John Phillips (John, the Wolf King of L.A.)

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

John Phillips (John, the Wolf King of L.A.) is the first solo album by John Phillips, the leader of the Mamas & the Papas. It was released January 25, 1970, and recorded in 1969. The folk and country-rock record runs 33 minutes and 29 seconds, on the Dunhill label, produced by Lou Adler. All songs were written by Phillips and mostly reflect events in his life, including his new girlfriend Geneviève Waïte and his longtime friend Ann Marshall (referred to as "April Anne" in the lyrics). Backing came from members of the Wrecking Crew, and because Phillips was primarily a backing singer in the Mamas & the Papas, the album minimizes his lead vocal presence. Critics gave it favorable reviews, and ShortList later named it one of its 55 coolest albums ever. Denny Doherty later said that if the Mamas & the Papas had performed this album, it would have been one of their finest records due to the strength of Phillips' songs. The single "Mississippi" reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. The release was affected by a threatened lawsuit from the other band members, which reduced promotion. In 2006, Varèse Sarabande reissued the album with eight bonus tracks, mostly Phillips originals. All songs were written by John Phillips, unless noted.