Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot / The Road Is No Place For A Lady
Collector’s Choice Music
Cass Elliot suffers from a reputation of dying from a ham sandwich. While it’s not true, we’ve all heard the story and most agree she passed away long before her time. After The Mamas & the Papas broke up, she produced three albums, two of which appear on this remastered CD from Collector’s Choice. A few bona fide hits lurk here, “Baby I’m Yours,” “I’ll Be There,” and “All in The Game” still appear on the radio dial to this day, but there’s plenty of lesser, yet still satisfying material filling this collection.
Cass Elliot was done singing bubble gum pop, and these two collections showcase her mellow and seductive voice backed by lush productions arranged by Lewis Merenstein. The love ballad “Disney Girls” reflects the contemporary country style of the day, and “Cherries Jubilee” hints at the Swinging London sound of the ’60s. Bonus tracks are always appreciated, and we pick up “East of the Sun (West of the Moon)” with its laconic jazzy lounge backing. Like all Collector’s Choice releases, there’s a nice booklet with extensive recollection by Owen Elliot (her daughter) and Richard Campbell.
The stories about her life and the experience of recreating and releasing this collection provide a useful point of reference to the novice listener and aging hippie alike. These songs are not just a time capsule of the ’70s, but a set of astonishing vocals by a timeless singer.
Collector’s Choice: http://www.collectorschoicemusic.com
