Album Review: The Mamas & The Papas – A Gathering of Flowers
By my rough count, there have been more than twenty – yes, twenty – compilations attempting to distill the catalog of The Mamas & The Papas down to a disc or two. For me, the 1969 LP 16 of Their Greatest Hits was my introduction to the group. And while it was good – hell, they’re all good, seeing as they feature the foursome’s AM radio hits, among the best of the sunshine pop genre – it wasn’t the best single-disc summation of their music. That honor goes to the long out-of-print A Gathering of Flowers. Released in 1971, two years after the group petered out, it not only includes their biggest hits (“Monday, Monday,” their Beatles cover “I Call Your Name,” the scintillating “I Saw Her Again Last Night,” and of course “California Dreamin’”) but it also features some lesser-known but equally worthy album tracks.
Yet that’s not what makes A Gathering of Flowers – newly reissued for the first time on CD by Real Gone Music – a treasure. No, that’s thanks to the snippets of interviews with the group’s members that are interspersed between the tracks. Artfully done, the mixing of spoken passages and music makes for a sort of audio verité document of the group, and in doing so, captures their vibe – happy, melancholy and all points between – better than any other collection. Essential.
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About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.