The Mamas & the Papas 90 percent of retail sales. Dunhill also tied the band to management and publishing deals, commonly known as a "triple hat" relationship. Cass Elliot's membership was not formalized until the paperwork was signed, with Adler, Michelle Phillips, and Doherty overruling John Phillips. The Mamas & the Papas made their first recording singing backing vocals on McGuire's album "This Precious Time", although they had already released a single of their own by the time the album appeared in December 1965. The single, "Go Where You Wanna Go", which was given a limited release in November but failed to chart. There are
The Mamas & the Papas the record in the fall of 1966, playing a series of precarious and reportedly bizarre shows. At a September 1966 concert at Fordham University in New York City, the band was noted by Gus Duffy and Jim Mason of their co-headlining band, Webster's New Word, as being clearly "high, drunk, or tripping. When they got on stage, it was clear that these people shouldn't be on stage ... They tumbled onto the stage, shambled around, and just got nowhere. After completing their brief East coast tour, the group started work immediately on its third album, "The Mamas & The Papas