Mama's Big Ones
| Mama's Big Ones | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by Cass Elliot | ||||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1966-1970 | |||
| Genre | Pop-rock | |||
| Label | Dunhill | |||
| Cass Elliot chronology | ||||
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Mama’s Big Ones is the third solo album released by Cass Elliot. It was also the last studio album she released for Dunhill in order to fulfill her three album deal.
Conception
Elliot’s frustration with trying to prove herself as her own artist and tackle the material she wanted had proved an impossibility with Dunhill. The power struggle began with her attempts to drop the "Mama" moniker and use the name Cass Elliot. This had been met with opposition by the studio heads at Dunhill. They felt that using the name "Mama Cass" and continuing to produce music similar to her work with The Mamas & the Papas would produce greater commercial success.
Five of the songs had just been released on her first two solo albums. The other songs consisted of four singles she released and recorded in the studio with producer Steve Barri in 1970 and one hit she had with The Mamas & the Papas. The singles "One Way Ticket" and "Ain’t Nobody Else Like You" were the only new songs introduced by the album.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Chart Position | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "It's Getting Better" | US #30 Pop/#13 AC, UK #8 (5/1969) | ||
| 2. | "Dream a Little Dream of Me" | US #12 Pop/#2 AC, UK #11 (6/1968) | ||
| 3. | "Make Your Own Kind of Music" | US #36 Pop/#6 (10/1969) | ||
| 4. | "Words of Love" (with The Mamas & The Papas) | US #5, UK #12 (11/1966) | ||
| 5. | "New World Coming" | US #42 Pop/#4 AC (1/1970) | ||
| 6. | "Move in a Little Closer, Baby" | US #58 Pop/#32 AC (2/1969) | ||
| 7. | "One Way Ticket" | |||
| 8. | "The Good Times Are Coming" | US #104 Pop/#19 AC (11/1970) | ||
| 9. | "Easy Come, Easy Go" | |||
| 10. | "Don't Let the Good Life Pass You By" | US #110 Pop/#34 AC (11/1970) | ||
| 11. | "Ain't Nobody Else like You" | |||
| 12. | "A Song That Never Comes" | US #99 Pop/#25 AC (7/1970) |
Reception
The album was released in March 1971 and landed at the 194th spot on the Billboard Chart.
Today
The album was reissued by MCA in 1980 and again by MCA, on CD, in 1987.
The album can be seen hanging on the wall of the character Leah in the 1996 British film Beautiful Thing while she is listening to "One Way Ticket". "It’s Getting Better", "Make Your Own Kind of Music", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", and "Move in a Little Closer, Baby" are also featured in the film.
Songs from the album (namely "It’s Getting Better", "Make Your Own Kind of Music", and "New World Coming") were used on the American television series Lost.
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