Drug addiction is like a vital thread that keeps rock ‘n’ roll together; without it, everything would fall apart. Naturally, that is utterly false, and the truth is that it never produces positive results. In addition to the conflicts, repercussions, and health risks, it can also impede advancement or result in opportunities being lost entirely. When John Phillips lost what could have been his biggest break since The Mamas and the Papas, at least that’s what happened.
In addition to being dubbed America’s answer to The Beatles, The Mamas and the Papas enhanced the upbeat vibe of the era by releasing songs that emphasised band dynamics and amplified vocal harmonies. From the outside, the band appeared extraordinary. However, each member would undoubtedly wind up counting down the days until they were free.
Behind the scenes, the musicians he collaborated with viewed Phillips as a hero. However, those who witnessed his darker moments saw him as a villain. These were the instances in which he lost control and attacked those in his immediate vicinity. A variety of factors, including the dissolution of his marriage to Michelle Phillips, caused his short fuse. Additionally, his developing drug addiction contributed to his volatile temperament.
Except for Cass Elliot, who was always destined for greatness, every band member faced the enormous challenge of reinventing themselves. They worked on projects that would establish who they were when the band broke up in 1968. However, Phillips would spend the majority of the ensuing ten years on drugs, failed ventures, financial hardship, extramarital affairs, and extensive travel.
Many of his colleagues claimed that drugs made it nearly impossible for him to complete a project with Phillips. This habit would cost him one of the most significant opportunities of his career in 1976 when, after relocating to London, he rekindled his kinship with Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones. The partnership began when Jagger made him an irresistible offer to produce a record for Rolling Stones Records. Richards accepted this offer while they were watching a cricket match in Manchester.
The tragic death of Richards and Anita Pallenberg’s son occurred shortly after the recording sessions started in 1976. This led to Phillips extending an invitation for them to stay at his flat. Subsequently, Phillips and his wife Geneviève Waite developed a heroin addiction. Following his attempts at recovery, Phillips developed a cocaine addiction. This occurred as a result of the treatment program’s inability to strictly prohibit the use of the drug to ease withdrawal symptoms.
Then Phillips hired Harvey Goldberg for when the sessions had to resume. This decision followed the death of Keith Harwood, the Rolling Stones’ engineer, in an automobile accident. It happened while Richards was awaiting trial for having heroin in his possession. Even though Jagger had only entered the studio once or twice to contribute backing vocals, he felt that the record was a lost cause.
Though Phillips was, in Goldberg’s words, “a poster child of what you would expect a junkie to look like,” he was eager to move forward and make a record that felt like a throwback to the Stones’ unique sound. Goldberg continued, “John was so obsessed with the Rolling Stones that he wanted the record to sound like the stones and there they were. In actuality, they were too strong for him.
At the same time, it was very hard to accomplish any meaningful work in the studio. Phillips and Richards, who was also suffering from addiction, would head straight for the loo as soon as they entered the studio. Goldberg said that everyone felt tense as a result. He stated, “We didn’t know if we would find them dead. So nobody wanted to be the one to go back there.”
Another time, Richards was standing by his guitar amplifier when Goldberg noticed him. Richards appeared completely confused, as if he was unable to make sense of what he was seeing. Richards asked if he needed assistance with anything, looked up at him, then back at the amplifier, before an expression of realisation fell across his face. He said, “I forgot my guitar.” Phillips once again emerged from the lavatory with ‘blood stains on his sleeve’. “You really shouldn’t do that,” he says, catching Golberg cracking his knuckles. That might cause you issues in the future.
They never released the records, the mixes vanished for years. They also lost $170,000, causing everything to turn to dust. In his 1986 autobiography Papa John, Phillips acknowledged his mistakes with the project. “I had destroyed the biggest opportunity for me to advance in my career since the Mamas and the Papas“. He wrote, adding that the whole experience had left him with a deep sense of self-hatred.
