It's always been a joke amongst me and my friends: Mike owns Partridge Family records. I could offer the explanation that, one year, my grandparents brought me a big box of records that my mother and her sisters had declined to take with them when they moved out, and I kept all of them; that these also included the first Osmond Brothers' record, Saturday Night Fever, Grease (the one record I threw into the incinerator out of the whole batch), and three Partridge albums; but that these also included the first seven excellent Elton John albums, Crosby Stills & Nash (& Young), and a well-preserved Beatles' 45 that turned out to be worth $200, so there. And that's a hell of an explanation, but it doesn't do much to explain why I kept the Partridges. I'm not actually sure why I did, except that they're hot collectors' items now, and owning them really says, "Man, that Mike West, he listens to everything!"
Well. I have a system with my records. They sit in a big gold trunk (sometimes known as the Ark of the Covenant) next to my ancient but wonderful record player (always known as EXCALIBUR) with the top propped open and two stacks of records standing up inside it. One of these is the Most Sacred of Sacreds, my beloved, decrepit copy of the Moody Blues' Days of Future Passed that is my most cherished possession; the other changes every week. I take a record out and put it on the second stack for a week, during which I MUST play that record at least once. This both shows off my collection to guests and keeps me from having scores and scores of albums I never play. One thing you probably know is that when you only play an album every now and then (which is inevitably the way this turns out), you are always re-discovering something you like on the album, then forgetting about it, and repeat.
Well, this week's record was that stirring 1970 debut, The Partridge Family Album. And I really wasn't looking forward to putting on such blatantly trashy, artistically bankrupt music.
I'm listening to it now.
...It's really effin' good.
Now, you and I both know that you've secretly always kind of liked "I Think I Love You". Admit it. It's silly, mindless bubblegum, but goddammit, it's got hooks out to here, and despite the obvious teenybopper appeal of both his face and his voice, David Cassidy really can sing.
Article comments
1 - GoHah
My favorite: Partridge Family & Nico--it's the one with the chewed bubblegum on the cover that you can peel away.
2 - J. P. Spencer
The Partridge Family record SHOULD age well. Some of the best studio talent in the business (including legendary drummer Hal Blaine) played on "The Partridge Family Album". These guys had played on hundreds of records by the time these sessions rolled around.
To throw in a harpsichord on a track is unheard of now. Pity.
3 - Sister Ray
GoHah, you gave me an early-morning chuckle.
Michael, "I Think I Love You" is the only Partridge Family song I remember, but you're not off base on the comparison between those particular songs.
4 - Elvira Black
Michael:
You are a brilliant, brilliant man!
I think we may be in Vulcan mind-meld territory as far as Days of Future Passed is concerned--I played the grooves right outta that baby back in the day. First album I ever got stoned to. Oh, the epiphanies!
And hey, the Partridge Family may be a bit "dated," but savoring and appreciating them in retrospect is a prime example of postmodern analysis at its finest.
5 - Michael J. West
Thank you Elvira! Anyone who understands the joys of Days of Future Passed is at least as brilliant as I.
Of course, you might argue that I, being born in 1979, had no choice but to savor and appreciate them in retrospect. :-)
6 - zingzing
which beatles 45 was that? didn't i buy you a beatles 45 in germany? or did i just think about it... i don't remember... so long ago.
7 - Michael J. West
"4 by the Beatles." It was a four-song promo for the Capitol album, Beatles '65.
8 - Vern Halen
Pick up the remasted greatest hits (whatever it's called) - you can hear those "studio hacks" bang out "Together (Having a Ball)" - a great missing piece of faceless power pop.
9 - David
Great article Michael.
The reputation of The Partridge Family has not been served well by "I Think I Love You" having become a typification of their music. That particular song may be catchy (it did, by the way, deserve placement under the banner of "innocuous bubblegum"), but the level of quality of "I Think..." doesn't properly represent the high quality of a good deal of The Partridges' music. In short, there's nothing substantial to back up feeling ashamed of liking The Partridges. I consider myself to know something or two about music (among my fav's by far are The Beatles), and I can tell you ... in the Partridges canon is some excellent music; there are just a few (interesting) factors that have kept it from earning the significant critical recognition it deserves.