Dave Mason & Cass Elliot

Dave Mason & Cass Elliot
Studio album by Dave Mason and Cass Elliot
Released	March 1971
Recorded	1970
Genre	Pop-rock
Label	Blue Thumb
Producer	Dave Mason, Cass Elliot
Professional reviews
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Cass Elliot chronology
Mama's Big Ones (1971) Dave Mason & Cass Elliot (1971) Cass Elliot (1972)
Dave Mason chronology
Alone Together (1970) Dave Mason & Cass Elliot (1971) Headkeeper (1972)

Dave Mason & Cass Elliot was the only teaming of artists Dave Mason and Cass Elliot. The album was produced by both Mason and Elliot and recorded in 1970. The album was released by Blue Thumb Records.

Conception

After being introduced by a mutual friend, Mason and Elliot immediately hit it off and soon realized after singing together that maybe they could both pursue it professionally. Elliot, having released two solo albums at that time, missed the collaborative effort of producing music and Mason, who had just arrived in the U.S. after splitting with Traffic, found working together to be a terrific idea.^{[citation needed]}

Album

Although, maybe not quite the duet album that the title suggests, with Elliot merely singing background on several of the songs, the album did highlight a raspy, more raw side of Elliot’s voice. When interviewed by Rolling Stone magazine Elliot stated, “I sing better with David because he’s so good. You want to do better. I’m singing notes I never sang with The Mamas & the Papas.” Mason, on the other hand, produced what many fans believe to be some of his finest and most creative guitar playing matching up nicely alongside his early solo albums.

The music produced falls easily into the country-rock harmony sound of its time but with a bluesier edge. Except for three songs, Mason wrote every song on the album with Elliot participating on two. This was the first time, and also marked her last time, that Elliot lent her hand in songwriting since her days with The Big 3 and The Mugwumps in 1964. Cass helped co-write the single “Something to Make You Happy” and her one and only solo song on the album, “Here We Go Again.”

Two singles were released. The first single “Something To Make You Happy” was released in January 1971 with the second single “Too Much Truth, Too Much Love” released the following month.

Reception

The album was released in March 1971 and was a moderate success landing at the 49th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. To promote the album, Mason and Elliot both appeared and performed on The Tonight Show and The Andy Williams Show. They also performed two concerts with the first one at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and the second at New York’s Fillmore East. Although Mason and Elliot remained close friends and both discussed interest in recording together again, this would be their only collaboration.

It was reissued in 2008 by the British Rev-Ola Records.

Track listing

1. “Walk To The Point” (Dave Mason)
2. “On And On” (Ned Doheny)
3. “To Be Free” (Mason)
4. “Here We Go Again” (Bryan Garo, Cass Elliot)
5. “Pleasing You” (Mason, M. Juster)
6. “Sit And Wonder” (Mason)
7. “Something To Make You Happy” (Mason, Elliot)
8. “Too Much Truth, Too Much Love” (Mason)
9. “Next To You” (Bryan Garo)
10. “Glittering Façade” (Mason)