John Phillips was a great vocal arranger and certainly the equal of Brian Wilson in that era.
I saw an interview of Michelle Phillips who said she hated “Monday, Monday” - it was so simple. But after a few years, she came to love it as one her favorites in large part to the vocal arrangements.
“California Dreamin’” was a catalyst for me to move to Hollywood and transfer from Cincinnati to UCLA in June,68...just as Manson was recruiting his family.
“John Phillips was a great vocal arranger and certainly the equal of Brian Wilson in that era.”
JP was definitely a great songwriter and vocal arranger. Not the equal of Brian in terms of composition and production, though. Phillip could hash out a great song on guitar... and arrange his group’s vocals... but then he needed Lou Adler and the Wrecking Crew to turn it into a hit record. Brian didn’t need Lou. In the Wrecking Crew documentary that Tommy Tedesco’s son did, Leon Russell says that Brian was the greatest music genius that they worked with.