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.

Not a Teen Idol, Sorry

Well, the powers that be at that big ol' American talent show changed their minds. Contestants sang Billboard #1 hits and not teen idol material, as I had reported last week. Guess the threat of dodging "Puppy Love" and "ITILY" became too real for someone.

Anyhoo, if you want to know how young Mr. Urban did, you can watch his performance here. He looks and sounds a lot better than I initially thought but I can't detect a tenth of DC's sex appeal in him. And perhaps if he had been dressed differently, his sliding around stage wouldn't have looked so incongruous? As it was, it baffled, but not so much that I'm tempted to watch his performance again to analyze it. If people are still comparing Urban to Cassidy after last night's performance, well, it's their little delusion to cradle. As the title of another #1 hit said so well, "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing."

"Raindrops"

R&B singer Dee Clark scored a huge hit with his song "Raindrops" in 1961. David Cassidy, not so much. You can hear DC's version of "Raindrops" on his 1992 album "Didn't You Used to Be...". Anyone know what could have prompted Cassidy to cover this particular song? Anyone care to guess? Anyone even care?

A Song for You?

Read some comments on YT that likened David Cassidy's voice to Karen Carpenter's. Here's "A Song for You" which both The Carpenters and David Cassidy recorded. Leon Russell wrote this song and it's one of the loveliest and most timeless songs EVER. Karen Carpenter's voice is a heavenly match for it and I'll forever hear it in her voice. I found a video of Mr. Russell singing his composition and I wonder if DC took cues from him for his version on his 2003 "A Touch of Blue" CD.

So, embedded here for your listening pleasure (or displeasure) are three versions of "A Song for You": DC's, The Carpenters' and Leon Russell's. I've linked to three other versions as well: Helen Reddy's rendition - a new discovery for me - because it's simple and her tone lovely. Simply Red's because it's the second cover I found that they have in common with DC (see "Go Now" for the first). Again, Simply Red put their personal stamp on the song but I'm not moved by singer Hucknall here.

The third version is from Michael Bublé, crooner du jour. What is special about Bublé? He looks good, sings some of the most beautiful songs of the last century and backs himself with a top notch band. But please, I beg you MB fans, enough with the "greatest singer" accolades. He garbles and lisps. Not begrudging him his success - after all he's making these beautiful songs mainstream again (what pop music radio station today would have played "Sway" before his version came out?) - I just want young people to realize he's not the crème de la crème of singers. I'll be honest, I have not listened to his performance here past the 1:40 mark. If you manage, tell me if it gets better.

Bottom line for me: the song belongs to Karen Carpenter. She delivered a slice of music heaven. And yes, I've heard Donny Hathaway, American Idol's Elliott Yamin (seriously distracting poor breath control there), Ray Charles and Whitney Houston sing it. No, I haven't heard Christina Aguilera, Cher, Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin or anyone else sing it. Hardly see the point of it.







Helen Reddy
Simply Red
Michael Bublé

Yummy Bubblebum Pop Singer

You know who could have given David Cassidy a run for his money on those Partridge Family hits? Ron Dante. Look and listen.



What can I say? That "He alone was responsible for 7 chart topping Partridge Family singles." comment really riled me.

Music Trivia

Can you imagine David Cassidy singing this song? Mickie Most, a very successful English record producer, apparently offered "Touch Too Much" (written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn), to Cassidy who passed on it, dismissing its chart-topping potential. Miffed and wanting to prove Mr. Cassidy wrong, Mr. Most then offered it to The Arrows, a band fronted by Alan Merrill whose similarity to Cassidy starts and ends with the shag. The Arrows had a British hit with the song in 1974. Check out Merrill's come-hither looks in the clip below. Another bit of trivia: Merrill wrote "I Love Rock & Roll". Yeah, that "I Love Rock & Roll", the earworm made immortal by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. Read more about Mr. Merrill here.




Here's another link between David Cassidy and Alan Merrill: both recorded "Walk Away Renée". I hear more vulnerability in Cassidy's version. It can be found on his 2003 "A Touch of Blue" CD.





Seeing as some of you enjoy these comparisons, here's the original version of "Walk Away Renée" by The Left Banke. The voice here is as grating and unforgivable as nails on a chalkboard.

"January"

Not predictable. Timely. ;-)



The original version by Pilot, sung by another David.



Love the Scottish accent, Mr. Paton, but I prefer David Cassidy's sultry vocals. What say YOU, dear blog readers? Is there a verse missing in DC's version? The lyrics seem different between the two. Oh and if anyone can explain the lyrics to me, I'd be much obliged.

(How long before Disney gets one of its current teen idols to cover this song? It's just as catchy as "Magic", another Pilot hit, which Selena Gomez covered last year. Don't know who Selena Gomez is? You ARE old ;-))

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"

Well, he is. And our little one is starting to believe us and getting to bed without a fuss. So there.

Once again, David Cassidy with The Partridge Family:




For the heck of it and some cute pictures, this is Frank Sinatra's version:



Now, I'm not overly fond of either arrangement - each fussy in its own way - but listen to the vocals. Can someone explain to me why Frank Sinatra is considered to be among the top male singers EVER? I don't hear it. I really don't.

The King and Him

Elvis Presley and David Cassidy. Parallels have been drawn and comparisons have been made. They both recorded "Blue Christmas". Compare if you dare.

Elvis Presley (never mind the visual - it was the only video I could find that had the recorded version of the song.)



David Cassidy (singing lead for The Partridge Family)



Remember when I wondered if perhaps Billy Idol's voice could give David's a run for its money? Well, what sounded sexy in "Sweet Sixteen" sounds scary in "Blue Christmas".

My Challenge, an Update

Remember my challenge to you all? Well, I may just have found a male voice that tingles my spine, toes and assorted body parts in between as much as Mr. David Cassidy's voice does. The aspiring contender to the crown of "Sexy smooth voice as evocative as it is sweet" is....drum roll please....

Michael Bublé.

I kid, I kid.

Seriously, the contender is the lead singer of a Canadian group, The Philosopher Kings. I came across one of their old-but-feels-like-yesterday-hits from 1997 (was that really TWELVE years ago?!?) as well as their cover of a mid-80s MTV staple of the same vintage and went, "whoa, sexy, sexy...who are you and why did I drop your CD from my playlist?!" Listened to a few of their obscure hits and the evidence of a winner is mounting.

Ladies and gentlemen, feast your ears on Mr. Gerald Eaton, aka Jarvis Church in his second life as a solo artist, post-The Philosopher Kings. So far, I prefer his work with TPK but I'm not familiar with his whole discography. His voice is sexy, smooth, evocative and has that elusive sweetness I find so addictive in a singer's voice.

Comments, as usual, are welcome.







Couldn't limit myself to three songs, sorry. This one is more recent, from a 2006 album:



Finally, a sweet sentiment and video from Jarvis Church, Mr. Eaton's solo alias: