If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

{{Infobox album

| name = If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

| type = studio

| artist = the Mamas and the Papas

| cover = The Mamas & the Papas - If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears.png

| alt = the band members all squashed into a bathtub together; a toilet is prominently visible to the right

| released = February 28, 1966

| recorded = October–December 1965

| studio =

| genre = {{Hlist|Folk rock|pop rock|pop|soul|sunshine pop{{cite book|first= Nic |last= Harcourt |year= 2005 |title= Music Lust|chapter= Living in Perfect Harmony|publisher= Sasquatch Books |location= Seattle |page= 120|isbn=1570614377|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=qwQNNY3MX54C}}}}

| length = 33:42

| label = Dunhill

| producer = Lou Adler

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = The Mamas & the Papas

| next_year = 1966

| misc = {{Singles

| name = If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

| type = studio

| single1 = Go Where You Wanna Go

| single1date = 1965

| single2 = California Dreamin'

| single2date = December 8, 1965

| single3 = Monday, Monday

| single3date = March 1966

}}}}

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears is the debut studio album by the American vocal group the Mamas & the Papas (stylized as The Mama's and the Papa's), released on February{{nbsp}}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{{cite book |chapter=127 | If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears - The Mamas and the Papas |chapter-url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/if-you-can-believe-your-eyes-and-ears-the-mamas-and-the-papas-19691231 |access-date=27 May 2005 |last=Levy |first=Joe |author2=Steven Van Zandt |title=Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |orig-year=2005 |edition=3rd |year=2006 |publisher=Turnaround |location=London |isbn=1-932958-61-4 |oclc=70672814 |ref=RS500 |archive-date=2 November 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20111102194754/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-19691231/if-you-can-believe-your-eyes-and-ears-the-mamas-and-the-papas-19691231 |url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite web| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-156826/the-mamas-and-the-papas-if-you-can-believe-your-eyes-and-ears-171796/|year=2012| title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone's definitive list of the 500 greatest albums of all time| publisher=Rolling Stone| access-date= September 19, 2019}}

Cover art

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;{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BkMqDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22If+You+Can+Believe+Your+Eyes+and+Ears%22+toilet+cover&pg=PT286|title=The History of British Rock and Roll: The Psychedelic Years 1967 - 1969|first=Robin|last=Bell|date=June 20, 2017|publisher=Lulu Press, Inc|isbn=9789198191684 |via=Google Books}} since then they have become a collector's item, with one copy selling at an auction for $300.{{Cite web|url=https://www.popsike.com/MAMAS-And-The-PAPAS-If-You-Can-Believe-Your-Eyes-And-Ears-1967-TOILET-COVER-LP/201128245411.html|title=popsike.com - MAMAS And The PAPAS If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears 1967 TOILET COVER LP - auction details|website=www.popsike.com}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UtcDDQAAQBAJ&dq=%22If+You+Can+Believe+Your+Eyes+and+Ears%22+toilet+cover&pg=PT20|title=A New Breed of Shark: Become a Fierce & Fearless Female Entrepreneur|first=Charlie|last=Fusco|date=June 16, 2016|publisher=AuthorHouse|isbn=9781524623715 |via=Google Books}}
No. 2: Most of the toilet bowl is covered with a scroll listing the presence of "California Dreamin'" on the album.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ASZHEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22If+You+Can+Believe+Your+Eyes+and+Ears%22+toilet+cover&pg=PA109|title=Portraying Performer Image in Record Album Cover Art|first=Ken|last=Bielen|date=November 2, 2021|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781793640734 |via=Google Books}}
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.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53652321/the-master-of-rocks-album-cover-photos/ |title=The master of rock's album cover photos |newspaper=Star Tribune |location=Minneapolis |page=B5 |date=February 20, 2019 |access-date=June 17, 2020 |via=newspapers.com}}

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.{{Cite web|title=The Mama's And The Papa's* - If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears|url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Mamas-And-The-Papas-If-You-Can-Believe-Your-Eyes-And-Ears/master/124850|access-date=2020-08-29|website=Discogs|year=1966 |language=en}}

Reception

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{AllMusic |class=album |tab=review |id=r12286 |first=Bruce |last=Eder |access-date=13 April 2006 |ref=AM}}

| rev2 = Record Mirror

| rev2Score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite magazine |last1=Jones |first1=Peter |author-link1=Peter Jones (journalist) |last2= Jopling |first2= Norman |date=9 July 1966 |title=Showcase Bachelors LP, & great Mama's & Papa's new album... |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/60s/66/Record-Mirror-1966-07-09.pdf |magazine=Record Mirror |issue=278 |page=8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401225833/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/60s/66/Record-Mirror-1966-07-09.pdf |archive-date=1 April 2022|access-date=18 November 2022}}

| rev3 = Rolling Stone

| rev3Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite news|newspaper=Rolling Stone |issue=810 |date=April 15, 1999 |page=111 |first=Rob |last=Sheffield |author-link=Rob Sheffield |title=Rolling Stone Library: The Mamas & The Papas If You Can Believe Your Eyes & Ears > Review |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/themamasthepapas/albums/album/243864/review/5944350/if_you_can_believe_your_eyes__ears |access-date=12 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620034840/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/themamasthepapas/albums/album/243864/review/5944350/if_you_can_believe_your_eyes__ears |archive-date=June 20, 2008 |url-status=dead }}

}}

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. 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. The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^ 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}}.

Track listing

{{track listing

| headline = Side one

| title1 = Monday, Monday

| writer1 = John Phillips

| length1 = 3:28

| title2 = Straight Shooter

| writer2 = J. Phillips

| length2 = 2:58

| title3 = Got a Feelin{{'-}}

| writer3 = {{hlist|J. Phillips|Denny Doherty}}

| length3 = 2:53

| title4 = I Call Your Name

| writer4 = {{hlist|John Lennon|Paul McCartney}}

| length4 = 2:38

| title5 = Do You Wanna Dance

| writer5 = Bobby Freeman

| length5 = 3:00

| title6 = Go Where You Wanna Go

| writer6 = J. Phillips

| length6 = 2:29

}}

{{track listing

| headline = Side two

| title1 = California Dreamin{{'-}}

| writer1 = {{hlist|J. Phillips|Michelle Phillips}}

| length1 = 2:42

| title2 = Spanish Harlem

| writer2 = {{hlist|Jerry Leiber|Phil Spector}}

| length2 = 3:22

| title3 = Somebody Groovy

| writer3 = J. Phillips

| length3 = 3:16

| title4 = Hey Girl

| writer4 = {{hlist|J. Phillips|M. Phillips}}

| length4 = 2:30

| title5 = You Baby

| writer5 = {{hlist|Steve Barri|P. F. Sloan}}

| length5 = 2:22

| title6 = The 'In' Crowd

| writer6 = Billy Page

| length6 = 3:12

}}

Personnel

Denny Doherty – vocals
Cass Elliot – vocals
John Phillips – vocals, guitar
Michelle Phillips – vocals
P. F. Sloan – guitars, additional vocals
Larry Knechtel – keyboards
Hal Blaine – drums, percussion
Joe Osborn – bass guitar
Bud Shank – flute solo on "California Dreamin'"{{cite web |url=http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_mamas_papas_california/ |title=Classic Tracks: The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreamin'" |author=Dan Daily |date=July 1, 2004 |publisher=Mix Magazine |access-date=April 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204034801/http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_mamas_papas_california/ |archive-date=February 4, 2012 }}
Peter Pilafian – electric violin

Technical

Chart positions

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Chart performance for If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears

! scope="col"| Chart (1966)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Billboard200|1|M|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-mamas-the-papas/chart-history/tlp/|title=The Mamas & the Papas Chart History - Billboard 200|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 23, 2021}}

References

External links

[http://www.myspace.com/themamasandthepapas/music/albums/if-you-can-believe-your-eyes-ears-2146 If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears] at Myspace (streamed copy where licensed)

Category:The Mamas and the Papas albums

Category:1966 debut albums

Category:Albums produced by Lou Adler

Category:Albums recorded at United Western Recorders

Category:Dunhill Records albums

Category:Obscenity controversies in music