Customer Reviews

Rock Me Baby

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

 

 

I have to admit that David Cassidy's solo LPs or recordings with the Partridge Family, for which he is best known, was immediately dismissed in the 70s as prefab fluff or bubblegum music. By the time he recorded "Rock Me Baby", Cassidy was already jaded by the teenybopper image he had been crowned with two years prior. In an earnest attempt to have his rock peers see him as something else but a piece of pre-teen marketed meat, Cassidy tried to break the mold with this 1972 gem. The "album" opens with wailing guitars on the title track "Rock Me Baby" and Cassidy's trademark smokey vocals. The song was an earnest sexual song and a far cry from his Partridge roots. Seemingly strange, considering his earlier protests of speaking a verse in the Partridge's "Doesn't Somebody Want To Be Wanted" a song that Cassidy loathed, here again is a speaking part that was loaded with sexual innuendo. A great lead in track that goes right into a great version of the Rascal's "Lonely To Long". Next is a smokey ballad "Two Time Loser" that was written by Cassidy himself and although it shows great maturity it still mirrors the teenage angst that the Partridge tunes were already pushing by this time. The fourth track is the highly sexually charged "Warm My Soul" originally slated to be a Partridge tune for the "Up To Date" LP but was scrapped as being too "sexual" for a preteen LP. Cassidy really vamps up this number. Following "Soul" comes another Cassidy co-penned tune called "Some Kind Of A Summer" which sounds so autobiographical that Cassidy could have led into a storyteller type status well kept by future artists at that time like Dan Fogelberg and Harry Chapin. In my own humble opinion, Cassidy should have written many more songs himself whereas this LP grandly showcases his talent and earned him some of the respect he richly deserved when the LP was released. Also another great Oh No No Way rounds out the LPs first side. "Song For A Rainy Day" is yet another Cassidy written tune co-penned with the famous in her own right, Kim Carnes one of Cassidy's background singers at the time. This CD is jam packed with stellar ballads and is well worth a listen. Cassidy had turned a corner with this collection and proved he was more than a "pretty face". A validly serious attempt at what he did best. Other great ballads abound with the beautiful lilting "Soft As A Summer Shower" "Go Now" and "Song Of Love" and Cassidy sings each with an overwhelming sense of pride and deservedly so. This is undoubtably David Cassidy at one of his finest moments! The ballad "How Can I Be Sure" was released a single and peaked on the Billboard charts at #25. It is easy to see on one listen how this was NOT the only tune that should have been released as a single and one would wonder why Bell/Arista wasn't smart enough to see this. It is obvious that they didn't see David as the hot commodity he was outside the Partridge Family considering they could not release any compliation of David's material without including his Partridge tunes. Yes, David IS one of the bubblegum years survivors and is carrying on a still hot career and this CD is positive proof of the reason why. One of David's undeniably best solo projects for Bell/Arista records. Don't pass this one over! It is worth every penny of it's purchase price and more, more so due o the brilliant liner notes included by a foremost Cassidy historian, Lisa Sutton! Rock on, David!

Released in late 1972, David Cassidys second solo had a slight mature approach than CHERISH, yet both are brilliant. Like a lot of Davids Albums he always have different styles of songs whether up-tempo beat or ballads. And he polishes them off well. Highlights for me are How Can I Be Sure (A Number 1 here in the UK back in 1972) Two Time Loser (What an amazing track!) Soft As A Summer Shower and Song Of Love.

The sound quality is really outstanding. The master source was probably in pristine condition. Also released are The Partridge Family CDs CROSSWORD PUZZLE and SHOPPING BAG at the same time as ROCK ME BABY. News on certain Partridge/Cassidy websites are that BULLETIN BOARD and UNRELEASE SONGS may be due out sometime this year and possibly the rest of the Davids solo albums by ARISTA; I wonder if that also includes a reissue of the ROMANCE CD.

Its fantastic that in recent years David Cassidy/Partridge Family albums are NOW being RELEASE on CD. It is way long overdue considering these albums have not been available for many, many years perhaps since the vinyl age!!

If you like David Cassidy material buy this one, you will not be disappointed!

This is the second of David Cassidy's solo albums, during his PF years. I like it much better than the first, "Cherish." His collaborations with Kim Carnes (Bette Davis Eyes) are absolutely beautiful. "How Can I Be Sure" and "Rock Me Baby" were huge hits for him, however it is the other songs on this album that make it really worth the purchase. Notably "Song For A Rainy Day", which David has never performed since, and is certainly too good a composition to go unnoticed. "Warm My Soul", which was originally a PF song, but deemed to "rock" oriented, is here, along with David's own composition, "Two Time Loser." I certainly hope that Arista/BMG releases the other two in the Cassidy/Bell catalog; "Cassidy Live", and the tremendous "Dreams Are Nothin' More Than Wishes" to follow this release, which was delayed two years!!

It would also be great to have a 2CD set of ALL of the songs on the PF show that NEVER showed up on any lp at all. There are easily enough to fill two CDs, so hopefully we can purchase those treasures one day as well. For the time being, grab this release, you will be glad you did.

I'm so glad David Cassidy finally listened to his fans and allowed this album to be released on CD. David's talent is evident throughout and grabs you from the first song to the last. Don't miss this one. You won't regret buying it. The best of the album? How about "Rock Me Baby", "Some Kind Of A Summer", "How Can I Be Sure", "Song For A Rainy Day" and "Soft As A Summer Shower." My CD collection has had a huge hole in it without "Rock Me Baby." Now let's hope "Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes" is next. And then... Well, you know what I mean!

this is one of his top 2 records , the other being
cherish' the songs are good , his voice is at his best
and still after all these yrs they still sound brand
new.From the slow one's to the fast one's this is a
great record, 'oh no no ' is one song that sticks out
that highlites his singing and to this day his voice
has been underrated, 'how can I be sure' is a great song
that David has made his own song even tho he didnt write
it.'Song for a rainy day' is great song that just takes

you to that moment and reminds you of your lost love,
This record was released in 1972, here it is 2003 and he
is still going strong with a few bumps in the road but
who has'nt!,this is a record to put on and drink some wine and remember just how much you love your wife or girlfriend.

When this LP came out in 1972, a new side to David Cassidy emerged. While still under the production of Bell Records and Wes Farrell, this Cassidy sophomore solo album was all acid-tinged rock with some funky, bluesy sexy attitude. Gone was the "ba, ba, ba's" of the Partridge backup singers and in its place was David's back-up singers from the concerts, which included Kim Carnes. This LP is yet to be re-released on CD(it's on pre-order and due out in May of 2003) and many fans including myself have actually emailed Buddha (the Arista/BMG conglomeration) to request it. In the 70's, I was an adolescent and even though I knew that DC was about 21 years old and a hard core rock'n'roll sex kitten, I loved his music. I expected this album to be "Cherish" part 2, and this is NOT it. Nonetheless, I feel now that this album captures David as an emerging sexual being: a superstar of gigantic proportions who was on the road pleasing (and I do mean pleasing) his fans. This album has some deliciously decadent moments: "Two Time Loser" (a beautiful ballad written by David Cassidy), "Song For A Rainy Day," and "Lonely Too Long" show an emotional range far beyond his 21 years. Cassidy is heart-wrenchingly emotional on this album and unapologetically croons his way through songs such as "Warm My Soul" (originally recorded for "Up To Date"-the 2nd Partridge Family album-but deemed too wild), "Rock Me Baby," and "Song of Love." There are some beautiful ballads here too: "Some Kind of a Summer," "Soft As A Summer Shower," and "How Can I Be Sure." One can definitely see Cassidy evolving from the "Cherish" album to "Rock Me Baby," and in the 70,s, I wasn't ready for him to evolve. However, as I grew older, I returned to this album many times because of the raw emotion of this beautiful man. David Cassidy has never received the critical acclaim that he should have; however, this man is just too "pretty" to be seen as the talent that he is. When you listen to "Rock Me Baby" (which I am still playing on LP until the CD arrives), you will understand the man behind the boy with the beautifully-coiffed hair and the tight sexy jeans. If you want the full Cassidy collection, you have got to purchase this album.

This is a great album. I'd just like to plead with David Cassidy to PLEASE curtail the endless legal wranglings that have blocked so many original recordings like this from being released and just let the fans enjoy more of these wonderful albums from the 70's. I'd love to also purchase:

"Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes"/"The Higher They Climb"/ "Home Is Where The Heart Is."

Also, the Partridge Family "Bulletin Board" features some amazing David Cassidy vocals. He may not be the nicest guy-especially to his fans-but boy, can he sing or what? His vocal talents have always been absolutely amazing. "Rock Me Baby" illustrates just what an underappreciated vocal talent David Cassidy was back in the 70's.

I must admit the second album released by David Cassidy "Rock Me Baby" has got a more grittier feel to it and shows off David's voice range. It amazes me that he can go from singing a rocking song like the title track "Rock Me Baby" to the lovely ballads which are on the album. My favourite tracks on the album are most certainly the title track and Lonely Too Long, in fact I like all the tracks on this album and I can't wait to purchase more of DC's albums in the future, when money permits it.

As someone who has rediscovered David Cassidy I must of been mad not to buy this album when it came out in the seventies, but now I know what I missed in the seventies. It goes to show what a vast range that DC had and in fact still has.

"Rock Me Baby" is an outstanding combination of rock songs and haunting ballads. "Two Time Loser," "Song for a Rainy Day," and "Soft As A Summer Shower" are some of the best-crafted ballads I've heard in a long time. Every song is a gem, and the packaging and liner notes are sure to delight each and every fan as well. The sound quality is 100 times better than the "Cherish" CD, so don't let this one pass you by!

I purchased this album with high expectations after having heard "Cherish"; however, it displeases me to say that this one was a bit of a let down. It's a good album and all, but it wasn't as well put-together as his previous, already mentioned, "Cherish". This album is more like a series of thrown-together tracks, whereas on "Cherish" the songs worked well together in part and as a whole.

The songwriting on "Cherish" was also more compelling. The songs here are more laid back and lukewarm, at times emphasising a more hard-hitting approach than "Cherish". This album also for some reason uses THREE covers. I myself am not too big on covers and prefer an artist to be more original. "Cherish", in contrast, only features one. Covers are mostly for people who are experiencing idea-shortages or need an attempt at making a type of comeback. Much too early it was in Cassidy's career for him to need to use--THREE?--covers. Not to mention the fact that if'n an artist wants to use covers on his album, he could have definetly made better choices than the three already overplayed and overknown ones that he uses here.

All in all, however, it is still worth listening to. I only gave it three stars because, as I've mentioned in other reviews, I AM a harsher critic than most. You may acknowledge as four stars if it pleases you!!!