The Cowsills vs The Partridge Family

The audio for that seems to be available through the major streaming services, although I can't quite seem to click all the way through yet.

So the thing I posted upthread which shows up on Youtube as Taste of Rhode Island is from the first night, and the earlier set, before the inexperienced singer RIchard Cowsill loses his voice, which shows up simply as TORI, is this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFg-leBxM54

Ah, not available in US

Wow, Bill sounds fantastic. Is that Dick singing backup behind them by Barry?

Oh sorry, I see you mentioned that that is indeed him...

I think the other set is a bit better but watch them both if you have time.

Can't stream Sullivan version of "We Can Fly" but I think it may be worth the 99 cents to buy it.

I'm listening to the clip on iTunes and it sounds like the Sullivan house band or something!

Yeah, me too.

This Billy Cowsill Everly Brother's pastiche is pretty sweet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL5Xe_550EDVBX4qjBJfQROlNCz5LKvnOI&time_continue=117&v=_RWKPl0vZgo

Everly Brothers (extra apostrophe ugh)
Here is simpler link, "Love's A Hurtin' Thing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RWKPl0vZgo

Although that full playlist is interesting

This is like a bottomless well. Just found yet another video of Billy singing incredibly well, starting with “Blue Bayou” then “Devil Woman” and I don’t know what comes next.
RIP Billy Cowsill

Ahem. Sorry. Meant to post
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXxZYUOiJTs

It’s presumably just some brunch gig but still

That striped strung-out Sunday sound

Billy sings Bob (not his brother):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QUNo_eRppk

Billy sings Merle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNQo4sComus

Billy sings Hank:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGhFOMxqWCs

Listening to what he does with his voice in some of this stuff, quite convincing imitations of various country styles, has made me go back to the earliest MGM stuff and listen with new ears. Even if he is singing in a more pop-rock style, one can hear or imagine hearing a certain melancholy in his voice that translated well when he went country.

I was a friend of Billy Cowsill over the last ten years of his life, and even was honoured to sing one of his Blue Shadows songs at his memorial wake here in Calgary, which was attended by 850 people. Billy was beloved here. In 1997 a group of his Calgary pals rescued Billy from Vancouver, where he had sunk into drug and alcohol dependency after the breakup of the Blue Shadows. They paid for him to get into rehab for an extended period (that brunch gig JR and the Bs linked to above was early on in the process when Billy started leaving the facility for the occasional afternoon gig, just to keep his chops up) and set him up in an apartment afterward. Billy took on a trio of younger local musicians to do mostly early 60s covers and called it the Co-Dependents. He stayed sober, mentored a lot of younger musicians, played extensively in hospital wards, seniors homes and long term care facilities and attended community college. Unfortunately the long term damage he'd done to his body led to his early death in 2006. I miss him a ton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_QgvUS-wfY&frags=pl%2Cwn

Thanks so much for that. Think I read that when he passed he was working on a psychology degree.

Also, were you trying to post a video? There is an embed but it is not showing up properly.

Okay. Couldn’t see it in zing but do see it in Chrome.

"love's a hurtin' thing" is good and all but unfortunately gloria ann taylor recorded the definitive song with that title

Near the end of this clip he is singing and playing on another Arthur Alexander song.
https://youtu.be/ErjqWzROMaM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErjqWzROMaM

Really dig Billy’s song “Vagabond”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHKTSt4RZp8

Billy used to love telling the story about how he first recorded Vagabond as a demo in an NYC studio one night in 1972. His own guitar wasn't staying in tune so the engineer pulled a Gibson Everly Bros Flattop out from a closet, that had been left in the studio by the daytime occupant (recording "Sometime in New York City"), John Lennon. He couldn't believe he was playing Lennon's axe. Later in the Blue Shadows he wrote a song about the experience called "Johnny's Guitar".

Thanks. Love these Billy stories you are providing.

Just found the first Blue Shadows album on Spotify. Still kind of amazed at what a convincing country and rockabilly singer he became. Maybe I am a bit of fool on that point but the fool is the last one to know.

Two notes on songwriting credits:

• Interesting that “You’re Not the Same Girl” was written by another guy in Blue Northern, Ray O’Toole, not Billy, but it ended up in the Cowsills repertoire.
• Guy who wrote “Covered Wagon,” Danny O’Keefe, also wrote “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues.” (cf recent Elvis poll) Still don’t know anything else about him.

Just found this great live performance of “Deliver Me” with the Blue Shadows.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E47DEbOiYTo

Oh, just noticed the latest Super Hits poll

Miranda Lambert, er, covered "Covered Wagon" on her last album.

The Blue Shadows album really holds up

Like how the harmonies lean a little more towards the Louvins than most

Was referring to the first album. Here is the title track of the second album, which I just came across and enjoyed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqtXWrB4xm4

cowsills free at port washington library 11/9 (long island). for nyc folks you can walk there from the port washington lirr stop.

https://pwpl.org/events/

Cool. But No tickets required, but please note that Port Washington residents will receive priority entry

If I can’t make that, might try to go to this one on December 8th: https://tickets.thecuttingroomnyc.com/event/1755325-cowsills-new-york/

last time i saw them there it was well-attended but not a full house. they'll usually squeeze folks in.

cowsills ruled at the library. rain kept some folks away, but the faithful came out. they were giddy because this was the last day of a long tour, and happy to be playing as a three-piece without the backing band. new news: they are recording a new cd!

here's the youtube of the event. they mixed the guitars too high, but that improves somewhat. there's a q&a at around 40 minutes where the run through some obscurities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxpRDXfF4fA&fbclid=IwAR309xrDs0mE9orMFIL1ctgjWcsbV2xzAdSuxzJyfkS4LqQft8dX5yoTevM

Ended up not going last night. Maybe will watch Family Band again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ic6uELZD5zg

Guiltily thinking of this storm as Hurricane Barry Cowsill.

Rewatched the Sullivan show video and some of that Rhode Island reunion and man, John is a great drummer.

Down to here
Down to there

https://youtu.be/PLBvPQAPl7w

Watch what happens when they start in the wrong key:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqwsBq9yeW0

And the other one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-fQTetggZ4

I love them all but it always amazes how good baby brother John is.

I love them all but it always amazes how good baby brother John is.