Relive Mama Cass, Mary Travers, & Joni Mitchell Perform A Bob Dylan Hit

The pilot for The Mama Cass Television Program by ABC was a mistake that Cass Elliot wished to have never taken in the first place. Yet, it was a fairly good show for one reason: Mama Cass, Mary Travers, and Joni Mitchell’s wonderful rendition to Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released.”

The show never made it into a series, perhaps because it’s wrong in so many ways. The dull comedy and unlaughable humor it provided were not worth it to bother ourselves watching. It’s one of the few miscalculated steps by The Mamas & the Papas singer that smeared her popularity status, unfortunately.

Although she loved singing her heart out on the live audience, it’s a whole other level of pressure when you’re there theatrically performing in front of them. Nevertheless, the show had its highlights worth remembering.

Elliot opened the show with a wonderful version of “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” a song that gave her the gorgeous limelight from the Mamas & the Papas’ rendition. It was then followed by Joni Mitchell’s lovely singing of her classic, “Both Sides Now,” and she was joined by Mary Travers for a lovely duet on “And When I Die.” But the fairest of them all was their combined powers to sing a Bob Dylan’s classic, showing to everyone how amazing these three were in harmonizing and reaching musical utopia.

Watch and be amazed at the trio’s performance of “I Shall Be Released” below.