The Mamas & the Papas played something closer to folk rock, with bass and drums. Their rehearsals in the Virgin Islands were "the first time that we tried playing electric". The band then traveled from New York to Los Angeles for an audition with Lou Adler, co-owner of Dunhill Records. The audition was arranged by Barry McGuire, who had befriended Cass Elliot and John Phillips independently over the previous two years, and who had recently signed with Dunhill himself. It led to "a deal in which they would record two albums a year for the next five years", with a royalty of 5 percent on
The Mamas & the Papas Teichiku in Japan; and "Dreamin' Live" (2005) on a label called Legacy (not the Columbia-Sony imprint), which features John and Mackenzie Phillips, Spanky McFarlane, and (probably) Scott McKenzie. In 1986, John and Michelle Phillips were featured in the music video for the Beach Boys' second recording of "California Dreamin, which appeared on the album "Made in U.S.A." Denny Doherty was unavailable. The Mamas and the Papas' own version of "California Dreamin was reissued in the UK and peaked at number nine in 1997. The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2001. The Mamas and the Papas were