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
― The Great Atomic Power Ballad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 September 2018 10:10 (five years ago) link
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=Z9uzHcN4DSswhich I still find slightly charming, although not a patch on the pants of the original of course.
― The Great Atomic Power Ballad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 September 2018 11:54 (five years ago) link
the rain the park and other things youtube upthread made my day, i need to make a SUNSHINE AS FUCK tshirt.
― Hunt3r, Thursday, 6 September 2018 16:57 (five years ago) link
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.
― The Great Atomic Power Ballad (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 6 September 2018 22:53 (five years ago) link
not a patch on the pants of the original
Come on! "I love the flower" forever.
― timellison, Thursday, 6 September 2018 23:37 (five years ago) link
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.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 02:45 (five years ago) link
Might try to go see them in December.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 02:50 (five years ago) link
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?
― Josefa, Saturday, 8 September 2018 02:53 (five years ago) link
They say he was the one who was most like the dad so the dad singled him out that much extra.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 02:55 (five years ago) link
FYI, the woman who directed Family Band has posted a lot of outtakes/raw footage on YouTube.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 02:58 (five years ago) link
And here's an interesting two-part interview with John that's not from to the documentaryhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9xaNslwvSM
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 03:55 (five years ago) link
Last record has some beauts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr4UKpKYpx0
― velko, Saturday, 8 September 2018 04:01 (five years ago) link
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.
― Josefa, Saturday, 8 September 2018 06:53 (five years ago) link
In Concert is lots of covers plus the studio version of “Hair,” no?
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 10:40 (five years ago) link
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!
― milkshake duck george bernard shaw (rushomancy), Saturday, 8 September 2018 13:43 (five years ago) link
Slightly weird when II x II shows up written Ii x Ii.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 14:15 (five years ago) link
Right. Never actually heard it.
So is there good stuff in the Family Band outtakes? Anything illuminating?
― Josefa, Saturday, 8 September 2018 15:44 (five years ago) link
i heard their version of "good vibrations" from it before i knew much of anything about them. i understand the song sets a high standard but they don't meet it.
not to derail but i quite like this version of "good vibrations" - they clearly put a lot of work into replicating the sound of the original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KqspzKO8AM
― milkshake duck george bernard shaw (rushomancy), Saturday, 8 September 2018 15:48 (five years ago) link
Nice. Balearic rock!
― Josefa, Saturday, 8 September 2018 16:14 (five years ago) link
More detail on Bud’s bad behavior, especially in the one called “Bud & Barbara,” if you needed any more. In some others you find out those rocks they are often seen crawling on were near a big house they lived in in Newport that Artie Kornfeld helped them get.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 16:28 (five years ago) link
Wait I don’t think that house is in Newport maybe it’s in California, couldn’t quite tell where that was. Guess I need to watch more footage.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 16:32 (five years ago) link
iirc the partridge family was originally written for the cowsills family but they wanted to replace the mom with shirley jones in the show and the cowsills kids refused
― 21st savagery fox (m bison), Saturday, 8 September 2018 16:45 (five years ago) link
also my wife is a HUGE cowsills fan, she ran a late 90s cowsills page/forum while in high school. i think she met all of them at one point or another.
― 21st savagery fox (m bison), Saturday, 8 September 2018 16:46 (five years ago) link
Yeah, Bob Cowsill interviews Shirley Jones about that at one point. Although of course he says Bud was the one who mixed the deal because of that.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 16:53 (five years ago) link
So after watching all these footage I have
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 16:54 (five years ago) link
So after watching all these videos and all this footage I have decided that, although I like all the Cowsills a lot, the one I think is the coolest is John and the one I am the most like in personality is Paul.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 16:59 (five years ago) link
ah, see i wasnt sure the whole story, just half-remembering what my wife had said years ago
― 21st savagery fox (m bison), Saturday, 8 September 2018 17:00 (five years ago) link
Paul is sort of the tetchy, combative one, right?
― Josefa, Saturday, 8 September 2018 17:24 (five years ago) link
Yes, exactly. The difficult middle child.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 18:20 (five years ago) link
Although I’m not in the middle
And not always difficult
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 22:25 (five years ago) link
Bass on TRTP&OT sure sounds like Carol Kaye, but what I can see says it was recorded in NYC with Joe Mack/Joe Macho on bass.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 22:27 (five years ago) link
Supposedly he played with a pick on "Like A Rolling Stone" so I guess i can compare with that.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 22:38 (five years ago) link
Also, there are some serious Cowsills fan sites out there.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 8 September 2018 23:32 (five years ago) link
Check this outhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xdzx6zD5uI
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 00:02 (five years ago) link
Well, that’s fine but meant to post this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjlML0HvpPU
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 00:03 (five years ago) link
And check this out, from 2000. How young they look, especially Barry (and Richard) compared to a few years later. Barry looks just like his dad, and a little like his mom, I guess, and you can really hear his vocals loud and clear.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRzM2L4kCfk
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 00:16 (five years ago) link
On no, that’s Billy I am looking at and hearing, in the skinny jeans and messing with the guitar. Barry is in the back looking like Floyd Pepper. Still.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 00:31 (five years ago) link
And just realized who he looks like in that video and who Bud looks a great deal like - Robert Mitchum.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 00:36 (five years ago) link
I like them in this New Wave mode:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROksVUge-bA
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 02:38 (five years ago) link
On the Barbara McNair show, doing some instrument switching with John playing guitar and singing, Paul on drums and Susan on bass for one number - was Barry ill?- another lead turn for Barbara (in case you didn’t click on Playboy After Dark clip) and participating in a group sing-a-long of “United We Stand” with Barbara McNair, an opera singer named Jan Rubeš and Freda Payne. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PegF-6Vc1E
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 02:45 (five years ago) link
Another one from 2000, a little later in the year, at night, Barry playing bass and Billy singing the main lead on “Hair” with a little Hank Williams feel:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3eSNLUZPdk
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 03:40 (five years ago) link
No, it seems to be from the same show as the one before, sorry
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 03:52 (five years ago) link
What I referred to as the New Wave stuff eventually was released eight years later on the Global album. Apparently some A&R guy got fired when attempted to release it prior to that. Also during this period Barry wasn’t playing with them so you will see videos with another guy on bass named Cecil Duke.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 04:11 (five years ago) link
Really maybe should call it Power Pop instead of New Wave.
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 04:21 (five years ago) link
This record company executive, Marc Nathan: http://www.playlistresearch.com/interviews/nathan.htm
― Cruel Summerisle (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 9 September 2018 04:47 (five years ago) link
And here, in the comments: http://www.theautomatik.com/2006/01/06/barry-cowsill-1954-2005/
Are the songwriting credits to two Cowsills on the first two albums Bill and Bob (like they are on Captain Sad)?
― timellison, Monday, 10 September 2018 01:35 (five years ago) link
First two MGM albums, that is
― timellison, Monday, 10 September 2018 01:37 (five years ago) link
Presumably, though it's not specified in either case. The song "Mister Flynn" on We Can Fly is credited to three Cowsills.
― Josefa, Monday, 10 September 2018 03:26 (five years ago) link
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
― dow, Friday, 7 July 2023 17:21 (nine months ago) link
Don’t know the details yet, just saw in some feed.
― The Lunatics (Have Taken Over the Elektra) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 7 July 2023 17:22 (nine months ago) link
hope he rejoins the 'sills.
― Thus Sang Freud, Friday, 7 July 2023 22:15 (nine months ago) link
i wonder if mike love tried to involve him in trump rallies/benefits. though you'd think that ship had sailed.
― Thus Sang Freud, Friday, 7 July 2023 22:20 (nine months ago) link
John and another guy, ScotT Totten, who apparently was the musical director, were both let go.
― Zing Harvest (Has Surely Come) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 20 August 2023 01:20 (eight months ago) link
Susan's husband Russ is currently the drummer for The Cowsills and I think on package tours maybe there is some house band anyway.
― Zing Harvest (Has Surely Come) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 20 August 2023 01:21 (eight months ago) link
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
― Josefa, Sunday, 20 August 2023 01:28 (eight months ago) link
Awesome! I read that John was no longer with the Beach Boys, hopefully not also the Cowsills.
― dow, Sunday, 20 August 2023 03:09 (eight months ago) link
He hasn’t been associated with The Cowsills in years
― Zing Harvest (Has Surely Come) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 20 August 2023 03:17 (eight months ago) link
But he has been associated with his wife Vicki Peterson for quite a long time.
― Zing Harvest (Has Surely Come) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 20 August 2023 03:18 (eight months ago) link
So let go by the Beach Boys only then, just as I surmised. Yes! What relief.
― dow, Sunday, 20 August 2023 03:35 (eight months ago) link
He does sometimes seem to appear with his siblings, but it’s not very often at all and not expected.
― Zing Harvest (Has Surely Come) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 20 August 2023 03:40 (eight months ago) link
John anc Vicki apparently are living in NYC right now, but so far I have yet to cross paths with them.
― Zing Harvest (Has Surely Come) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 20 August 2023 12:16 (eight months ago) link
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
― Florin Cuchares, Sunday, 20 August 2023 15:49 (eight months ago) link
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.
― Zing Harvest (Has Surely Come) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 20 August 2023 16:34 (eight months ago) link