Editing The Mamas & the Papas (section)

=== 1966–1967: ''If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears'' and ''The Mamas & the Papas'' ===
The quartet's debut album, ''[[If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears]]'', followed in February 1966 and became its only No. 1 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. The third and final single from the album, "[[Monday, Monday]]",<ref name=pc36/> was released in March 1966. It became the band's only No. 1 hit in the US, reached No. 3 in the UK, and was the first No. 1 on Spain's [[Los 40 Principales]]. "Monday, Monday" won a [[Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals]] in 1967. It was also nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group|Best Performance by a Vocal Group]], [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song|Best Contemporary Song]] and [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]].[[File:The Mamas & the Papas - Cash Box 1966.jpg|thumb|The Mamas & the Papas on the cover of ''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'', 30 April 1966]]
The band's second album, ''[[The Mamas & the Papas (album)|The Mamas & the Papas]]'', is sometimes referred to as ''Cass, John, Michelle, Dennie'', whose names appear above the band's name on the cover, including the unexplained misspelling of Doherty's first name. The recording was interrupted when Michelle Phillips became indiscreet about her affair with [[Gene Clark]] of [[the Byrds]].{{sfn|M. Phillips|1986|pages=84–87}}{{sfn|J. Phillips|1986|pages=140–141; 147–148}} A liaison between Michelle and Denny Doherty had already been forgiven by her husband, John Phillips; Doherty and John Phillips co-wrote "[[I Saw Her Again]]" about the affair.{{sfn|M. Phillips|1986|pages=80–81}}{{sfn|J. Phillips|1986|p=136}} They later disagreed about how much Doherty contributed to the song.<ref>Doherty said, "I wrote the tune. John Phillips wrote the lyric." See [http://www.dennydoherty.com/dream/dream13.html ''Dream a Little Dream (the Nearly True Story of the Mamas and the Papas)''], Denny Doherty Website. Retrieved May 2, 2013. Phillips said he wrote everything, but gave Doherty a co-composer credit because he had inspired the song.</ref>{{sfn|J. Phillips|1986|p=132}} Following Michelle's affair with Clark, John Phillips was determined to fire her.{{sfn|J. Phillips|1986|pages=147–148}} He told her she was fired on her birthday, June{{nbsp}}4, 1966, though she disputed whether he had the authority to do so.{{sfn|M. Phillips|1986|pages=84–87}}{{sfn|Einarson|2005|pp=107–108}} After consulting their attorney and record label, John, Elliot, and Doherty served Michelle with a letter expelling her from the group three weeks later.{{sfn|M. Phillips|1986|pages=84–87}}{{sfn|Einarson|2005|p=108}}

[[Jill Gibson]] was hired to replace Michelle. Gibson was a visual artist and singer-songwriter who had recorded with [[Jan and Dean]].{{sfn|Greenwald|2002|p=142}} After being introduced to the band by its producer, [[Lou Adler]], Gibson soon took part in concerts in [[Forest Hills, Queens|Forest Hills (New York City)]], [[Denver|Denver, Colorado]], and [[Phoenix, Arizona]];{{sfn|Hall|2000|p=104}} television appearances including ''[[The Hollywood Palace]]'' on ABC; and recording sessions.{{sfn|M. Phillips|1986|pages=91–100}} While Gibson was a quick study and well-regarded, the three original members concluded she lacked her predecessor's "stage charisma and grittier edge", and Michelle Phillips was reinstated on August 23, 1966.{{sfn|J. Phillips|1986|p=203}}<ref>[http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/jill-gibsons-vocals-on-the-2nd-mamas-and-papas-lp.176613/page-4 "Jill Gibson's Vocals on the 2nd Mamas and Papas LP"], Steve Hoffman Music Forums. Retrieved May 3, 2013.</ref> Jill Gibson left the band and was paid a lump sum from the group's funds.{{sfn|M. Phillips|1986|p=100}}

''The Mamas & the Papas'' peaked at No. 4 in the US and No. 24 in the UK, continuing the band's success. "I Saw Her Again" was released as a single in June 1966 and reached No. 5 in the US and No. 11 in the UK. There is a false start to the final chorus of the song at 2'42". While mixing the record, [[Bones Howe]] inadvertently punched in the [[Coda (music)|coda]] vocals too early. He then rewound the tape and inserted the vocals in their proper position. On playback, the mistaken early entry could still be heard, making it sound as though Doherty repeated the first three words, singing "I saw her...I saw her again last night". [[Lou Adler]] liked the effect, and told Howe to leave it in the final mix.<ref>[http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com/premiumboneshowe/bones.html Bones Howe Interview] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723003208/http://www.wreckingcrewfilm.com/premiumboneshowe/bones.html |date=July 23, 2012}}, Wrecking Crew Website. Retrieved May 1, 2013.</ref> "That has to be a mistake: nobody's that clever", [[Paul McCartney]] told the group.<ref>{{cite news |last=Leigh |first=Spencer |date=January 22, 2007 |title=Denny Doherty: Genre-crossing Singer with the Mamas and the Papas |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/denny-doherty-433197.html |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> The device was imitated by [[John Sebastian]] in [[the Lovin' Spoonful]] song "[[Darling Be Home Soon]]" (1966), and by [[Kenny Loggins]] in the song "[[I'm Alright (Kenny Loggins song)|I'm Alright]]" (1980). "[[Words of Love (The Mamas & the Papas song)|Words of Love]]" was the second single from the album, released in November 1966 as a double A-side with "[[Dancing in the Street]]". The record reached No. 5 in the US. "Dancing in the Street", which had been a hit two years earlier for [[Martha and the Vandellas]], struggled to No. 73. In the UK it was backed with "I Can't Wait" and peaked at No. 47.

With Michelle Phillips reinstated, the group embarked on a small tour on the East Coast to promote the record. Their co-headlining band was Webster's New Word, two members being Gus Duffy and Jim Mason. At a September 1966 concert at [[Fordham University]] in New York City, Duffy and Mason both noted that the group was clearly "high, drunk, or [[Psychedelic experience|tripping]]. When they got on stage, it was clear that these people shouldn't be on stage&nbsp;... They tumbled onto the stage, shambled around, and just got nowhere".{{sfn|Greenwald|2002|p=166}}