John Phillips (musician) well as a compilation known as "Best of the Journeymen", have since been reissued on CD. He developed his craft in Greenwich Village, during the American folk music revival, and met future " The Mamas & the Papas" group vocalists Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot there around that time. Lyrics of the group's song "Creeque Alley" describe this period. Phillips was the primary songwriter and musical arranger of The Mamas & the Papas. In a 1968 interview, Phillips described some of his arrangements as "well arranged two-part harmony moving in opposite directions". After being signed to Dunhill, they had several
The Papas & The Mamas being one example. All the material was new upon release with the exception of "Twelve Thirty", which had been released as a single in August 1967 as "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon)". The song "Meditation Mama" featured the first lead vocal ever on a Mamas and the Papas track by John Phillips. All four members of the band contribute lead as well as backing vocals on this album. The vocals for "For the Love of Ivy" reportedly took one month to record. Although it was the first album from the group not to peak in the