It is very hard to believe, but July 2014 marks the 40th anniversary of Cass Elliot s passing, and we at Real Gone are commemorating the occasion with a deluxe reissue of the great lady s final album, garnished with six bonus tracks. As the title indicates, 1973 s Don t Call Me Anymore marked a real break with Elliot s previous incarnation as Mama Cass of the Mamas and the Papas; at RCA Records, Cass was able to take control of her recording career, choosing songs that she wanted to sing. During this time, Cass decided to strike off in a new direction as a cabaret singer and put together a live show that barnstormed the U.S., with a particularly successful run in Las Vegas. This record, recorded over two nights at the renowned Mister Kelly s night club in Chicago, captured Cass reveling in her newfound role as an entertainer and singer of show tunes ( Extraordinary from Pippin) and standards ( I ll Be Seeing You ) as well as new songs like I m Coming to the Best Part of My Life and the title tune. Our deluxe reissue of this wildly entertaining album released with the full support of Cass daughter Owen Elliot offers six bonus tracks representing her complete final recordings, including the unreleased album outtakes Make Your Own Kind of Music/New World Coming/Dream a Little Dream of Me and Don t Make Me a Memory, plus the RCA single tracks of Listen to the World and I Think a Lot About You, a motion picture tune Theme from L Amour and another previously unreleased gem, Give A Little Laughter. The package features rare photos and liner notes by Cass Elliot expert Richard Barton Campbell, with remastering at Battery Studios in New York. There s no telling how far Cass would have gone if she had had the opportunity to fully pursue this new artistic direction Don t Call Me Mama Anymore is the final statement of a true icon whose career was cut short way too soon.
N**R
A Great Recording for Fans.
First let me say I love Cass Elliot's voice. It's so crystal clear and musical, it's hard not to be taken in. Then let me say, this disc is an important document and I'm glad it's available. Now I can say while Cass is in good voice, the material ranges from fair to bad and the orchestrations are both ambitious and pedestrian. This is mostly a live recording. I don't know (I repeat, I don't know) but I've never heard such a pristine live recording. I suspect the vocals were corrected in a studio. If not, she's even more amazing than I thought. She's never out of breath and has a mic technique that is out of the world. The bonus track 'Don't Make Me a Memory' is good but it's the only one that sounds more typical of a live recording.The real problem was what's a good singer of songs to do in 1973? The vintage stuff has really hokey arrangements and the pop songs would please no one but an earnest but slow adolescent, who would take the lyrics about "listening to the world" to heart. Five years earlier and pop wasn't such a dirty word and five years later, she could have sung standards with a tasteful trio or an arranger on par with Nelson Riddle. Maybe even Nelson Riddle!Again, her voice is great. If you are a fan, you will love this. If you are more objective, this isn't a good place to start.
L**N
a CD reissue of a very rare vinyl lp.
a CD reissue of a very rare vinyl lp. i've read its part live and part studio but she could sing anywhere
H**3
Mama was better than this.
Live performance. Includes just a couple of songs made famous by the Mamas & Papas. I guess that is the reason for the album title.
H**L
Mama
Was not as good as I had expected.
P**L
Four Stars
Ace
B**.
Five Stars
Loved it
L**R
One Star
disappointed !!!
M**E
Good bonus tracks.
Great transfer, and some really good bonus tracks.
A**R
Five Stars
Cass Elliot's talent shines on....what a voice!
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