Customer Reviews

The Best of the Cowsills: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A nice - if too brief - retrospective of everyone's favorite '60s singing family. Of course the usual suspects are here (The Rain, The Park, & Other Things, Indian Lake, We Can Fly, Hair). What makes it for me the best Cowsills set yet released is the inclusion of the stellar singles Silver Threads and Golden Needles and The Prophecy Of Daniel & John The Divine (you'll be chanting six-six-six for days!) plus the original version of the Love American Style tv theme. A pre-stardom Most Of All leads off the set and a great track from Bill Cowsill's solo debut When Everybody's Here concludes it. It's all groovy. Check it out!

Everybody knows "The rain,the park,and other things",but there's much more classic pop up their sleeves.Unfortunately,there are only 12 cuts on this CD.They should have a box set or something!What's here is cool,though.Their famous cover of "Hair" is here along with their "Love american style" theme will take many of us back.There are 3 tracks from their apocalyptic christian pop album(really!)that didn't help their career,but still fun to hear!This is a great CD,but I hope their albums will be re-released.

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.

Boy was I surprised when I popped this gem in my CD player. This is bubbly boyant happy feel-good music at it's finest. And I recognized most of the songs too. Not by title- I bought this CD for "Indian Lake" and "Hair"- but by the music. Five seconds into "Poor Baby" I remembered it.

I always thought of the Cowsills as the poor man's "Osmonds" or "Partridge Family"- that sounds funny- but they're not! They are a truly talented family with a gift for power pop! I love the harmonies. I was most impressed to find that they produced, and played all the instruments, on "Hair".

This is good jogging music. Pop into your portable CD and go for a run! It makes for even better cruising music. I thought this one of those CD's I'd buy and then have to hide. No way, baby! I proudly play this one and play it loud! No one complains, either. This music is infectious.

The Cowsills rock! Who would've thought it?

Best part of all is the price. It's a budget price but doesn't skimp on the songs. We get ten Cowsill songs and a solo to boot.

I think I play this CD more than any other in my 3000+ collection.

A few weeks ago a friend and I wandered into a tiny British pub called "The Pickwick" In Woodland Hills California for a cold pint. As we sat sipping the brew, three or four middle aged accountant looking guys were setting up instruments and microphones in the corner, and taking their time doing it. We decided to wait for them to play a tune before we passed judgement, and am I ever glad we stayed!

What I did not know is that Bob Cowsill regularly plays this venue (Fridays and Saturdays) and that he was indeed playing this particular night. What was even more amazing was that the entire family (sans Mom---she died a few years back) was in town because one of the younger brothers had just gotten married that day, and they ALL showed up to play, including the bride, Vicki Petersen of the BANGLES!!! Those guys were like living jukeboxes, every good pop/rock tune from 1963 to 1980 must be imprinted in their heads. They were note-perfect, and HOT HOT HOT all night long. I was never so glad to have wandered blindly into a place in my life, and to top it all off, it was free! I went home and looked up their website (yep, they got one too!) and saw photos from the previous night where all of them had shown up and played along with JOHNNY RIVERS!! Well, guess what, I have been back three times now and have never been disappointed, even when it is just Bob on acoustic guitar taking requests. Now, if I can just find my old 45 of "Indian Lake" maybe he will sign it for me!

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!

Newcomers to the exquisite (and rarely duplicated) sound of the Cowsills should enjoy this well-balanced collection of hits and album cuts. Hard to say how it compares to the Rebound Records collection from the 1990s (which has more tracks but less interesting packaging), and since the sound quality is good for both, it all boils down to the songs on each CD.

"Hair," "Rain, Park and Other Things," We Can Fly," "Indian Lake," "Poor Baby," "In Need of a Friend" and "Love American Style" have been on CD before, but the others are welcome additions to anyone's CD library. "Most of All" precedes the band's first hit, but shows the kids' professionalism and talent despite some flat harmonies on the word "baby." "Prophecy of Daniel and John" is a first-rate production reminiscent of "Hair," though its quirky lyrics are less accessible than those of "Hair." Still, it features superb harmonizing and playing. Only the monologue detracts from the track's overall grandiosity. "Silver Threads" boasts a terrific enemble pop performance. "II x II" is also a well performed group piece, and it is more memorable than big brother Bill's solo version from his underrated "Nervous Breakthrough" LP. Speaking of Bill, his catchy rocker "When Everybody's Here" may be his best post-Cowsills solo song yet.

Great liner notes and pics make the CD a worthwhile buy for longtime Cowsills followers and those who are just getting interested. Now if we could only get a box set with EVERYTHING they've done, or at least up until "On My Side," we would all be happy. Are you listening Polydor????

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.

While I think this new compilation is a big improvement over the old MGM-Polydor-Rebound "Best of The Cowsills" there are some great songs the compilers overlooked, and the ugly cover photo doesn't do anything to sell this CD to younger fans who heard "The Rain, Park and Other Things", "Hair" or "Indian Lake" on oldies radio.

The Cowsills have been lumped in by retarded and ignorant music critics with much of the late 60's "bubblegum music" groups (Archies, Lemon Pipers, 1910 Fruitgum Factory, Ohio Express) but nothing could be farther from the truth. Despite the wholesome family image, they weren't a manufactured group. The Cowsills were a self-contained BAND who wrote and produced most of their best material (Their excellent 1968 album "We Can Fly!" was totally band written and produced), could put on a great live show (see the out of print "Cowsills in Concert" for proof) and with amazing group harmonies that could make Brian Wilson blush. This is terrific 60's Pure Pop.

What some company needs to do now is to reissue the old MGM "We Can Fly!" and "Captain Sad & His Ship of Fools" albums on CD.

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.