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If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (Durhill, 1966)

If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears was the debut album of the American folk rock vocal group The Mamas and the Papas.

The album was one of the first albums to have several different album covers. The original cover features John Phillips, Denny Doherty, Cass Elliott and Michelle Phillips sitting in a bathtub. (Phillips is the one with her legs spread out.) In the corner is a toilet. This album was pulled from stores when the toilet was considered indecent. The re-release featured a scroll over the toilet and listed the presence of the single California Dreamin on the album. Finally Durhill had to release a closely cropped shot of the band surrounded by a black border to remove any trace of the photo being taken in a bathroom.

In 1966 If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears hit the top spot on the Billboard Album chart. The singles were Go Where You Wanna Go, California Dreamin, Monday, Monday and Do You Wanna Dance? California Dreamin was certified Gold in June 1966, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001 and peaked at #4 on the Hot 100 in March 1966. Monday, Monday is their only single to hit #1 on the Hot 100. In March 1967, the Mamas and the Papas won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for this song. Do You Wanna Dance? was the Mamas and the Papas cover of the 1958 Bobby Freeman original.