Drugs! Dysfunction! Harmonies!

As the folk-rock-pop band turns, I recount the twists, turns, acid, and petty fraud that brought John, Michelle, Denny, and Cass together, as well as tearing them apart.

Working on this episode has also spurred a side project: a list of Rock's Biggest Sh!theads.

* Note: if knowing what you know about John Phillips would make listening to me mention his name psychological unsafe for you, I totally understand if you want to give this a pass. I stick to the formation of the Mamas and the Papas through 1966, so the other stuff isn't mentioned, but still.

The inaugural mini-episode focusing on singles! As one might expect from a Beatles superfan, the first single under discussion comes to us from The Fab Four. I talk about a bit about how singles were listened to, John's ego death crisis, the mutual admiration society between the Beatles and Fats Domino, George's Indian-inspired output, and my all-Beatles running playlist. All in under 10 minutes!

Imagine my delight when I came across this record in the bins! In the early '80s, I definitely wanted my MTV, and Tracey Ullman brought her sketch comedy bonafides to the music video. Her short-lived career as a pop singer was a bit of a lark, but we have this, a loving tribute to '60s pop. I talk about Doris Day, Kirsty MacColl, and Debbie Harry in addition to Tracey Ullman, so we've really got a celebration of awesome women in entertainment here.

*Note: due to an unfortunately timed software update, my audio clips from the album were unusable. However, I've added links to the songs in the show notes.