Cowsills, The

1. The Rain, The Park And Other Things

2. The Path Of Love

3. Meet Me At The Wishing Well

4. In Need Of A Friend

5. Mister Flynn

6. Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools

7. We Can Fly

8. Indian Lake

9. Gray, Sunny Day

10. A Time For Remembrance

11. Gotta Get Away From It All

12. Newspaper Blanket

13. Poor Baby

14. Hair

Cowsills, The,The Cowsills,Collectables,Bubblegum,Pop,Rock/Pop,Sunshine Pop,United States of America

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Average customer rating: BROUGHT BACK ALOT OF HAPPY MEMORIES!!! Almost too much nostalgia to bear The best from the ORIGINAL family of pop The Cowsills deserve to be remembered in their own right Good, but one important song missing

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Cowsills The Cowsills Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Pop General | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Oldies | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Best of the Cowsills 25 All-Time Greatest Bubblegum Hits: The Ultimate Bubblegum Collection Painting the Day: The Angelic Psychedelia of the Cowsills Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: A Collection Come on Get Happy! The Very Best of the Partridge Family ASIN: B00005LNG7 Release Date: 2001-06-26

Tracks:

1. Most Of All
2. The Rain, The Park & Other Things
3. We Can Fly
4. In Need Of A Friend
5. Indian Lake
6. Poor Baby
7. Hair
8. The Prophecy Of Daniel & John The Divine (Six-Six-Six)
9. Silver Threads And Golden Needles
10. II X II
11. Love American Style
12. When Everybody's Here

Customer Reviews:

BROUGHT BACK ALOT OF HAPPY MEMORIES!!!.......2006-07-23

This "Best of Cowsills" CD is fantastic!!! I recently purchased it and have enjoyed it so much since! Listening to "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" was nostalgia-provoking - it is such a pretty, romantic song. I was a teeny-bopper when they hit it big, and I had quite a crush on the next to youngest brother, Barry! I am not ashamed to say that I even teared up when I recently heard "Indian Lake" for the first time since the late 60's! I had forgotten what a happy, fun song it was! "We can Fly" is a literally "uplifting" (pardon the pun) song - how can you not feel joyful while listening to it? I always loved their song, "Love American Style" and listening to "Hair" makes you feel like dancing, wherever you are! I hadn't remembered "Poor Baby," "In Need of a Friend" and "II X II" from those days, but I am now a new fan of those songs, as well! What a wonderful album!!! The Cowsill family harmonies are delightfully perfect! Also, the liner notes and pictures are fun to look over. I highly recommend it to others - you'll be glad you purchased it! It'll make you happy, just listening to the songs and remembering (or imagining) a sweeter, more innocent era gone by.

Almost too much nostalgia to bear.......2006-04-13

It takes many years to realize what made an impression on us in our youth. Such was the case with the Cowsills. I forgot how much I loved listening to "The Rain, The Park & Other Things" back when I was all of 11 years old. I purchased "Indian Lake" as a 45 RPM record when it was released, backed by "Newspaper Blanket." The group changed their image with time as they attempted more challenging music. It has been decades since that era, impossibly far away for many, but this music is nostalgic to me, reminding me of an era when I was very young. This CD is perfect for those of us with fond memories of the Cowsills and the late 60s.

My best memories of the Cowsills are the songs I mentioned above along with "Hair" and the theme from the television show "Love American Style." As with many groups, this group was more than just those songs. This collection does hit most of their singles, with the exception of "Path of Love," which fronted "Captain Sad and His Ship of Fools," "The Impossible Years," which fronted "The Candy Kid," and "On My side," which fronted "There Is a Child." These three singles failed to crack the top 100 in the U.S.

The songs appear to be listed in order of when they were released. The year of release and chart position are listed below (for those that I have a chart position):

"Most of All"; released 1966; pop chart peak #118.
"The Rain, The Park & Other Things"; released 1967; pop chart peak #2.
"We Can Fly"; released 1968; pop chart peak #21.
"In Need of a Friend"; released 1968; pop chart peak #54.
"Indian Lake"; released 1968; pop chart peak #10.
"Poor Baby"; released 1968; pop chart peak #44.
"Hair"; released 1969; pop chart peak #2.
"The Prophecy of Daniel & John the Divine (Six-Six-Six)"; released 1969; pop chart peak #75.
"Silver Threads and Golden Needles"; released 1969; pop chart peak #74.
"II X II"; released 1970; did not chart.
"Love American Style"; released 1969 as the B-side of "Silver Threads and Golden Needles."
"When Everybody's Here"; released 1970; did not chart.

The strength of the Cowsills came from their harmonies, which seem to be particularly strong in singing families. Their best songs highlight those harmonies to good effect, making those songs teen and family favorites at the end of the 1960s. It helped that in that turbulent era the family was large and apparently clean-cut, more reminiscent of the early part of the decade and the previous decade.

The endurance of any group is an ephemeral thing. Few remember the Cowsills; unfortunate, because the group did achieve much. The group has more gold records than 2/3's of the performing members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bob Marley once covered Cowsills songs. The group has appeared in events alongside Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and the Beach Boys, among others. The Cowsills burned brightly, just for too short a time.

My usual criticism of collections is that they miss too many songs. In the case of this collection, it does collect most of the group's best material and makes this collection perfect for a casual fan. The Cowsills rose above the bubblegum pop of their time to create a number of memorable songs and a lasting memory for those of us from that era. I think this CD is a good find for those of you who want to get a little misty-eyed about being a kid in the 1960s. Enjoy!

The best from the ORIGINAL family of pop.......2006-02-06

Anyone who thinks the most-recognizable Cowsill song "The Rain,The Park, & Other Things" was just a "minor hit" either wasn't there in the day - or hasn't a clue what this family is all about. The Cowsills are an American legend.. The original icons of the period of SUNSHINE POP ( not to be confused with Bubble-gum, thank you) that came onto the scene and laid the standards for those (Osmonds! Pfft!) who came after them.

Their sound is unique and well harmonized - no matter what subject matter they seem to be singing about. TRTP&OT, simple and beautiful about an imaginary lover is probobly the most recongnizable song they did, along with Indian Lake which has a honkey-tonkey kind of keyboard background to it that more than anything I can think of sounds like "1968". Hair - a far-reach in style for the Cowsills is both complex, and unusual for the band - but it shows how versatile they really were. The REAL version of "Love, American Style" is a happy, up-tempo piece that most closely resembles something you might have heard from the Partridge Family, but still it's a groovy song that makes me instantaneously happy, and proud to be both an American AND a Cowsill fan.

And by the way: not many of their songs were put together by other people.. it's all them.

While this genre of music has come and gone in popularity a few times now, this Greatest Hits collection is truly worth a listen if you want to taste a bit of what the "other" sixties was all about. Simply dismissing them as a "Pop" group is doing yourself, and this amazingly talented group a big disservice.

The Cowsills deserve to be remembered in their own right.......2005-08-06

Today the Cowsills are probably better known as being the real-life inspiration for the television family "The Partridge Family," but they had a couple of minor hits in their own right which justify them being more than footnote in music history. After all, when the title song from the tribal rock musical "Hair" made the Billboard hit list (#2 in 1969) it was pretty much defanged because it was being sung by the Cowsills. The Cowsills were six siblings (Bill, Bob, Barry, John, Susan and Paul) along with mom Barbara, who started as two brothers singing Everly Brothers covers and kept adding members until almost the entire family was accounted for (dad "Bud" was around; he provided the guitars).

Their other minor hits were "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" (#2), "Indian Lake" (#10), and their best original song "We Can Fly" (#21), which meant that in terms of Bubblegum music they were one of the few groups to make more than a couple of dents in the pop charts (obviously the Partridge Family and Tommy Roe represent the exceptions that prove this particular rule). Consequently, this album from the "20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection" pretty much does live up to its name and provides "The Best of the Cowsills." The key to the success of the Cowsills was their sweet family harmonies, which were more in the tradition of the Association than either the Beach Boys or the New Christy Minstrels. The resulting sound is pleasant without becoming insipid, despite your expectations to the contrary.

Ultimately, the comparisons to the Partridge Family in terms of the music the two groups produced are unfounded because the Cowsills are much more of a complete vocal group instead of being backing vocalists for a David Cassidy. Plus, the Cowsills all looked like they were related to each other; no redhead sticking out like a sore thumb in this family. Ironically, by the time "The Partridge Family" was airing on television the Cowsills were basically done as a recording group. Columbia Pictures' television division checked out the Cowsills with thoughts of turning them into a TV family, but it did not pan out and the idea was then fictionalized.

Good, but one important song missing.......2005-03-09

My favorite Cowsills songs are definitely "The Rain, The Park & Other Things" and "What Is Happy". I was disappointed that one of them was missing from this in other ways great compilation.
A pleasant surprise was the "six-six-six"-song that I for some reasons had not noticed before, it is quite good.

Average customer rating: Sunshine Pop at it's best I have always loved the cowsills! R.I.P. BARRY COWSILL Cowsills - 'Best Of The.....' (Rebound) Gotta love them!

The Best of the Cowsills The Cowsills Manufacturer: Umvd Special Markets ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music CDs Under $7 | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Oldies | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Cowsills We Can Fly The Association's Greatest Hits Mercy, Mercy, Mercy: A Collection The Lovin' Spoonful - Greatest Hits ASIN: B0000047Q7 Release Date: 1995-04-16

Tracks:

1. The Rain, The Park And Other Things
2. The Path Of Love
3. Meet Me At The Wishing Well
4. In Need Of A Friend
5. Mister Flynn
6. Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools
7. We Can Fly
8. Indian Lake
9. Gray, Sunny Day
10. A Time For Remembrance
11. Gotta Get Away From It All
12. Newspaper Blanket
13. Poor Baby
14. Hair

Customer Reviews:

Sunshine Pop at it's best.......2007-01-18

I dont understand the negative reviews of this album. It is what it is...The Cowsills. If you liked them THEN you'll like them now. In addition to the hits you get some nice 'bubble-psych' songs too. 'We Can Fly' should ahve been a much bigger hit. Dig Sunshine Pop? You'll dig this one then.

I have always loved the cowsills!.......2006-11-14

I always wanted a cowsills album when I was growing up...never got one, until now. Much better than those 45's!

R.I.P. BARRY COWSILL.......2006-01-31

THIS IS REALLY NOT A REVIEW BUT MORE OF A NOTIFICATION THAT BARRY COWSILL WAS LOST IN THE STORM IN NEW ORLEANS DURING "HURRICANE KATRINA", R.I.P. BARRY.

Cowsills - 'Best Of The.....' (Rebound).......2005-06-25

True life version of the TV family the Partridge Family.Only The Cowsills,were of course 'real' performers.They existed as such from 1966-71.Showing many just how much fun harmless sunshine pop can be.I realize the term 'sunshine pop' sounds really lame,but the Cowsills were actually pretty hip for their time,anyway.There's(or WAS)Bill,John,Barry,Paul,Bob,little sister Susan and mom Barbara(R.I.P.).Tunes that I remember always being a pleasure to listen to are here on this CD compilation like "The Rain,The Park And Other Things","Meet Me At The Wishing Well","Gray Sunny Day" and the unforgetable "Hair"(my favorite).I remember playing the 45 single until I literally worn the record out.Should for sure appeal to fans of Mamas&Papas,Association,the Osmonds,Tommy Roe and Bobby Sherman.

Gotta love them!.......2005-03-19

I found this CD years ago when I was desperate to hear some of my favorite tunes by The Cowsills and it seemed to be the only one around at the time. There are several others around now (I'd recommend the 20th Century Masters), but this one isn't bad either, if you can overlook the less than spectacular sound qualities. By the time I'd found this one, I was so overjoyed to hear the sweet harmonies of Barbara and the kids that I blasted it all over the neighborhood...twice! The hits sound just as good as ever. "Hair" never sounds right coming from anyone else---it just doesn't if you grew up with The Cowsills' version. "The Rain, The Park And Other Things" is still as glittering as rain through sunlight, and "Indian Lake" is just plain fun! (Tell me with a straight face that the war whoop doesn't make you giddy)! It's a pity that this one doesn't have the "Love, American Style" theme, but they make up for it with "Poor Baby" and "Gray, Sunny Day."

Though their reality was never cute and cuddly like that of "The Partridge Family" characters they inspired, their music had a far more ethereal and lovely quality than Bell Records was ever able to manufacture for David Cassidy and company. (And people forget that "The Partridge Family" was originally a proposed vehicle to bring The Cowsills back to television after their successful TV special). To this day, it amazes and saddens me that people hear The Cowsills in commercials so often and yet have no idea who they are, especially when they were such a big part of my childhood. I remember arguing back and forth with my schoolmates about which of the boys was the cutest and waiting for them to appear in the next issue of Tiger Beat or 16! (John got my vote; he was a doll)! Yep, those Cowsill boys were all pin-up idols for a time, and we girls were mighty jealous of Susie for getting to grow up amongst them. (We also felt a bit badly for her for always getting the same haircut as her brothers)! It was somehow comforting years later to see Bob playing gigs around town, just as it is to still be able to hear Susan's harmonies with her band, The Continental Drifters. My friends and I grew up treasuring this family's music and wished that our moms could be as cool as "Mini-Mom." It's great to be able to listen to those flawless harmonies anytime I want to now (without all the vinyl bacon popping), if just to bring a bit of sunshine into my own gray, sunny day.

Average customer rating: Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair 1969 - The Greatest Year In Popular Music? The 60's rock

AM Gold: 1969 The Cowsills , The Flying Machine , Nilsson , Diana Ross and the Supremes , Three Dog Night , Jay and the Americans , The Cuff Links , The Turtles , Brooklyn Bridge , and The Youngbloods Manufacturer: Time Life Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music Similar Items: AM Gold: 1968 1967 Am Gold AM Gold - 1965 AM Gold: 1966 Am Gold: 60's Generation ASIN: B000E3BWAU

Product Description

1. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me - Diana Ross & The Supremes & The Temptations~~~2. Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head - B.J. Thomas~~~3. Hair - The Cowsills~~~4. Put a Little Love in Your Heart - Jackie DeShannon~~~5. Smile a Little Smile for Me - The Flying Machine~~~6. These Eyes - The Guess Who~~~7. Someday We'll Be Together - Diana Ross & The Supremes~~~8. Traces - Classics IV~~~9. Everybody's Talkin' - Nilsson~~~10. Easy to be Hard - Three Dog Night~~~11. This Girl's In Love With You - Dionne Warwick~~~12. Good Morning Starshine - Oliver~~~13. This Magic Moment - Jay & the Americans~~~14. Wedding Bell Blues - The 5th Dimension~~~15. What Does It Take (to Win Your Love) - Jr. Walker & the All Stars~~~16. Love (Can Make You Happy) - Mercy~~~17. Baby It's You - Smith~~~18. Tracy - The Cuff Links~~~19. Worst That Could Happen - Brooklyn Bridge~~~20. Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & the Shondells~~~21. You Showed Me - The Turtles~~~22. Get Together - The Youngbloods.

Customer Reviews:

Gimme a head with hair, long beautiful hair.......2007-03-16

Looking for the commercial versions of the songs you loved most from the tribal rock opera, HAIR? This CD is the one you are looking for! The only other one you will need is the Best of the 5th Dimension. (Why "Aquarius" got left off this AM Gold CD is beyond me....)

1969 - The Greatest Year In Popular Music?.......2006-06-20

If compilations were an accurate measure of the greatness of a particular year in popular this Time-Life disc would make an excellent argument that 1969 may have been the greatest year in American popular music in the 20th century. Complilations will always be lacking for one reason or another. For example, on this discs there are no British bands represented. Neither are the West Coast superstars (Doors, Hendrix, CSN, Airplane...the list goes on). But even with the omission of those giants this is a great compilation. It is strongly evocative of the late 60's, Good Morning Starshine and Hair (from the musical of the same name), the songwriting talent of Laura Nyro (Wedding Bell Blues), some solid Motown (Someday We'll Be Together & What Does It Take), Canadian pop (the Guess Who & Jessie Colin Young), Midwest Psychedelic (Crimison & Clover)and more. If you were really a kid listening to AM radio you will know and appreciate each of these songs. And that's why '69 was such a great year for music, even the left-overs qualify as classic rock-pop.

The 60's rock.......2006-06-08

I love 60's and 70's music the best of everything. I grew up with it because my folks are older than most parents.1969 is a great year of music with smile a little smile for me as my favroite song. I don't like the music the kids like to today it is awful. Rap no way. Heavy Metal yuck. It is time for the oldies to be the only thing on the radio agian.

Average customer rating: More Than the Neophyte Fan Needs, But a Fitting Tribute

Painting the Day: The Angelic Psychedelia of the Cowsills The Cowsills Manufacturer: El Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Just Believe It We Can Fly My Mind Goes High: Psychedelic Pop Nuggets from the WEA Vaults 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Cowsills More of the Monkees ASIN: B000EHTNXO Release Date: 2006-04-03

Tracks:

1. Rain, the Park and Other Things
2. Dreams of Linda
3. Could It Be, Let Me Know
4. Siamese Cat
5. We Can Fly
6. Mr. Flynn
7. Beautiful Beige
8. Indian Lake
9. Fantasy World of Harry Faversham
10. Painting the Day
11. Hair
12. Love American Style
13. II x II
14. I Really Want to Know You
15. Start to Love
16. Signs
17. Goodtime Charlie
18. Anything Changes
19. Silver Threads and Golden Needles
20. Night Shift
21. Prophecy of Daniel and John the Divine
22. Don't Look Back
23. Father

Album Description

Compilation from the ultimate American teen act of sunshine pop psych, possibly only rivaled by the Monkees in terms of popularity in the genre. And they didn't even come from California!! The difference is the Cowsills were a real family band, formed by their father Bud Cowsill at the time of Beatlemania, and featuring his four sons, one daughter and wife. Their hits crossed over very quickly from being fun-for-all-the-family prime time pop to hippy anthems. Rivaled only by the Free Design in terms of sheer vocal dexterity, they released several classic singles including 'The Rain, The Park And Other Things'. All are included here on this compilation of the finest harmony vocal pop you will ever hear. EL. 2006.

Album Details

Digitally Remastered Collection of the Late 1960's Hit Making Family Band Whose Lives Inspired the the TV Series "The Partridge Family". With Regular Variety Show Appearances on American Bandstand, the Ed Sullivan Show, the Andy Williams Show, Mike Douglas Show, Happening 68 and Many Others, their Profile was Constantly in View of the Record Buying Public. This 23 Track Compilation Brings their Significant Hits and the Best of their Superb Vocal Psychedelia and the Tracks of the Entire Acid Concept Album "11 X 11" Appearing Digitally for the First Time Anywhere in the World.

Customer Reviews:

More Than the Neophyte Fan Needs, But a Fitting Tribute.......2006-06-22

For a group that had only four hit singles during its 2-year chart run, PAINTING THE DAY is the fourth greatest hits collection of The Cowsills' sunshine pop.

And let's face it, they were essentially a singles group. The only studio album to crack the Hot 100 LP chart was their self-titled MGM debut album (which contained "The Rain the Park, & Other Things")--it peaked at No. 31 in 1967. Even their BEST OF THE COWSILLS did no better than No. 127 two years later.

But that doesn't take away from the infectious hooks and tight harmonies that were the trademarks of such hits as "We Can Fly," "Indian Lake" and "Hair." And this compilation cranks up the nastolgia factor by also including their performance of the "Love American Style" TV theme.

What makes PAINTING THE DAY different from the other anthologies available is that it includes their 1970 album II X II in its entirety (tracks 13-23). It's an interesting (although not essential) artifact which shows the group encorporating a more psychedelic approach. "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" and "Prophecy of Daniel and John the Divine" were released as singles, but only reached No. 74 and No. 75 respectively.

The Cowsills were a truly family affair, with Mom Barbara and her children comprising the group and Dad Bud managing. [They were the inspiration for the TV series "The Partridge Family."] However, by 1972, the hits dried up and the band went their separate ways. In 1985, Barbara died; in 2005 Barry drowned in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and just this year Bill died of cancer. This compilation makes a fitting tribute to their legacy. RECOMMENDED

Average customer rating: Hits and album tracks from '60s family pop band In the history of Bubblegum pop, the Cowsills deserve to be remembered on their own

The Best of the Cowsills The Cowsills Manufacturer: Collectables ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: We Can Fly Painting the Day: The Angelic Psychedelia of the Cowsills Just Believe It The Best of the Cowsills 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Cowsills ASIN: B00069TUBU Release Date: 2004-06-08

Tracks:

1. The Rain, The Park And Other Things
2. The Path Of Love
3. Meet Me At The Wishing Well
4. In Need Of A Friend
5. Mister Flynn
6. Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools
7. We Can Fly
8. Indian Lake
9. Gray, Sunny Day
10. A Time For Remembrance
11. Gotta Get Away From It All
12. Newspaper Blanket
13. Poor Baby
14. Hair

Customer Reviews:

Hits and album tracks from '60s family pop band.......2007-05-10

As the real life family band upon which TV's Partridge Family was modeled, these six teen siblings and their mother turned out memorable, harmony-laden late-60s sunshine pop. Although their first few singles sputtered, the addition to the group of their mother, Barbara, turned the tide for 1967's superb "The Rain, The Park and Other Things." Against an arrangement led by light organ and drums, the harp glissandos and full family harmonies are swept up in the loving emotions of that tremendous year.

The group charted three more hits in 1968 and 1969. The title track from their "We Can Fly" LP features more soaring family harmonies and angelic harp, but with more of a West coast sunshine pop melody. "Indian Lake" is sweet bubblegum, but cleverly produced with honky-tonk piano and a taste of theramin on the introduction. The group's biggest success came with their cover of the title song from the rock musical "Hair," winningly turning their group harmonies a shade funkier and heavier.

Though inevitably compared to the TV family they inspired, the Cowsills were an actual group who wrote, played and sang the majority of their own music. Beyond the quartet of hits, they recorded engaging light-rock and pop, including the gospel-tinged "Path of Love," choral "Mister Flynn," bubblegum funk "Gotta Get Away From it All," chamber-pop "Newspaper Blanket," and barbershop harmony soul "Poor Baby."

These 14-tracks include the 12 on the group's original 1968 MGM "Best Of" LP, adding the 1968 LP track "Meet Me at the Wishing Well" and the 1969 hit single "Hair." This is similar to the 12-track "20th Century Masters" collection issued in 2001, but falls short of the recently issued 23-track "Painting the Day: The Angelic Psychedelia of the Cowsills." Both of these latter collections include the requisite helping of hits and add the non-charting theme to TV's "Love American Style," which is missing here. The "Painting the Day" collection also includes the the entirety of the group's 1970 folk-rock "II x II" LP, but at twice the price of the slimmer anthologies. [©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]

In the history of Bubblegum pop, the Cowsills deserve to be remembered on their own.......2006-06-26

Today the Cowsills are probably better known as being the real-life inspiration for the television family "The Partridge Family," but they had a couple of minor hits in their own right which justify them being more than footnote in music history. After all, when the title song from the tribal rock musical "Hair" made the Billboard hit list (#2 in 1969) it was pretty much defanged because it was being sung by the Cowsills. The Cowsills were six siblings (Bill, Bob, Barry, John, Susan and Paul) along with mom Barbara, who started as two brothers singing Everly Brothers covers and kept adding members until almost the entire family was accounted for (dad "Bud" was around; he provided the guitars).

Their other minor hits were "The Rain, the Park and Other Things" (#2), "Indian Lake" (#10), and their best original song "We Can Fly" (#21) with its big chorus, which meant that in terms of Bubblegum music they were one of the few groups to make more than a couple of dents in the pop charts (obviously the Partridge Family and Tommy Roe represent the exceptions that prove this particular rule). Consequently, "The Best of the Cowsills" succeeds in living up to its title. The key to the success of the Cowsills was their sweet family harmonies, which were more in the tradition of the Mamas & the Papas or Association than either the Beach Boys or the New Christy Minstrels. The resulting sound is pleasant without becoming insipid, despite your expectations to the contrary.

Ultimately, the comparisons to the Partridge Family in terms of the music the two groups produced are unfounded because the Cowsills are much more of a complete vocal group instead of being backing vocalists for a David Cassidy. Plus, the Cowsills all looked like they were related to each other; no redhead sticking out like a sore thumb in this family. Ironically, by the time "The Partridge Family" was airing on television the Cowsills were basically done as a recording group. Columbia Pictures' television division checked out the Cowsills with thoughts of turning them into a TV family, but it did not pan out and the idea was then fictionalized.

Average customer rating:

CAPTAIN SAD AND HIS SHIP OF FOOLS AND 2 X2 COWSILLS Manufacturer: COWCHIP RECORDS ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000KTAFNI

Average customer rating: Poor remastering ruins a classic reissue.

We Can Fly The Cowsills Manufacturer: Collector's Choice ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: Painting the Day: The Angelic Psychedelia of the Cowsills 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Cowsills Just Believe It The Best of the Cowsills The Best of the Cowsills ASIN: B000BR6D9O Release Date: 2005-12-06

Tracks:

1. We Can Fly [Mono Album Version]
2. Gray, Sunny Day
3. Heaven Held
4. Time for Remembrance
5. Gotta Get Away from It All
6. What Is Happy, Baby
7. I Need a Friend
8. Yesterday's Girl
9. Beautiful Beige
10. Mister Flynn
11. One Man Show

Album Description

Yes, the Cowsill brothers were the real-life inspiration for the Partridge Family, but by this, their third album for MGM released in 1969, they had moved beyond the bubblegum into a whole new, art pop realm. You'll hear Kinks and especially Beatles influences on these lightly psychedelic songs, with great production touches, orchestral flourishes and, of course, superb harmonies. In short, this is a flat-out sunshine pop classic, here reissued with new notes featuring new Cowsills quotes...a Collectors' Choice Music exclusive!

Customer Reviews:

Poor remastering ruins a classic reissue........2005-12-21

My mother bought "We Can Fly" for me in a discount store cutout bin in the early 70's when I was a kid. Despite the album being a few years old by then, it's been a favorite of mine ever since due to its great songwriting, huge orchestral arrangements that almost rival "Pet Sounds" and those always wonderful Cowsills family harmonies.

Many 60's Soft Pop fans and the Cowsills themselves consider "We Can Fly" to be thier best album. Compared to the group's first album and early singles which used mostly outside songwriters, this LP was the first album that the group self-produced and wrote themselves. Despite the album's high quality it wound up being a weak seller and a disapontment to MGM Records, which dumped deleted copies into the $2.99 album discount bins for years. Honestly, I never thought it would ever be reissued due to its low sales.

That said, I was happily surprised to see this album finally on compact disc and anxiously awaited it's arrival. When I first played the CD, I was quickly disapointed at the careless remastering. This CD has been remastered "Out of Phase" - which means the polarity of the left and right channels has been reversed. If you play this CD on a good stereo with the "Mono" buttion enabled the lead vocals mixed in the center will disapear. And if you listen in stereo (especally on headphones), the lead vocals will sound like they are behind you, instead of up front where they should be. This is NOT the way the original Stereo MGM album was mixed and originally mastered on vinyl (and I own 3 copies of it). The tracks from this album on the Polydor/Rebound Cowsills "Best Of" CD are not out of phase either!

To add insult, the track listing on the back is totally incorrect, more proof of a careless sloppy rush job. The track "We Can Fly" appears in its true stereo LP form on this release, not the mono 45 single version.

When I e-mailed Collectors Choice about the remastering, I got a response a few days later saying "When albums are remastered, they sometimes sound different" (well DUH!). This only goes to show that Collectors Choice does not care about the way thier music sounds, only that people buy it. Classy record reissue companies like Sundazed, Rhino and Ace Records in the UK take the time to make sure everything on a CD is correct before its approved for manufacturing.

I reluctantly suggest staying away from buying this reissue, unless Collectors Choice fixes this remastering problem.

Average customer rating:

The Rain, the Park & Other Things The Cowsills Manufacturer: Polygram Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Pop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Painting the Day: The Angelic Psychedelia of the Cowsills We Can Fly 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Cowsills Just Believe It ASIN: B00006ILQ1 Release Date: 1995-06-19

Tracks:

1. Rain, the Park & Other Things
2. Path of Love
3. Meet Me at the Wishing Well
4. In Need of a Friend
5. Mister Flynn
6. Captain Sad and His Ship of Fools
7. We Can Fly
8. Indian Lake
9. Gray, Sunny Day
10. Time for Remembrance
11. Gotta Get Away from It All
12. Newspaper Blanket
13. Poor Baby [Mono Version]
14. Hair

Album Description

Budget price 14-track collection for the real-life inspiration behind the hit television series, The Partridge Family. Karussell. 1988.

Average customer rating:

Superhits: 1967 (Time Life Music) The Bee Gees , Stone Poneys , Harpers Bizarre , Bobby Vee and the Strangers , The Casinos , Petula Clark , The Monkees , Bobbie Gentry , The Young Rascals , and Spanky and Our Gang Manufacturer: Time Life Music ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000SJUXGE

Product Description

Released by Time Life Music . SONG LIST :1. Up-Up And Away---The 5th Dimension 2.Happy Together--The Turtles 3.Daydream Believer--- The Monkees 4. Dedicated to the One I Love---The Mamas and The Papas 5. How Can I Be Sure---The Young Rascals 6. Sunday Will Never Be the Same--- Spanky and Our Gang 7. I Second That Emotion---Smokey Robinson and The Miracles 8. 98.6--- Keith 9. I Say a Little Prayer--- Dionne Warwick 10. To Love Somebody---The Bee Gees 11. Tell It like It Is--- Aaron Neville 12.Windy---The Association 13.Don't Sleep in the Subway--- Petula Clark 14. Come Back When You Grow Up--- Bobby Vee and The Strangers 15. Different Drum--- Stone Poneys 16. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)--- Harper's Bizarre 17. The Rain, the Park And Other Things---The Cowsills 18. Love Is Here And Now You're Gone---The Supremes 19. (The Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts---The Bee Gees 20. Green, Green Grass of Home---Tom Jones 21. Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye--- The Casinos 22.Ode to Billie Joe- Bobbie Gentry

Average customer rating: The Cowsills arrived with their first MGM album in 1967. Cowsills Fans Only

The Cowsills The Cowsills Manufacturer: Razor & Tie ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music Bubblegum | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Power Pop | Rock | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Pop Rock | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Oldies | Pop | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Cowsills We Can Fly Painting the Day: The Angelic Psychedelia of the Cowsills The Best of the Cowsills ASIN: B000002Z87 Release Date: 1994-06-28

Tracks:

1. The Rain, The Park, And Other Things
2. Pennies
3. La Rue Du Soleil
4. Thinkin' About The Other Side
5. Dreams Of Linda
6. River Blue
7. Gettin' Into That Sunny, Sunny Feelin' Again
8. That's My Time Of The Day
9. Troubled Roses
10. (Stop, Look) Is Anyone There?
11. How Can I Make You See
12. (Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need
13. Love American Style
14. The Impossible Years

Customer Reviews:

The Cowsills arrived with their first MGM album in 1967........1999-02-15

The 1967 album that showcases the Cowsills' first great 45, "The Rain, the Park and other Things," offers a winsome trip back to the greatest year of 60s pop music. While "Rain" is the outstanding track on this album, several others will interest fans of their sound (which features some of the brightest harmonies of the 60s). Here it's all the boys (later on the "Mini-Mom" Barbara and her daughter Susan got in on it). Highlights of this album include "Dreams of Linda" and "La Rue du Soleil," about an attraction to a jeune fille in a Paris street cafe that ends disappointingly (it has a charming accordion background). Fans of Hendrix and Joplin will find this material bland (Hendrix trashed the Beach Boys too), but those who retain some 60s innocence will get into it. I reheard all my Cowsills albums last month, and in replaying this one I was pleasantly surprised by side 2, which I hadn't listened to closely. Razor & Tie did us a favor issuing it -- I just wish some other Cowsills albums, like Captain Sad and His Ship of Fools (1968) and II X II (1971), could get onto CD. The Cowsills' bright sound suffers badly on scratched vinyl. R&T has done a solid job remastering this one. Recommended, especially to those who like their hits and want to hear more.

Cowsills Fans Only.......1998-06-21

Though it contains their breakthrough hit ("The Rain, The Park, and Other Things") and the elusive theme from "Love American Style," only diehard fans of the family should pick this up, as most of the songs are not up to the quality of later hits. Good sound and interesting liner notes.

Meditation Music:

1. Cry Me a River [CD-single]
2. Dark Eyes [EP]
3. Del Rubio Triplets Anthology
4. Die Hungry [Explicit Lyrics]
5. Down Memory Lane
6. Everytime, Pt. 1 [CD-single] [Import]
7. Fab 4 on 6
8. Finishing the Act : Act One Finales from Broadway
9. Five Upstart Americans
10. Flatulina's Fabulous Holiday Spectacular [Enhanced]

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

Fine Line [CD-single] [Import]

Prokofiev: Sur le Borysthene (On the Dnieper), Op.51/Romeo & Juliete/The Year 1941, symphonic suite, Op.90

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos 2, 3 & 5

Music: Blah Blah/Welcome to the Afterfuture [CD-single]

Ministry of Sound: Chillout Sessions - Ibiza 2002 [Import]

Manhattan Doo Wop, Vol. 2

Music through the Dark

Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out

One [Import]

Mendelssohn, Bruch: Violin Concertos

Mar's Bars

Liberacion

La Conspiracion [Import]

Giddy Up

My Girl: The Very Best of the Temptations