Sound Magazine / Shopping Bag

"Seriously Dad? WTH, The Partridge Family?" asked my 18 year old son when he saw the CD on my desk. I said yes, The Partridge Family. Then I popped it in the CD player, turned it way up, told him to just shut up and listen...then I played it. He was shocked. He couldn't believe the quality of these songs and he told me he didn't know that this music was so good. The friggin' CD is now in his car. This is a kid who is hip, cool, smart and loves rap, hard rock and some country. Now he tells me some of these songs are stuck in his head and can't let go . This is a 100% true story.He learned a secret that I have known for 40 years.FACT: The songwriters on EVERY song were notoriously great writers and the best of the best back in the day.FACT: The studio musicians and the background studio singers were world class and well known throughout the industry.FACT: David Cassidy can not only sing, but was one of the best singers in that era and honestly may have one of the best pop male voices ever.FACT: Think auto tune is a new thing? No one really knows this, but they actually recorded Cassidy, then manipulated the voice "up" a bit to make him sound younger.OPINION: The words to these songs are a bit pop-ish and eh, BUT the arrangements, composing and music itself is some of the best ever in the pop rock era. I believe sincerely, that if The Guess Who, BTO, Grand Funk, Three Dog Night, America or any other 70's classic rock bands/artists wrote these songs, they would be considered classics. I also think that if these songs were written and used by any contemporary pop artist(s) such as Bieber, they would go through the roof.OPINION: Most people laugh, like my son did, at the whole Partridge Family situation and songs. Actually, I think that most people who didn't grow up with them scoffs at the notion of listening to these hits.However, I DARE anyone to listen, with speakers cranked to One Night Stand, I'm On My Way Back Home or Love Is All I Ever Needed to name a few, and really, honestly from the bottom of their heart tell me they aren't 3 of some of the greatest songs they ever heard. And, if they were written and sung by any 70's rock HOF inductee, that they wouldn't have loved it. And that's just 3 of them There are many many more on this CD and others by TPF.The CD quality is just fine. Take chance and get this. The music is WAY WAY better than most of the garbage out today.A silly family band sitcom does NOT mean silly music. This stuff is amazing.

This album brings back childhood memories for me as a kid living in Gillette, NJ with my family in the summer of '72. Not only was this the first album I purchased with my own allowance money, it was first album EVER. Before getting this album back then I purchased the singles of the day at a Walworth's in Bernardsville, NJ which I listened to on the radio, namely WABC 77 AM[Whenever the Partridge Family was played on that station, "Cousin Brucie" Morrow used to also say "Partridge Cartridge"]. I even had 3 Partridge 45s-"I Think I Love You"; "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted"; and "I'll Meet You Halfway" before getting this album. I first discovered this in a magazine[No pun on the title here] where they selling records and tapes of the day through a record club offer. The album cover itself was eye-catching group shot-wise and it was probably the first time anyone ever noticed the "new" Chris Partridge(Brian Forster) shortly before the series' second season premiere of ABC's 1971 Fall line-up. I was a little late in purchasing this album and when I finally did I was delighted.MAGAZINE was filled with songs that were featured throughout the Partridge Family's second season with the exception of the album's lead-off track "One Night Stand"[Which was featured one of the third season's episodes]; "Brown Eyes" and "You Don't Have To Tell Me", which were basically album track fillers. The most common tracks on this third Partridge album are "Echo Valley 2-6809"(Co-written by "Pina Colada" singer Rupert Holmes); "I'm On My Way Back Home"; "Summer Days"; "I Would Have Loved You Anyway"; "Twenty-Four Hours A Day" and "I Woke Up In Love This Morning"[My main favorite here]. "Rainmaker" was by the writing team of Wes Farrell[Producer of this album], Jim Cretecos and Mike Appel[Bruce Springsteen's first manager]. The album's closing track "Love Is All I Ever Needed" was written by Wes Farrell and David Cassidy(!).But of course the musicians used on SOUND MAGAZINE were studio musicians known as the "Wrecking Crew" such as Hal Blaine(Drums), Max Bennett(Bass), Louie Shelton and Dennis Budimir(Guitar), Mike Melvoin and Larry Knechtel(Piano) plus background voices by John Bahler, Tom Bahler, Jackie Ward and Ron Hicklin. The main Partridge voices were Shirley Jones and David Cassidy. Not only that, but on the back of the album they also listed "favorite things" of Shirley and David such as food, drink, dessert, color, song and miscellaneous. What I also found fascinating was that they had the album fashioned as a magazine cover and article-wise on the back.This is a replacement copy of what I used to have on vinyl which I regrettably gave away along with the 3 Partridge singles among other 45s in my collection a decade later before graduating from high school as I moved from Millington to Plainfield[Within New Jersey]. I'm glad I have this CD reissue. Plus it's good to note the Bell Records logo remains on this disc even though it's on Buddah Records. Same recording, anyway. Two things to point out here prior to getting this CD. The first thing was in the Spike Lee movie Crooklyn was the scene where the kids were in their bedroom watching the Partridge Family on their TV singing out aloud along to "I Woke Up In Love This Morning" and the second was back in the mid-to-late 90s when Rosie O'Donnell and Penny Marshall did a K-Mart commercial and this was the Partridge Family CD that Rosie O'Donnell was holding. Those two things prove I haven't forgotten this album even though I gave away my original vinyl Bell Records copy.A treasure to remember and I'm glad to have it again.

This is music I grew up with watching the Partridge Family show. David Cassidy was cheated so much with his talent. There are a lot of good songs on this disc. There are some that are not on here but the selection is great. He had a bit of the sound of Freddie Mercury when Queen sings Your My Best Friend. Don't miss out.

Join teen heartthrob David Cassidy and the gang for their third and final album:Amazon. ___________Perhaps Amazon needs a bit of an education. This was hardly the final album of David Cassidy and the Partridge Family. There were four others aftwards, although they may not have been quie as popular as the first three.As for "Sound Magazine", Cassidy definitely reached his highest point. Although "I Think I Love You" from the first album was their greatest song, this third album is arguably their finest album.

I was so excited to see this CD offered at such a reasonable price. I loved this album as a kid; played it to death. There are a couple of songs on here not found on greatest hits CD’s such as “rainmaker” which is a great song. CD is high quality.

Had to add this one to my collection, because it contains three of the Partridge Family's best ever songs: "Summer Days", "I Would Have Loved You Anyway" and David Cassidy's co-written, "Love is All I Ever Needed". The musicianship is tight, and boy, can David sing. He was very underrated as a vocalist, all anyone ever focused on was his teen idol status. I believe his voice would be considered a tenor (?) and he was at full strength on this collection, very strong. Excellent harmonies here too as usual. This one is a must-have.

I am working my way through the back catalogue of the Partridge Family ( I missed out completely back in the 1970's, so I'm finally catching up) and this album has two of my favourite songs so far : 'Brown Eyes' and 'Echo Valley'. The arrangements are very 1960's/1970's but once you get past that, the songs are uplifting and great to singalong in the car!Although David was marketed as a Teen Idol, he actually had great talent and charisma, which was overlooked at the time (except by his fans of course) and this music was treated as bubblegum/throwaway. Here I am 47 years later enjoying the music for the first time, so it doesn't say much for the opinion of the music press at the time does it!

I bought this in 1971 and knew all the words to all the songs. I played it again the other week and guess what? I remembered most of the lyrics to the songs. I know that only Cassidy and Shirley Jones did any singing but I loved it at the time. Now I might listen to a couple of tracks but that is it. It is not on my WTF is this for shelf because I am addicted to nostalgia and it will come out every few months/years. I think Brown Eyes and Echo Valley 26809 are my favourites.

Another album of great 70s music. David himself said this was the best Partridge Family album produced and he isn't far wrong.

This is a great cd I love all the songs and if you are a David Cassidy you we love it too.

Great bit of nostalgia, superb