Did Shirley Jones Ever Sing a Solo on the Partridge Family
The Partridge Family Album
Reviewed past Howard Pattow
After the initial idea to bandage the real Cowsills was dropped, casting calls went out and The Partridge Family unit came in. Shirley Jones, David Cassidy, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Jeremy Gelbwaks (then later, Brian Forster) and Suzanne Crough were cast, forth with Laugh-In veteran Dave Madden in the role of manager Reuben Kincaid.
Producer Wes Farrell was hired to create the music for the show. As with The Monkees, several of the top songwriters of the day were called upon to pen hits for The Partridge Family: Tony Romeo, Barry Isle of mann & Cynthia Weil, Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart and many others. The vocals were provided past John and Tom Bahler, formerly of the Dear Generation, along with Ron Hicklin and Jackie Ward. These four voices were responsible for many famous pop songs. Over the next 4 years, the music would be performed by such session giants as drummer Hal Blaine, keyboardists Larry Knechtel and Michael Melvoin, guitarists Tommy Tedesco, Louie Shelton, Larry Carlton and Dennis Budimir and bassists Joe Osborne and Max Bennett.
The Partridge Family Album is unique amid other Partridge records, in that information technology documents examples of the grouping's original sound. Had Farrell not discovered that David Cassidy could really sing, then the songs I'm On The Road and I Actually Want To Know You would take been the standard for all the songs. In fact, the first experiment for David'southward vocal abilities can be found in To Be Lovers, where Cassidy is given one line to sing.
The album begins with Brand New Me, written by Wes Farrell & Eddie Singleton. With this song, we are introduced to David Cassidy'due south distinctive yet pitch-shifted vocals. This process, which was utilized in an attempt by the producer to make David'southward voice sound younger, would continue through the adjacent album. Cassidy'due south vocals are as well double-tracked for the most part, to give them that extra punch. Unlike future Partridge efforts, Anthology is mixed with a lot of reverb, giving it that distant, smoky feeling.
One of the almost beloved and well-known songs is Point Me In The Direction Of Albuquerque. Emotional and theatrical, this Tony Romeo tune has the distinction of having an entire episode written around it. Sensitive piano and flute introduce the number virtually the "lone little runaway with teardrops in her eyes". The brass section kicks in for the chorus as Hal Blaine pounds away on the bass pulsate. The song shines every bit i of the highpoints of Anthology. Bandala, likewise written by Farrell & Singleton, is "sort of an afro thing", to quote Keith Partridge. It is fondly remembered from Episode 18, which featured Richard Pryor and Louis Gossett, Jr. The tune has a groove that won't quit, layered with congas, cowbell and tambourine. A divergence from most Partridge Family unit fare, Bandala too features a beautiful string organization which really adds flavour to the percussive nature of the song.
I Really Desire To Know You, written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, is the first vocal on Album that doesn't characteristic David Cassidy on atomic number 82 vocals. This song, which was also covered by The Cowsills, is a showcase for the talents of Bahler, Bahler, Hicklin & Ward. Shirley Jones can be heard in the mix likewise, as the original intention was to feature both Jones and Cassidy in the album's production. Bahler, who also bundled vocals for The Fifth Dimension, creates a tapestry of voices, defining a sound that ushered in the seventies. The Beach Male child surf harmonies of the sixties were preparing to make way for more than mature harmonies, which would exist exemplified by groups like The Carpenters and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Bahler'south contribution to The Partridge Family sound should be recognized as crucial to the grouping's success.
Merely A Moment Ago is a beautiful song by Terry Cashman & Tommy West that pretty much sums up the nostalgia move. The lyrics reflect looking back to a simpler fourth dimension, and the mood of the song is one of timelessness. Lush strings soar at the beginning of the song, and behave on through to the finish. Cassidy's performance is tender, supported by ethereal background vocals. All in all, i of Album's best tracks.
Past contrast, I Tin Feel Your Heartbeat is a rocker. Drenched in reverb, Heartbeat pounds away with wah-wah guitar, Hammond organ and driving background vocals. To this day, David Cassidy notwithstanding opens his concerts with the song, which was written by Wes Farrell, Jim Cretecos & Mike Appel. The album jacket erroneously lists this tune every bit I Can Hear Your Heartbeat.
Side Two opens with I'm On The Route, a wonderful Mann & Weil tune. The Bahler group harmonies are front and center with Shirley mixed in. The song features some wonderful chord changes in the verses, complemented by Mike Melvoin's orchestration. The song embodies the spirit of The Partridge Family. Who could forget Episode iv, in which we run across the family in the studio, "recording" this vocal? With To Be Lovers, we come across the concluding Bahler spotlight. David Cassidy sings one line in the bridge, giving the illusion that he is part of the song's vocal choir. To Be Lovers was written past Marker Charron and features some delicate piano playing and an intricate chromatic run on the acoustic guitar at the end.
Somebody Wants To Love You, written by Farrell, Cretecos & Appel, is some other rocker. The intro features a melodic play betwixt the acoustic and electric guitars. Wurlitzer pianoforte and Hammond organ fill out the arrangement, giving the tune a decidedly 70's sound. David'due south vocals are again double-tracked, and the background vocals get to shine in the "Possibly I'm Amazed"-inspired bridge section, which features some bluesy guitar licks.
I Think I Love You lot is the song that put The Partridge Family on the map. Phenomenally successful, the song hitting number one and stayed there for 16 weeks. It was voted the number one vocal for 1970, and is still permeating the public consciousness to this 24-hour interval. The vocal features the harpsichord, which Farrell decided to utilize for The Partridge Family unit due to its low-cal and cheerful sound. The chord construction is a classic case of Tony Romeo's songwriting mode, which uses inverted chords to maintain a chromatic bass line. Larry Knechtel's harpsichord solo seems inspired by George Martin's piano solo on The Beatles' In My Life. Reportedly, every bit Knechtel was recording the solo, he broke into laughter which had to be edited out of the concluding mix. Cassidy'south archetype double-tracked vocal works extremely well in this song, no uncertainty the prime number mover of its success.
The Partridge Family Album comes to an terminate with Wes Farrell & Diane Hilderbrand'due south Singing My Song. Audio-visual guitar strums at the offset, followed by a screaming fuzz guitar lick. David "sings it out to the people", joined by a wonderful singalong background song organisation in the chorus. The bridge features a subtle string line over a driving rhythm department. Album is probably the best-known Partridge Family release. Information technology was no doubt the Christmas present for many kids in 1970, and it still maintains an innocent quality most probable because it was the first album. It would be interesting to hear what The Partridge Family would have sounded like without Cassidy'south song contribution. The indication here is that the sound would accept had a very melodic yet generic quality to it. The success of The Partridge Family unit is largely due to David Cassidy, but the efforts of the songwriters, musicians, engineers and producers should be recognized too. The Partridge Family unit was, after all, a carefully constructed enterprise designed to make money. Fortunately, the product delivered was able to bear on many people as probably the last vestige of innocence for a generation.
The Partridge Family Anthology
Produced by Wes Farrell for Coral Rock Productions
Recorded at Western Recorders (Studio 2), Los Angeles
Engineered by Bob Kovach
Arranged past Mike Melvoin, Baton Strange, Wes Farrell and Don Peake
Vocal arrangements past John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Jackie Ward and Ron Hicklin
Partridge Family unit vocals by Shirley Jones and David Cassidy
Hal Blaine - Drums
Mike Melvoin - Keyboard
Larry Knechtel - Keyboard
Joe Osborne - Bass
Max Bennett - Bass
Louie Shelton - Guitar
Dennis Budimir - Guitar
Tommy Tedesco - Guitar
Howard Pattow sings information technology out to the people as the producer and guitarist of Sound Magazine, the Partridge Family unit Tribute Ring
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