The Cowsills vs The Partridge Family

I've been having a good time listening to all the Cowsills albums from their heyday, discovering interesting cuts on all of them. You can hear a little creative arc as they start out doing Beatles/Mamas & Papas-style pop, then blossom with a couple of albums of more elaborately produced sunshine pop, and ultimately go for a more organic sound on their last two albums before their initial split. There's even a couple of prog-like cuts on their II x II album. The group had started playing their own instrumental tracks in '69 with the "Hair" single, which effected or at least correlated with this shift.

The Partridge Family are a bit of a blindspot for me; "I Think I Love You" and of course the theme song are the only things that really stick. I've heard all the hit singles, which sound pleasant enough, mostly, but they don't resonate. Is there such a thing as a Partridge deep cut? I guess it's worth pointing out that David Cassidy and Shirley Jones are the only ones of the actors that really sing on the records (and of course their instrumentation is a studio group). Still they've got things going for them - obviously the good looks of Keith and Laurie, and Cassidy's warm voice and charisma as a front man. Gotta say, Susan Cowsill is a WAY better tambourine player than the little girl in the Partridge Family.

Cowsills' shelved album from 1978 is top shelf stuff.

I don't think I ever heard of the Cowsills as a kid, but we had all the Partridge LPs. So...

You don't remember the "Hair" single or "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things" from AM radio?

nope

might've heard em but they left no impression

I love the song 'Some Good Years' from their comeback album 'Global', recorded 1990 but released later (I think). The dated production doesn't hold it back at all for me. This is the sort of nostalgic song that The Beach Boys should have been producing on their later albums. Arguably even has a touch of Big Star about it, albeit with somewhat different recording technology available...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ5w7H0mpTc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-creN0Muxw

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

You don't remember the "Hair" single or "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things" from AM radio?

This blew my mind first time I saw it. Not a lip sync.

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

Dang! Barry was still around for that show.

xxp

Yeah that was really sad about him.

I met Susan once, when the Continental Drifters were playing, but have nothing really to report.

Wait I had that YouTube problem of it c+ping the prior video. I meant to post this first
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt_yKPNORLM

With regard to the thread question
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGmQr4hA2Oc

But wait, on "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things" it's interesting how closely they duplicate the vocals of the original record in that live version... even though it's a different lead singer (Bob instead of Bill) and Susan is I assume doing the backing vocals that her mom did on the original.

People overlook the Cowsills "Hair" as one of the high points of 1960s US culture

their creepy christian apocalypse single is pretty compelling. also if you overlook susan completely blowing the lyrics this performance of "when i'm 64" is pretty great!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsMTqyiGl88

oh, also, their one-off single backing waddy wachtel in '74 is good!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jh2KTuHuAxo

People overlook the Cowsills "Hair" as one of the high points of 1960s US culture

But yeah, it does feel like a slept on top of the Zeitgeist ziggurat moment.

Thanks for that Bridey Murphy single, rushomancy. Just found some background on it here:
http://bapresley.com/silverthreads/music/bands/brideymurphy.html

But wait, on "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things" it's interesting how closely they duplicate the vocals of the original record in that live version... even though it's a different lead singer (Bob instead of Bill) and Susan is I assume doing the backing vocals that her mom did on the original.

I kind of like them in competent-plus cover band mode (unless they recorded these tunes on the first go round and I am unaware of it)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHzRUViOpNA

Speaking of The Continental Drifters, did not know that John Cowsill was married to Vicki Peterson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZuXkGKed7I

I did know that he played drums with Mike Love’s Beach Boys though, having heard an interview with him on WFMU once. He seems to have an affinity for songs that end with “-in’”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8URMr-5mfU

Will refrain from posting any more videos for the time being. Feel like the Cowsills own this thread, the Partridge Family was an okay comedy show with a musical setting in which the music was usually not that good.

Fully agree.

re "Hair," it was also their last single before the dad fired lead singer Bill Cowsill from the band - or Bill quit after some kind of confrontation depending on the story, which precipitated their commercial decline and ultimate demise. This is all recounted in the 2011 documentary Family Band which is strongly recommended.

Will check it out, thanks

Susan performs a song she wrote with Barry when he visited her from The Great Beyond:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX-ypoT1QTs

This may look cheesy but Bob tells some really good stories and turns in some good performances, abetted by audience backing vlocals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzRiGeZ3zZc

Ha, this is wonderful.

Didn't know the same guy wrote "Indian Lake" and "I Think I Love You."

Yeah, me neither.

Okay, finally watched Family Band. Wow.

Also, found some raw footage for it here: http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/the-cowsills.560328/page-7
, along with some stuff that didn’t make the final cut.

Yes, Family Band doc is so good!
It’s a bit meandering & clearly a passion project BUT it’s such a sad & fascinating story. I had very little knowledge of their story at all aside from the songs I knew. Total eyeopener, and gave me a better appreciation for their talent.

I ~super~ love ‘The Rain, The Park & Other Things’ <3

I don't know that there's a song that better sums up the 1960s zeitgeist than that (though I personally only remember the early '70s onward). But that song is heartbreaking even when Bob Cowsill performs it alone.

He's right when he says no one can tell the Cowsills' voices apart - they're just so similar.

I think I can tell when John is singing on some later stuff, but yeah, otherwise it is difficult. Speaking of whom, here is an interesting interview with him from a Beach Boys site: http://bapresley.com/silverthreads/links/johnbbb.html

One of the things that slowly led me back to them, along with trying to comprehend how John ended up in The Beach Boys and Susan ended up in The Continental Drifters and married to Peter Holsapple at the time, was this Tropicalia version of “The Rain, The Park, and Other Things” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9uzHcN4DSs
which I still find slightly charming, although not a patch on the pants of the original of course.

the rain the park and other things youtube upthread made my day, i need to make a SUNSHINE AS FUCK tshirt.

Yeah the, um, Peel Session feel on that one is great.

BTW, just listened to an a cappella version of that they put out this year and can safely recommend it to you guys as well.

not a patch on the pants of the original

Come on! "I love the flower" forever.

So in that video of "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" from the Billy Benefit concert it seems to me that Bob's twin brother Richard is playing conga, which the comments seem to confirm, along with the fact that the audio was sweetened after the fact.

Might try to go see them in December.

Yeah what was that part from the documentary, Richard was a promising drummer but the dad nixed the idea of him joining the group for some reason?

They say he was the one who was most like the dad so the dad singled him out that much extra.

FYI, the woman who directed Family Band has posted a lot of outtakes/raw footage on YouTube.

And here's an interesting two-part interview with John that's not from to the documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9xaNslwvSM

Last record has some beauts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr4UKpKYpx0

That album is good and very obscure, but then the whole run of We Can Fly, Captain Sad & His Ship of Fools, II x II, and On My Side is great. Can't vouch for the "in concert" LP from 1969, and the first album from '67 with "The Rain, the Park, and Other Things" has kind of a beginners' feel to it, so it's a bit lesser than the others.

In Concert is lots of covers plus the studio version of “Hair,” no?

man i'm just a sucker for the mellotron every time, already a great song but when the chamberlin showed up on "can you love" really pushed it over the top!

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.

This came up today and made me really happy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foepOwQlXpI

i heard Hair the other day & it put me in such a good mood

:)

I was transfixed as a kid when one of the teenagers who worked in my dad's milk store (either Vince or Roman, I believe) had the radio on and knew all the words to "Indian Lake."

But did he know all the words to “I Think I Love You”?

I probably knew those myself at the time--we all did.

This one just popped into my head, “You’re Not the Same Girl.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL1vbKD6Ry0

NOW AND THEN: The Smithereens with The Cowsills
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyl8GyB0jU8

From Omnivore:

http://omnivorerecordings.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Cowsills-Rhythm-Of-The-World-OV-503.jpg

The Cowsills
Rhythm Of The World
Release date: September 30, 2022

Description
First new music from the band in nearly 30 years, includes 11 brand new songs written by the band.
...Now, nearly 30 years after their last recordings as a group, The Cowsills are returning with new music for the new world! Omnivore Recordings is proud to announce the release of Rhythm Of The World. Eleven brand new songs written by the band. The ambassadors of goodwill and love will be on the road through 2023 thrilling fans with their classic hits and soon to be new favorites!

CD / DIGITAL TRACK LIST:
YA GOTTA GET UP!
LEND A HAND
HAWKS ON THE LINE
EVERY LITTLE SECRET
NUCLEAR WINTER
RHYTHM OF THE WORLD
LARGO NIGHTS
GOODBYE’S NOT FOREVER
THE LONG RUN
TRY TO BELIEVE IT TOO
KATRINA

Cat: OV-503

http://omnivorerecordings.com/shop/rhythm-of-the-world/

nice!

Yes. Assume “Katrina” is another song about Barry.

And indeed it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3N-QjC5-OOQ

John Cowsill is out of the Beach Boys.

Oh wow, what happened? He was still listed in recent shows, like in May, at least.

I like Rhythm of The World, though the guys sing all the leads. Glad to have Susan in strong duet w xpost Freedy Johnston (see upthread for their album w Jon Dee Graham)---from his 2022 janglefest, Back On The Road To You, this is "The Power of Love," brothers and sisters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pN0O8AhAY5c

Don’t know the details yet, just saw in some feed.

hope he rejoins the 'sills.

i wonder if mike love tried to involve him in trump rallies/benefits. though you'd think that ship had sailed.

John and another guy, ScotT Totten, who apparently was the musical director, were both let go.

Susan's husband Russ is currently the drummer for The Cowsills and I think on package tours maybe there is some house band anyway.

Let go from the Cowsills? That’s not right!

Btw I just saw him ponying around on stage with Vicki Bangle at the ‘Nuggets’ 50th Anniversary show

Awesome! I read that John was no longer with the Beach Boys, hopefully not also the Cowsills.

He hasn’t been associated with The Cowsills in years

But he has been associated with his wife Vicki Peterson for quite a long time.

So let go by the Beach Boys only then, just as I surmised. Yes! What relief.

He does sometimes seem to appear with his siblings, but it’s not very often at all and not expected.

John anc Vicki apparently are living in NYC right now, but so far I have yet to cross paths with them.

i love susan cowsill, I can't even imagine how weird it would be to sing in a band at 8 years old but she never stopped so, still sounds great too

she popped up singing backups while I was trying to find the definitive live "Welcome Back" (Kotter) which seems to be this, on youtube anyways

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFeHkC_w6kc

and then youtube was already open so had to listen to "Cocaine Drain" and then it was a cowsills evening

Susan became a really good singer but some of the early years kid sister stuff can be painful to watch, although I kind of feel bad even mentioning that.