DAVID CASSIDY & THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY : THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION

 

  1. I Think I Love You
  2. I Woke Up in Love This Morning
  3. I'll Meet You Halfway
  4. Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted
  5. Cherish
  6. It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love)
  7. Am I Losing You
  8. I am a Clown
  9. Could It Be Forever
  10. How Can I Be Sure
  11. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
  12. Rock Me Baby
  13. Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque
  14. Looking Through the Eyes of Love
  15. Friend and a Lover
  16. Daydreamer
  17. If I Didn't Care
  18. Walking in the Rain
  19. Some Kind of a Summer
  20. Please Please Me

Label : Arista

Length : 61:56

Released : 2001

Review (AllMusic) : For most, this 18-song disc can easily be considered a Definitive Collection. It exceeds the only other notable Partridge Family Greatest Hits CD (1989) by over half-a-dozen tracks, and also contains a few of David Cassidy's top solo sides as well. Copping pages from both the Monkees' manufactured-for-TV songs, and the real-life pop/rock family, the Cowsills, the Partridge Family was a weekly prime time sitcom that ran on ABC-TV from September 25, 1970 through August 31, 1974. Further mimicking the Monkees phenomenon, primary cast members - in this case, Shirley Jones (vocals) and David Cassidy (vocals) - also served double duty as the Partridge Family's lead vocalists. In all, between the years 1970 and 1974, eight long-players were issued by the "Family," while Cassidy himself released an additional four solo efforts. The multimedia campaign ultimately yielded a consistently high-rated television program, as well as no less than nine Top 40 albums, and 11 Top 40 singles. Accompanying Cassidy and Jones were a veritable who's who of studio heavyweights such as Hal Blaine (drums), Larry Carlton (guitar), Joe Osborne (bass), and Larry Knechtel (keyboards). They were joined by the painfully sweet backing vocals of the six-member Love Generation, who participated to some degree on every one of the Partridge Family's LPs. All the chart hits are here: "I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," "I'll Meet You Halfway," "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted," "It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love)," "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," and "Looking Through the Eyes of Love." Also included are Cassidy's key solo sides "Cherish," "Could It Be Forever," "How Can I Be Sure," and "Rock Me Baby." A glance at the remaining tune stack reveals a healthy sampling of other key cuts - including a few Cassidy solo sides that mark their digital debut. While earnest enthusiasts will probably choose to locate the individual reissues, for all non-completists and otherwise average fans, this Definitive Collection

Review (Wikipedia) : The Definitive Collection was a 2001 compilation album of 11 Partridge Family and 9 David Cassidy songs. A longer version included four additional David Cassidy tracks.

Review (Amazon) : The story once circulated that session keyboardist Larry Knechtel could barely keep a straight face while recording the harpsichord solo on the Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You." Given that Knechtel later joined Bread, another totem of '70s (supposed) disposability, the tale seems to reflect little more than music-biz snobbery. The studio-created pop fronted by series stars David Cassidy and Shirley Jones stands up well for ears sympathetic to the era's have-a-nice-day Top 40 standards. Singles such as "I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," and "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" remain high points of mainstream manufacture, with Cassidy's soft-sell emoting meshing with crafty arrangements and surefire hooks. These tracks have aged well. The Definitive Collection also offers a healthy selection of Cassidy's TV-era solo work, including his hit covers of the Association's "Cherish" and the Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure." Save for the exclusion of the Partridge's theme song, this CD lives up to its name.