John Phillips – Shady, bonus track from 2006 CD reissue of the album John, The Wolfking Of LA (1970) Article by dkpresents (dkpresents.wordpress.com Buried Treasure: John, The Wolfking Of LA John Phillips was the main architect of the Mamas & Papas, and his 1970 solo debut was an eagerly anticipated release. But John, The Wolfking Of LA sounded nothing like California Dreamin, so it sold poorly and quickly faded from view. At the time of these sessions, Phillips was in the early stages of twin heroin and cocaine addictions that would debilitate his career, and he was ending his first marriage while beginning a new relationship. The Manson Family murders of August, 1969 had obliterated the serenity of Phillips Laurel Canyon neighborhood, and his personal turmoil and the general unrest of the times weigh heavily in Wolfkings grooves. Its an album filled with rumpled, sordid characters pulled straight from Phillips life: April Anne, the Easy Rider, the Drunken Gigolo, the Jingle Jangle Friend, the Captain, and Genevieve. Property is stolen, life is misconceived, ships wreck, and flirtations are bandied about. This is an album with a dark side a mile deep the type of music that was seemingly invented and perfected in Los Angeles. But in spite of its dark subject matter, the music here is sublime. Phillips put together one of the best studio bands possible at the time, including drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist James Burton, and most of Elvis Presleys band (the King was … Video Rating: 5 / 5