The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin' (Live on The Ed Sullivan Show) - Musician's Reaction

[@jillk368]

Well, people have probably been performing in color since the beginning of people. But, color television broadcasts started around the early 1950s. I believe it wasn't until the early 1970s that more people in the U.S. owned color TVs than black/white TVs (they came on the market in the early 1950s), so most TV shows continued to use the black/white format through at least the mid-1960s. Pretty sure the idiom 'California dreaming' came from this song.

[@marygraham1959]

To my recollection most TV shows moved toward color in the early to mid 60’s.

[@Ou81gi812]

🎉 In the 50’s, 60’s, & 70’s, AM radio dictated how long a song could be (roughly 3min. or less). If you wanted to hear a longer version of the same song, you tuned into FM radio. We called this the “album cut,” played at 33 & 1/3 RPM; while the shorter version was played on a 45 (45 RPM). “45’s” were played by radio stations and also played in jukeboxes; in bars and restaurants, etc. FYI: FM radio is “line-of-sight” and AM radio can be picked up in “irregular” terrain over longer distances. AM was everywhere, because of its range, and FM was usually relegated to larger metropolitan areas. Now that you know this, you can begin to understand how TECHNOLOGY (or lack there of) not only dictated where we could listen to music, it also dictated how music was made. As a musician you might have a lot to say, and that’s fine…as long as you could cram everything into 3 minutes or less!!! Imagine what the impact of “Freebird” was like when the record producers and disc jockeys needed Lynard Skynard to “compromise” their artistic integrity and cut a 10 minute song down to 3 minutes‼️ If you’d like to expand your musical base, check out a video on KZbin called “Muscle Shoals.” It’s about a little ol’ recording studio in Alabama that had the biggest groups of the 60’s & 70’s beating down their doors because THAT was the place to be and EVERYBODY wanted their hit making sound & magic. You’ll LOVE it!

[@richarddaugherty8583]

This group obsessed on harmonies! I'd love to hear your reaction to I Call Your Name, a Mama Cass solo (with the group, I hasten to add). I was listening one day and realized the rhythm is a burlesque! The first line is "I call your name" and beginning on the beat of "name" the rhythm is boom-chika-boom! I could see a bump and grind to it but the song is at odds with that since it's slow and full of longing. Cheers!

[@philharris5848]

In my opinion this is NOT a "Live" performance as it is identical sound wise to the record. Clearly they are miming to either the record or another recorded version. They probably have done "Live" versions, but this wasn't one of them.