Bubblegum, Lemonade, and... Something for Mama
Encyclopedia
Bubblegum, Lemonade and… Something for Mama is the second solo album
released by Cass Elliot
. It was recorded in 1969 and arranged and produced by Steve Barri
. The album was originally released on July 5, 1969 with only 11 tracks. It was released again on December 6, 1969 under a new title and with a different album cover as Make Your Own Kind of Music/It’s Getting Better. "Make Your Own Kind of Music" had just become a hit and was added to the album.
Primarily a "bubblegum" pop
album, it contained several other types of music, from country
, tin pan alley
and jazz
.
show in 1968. Plagued with bills, the studio executives at Dunhill
took creative control and felt that the fastest and easiest solution would be to have Elliot record an album full of music similar to what she had done with The Mamas & the Papas
. Steve Barri was appointed by Dunhill to arrange the album and choose the material.
The songs from this album remain among the most popular of Elliot’s solo career. Many of the songs were featured in the play and 1996 film Beautiful Thing
. In the film, the album can be seen hanging on the wall of the character Leah. "It’s Getting Better" and "Make Your Own Kind of Music" have both been featured on the hit series Lost
.
The album was re-released on CD in 2002 by MCA Japan
with the original album cover and "Make Your Own Kind of Music" added on as a bonus track. The album was also released in 2005 as part of the compilation CD The Complete Cass Elliot Collection: 1968-71.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
released by Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
. It was recorded in 1969 and arranged and produced by Steve Barri
Steve Barri
Steve Barri is an American songwriter and record producer.Early in his career Barri was a staff writer with Dunhill Records. He frequently collaborated with P.F. Sloan, and the partners were responsible for the success of The Grass Roots and contributed largely to the band's first album...
. The album was originally released on July 5, 1969 with only 11 tracks. It was released again on December 6, 1969 under a new title and with a different album cover as Make Your Own Kind of Music/It’s Getting Better. "Make Your Own Kind of Music" had just become a hit and was added to the album.
Primarily a "bubblegum" pop
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
album, it contained several other types of music, from country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, tin pan alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
.
Conception
The album came after the disaster of Elliot’s collapse during her VegasLas Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
show in 1968. Plagued with bills, the studio executives at Dunhill
Dunhill
Dunhill may refer to:* Alfred Dunhill, a luxury goods company owned by Richemont* Dunhill * Dunhill , a brand of cigarettes made by British American Tobacco* Dunhill Records, a record label* ABC Dunhill Records, a record label...
took creative control and felt that the fastest and easiest solution would be to have Elliot record an album full of music similar to what she had done with The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
. Steve Barri was appointed by Dunhill to arrange the album and choose the material.
Reception
The album was a moderate success when first released reaching up to the 91st spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. It landed at the 169th spot when re-released in December. The album did spawn three successful singles with "It's Getting Better" and "Make Your Own Kind of Music" both placing in the Top 40.The songs from this album remain among the most popular of Elliot’s solo career. Many of the songs were featured in the play and 1996 film Beautiful Thing
Beautiful Thing
Originally Beautiful Thing is a play written by Jonathan Harvey and first performed in 1993. A screen adaptation of the play was released in 1996 by Channel 4 Films, with a revised screenplay also by Harvey. Initially, the film was only intended for television broadcast but it was so well-received...
. In the film, the album can be seen hanging on the wall of the character Leah. "It’s Getting Better" and "Make Your Own Kind of Music" have both been featured on the hit series Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
.
The album was re-released on CD in 2002 by MCA Japan
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
with the original album cover and "Make Your Own Kind of Music" added on as a bonus track. The album was also released in 2005 as part of the compilation CD The Complete Cass Elliot Collection: 1968-71.
Track listing
- "It's Getting BetterIt's Getting Better (Cass Elliot song)It's Getting Better is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was a sunshine pop hit single in 1969 for Cass Elliot.The song describes the singer's satisfaction with a love relationship that is down-to-earth rather than extravagantly romantic, a subgenre of love song exemplified by the...
" (Barry MannBarry MannBarry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
, Cynthia WeilCynthia WeilCynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
) - "Blow Me a Kiss" (Jack Carone)
- "Sour Grapes" (Tom Ghent)
- "Easy Come, Easy Go" (Diane Hildebrand, Jack KellerJack Keller (songwriter)Jack Keller A legend in his own right, Jack Keller wrote hit songs in every genre of music over a period of nearly 40 years with success in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville....
) - "I Can Dream, Can't I?I Can Dream, Can't I?"I Can Dream, Can't I?" is a popular song written by Sammy Fain with lyrics by Irving Kahal. The song was published in 1938, included in a flop musical, Right This Way...
" (Sammy FainSammy FainSammy Fain was an American composer of popular music.-Biography:Sammy Fain was born in New York City. In 1923, Fain appeared with Artie Dunn in a short film directed by Lee De Forest filmed in DeForest's Phonofilm sound-on-film process. In 1925, Fain left the Fain-Dunn act to devote himself to...
, Irving KahalIrving KahalIrving Kahal was a popular lyricist active in the 1920's and '30's. He is best remembered for his collaborations with composer Sammy Fain which started in 1926 when Kahal was working in vaudeville sketches written by Gus Edwards...
) - "Welcome To the World" (Martin Eagle Siegal, Scott EnglishScott EnglishScott English is an American songwriter and record producer, best known as the composer of "Brandy", which became a number-one hit for Barry Manilow in 1974 under the revised title of "Mandy"...
) - "Lady Love" (Delaney BramlettDelaney BramlettDelaney Bramlett was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Bramlett's five decade career reached peaks in creativity, performance, and notoriety in partnership with his then wife Bonnie Bramlett, in a revolving troupe of professional musicians and Rock superstars dubbed Delaney...
) - "He's a Runner" (Laura NyroLaura NyroLaura Nyro was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist. She achieved considerable critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums Eli and the Thirteenth Confession and New York Tendaberry, and had commercial success with artists such as Barbra Streisand and The 5th...
) - "Move In a Little Closer Baby" (Robert O'Connor, Arnold Jay Capitanelli)
- "When I Just Wear My Smile" (T. Lane, S. Puilcy)
- "Who's To Blame" (Leah Kunkel)
- "Make Your Own Kind of Music" (Barry MannBarry MannBarry Mann is an American songwriter, and part of a successful songwriting partnership with his wife, Cynthia Weil.-Career:...
, Cynthia WeilCynthia WeilCynthia Weil is a prominent American songwriter. She is famous for having written many songs together with her husband Barry Mann....
)
Personnel
- Mama Cass – vocals
- Mike Deasy Sr. – guitar
- Red RhodesRed RhodesRhodes played pedal steel on many country rock, pop and rock albums with The Monkees, James Taylor, Seals and Crofts, The Byrds, The Carpenters and many other groups. He is most often remembered for his work with former Monkee Michael Nesmith on Nesmith's first solo albums in the early 1970s...
– steel guitar - Hal BlaineHal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
– drums, percussion - Steve Barri – percussion
- Ben Benay – guitar, harmonica
- Jimmie HaskellJimmie HaskellJimmie Haskell born Sheridan Pearlman 1936 in Brooklyn, New York is a prolific American composer and arranger for a variety of popular singers and motion pictures.-Biography:...
– accordion, arranger, conductor - Phil Kaye – percussion, engineer
- Larry KnechtelLarry KnechtelLawrence William "Larry" Knechtel was an American keyboard player and bassist, best known for his work as a session musician with such artists as Simon & Garfunkel, Duane Eddy, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & the Papas, The Partridge Family, The Doors, and Elvis Presley, and as a member of the 1970s...
– organ, piano - Joe OsbornJoe OsbornJoe Osborn is an American bass guitar virtuoso, notable for his work as a session musician in Los Angeles and Nashville during the period from the 1960s through the 1980s. Osborn's work is widely admired by fellow musicians.Osborn began his career working in local clubs, then played on a hit...
– bass