Hal Blaine’s session notes paint a vivid picture of the recording of “California Dreamin’”. He recalled it as an “incredible track” with “incredible songs by John Phillips.” Blaine, along with Larry and Joe, laid down the drums in Studio 3 at Western Recorders, with Bones Howe engineering and Lou Adler producing. He remembered the session fondly, noting, “we did all their stuff there.” The Mamas & The Papas’ early work, including this landmark song, was deeply intertwined with the session musicians who helped shape their sound, and Hal was at the heart of it.
From the session logs
Hal Blaine on the Drums for “California Dreamin’”
Hal Blaine played drums on The Mamas & The Papas’ iconic 1966 hit, “California Dreamin’”. His session notes reveal his admiration for the song and the production team.
“What an incredible track, what incredible songs by John Phillips.”
— Hal Blaine
Source: Hal Blaine’s own session database, in his words.
More from the archive: ask anything about Hal — who he recorded with, the sessions, the stories — at halblaine.com, the archive of 5,829 of his session memories.
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