I was rewatching all of my taped programs about the M&P's (E! True Hollywood Story, etc.), and think that the M&P's were being treated unfairly.
In every bio, they say that the M&P's music was not very good in their final releases - b*llsh*t.
Some of my favorite songs are on their later albums ("Safe in My Garden," "Too Late," "Midnight Voyage," "Snowqueen of Texas," "Pearl," "Did You Ever Want to Cry," "For the Love of Ivy," etc.).
Granted, the "PLU" album WAS a studio forced project, but there are gems there. I LOVE the "Papas and Mamas" album to death!
The M&P's music simply evolved as the (in real-life) finally realized that the 'dream' wasn't what they expected.
IMO, some of their best work was on those later albums!