Farewell to the First Golden Era

Farewell to the First Golden Era
Greatest hits album by The Mamas & the Papas
Released	1967
Genre	Folk rock folk pop pop
Label	Dunhill
The Mamas & the Papas chronology
Deliver (1967) Farewell to the First Golden Era (1967) The Papas & the Mamas (1968)

Farewell to the First Golden Era is the first compilation album released by the American folk vocal group The Mamas & the Papas. it was released in 1967 by Dunhill Records.

Content

The album includes liner notes written by Derek Taylor.[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
The Great Rock Discography	[4]
MusicHound Rock	[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]

AllMusic's William Ruhlmann called it "great for what it was, but ominous for what it foreshadowed, with both of those characteristics apparent in the album title." and that "But this wasn't just the first golden era, it was the only one, and with a lone Top 40 hit (a cover of Rodgers & Hart's "Glad to Be Unhappy") left and one half-hearted album (The Papas & the Mamas, April 1968) to come before the group's breakup, this really was farewell."[2] Music magazine Cashbox called it a "powerpacked album that is primed for busy chart action." and that "This one should be a hit of blockbuster proportions." Cash Box also missfered the band as "The Mamas and Poppas"[7] Record World states: "All the golden singles are here. 'Monday, Monday,' 'California Dreamin',' 'Dedicated to the One I Love,' 'I Saw Her Again Last Night,' "Look Through My Window.' The essence of the musical art of the Mamas and the Papas."[8]

Track listing

Side one

1. Dedicated to the One I Love – 2:56
2. Go Where You Wanna Go – 2:32
3. Words of Love – 2:13
4. Look Through My Window – 3:05
5. Dancing in the Street – 3:00
6. Monday, Monday – 3:03

Side two

1. Creeque Alley – 3:45
2. Got a Feelin' – 2:44
3. Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon) – 3:20
4. I Call Your Name – 2:32
5. I Saw Her Again – 2:50
6. California Dreamin' – 2:32

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Farewell to the First Golden Era"

Chart (1967)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[9]	5
US Cash Box Top 100 Albums[10]	5

Certifications

Certifications for Farewell to the First Golden Era

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Sequel

In 1968 a follow-up to the album was released, titled Golden Era, Vol. 2.[12]

References

1. Greenwald, Matthew (2002). Go Where You Wanna Go: The Oral History of The Mamas and The Papas, Cooper Square Press. p. 212 Retrieved February 9, 2025.
2. The Mamas & the Papas – Farewell to The First Golden Era: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 2025-02-09.
3. Larkin, Colin (1998). "Mamas And The Papas". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Groves Dictionaries. pp. 3427–28. ISBN 1-561-59237-4.
4. Strong, Martin Charles (2004). "Mamas And The Papas". The Great Rock Discography. The National Academies. ISBN 9781841956152.
5. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. pp. [1]. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
6. Marsh, Dave (1983). "The Mamas And The Papas". In Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2th ed.). Random House. pp. 313. ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
7. "Album Reviews: Pop Picks". The Cash Box. New York NY. November 4, 1967. p. 45.
8. "Record World Album Reviews: November 4, 1967" (PDF). p. 10.
9. "The Mamas the Papas Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
10. "Cash Box Top 100 Albums – Week of December 23, 1967" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
11. "American album certifications – The Mamas & The Papas – Farewell to the First Golden Era". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
12. Golden Era, Vol. 2 by The Mamas & the Papas: Album on AllMusic, retrieved 2025-02-11