Johnny Rivers - California Dreaming - France

Johnny in a video filmed in the Alps, it appears, for a cover of the Mamas & Papas classic.

Everything from the string backing, the wintery backdrop, to his physical gestures and vocal inflections gives me goose bumps.

Johnny Rivers - Changes (Imperial LP- 12334) 1966

Johnny Rivers' eighth album offers about as much diversity of music as any of the best of his early LPs, with a difference -- it was the first album where he abandoned the basic guitar-bass-drums arrangement that had characterized his prior albums. His core trio sound was still there, augmented with tasteful horns and understated string orchestra on certain songs, and virtually displaced by some intriguing solo instruments elsewhere.
"California Dreamin'" gets an arrangement that recalls that of the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," while "Do You Want to Dance" was the template for the Mamas and the Papas' exquisitely harmonized version, cut under the same producer. "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" gets perhaps the most soulful and distinctive treatment in its history, complete with its seldom heard lyrics. And Rivers' performance of "If I Were a Carpenter," against a breezily paced background, is beautifully sung, in a performance that anticipates some of the soulful agony that Steve Marriott brought to the same song in concert with the Small Faces. Even Rivers' pop covers, "Strangers in the Night," "The Shadow of Your Smile," "Softly As I Leave You," and "The Days of Wine and Roses," are successful in showing off his singing in a different vein, and the softer, finer nuances that his voice could express. Produced by Lou Adler, whose reputation as a recording director par excellence rested on records like this, and arranged by Marty Paitch, this was one of the best-sounding rock albums of 1967 and rode the charts longer than any other Johnny Rivers LP. It's essential listening for Rivers fans as well as '60s rock enthusiasts.
Track Listing
By the Time I Get To Phoenix,
A Taste Of Honey
Days Of Wine and Roses
California Dreamin
Do You Wanna Dance?
Cast Your Fate To the Wind
Poor Side Of Town
If I Were a Carpenter
Softly As I Leave You
The Shadow Of Your Smile
Strangers In The Night
Gettin Ready For Tomorrow

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Johnny
• Rivers
• California
• Dreaming
• Mamas
• And
• Papas
• 1960s
• france

[rwells47]

This is a very cool video- thank you! Ron

[toiroforcado]

@rwells47 Thank You RON! I love this video too!

[moonentertainment]

Very nice song but they could make a better music video. It's like they just filmed it once because it looks like Johnny can't remember the words and throught the video he's trying to rememeber them. Well let say that Johnny wasn't really relaxed and it doesn't even look that he really is singing. So thats why this video isn't so good. Great song anyway.

[toiroforcado]

This was in the early days of video. In fact the concept was still alien. Usually artistes appeared on TV on a stage, but often they were still just lipsynching to the music.

That would make this clip "higher concept" as it was shot on a location,the Alps. The effect was to show him as cold, given the song lyrics (wishing he were in warm California)

[toiroforcado]

Anyway the real point of this video is THAT THERE IS ACTUALLY A VIDEO OF THIS!

[pebble976]

I bought the album in 1966 when it came out it took me through a lot of life and I copied to a CD recently. Great tunes.

[toiroforcado]

I got to get this LP man! It is interesting that in late 1966 and into 1967 that serious classical style arrangements were being applied to ROCK artistes. This was something I found interesting-- remember Beachboys 'Pet Sounds' LP and The Beatles of course. I really appreciate covers like this because, in a way they predate the later stuff of the 'proto- prog rock' (pat pending) that permeated the scene at the time! Remember it was the Mamas Papas

with Monterey Pop that changed things ROCK

[buffspringfield]

Great voice wish those days could return

[cougarcatgirl]

okay so it's 'i pretend to pray' never knew if it was that or began to pray. love this.

LOVE mamas and pappas version even more.

[Censored4TRUTH]

This is awesome!!!! His face conveys a distaste about church and praying?

TheAngel . com ~~ GodsGamble . com

[MrBereNiceB]

ADOREI

[kanedaish]

kitch !!

[jaakriaj]

Tooo cold!

[jaakriaj]

Classic... very classic!

[KARKAMANO777]

Da até vontade de chorar... maita nostalgia! Mas valeu parabéns pelo seu trabalho em nos disponibilizar pois essa reliquias que nos fazem viver com esperança pois as músicas que andam por ai são cultura inútil... consumismo ( a maioria é claro) tem algumas exesções... mas são poucas! Um exemplo disso, é esse tal FUNK, FANK, CHARM e outros tantos para que adora e faz sucesso até na hora em que estão estravazando ai é um prato cheio mas eu sou da antigas! Obrigado!

[Canhada987654321]

I liked the sound of the violin!

[oldiesbutgoodies67]

Johnnie Rivers was one of the earliest Pop Rockers to realize the Moody Blues Orchestra Rock would be very popular in the future. I always enjoy the Horns backing up a Rock and Roll Classic...Dan O'Niallain

[ahippogryph]

Never heard a version of this song I didn't like, but this version is now my favorite.

[errikafairy]

with violins? amazing . . .