcourt, Nic (2005). "Living in Perfect Harmony". Music Lust. Seattle: Sasquatch Books. p. 120. ISBN 1570614377.
  3. ^ Levy, Joe; Steven Van Zandt (2006) [2005]. "127 | If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears - The Mamas and the Papas". Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (3rd ed.). London: Turnaround. ISBN 1-932958-61-4. OCLC 70672814. Retrieved May 27, 2005. {{cite book}}: |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time". Rolling Stone. 2012. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Bell, Robin (June 20, 2017). The History of British Rock and Roll: The Psychedelic Years 1967 - 1969. Lulu Press, Inc. ISBN 9789198191684 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "popsike.com - MAMAS And The PAPAS If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears 1967 TOILET COVER LP - auction details". www.popsike.com.
  7. ^ Fusco, Charlie (June 16, 2016). A New Breed of Shark: Become a Fierce & Fearless Female Entrepreneur. AuthorHouse. ISBN 9781524623715 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ Bielen, Ken (November 2, 2021). Portraying Performer Image in Record Album Cover Art. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781793640734 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ "The master of rock's album cover photos". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. February 20, 2019. p. B5. Retrieved June 17, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "The Mama's And The Papa's* - If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears". Discogs. 1966. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (July 9, 1966). "Showcase Bachelors LP, & great Mama's & Papa's new album..." (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 278. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  12. ^ Wagner, David F. (March 27, 1966). "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (Mama's and the Papa's, Dunhill)". The Post-Crescent. p. 17. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Rizzo, Angelyn (June 4, 1966). "Listening On Records". Journal & Courier. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Barry, Norman (July 3, 1966). "America's Reply to the Beatles". Sunday Independent. p. 19. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Hilton, Bill (March 5, 1966). "Mamas and Papas 'Dream' a Winner". Santa Barbara News-Press. p. C-4. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ McDonald, Anne (July 30, 1966). "If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears, The Mama's and the Papa's". The Daily Telegraph. p. 7. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Santosuosso, Ernie (May 15, 1966). "Always Honor Thy Mama's 'n' Papa's". The Boston Globe. p. 14-A. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears — The Mama's and the Papa's". Star Weekly. December 2, 1967. p. 30. Archived from the original on November 26, 2025. Retrieved November 26, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Colin, Larkin (2007). "Mamas and the Papas". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. pp. 896–897. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
  20. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Mamas and the Papas". The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books. p. 932. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.
  21. ^ Mick, Houghton (December 26, 2011). "If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears". Record Collector. No. 397. Archived from the original on November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  22. ^ O'Hare, Kevin (March 22, 1998). "Reissue Spotlight: The Mamas and the Papas, "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears"". The Republican. p. F5. Archived from the original on November 25, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ O'Hare, Kevin (January 9, 2011). "Rarities and re-issues: The Mamas and the Papas, "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears"". The Republican. p. G2. Archived from the original on December 21, 2025. Retrieved November 25, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (April 15, 1999). "Rolling Stone Library: The Mamas & The Papas If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears > Review". Rolling Stone. No. 810. p. 111. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  25. ^ Evans, Paul (2004). "The Mamas and the Papas". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 511. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  26. ^ ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  27. ^ Dan Daily (July 1, 2004). "Classic Tracks: The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreamin'"". Mix Magazine. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
  28. ^ Anon. (July 16, 1966). "Top Ten LPs" (PDF). Disc and Music Echo. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  29. ^ ,Anon. (July 16, 1966). "Top Ten LPs" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 12, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  30. ^ Anon. (July 15, 1966). "Top Ten LPs". New Musical Express. p. 5.
  31. ^ "The Mamas And Papas by Mamas And Papas". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  32. ^ Anon. (May 21, 1966). "Top LP's" (PDF). Billboard. p. 36. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  33. ^ Anon. (May 14, 1966). "Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. p. 53. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  34. ^ Anon. (May 21, 1966). "100 Top LP's" (PDF). Record World. p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 9, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  35. ^ Anon. (December 24, 1966). "Top LP's of 1966" (PDF). Billboard. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 9, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  36. ^ "Best Albums of 1966" (PDF). Cash Box. December 24, 1966. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 6, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  37. ^ Anon. (December 30, 1967). "Top LP's – 1967" (PDF). Billboard. p. 42. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 25, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2026 – via WorldRadioHistory.
  38. ^ "American album certifications – The Mamas & The Papas – If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 21, 2025.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_You_Can_Believe_Your_Eyes_and_Ears&oldid=1333974239"