\n<\/p>\n
Before she was in the Mamas & the Papas \u2014 and even before she was in her pre-Mamas group the Mugwumps \u2014 Elliot was one-third of a folk ensemble called the Big Three with Tim Rose and Jim Hendricks. Her personality shone when she sang lead on this saucy blues classic, first made famous by Ida Cox. I love hearing her dig into her voice\u2019s grit here, flexing a muscle she usually wasn\u2019t able to in the Mamas & the Papas.<\/p>\n
\u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n John Phillips wrote this vampy, almost carnivalesque tune \u2014 a hit off the group\u2019s 1966 self-titled album \u2014 about his tumultuous relationship with his wife at the time, Michelle. But knowing it was squarely in Elliot\u2019s wheelhouse, he wisely enlisted her to sing lead.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n From Elliot\u2019s second solo album, \u201cBubblegum, Lemonade, and \u2026 Something for Mama,\u201d this luminous ray of sunshine pop was written by the legendary songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Elliot\u2019s rendition of this Barbara Lewis ballad<\/a> is at once brassy and coy, leaning into the slight absurdity of the lyrics \u2014 \u201cand I\u2019ll be yours until 2 and 2 is 3\u201d \u2014 while maintaining an earnest sense of devotion. It\u2019s a sonic Valentine.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Elliot\u2019s collaborative album with the former Traffic musician Dave Mason, simply titled \u201cDave Mason & Cass Elliot,\u201d is an underrated entry in her discography. Though Elliot\u2019s contribution is mostly limited to backing vocals, it\u2019s a testament to the power of her voice that Mason saw fit to give her co-billing. Although Elliot did not write most of the material that made her famous, this album features two of her only songwriting credits: the lilting, melancholic \u201cHere We Go Again,\u201d on which she sings lead, and this gentle rocker, which she co-wrote with Mason.<\/p>\n \u25b6 Listen on <\/strong>Spotify<\/a>, Apple Music<\/a> or YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n Though it was written and later recorded by Leonard Cohen, this song was actually first released by Elliot, when it appeared on her 1968 debut solo album, \u201cDream a Little Dream.\u201d (Cohen\u2019s stark and comparatively monotone interpretation<\/a> appeared on his 1969 LP, \u201cSongs From a Room.\u201d) Featuring one of the most soulful vocals Elliot ever put to tape, the track is an amalgam of jazz, folk and gospel \u2014 more proof that Elliot could flourish in just about any genre imaginable.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n3. The Mamas & the Papas: \u201cWords of Love\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
4. Cass Elliot: \u201cIt\u2019s Getting Better\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
5. Cass Elliot: \u201cBaby I\u2019m Yours\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
6. Dave Mason & Cass Elliot: \u201cSomething to Make You Happy\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
7. Cass Elliot: \u201cYou Know Who I Am\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n