Did Tony Romeo write kick-ass songs, or what?!

And no one sang them better than David Cassidy.

Don't know how I managed to miss this version but here are The Lettermen covering "It's One of Those Nights (Yes, Love)". It's an amazing song full of evocative imagery and they render it beautifully...but it all sounds fake next to The Partridge Family's version, doesn't it? Hard to beat the warmth and sincerity in young David Cassidy's delivery.

I specify "young David Cassidy" because he redid the song almost thirty years later for his "Then & Now" album and...well, he shouldn't have. It sucks. Wish I had the terminology to express how awful it is but whoever has the album could probably chime in. If I could find it on YT, I'd share it with you. What happened to his singing during all those years? Can't say it's his voice that sounds different (that's normal with age), it's his phrasing. There's no vulnerability in his delivery. Sorry, I know I've bitched about it before but I was just listening to that "Now" track and the difference between the two never fails to hit me.

Surprising Cover

Don't know if anyone out there is keeping tabs on covers of Partridge Family songs but Weezer ("Buddy Holly") covered "I Woke Up in Love This Morning". Can't imagine how their grunge manifesto escaped my notice all this time. FWIW, I discovered Weezer's version after stumbling on Mark Chevalier's version. More rock, less grunge for Mr. Chevalier.

Which cover version do you prefer?

It WAS Extraordinary for That Time

"In 1970, the top pop-radio station in Cedar Rapids was the first in the nation to play "I Think I Love You" -- a song from "The Partridge Family" -- and it became the biggest-selling record of the year, Mr. Cassidy recalled in a recent interview.

"It had never happened before -- went nowhere to No. 1 in one week. It created such a buzz," he said. "I haven't been to Iowa in forever. I want to pay respects and homage to those people who have been such fans of mine.""

Mr. Cassidy is getting good press these days. No excessive boasting, just true statements expressed with lots of enthusiasm. I like this guy. Oh, and did you notice? The Partridge Family Rock Band is mentioned. Sorry, but I'll need the actual product in hand to convince me that it's not an April's Fool joke. Yeah, I'm that cynical.

Had to Hear It to Believe It

Andy Williams singing "I Think I Love You". Here. Is it me or does he look ready to burst out laughing at the beginning? "Can you believe I'm about to sing this teeny-bopper ditty?"

It really is a great song and while the sentiment is universal, I think it's one of those pop tunes that sounds better left to the young and/or innocent ;-) It expresses those "first love" sentiments only too well and is a lot more convincing sung by a "teen idol" than by an established crooner. In my humble opinion, of course.

If you need to rinse your ears out and replace this only-too-respectable attempt with the "definitive" version, here it is.

About that Partridge Family Cruise Episode...

Keith might just be the cutest Peter Rabbit EVER in that episode (any doubters, please refer to pic in April 6 post) but he's also sexy as all get out in the group's "musical performance". Serious Yowza around the the 0:26 mark and then from 0:38 to 0:44. (And to think girls today squeal over that AutoTuned Bieber baby. For shame.) By the way, who decided to mess with the YouTube format? It looks so wishy-washy now. Gah. Can't stand it.

Vroom, Vroom - The Perfect Vehicle?

(Resurrected this entry from a draft written in January, so please excuse any anachronisms.)

In this post's comments, an anonymous reader wondered what vehicle could help David Cassidy expand his audience base since "Ruby & The Rockits" wasn't renewed. What would help him reconnect with his audience or reach a new one?

Cultural references to David Cassidy's heyday ("ITILY" in the Lipton Sparkling Tea commercial, his posters in the recent "The Lovely Bones" movie, for example) are always positive because they prompt "whatever happened to him?" Googling from curious former fans and expose a younger generation to his work. I was thinking along these lines when the ultimate pop culture vehicle du jour appeared to me like that sweet ride DC got during his Partridge Family contract re-negotiations.

Glee.

If you know to what I'm referring, skip the next couple of paragraphs. If you don't, here goes: "Glee" is a Fox TV series about a Spanish high school teacher who decides to revive the school's Glee Club (singing group) and renew its former competition glory. Think "Fame" ("I'm going to live forever!") but replace the pretense with snark and add a dash of convoluted, satiric, plots. It's an hour long cartwheel of drama, comedy and music created by "Nip/Tuck"'s Ryan Murphy.

The show won the Golden Globe for "Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy". It appeals to both kids and adults because the music is varied and story lines revolve around both teachers and students. The cast is brilliant and manages to improve the songs they cover. Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" actually sounds inspirational when sung by a conflicted high school student. "Glee" is enjoying major buzz right now: Madonna granted FREE use of her catalog to the producers for the All-Madonna season-opener episode (which I haven't seen yet, so, please, no spoilers); Olivia Newton-John and Jennifer Lopez are set to guest star; Clint Eastwood watches the show. 'Nuff said.

Anyway, for those who do watch the show, imagine these scenes:

-Mr. Shue introducing The Partridge Family or David Cassidy to the gang with lines like "bubblegum pop that stood the test of time" and "a teen idol who could actually sing"
-Finn singing "Brown Eyes" to Quinn
-Kurt leading the group with "I Woke Up in Love This Morning" after meeting a potential love interest. And he is set to get a boyfriend in the second-half of the season (or is it the second season?).
-Artie playing that rockin' opening bass line in "Love is All That I Ever Needed"

So many good pop songs the cast could cover - "I Can Feel Your Heartbeat", "Summer Days", "Every Little Bit of You"...- they don't even need to touch "ITILY" or "C'mon Get Happy" with a sky-high Cheerios pyramid. It would be amazing if David Cassidy's solo stuff could be featured. These songs still sound current (or am I biased because of the PF/DC bubble I've been living in these past few months?):

-Rock Me Baby
-Mae
-Daydreamer
-I Never Saw You Coming
-Fix of Your Love
-Common Thief
-Damned if this ain't Love
-Run and Hide
-Warm My Soul

What could make David Cassidy fans giddier than seeing his music acknowledged on a cool show?

Here's Bran Van 3000's "Drinking in L.A.". Just because it's from their 1997 debut album, Glee, and I love to plug Canadian talent :-)



And here's DC's "Oh No (No Way)" in the event my idea is loonier than a Canadian dollar coin. (His voice is so very perfectly sexy in this track.)

Who Knew?

Wayne Newton also recorded "Echo Valley 2-6809". It really is a good song. I much prefer The Partridge Family's version though.

Incidentally, hope no one feels old knowing DC turned 60 yesterday. Sixty is the new fifty, dontcha know? ;-) (Want a secret for staying young? Weight training. Gives you strong bones too.)

They're Going to be Teen Idols!!!

Who? Those AI contestants mentioned in my previous post. Seems that for every show, there is a theme to help them select a song to perform. This past show's theme was "The Rolling Stones", aka the "butcher-iconic-rock-songs-show", and the next one will be "teen idols" (can't find an official press release, sorry). Hmm. Guess the powers that be WERE inspired by the buzz that Urban looks like a young Cassidy.

How much shall we bet that someone will pick "ITILY" to sing? It's almost a given, isn't it? How much cooler would it be if someone tried their voice at a lesser known Partridge Family song or a David Cassidy solo one? Actually, one of DC's biggest hits isn't that well known in the States and might be an interesting choice for an AI contender: "Daydreamer". Could any of them lend it the right amount of wistfulness without turning it into a saccharine mess? Mr. Urban?

How far back will they go for their teen idol inspiration? The forties, fifties, sixties? Thinking of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson, The Beatles... Surely they won't bypass the seventies with The Jacksons, The Osmonds, DC and Shaun Cassidy?!? Someone HAS to pick David Cassidy. He is, as we say in French, incontournable. A teen idol mountain that can't be bypassed. If he is, it would be a damn shame.

I just might tune in next week. Oh, and here's DC giving Terry Dempsey's "Daydreamer" just the perfect forlorn notes. (Wouldn't you just love to know what he's saying around the 0:30 mark?)

Urban Legend

Through Google Alerts, I've learned that more than a few people see a resemblance between one of the current American Idol contestants and a young David Cassidy. Apparently, this young man looks like DC and sounds like him in the Partridge Family. Now, I don't follow that glitzy talent show but I've seen a couple of pictures of the young man in question and all I can say is "Huh?" Yeah, yeah, I see the feathered hair. But it's not the same cut, people. It's feathered towards his face. Total opposite of Cassidy's style which was feathered AWAY from his face ;-) Subtle difference but oh what a difference. Not to mention his dissimilar features. AI dude has chiseled cheekbones. Cassidy had a baby face. Look at the eyes, the nose, the smile. Not taking anything away from the young man's good looks but come on people, compare objectively. There is no resemblance. If you want to compare his looks to any past teen idol, look at Bobby Sherman. Similar hairstyle and piercing blue eyes.

As for the young contender's voice, here's a clip of him massacring a Rolling Stones classic (starts at 1:27). If that performance has piqued your interest in his vocal talent, well, you're on your own to hunt YT for more. I am so not there. You're welcome to report back if his voice matches our man's. To make amends for exposing you to this sacrilege, I've included Streetheart's cover of the song which, imho, surpasses the original.








(Helpful pic of Bobby Sherman to fill those memory blanks. )

A Forgotten Partridge Family Gem

Wow! Isn't it nice to hear him play "One Night Stand" during a concert? He should include it in his playlist today - it really stands the test of time and is a refreshing change of pace from "Echo Valley" and "ITILY". Would people be that disappointed not to hear "ITILY" during a concert? It's been done to death and beyond. Nothing tops the initial recorded version and fiddling with it mars its innocence. So many other Partridge Family songs to re-discover.

This clip was REALLY fabulous. Thank you Clodyne for sharing, once again.

By the way, is that THE shrieker we hear? The one who bugs in recent concert clips? Surely not!?!?

A Sliver of Hope...Maybe Someday

Here's some behind the scene footage from the Partridge Family reunion on the Today show. The four really look at ease around each other. It reminds me of my 10 year (cough, cough) high school reunion not long ago. Hadn't seen these friends in a decade (cough, cough) but once the usual questions were asked and answered, we were all sixteen again. One still looked it. That was freaky. And here's one popular blog entry that views the cast reunion from the whole "everyone is getting older" perspective.

I've read that lots of people are talking about this reunion. True? If so, there's still a sliver of hope that it will trigger another wave of fans "re-discovering" The Partridge Family and subsequently, David Cassidy's solo work (as it happened for me and most regular readers here). It's really only a sliver of hope because so far, everything I've come across on the 'net is pretty superficial. Will people ever get past the cast's looks and ITILY to discover David Cassidy's actual talent? Maybe Someday ;-)




From the Partridge Family Notebook album.

Missed Opportunities?

Okay, so I've had more time to ponder the Partridge Family reunion's point and impact. As Barbara and I noticed in my previous post, Susan Dey is the one getting the headlines over this reunion. The internets are all abuzz wondering why she was absent.

Well, of course, that's what the 'news' will be. What else was said during those short segments on Today that would interest anyone? A lot more interesting to wonder about what's NOT being said...By the way, it's intriguing to see how 'news' tidbits from a Today show propagate over the Internet - content is just pilfered from one site to the next - I scanned dozens of Google page results to find very little original content.

Just curious as to why no one mentioned that the series was available on DVD or that all the albums had been re-released as CDs (or did I miss this?). Guess none of them are making any dough off the merchandise? I also noticed that David didn't mention that possible movie to start in April.

YouTube will probably give us a better idea of the reunion's impact. Will viewership and comments increase for PF videos? If this "reunion" rekindled fond enough memories for people to reacquaint themselves with the show and music, it's done its job, I guess. IMHO, both the show and the music have held up extremely well over the years (or maybe I'm just deathly allergic to reality TV and today's music) - it would be groovy if others discovered this as well. ;-)

They Came, They Sat, They Conquered

Did we learn anything new? No. Did everyone play nice? Yes. Me happy. You happy?

Missed the grand Partridge Family reunion? Video here.

Thanks to Barbara-Just David for the podcast link to Danny's radio show if you want to hear him call in his radio show from the Today set. Listen at the beginning of the 5AM for the radio hosts talking about the reunion. Danny's first call begins at 6AM, second call at 7AM and his last call in is at the 30 minute mark of the 8AM section. (I confess: I still haven't finished listening to these.)

I knew the "post-mortems" on the show would be a lot funnier than anything on Today. This article is funny but the comments are even funnier. Might update this entry if I can find something else worthy amongst the robot-generated blog entries Google regurgitates.

Actually, I'm surprised at the number of snarkier than snark comments about the show's lameness. Has the public become so hip and cynical that they have to spit on the stuff they held dear as kids? (just realized I've used regurgitates and spit in the same post - is there a theme here?)

A lot of the "articles" make big news of Susan Dey's absence. Terrible wastes of keystrokes - I won't even link to them as I'm sure you all have better things to read. ;-)

Doomed, I tell you.

Thanks to Clodyne for spotting this clip on YT and sharing it with me. It's not about DC but you'll forgive me because he looks great here AND he laughs. Serious ear candy, that laugh. Alas, if only his laughs were pig snorts, we'd be spared this "interest" in him, I'm sure. But no, his laugh is as endearing as those dimples of his. Damn. We were so doomed to fall for him.

Questions you WON'T hear during the Partridge Family reunion

Long-time fans of The Partridge Family know all the answers to the questions that will be asked during next Tuesday's cast reunion on the Today show. It's the answers to the questions that will NEVER be asked that we want!

Seeing as a few of you got the ball rolling in my previous post's comments, here's the idea spun off into its separate entry. In the spirit of good fun (that might verge on bad taste) and in the tradition of David Letterman's top ten lists, here are the TOP TEN Partridge Family questions that will never get asked:

10.Who is getting compensated for appearing on the Today show?

9. Which cast members are profiting from current Partridge Family CD and DVD sales?

8. How much does David think his autograph on Partridge Family memorabilia is worth on eBay? (thanks, Racehorses)

7. Was David "intimate" with any of the three Charlie's Angels who guest starred on the show?

6. Danny keeps mentioning David's hair plugs on his radio show: could we get a close up and take a moment to mourn Keith Partridge's hair?

5. Does David regret revealing his intimate encounter with Susan Dey in his autobiographies?

4. Is it true that previously unreleased songs from the show aren't available on CD because David is asking too much money?

3. Why do David's recent concert press bios state that "HE ALONE" was responsible for seven chart-topping Partridge Family hits?

2. Did Shirley ever have the hots for her stepson and vice-versa?

1. Does David want to be remembered for The Partridge Family or was that then and this is now?

(Joking aside, is Danny seeing a specialist about that perpetual frog in his throat?! It sounds like real bad news. As in take your vitamins religiously and get a throat and chest X-ray every six months bad news. :( )

Who wants to bet that these are the top five questions we WILL hear:

1. Did you ever think that people would still care about The Partridge Family forty years after its debut?
2. Do you mind that you're remembered first and foremost for the show?
3. When you signed on, did you know it was going to be a hit?
4. How did it feel to be adulated that way?
5. What's your fondest memory of the show?

Here's what I will probably email the show:

Longtime fans have seen all the Partridge Family bios so there isn't much mystery left. We want to know the current and upcoming projects of this talented cast. Can we expect any new ORIGINAL recordings from David Cassidy? Also, a lot of his concert-going fans would love to hear him perform material from those three solo RCA albums he did in the mid-seventies.

This year does mark the fortieth anniversary of The Partridge Family's debut on television. Not sure if this cast appearance on the Today show will serve as a proper reunion but it can serve as a memory trigger for those fans who've lost touch with the cast or didn't realize that all four seasons of the show were now available on DVD.

Critics be damned, no other TV show triggers such an immediate feel-good response in me than does The Partridge Family. The show connects me instantly to shiny happy childhood memories and for that, my heart says thank you to the whole cast and crew.

The Partridge Family - What do you want to know?

Next week, NBC's Today Show will reunite some cast members from television's greatest families, including The Partridge Family. If you think there's something left to be discovered about the PF (really?!), you can email the show your question and it might get featured.

Now, you'll note that the Today site says the PF will appear on Tuesday, March 3 but next Tuesday is March 2. In his most recent post, Scott at C'mon Get Happy says that the show is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2. To be on the safe side, record Tuesday's show. ;-) And yes, DC is scheduled to appear. Imagine that.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Replace "girl" with boy and that first verse couldn't better describe how most young fans felt when they crushed on David Cassidy:

"I can't start my day, girl, without thinkin' about ya
I wake up in the mornin' and you're there on my mind
I've been dreamin' about ya
You start feelings runnin' through my head that need no explanation
And the sweetness of your smile has captured my heart
It's such a crazy sensation"

-"Girl, You Make My Day", The Partridge Family on "Shopping Bag" album, written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart

The rest of the song is even lovelier - who wouldn't be wooed by these lyrics?:

"You're the sunshine that I hold deep inside me when I'm cold"
"You're my forever and after"

Complete song lyrics on the David Cassidy Downunder Fansite. And what's not to love about Cassidy's vocals here? He gives "dreaming", "sweetness", "girl" and "day" just the right "punch" to make the song irresistible. He really sang those tunes perfectly, didn't he?

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day, whether you're crushin' or lovin'.

Sure Looks Sincere, Doesn't He?

Guess they underestimated his acting talent.



Can anyone tell me what the frig John Lennon had to do with the question? Aside from the random "John Lennon was my BFF, now do you believe I'm cool?!" factor.

Who else is hoping the über-fan dinner guest regales the DC fandom with her meeting come Sunday morning? Who doesn't give a flying fig?

And here's my open letter to David Cassidy, because, well, you saw the video too:

David, I'm so, so, sorry I lost track of you all these years. You hate me because I dropped you like a hot potato, but what did I know? I was twelve. Your show had already been off the air for over four years - I discovered you through reruns, for pete's sake! There were no Partridge Family albums left in the stores when my mother did her Christmas shopping - all she could find for me was "The World of the Partridge Family". But you could have tried harder to reach us, no? You had these great RCA albums you could have hawked. (I was still too young to watch "Police Story".) I'm so sorry I was a fair weather fan. I'm back now. I have seen the light: your voice was unparalleled (no offense but I have trouble saying "is" - you have to admit, it has declined in some respects) and I hate - not as much as you do, of course - that people don't credit your talent beyond being a heart throb. And we know that's not talent, that's genetics. So I'm doing what I can to right my wrongs: I'm blogging my little heart out to get the word out that you are talented and all that mania was deserved. It wasn't just hype. It was your talent and your charisma that shone through and touched us. I've been re-discovering your career for the past ten months now and have yet to tire of your albums (well, not all of them - a couple were crap on a disc, sorry).

But please, you have to do your part. You have to respect your fans enough to realize that we know how conflicted you are about that teen idol business. Don't pander to this overblown fake nostalgia bit and go on about how you love your fans for what they've given you (you went this route to promote "Ruby" and we all know how that turned out...wince.) The majority of us abandoned you! We gave you heartache. We made it so that casting agents didn't give you the time of day. We thought we were too cool for you. I'll even admit to some eye rolling when a friend reminded my teenage self of my young crush on you. "The Harder They Fall" indeed.

But now, I've seen the errors of my ways and I won't stand for anyone disrespecting you or The Partridge Family. Today, I am unapologetic in my stance: "the guy has his issues but he had one of the most beautiful male voices in popular music and he's recorded a sublime version of "Ain't No Sunshine"". I can rattle off your accomplishments almost as well as your hundreds of loyal fans who never abandoned you throughout the decades. I am a born again believer. I'm not alone either. Please. Trust us. No more of these uncomfortable interviews with fake fawning from "on-air personalities". We are above that.

While I'm at it, might as well ask you: can you make your records easier to obtain? I'm trying my darnedest to buy some of your albums but they are OUT OF PRINT. The online store showed stock, I clicked "buy" and waited and waited and waited and finally, I received an email advising me it was OUT OF PRINT and I was out of luck. And how about all those unreleased Partridge Family songs tucked away in vaults? Wouldn't it just be the bees' knees to release those gems for the 40th anniversary of the PF? One last thing: that movie coming up? Once it's wrapped and you're actively promoting it, can you NOT say it's the best work you've ever done? Cause that line is getting, like all of us, kind of old.

"Come on baby, let's start anew..."

Favorite Keith Scene in The Partridge Family

Well, seeing as David Cassidy considers himself "first and foremost an actor", I would be remiss not to muse about his acting roles once in a while. Honestly, when I rediscovered him via YT, his talent as a vocalist wowed me so much that it overshadowed his acting for me and fueled pretty much half of my blog posts.

Let's turn to his acting now. Most of us discovered him through "The Partridge Family", so tell me about your favorite scene of his in that show. Now that the whole series is available on DVD, it will be easy for us to identify the scenes correctly.

First, let's get some obvious assumptions out of the way:

-Keith Partridge was NOT a complex role and no one is proposing that David Cassidy's performance was Emmy-worthy
-"The Partridge Family" was a lighthearted sitcom built around selling records - its creators and producers had no aspirations to create a show worthy of critical acclaim or a spot in a time capsule (if they had, perhaps they would have paid more attention to story continuity!)
-We are commenting on DC's acting here (did he elicit the correct emotions from you and was he believable in the scene?), not the script quality nor the story plausibility

When I can actually stop my eyes from ping-ponging all over David Cassidy's gorgeous face during close-ups and concentrate on his expressive eyes and his delivery, one scene does stand out. It's from the first episode in Season 3, "This Male Chauvinist Piggy Went To Market". You remember the episode? Keith loses a "battle of the sexes" challenge to his sister Laurie and Goose, the school bully, makes fun of Keith for losing to a girl. Their verbal exchange escalates and Laurie intervenes and physically prevents Goose from hitting Keith. To be disabled by a girl further humiliates Goose who vows revenge on Keith.

The confrontation between Keith and Goose happens after a concert (from the 19 minute mark) and Keith plainly tells Goose he has no intention of fighting him. Cassidy plays this scene subtly and convincingly. His stance, his voice and his eyes especially, convey the natural fear, defiance and resignation one would expect to feel when standing up to a bigger opponent. Look at his eyes when Goose asks him "You mean you're going to stand there and let me take a poke at you?". He even gulps at the right time. That might be my favorite scene of DC's in the show.

Your turn.

The Partridge Family on TVLand?

TVLand has a current thread on their viewer forum for programming suggestions. Some viewers want them to add The Partridge Family to their programming. Do you? Go tell 'em. Here's a pic of Keith Partridge to remind you why.