The Partridge Family is out on DVD and a new CD, so naturally I've had a relapse. The first season DVD set is less than a dollar an episode (you get 25 shows plus two new featurettes and a four-song bonus disc).
The new "Very Best Of" CD, sold separately, includes four previously unreleased tracks. The song "Together (Havin' a Ball)" is truly a long-awaited release. There must be some people who loved it on TV 35 years ago-- and died of old age before it came out to buy.
There were several versions of this song in the aired episodes, which was "performed" on stage in the pilot and sometimes used as overscore to montage sequences. [We're on topic here: this is overscore music.] On TV you heard at least two different lyrics. The CD version is longer, with a third lyric variation and a bridge added in. This recording has apparently never been heard before, let alone released as a record. But the new version is faithful to the arrangement you heard on TV, and fully satisfying. The CD re-mastering is superb.
Regarding the DVD's, I watched the first six episodes and the two featurettes last night. You can set it to just show the musical performances, which I haven't done yet. Two episodes have commentaries. They put a lot of value into the DVD box set.
All in all: a very musical experience, and pure nostalgia heaven.
Don't worry Bruce... the PF diehards like me are aware of who you are! Assuming that Season 1 sells good enough warrant further seasons, perhaps you could volunteer to do a commentary on "The Partridge Papers" or "The Last Howard"?
Seriously, the unreleased cues on the Best of CD sound sensational and after singing along with them for almost 35 years, its like as if they have been lovingly remixed. The DVD quality of the episodes is sensational. Great picture and sound quality. Whilst PF music might be disdained by the hipper-than-thou elite mentality, the fact that there is still fans worldwide who want this music (especially the unreleased tracks of which there are well over 30 plus alternate TV versions of existing Stereo mixes on the original LPs) speaks volumes on its longevity.
I live in Australia and frequent the PF messagboard over at comeongethappy.com and to this day, the music is what keeps the cash cow turning. Too bad that Sony/ Arista/ BMG can't see the inherent value of the unreleased music languishing in their vaults. Instead of releasing the last studio album ("Bulletin Board") on CD which completists have been clamouring for, what do they do?... issue another Greatest Hits compilation! (Of which there is gazillions already!!) The catch is that the 4 unreleased tracks featured is surely enough to ensure the CD's success. My feeling is.. if you love David Cassidy and co. then do yourself a favour and pick up the DVD set and CD... you won't be sorry.
I recently did a signing with Suzanne - they're definitely going to release all the seasons.
I did an interview for that website, which should be going up one of these fine days.
I just bought the new Best of CD and can't get enough of the music!! What great melodies!! How were you involved with the show?? I thought the writing was very good and the cast was just right-the first "Chris" came and went for one season,so he did'nt leave an impression on me-but I liked the second "Chris"very much-Brian Foster seemed to just fit right in with the family-will have to get the DVD set
Two songs performed on the first episode of The Partridge Family. I wonder why they were never re-recorded using David Cassidy's own vocal.
"Let The Good Times In" written by (Carol Bayer / Neil Sedaka)
"Together (Having a Ball)" written by (Shorty Rogers / Kelly Gordon)
"Stephanie". Written by (John Henning / Richard Klein / David Price). Great song that was never released on any of their original albums. Why?
The reason the pilot episode songs were never recorded with David Cassidy's vocal is that when they were recorded under the tutelage of Music Producer Shorty Rogers in early 1970, the show had yet to be greenlit as a series. Once the pilot sold, Cassidy had also not yet auditioned for Wes Farrell who was soon brought in to take over production of the songs for the show.
The version of "Together (Havin' A Ball) on this album was not the version featured in that first episode -- it is an approximate remix of what it would have sounded like if it had made it to the first album. There are actually 3 versions of the song featured throughout subsequent episodes of that first season. Originally it was to be slated as the show's theme song, but they opted for the Cassidy vocal "When We're Singin'" which was updated from Season 2 to "Come On, Get Happy".
In regards to "Stephanie" this was a remake of a song from an early Season 1 episode titled "All of the Things" which had the exact same music track with different lyrics.... Do you remember 'Good Times are coming to me, I'm All of the Things that I've wanted to be' ? Why was 'Stephanie' never released is a great question. Actually there are over 30 songs that originally appeared on the series that never made it to albums. Coupled with that there are many versions of album songs that are totally different in their TV versions (different background vocals, instrumentation and often a blunt, or cold stop ending, as opposed to a fade out) These dear friends are what makes those recordngs so sought after in PF fandom!
There are several songs in the first season (and for that matter on the first album) that do not feature David Cassidy on lead vocals. The group harmonies were by session singers John and Tom Bahler, Ron Hicklin and Jackie Ward were more prominent in those recordings until it was determined that Cassidy would be front and centre. One standout is the song on the first album called "To Be Lovers" with Ron Hicklin on lead, and Cassidy doing one verse in the middle of the song. What's funny about it is when it appeared on the show, Cassidy is lip-synching to Hicklin's voice, then to his own voice and finally back to Hicklin's voice again. It's pretty funny.
Perhaps someday we will get all of the unreleased material but for now the only way is off the TV show. In the interim a great new book on the series music is coming from a writer friend of mine Johnny Ray Miller. It will be released by summer. It's called "When We're Singin'" and hopefully this may pave the way for more unreleased music to be issued instead of the plethora of Greatest Hits albums out there.
I've picked up the whole series on DVD along with five studio albums and two of their many Greatest Hits collections. They get a workout on the iPod, that's for sure.
The ultimate book that details each song sung by the Partridge Family. 467 pages.
Book Review: When We’re Singin is a story of the groundbreaking landmark TV series that launched the career of teen idol David Cassidy. The author does a remarkable job revealing behind-the-scenes stories of The Partridge Family from beginning to end and puts a serious focus on the music, which has never been done before in a detailed and quite revealing biography. When We’re Singin’ is Miller’s first book and he did a remarkable job penning an incredibly detailed and comprehensive story. This book is so well-researched, and you can tell from Miller’s writing that he was a fan, he really managed to capture the essence of the show and its music. His attention to detail is awe inspiring as he dug deep, unearthing the stories and inspiration of nearly all of the surviving songwriters who wrote for the show. The real background singers finally get to tell their stories which I found intriguing. During the four year run of the show The Partridge Family never made it to the top 10 in the Nielsen ratings, however the music that came out of the show did make it on the Billboard charts. The television show spawned 10 record singles, 10 albums and created a teen idol in David Cassidy who went on to break attendance records in concert sales and amass huge fan clubs in the process. Johnny Ray Miller, a native of Canton, Ohio, has been an aficionado of The Partridge Family television program and their recorded music from the show’s beginning. Miller is a concert and theatre producer, actor, and director. He has produced and directed live theatre for more than 25 years, and has presented live concert performances by David Cassidy, Davy Jones and many others. Miller also has experience in the film/TV industry as well, having worked on Desperate Housewives, Rules of Engagement, King of Queens, CSI: New York, E.R., Cold Case, Without a Trace, The O.C. and others.. Reading the book you can see the great respect and care Miller had paying tribute to all the incredibly talented singers, actors, musicians, songwriters, executives and crew members who worked on both the show and the music. The music from the TV show (loosely based on The Cowsills) also stood on its own, thanks to the talents of the greatest singers, musicians and musical arrangers. John Bahler, Tom Bahler, (formerly The Love Generation), with Jackie Ward and Ron Hicklin were the real background voices. Musical legends known as The Wrecking Crew including drummer Hal Blaine, guitarists Denis Budimir, Louie Sheldon, Tommy Tedesco, Joe Osborn and Max Bennett all played on these intricately and brilliantly arranged albums, led under the direction of music producer Wes Farrell. The greatest songwriters of the day wrote original music for The Partridge Family albums including Bobby Hart, (producer, The Monkees) Mike Appel & Jim Cretecos, (producers, Bruce Springsteen), Terry Cashman & Tommy West, (producers, Jim Croce) Danny Janssen, Irwin Levine, L. Russell Brown, Paul Anka, Rupert Holmes, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Mark James and the legendary Tony Romeo who penned the Partridge Family #1 smash hit from 1970, I Think I Love You. I was curious how the producers came up with a sound that was reflective of that period of time and also be commercially successful? That question was answered as well as many, many more. In the end the Partridge Family’s music turned out to be an easy listening-adult contemporary sound that was ideal for the early 1970’s pop culture scene. The book chronicles the show from its inception all the way through the final season and beyond. There are more than 100 interviews as the author delved into the heart of the show, which was the music, and explores the band’s unique sound. Another interesting thing I enjoyed learning about was the Partridge Family Bus and the unique role it played in the show. One of the things that really stood out to me was how the book features a track by track commentary on all of the songs from every recording sessions including the unreleased songs and the various versions of each song, and even uncovers some lost verses of never-before-released songs from the show. Nearly all the surviving musicians who played on The Partridge Family records offered up stories, reflections and commentary especially for this book. Many of them have never been interviewed about The Partridge Family before. Author Miller addresses one of the key issues that I’ve had heard over the years that the show was based on the Cowsills which was a family musical group from Rhode Island that had some hit songs in the late 1960’s like; Hair, Indian Lake and the Rain, the Park & Other Things. It turns out they were merely one of the three inspirations that influenced series creator Bernard Slade. In Chapter 0ne titled: The Breezy Beginning you will learn how the producers came up with what would be the distinctive Partridge Family sound which was critical to their success. That all started to come together once Wes Farrell came on board. It turns out Farrell was a prominent force in the music business -especially music oriented towards teens. Some of his successful pop hits of the 60’s were Come A Little Bit Closer, and Hang On Sloopy. While reading the book (and learning how the songs were written) I would go to You Tube and watch clips from the show. That really helped to better understand how everything worked by seeing the finished product come to fruition. After watching well over a dozen clips I came away impressed that those songs were really good and hold up well to this day. In the end after you read When We’re Singin’ you’ll be yearning to listen to those tunes again. This limited edition hard back book is 467 pages and includes a 64-page full color photo section with never-before-seen photos from the personal collections of the cast. So get your copy today and like the theme song of the show used to say “Come On Get Happy.”
