The Mamas & the Papas their original roles, Mackenzie Phillips taking Michelle Phillips' part and Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane of Spanky and Our Gang taking the part of Cass Elliot. Little progress was made until after Phillips had been sentenced and served his time in jail. The quartet began rehearsing in earnest and recording demos in the summer of 1981. Their first performances were in March 1982, when they were praised for their "verve and expertise", the "impressive precision" of the harmonies, and the "feeling ... of genuine celebration" on stage. The group toured the United States, including residencies in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, but
The Mamas & the Papas critical favor. "Rolling Stone" gave it four stars when it was reissued in 2006, calling it "a genuine lost treasure". Denny Doherty said that if the Mamas & the Papas had recorded the album, it might have been their best. Phillips wrote songs for the soundtrack to "Brewster McCloud" (Robert Altman, 1970) and original music for the soundtracks to "Myra Breckinridge" (Michael Sarne, 1970) and "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (Nicolas Roeg, 1976). He also wrote the ill-fated stage musical "Man on the Moon" (1975) and songs with and for other artists, including most of the tracks on the