Like any record company worth their salt, MCA knows a good gimmick when they see it, and when the millennium came around — well, the 20th Century Masters — The Millennium Collection wasn’t too far behind. Supposedly, the millennium is a momentous occasion, but it’s hard to feel that way when it’s used as another excuse to turn out a budget-line series. But apart from the presumptuous title, 20th Century Masters — The Millennium Collection turns out to be a very good budget-line series. True, it’s impossible for any of these brief collections to be definitive, but they’re nevertheless solid samplers that don’t feature a bad song in the bunch. For example, take the Mamas & the Papas’ 20th Century volume — it’s an irresistible 11-song summary of their MCA recordings. There may be a couple of noteworthy songs missing, but many of their best-known songs for the label are here, including “California Dreamin’,” “Monday, Monday,” “Creeque Alley,” “Dedicated to the One I Love.” “Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon,” “Look Through My Window,” “I Saw Her Again Last Night,” and Mama Cass’ “Make Your Own Kind of Music.” Serious fans will want something more extensive, but this is an excellent introduction for neophytes and a great sampler for casual fans, considering its length and price. That doesn’t erase the ridiculousness of the series title, but the silliness is excusable when the music and the collections are good. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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