Customer Reviews

Shopping Bag

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

 

 

Following on the huge success of their first three smash LPs and a hugely successful Christmas release (the Christmas Card LP had enough ADVANCE orders to certify it a gold record!)Shopping Bag is the Family's fifth endeavor and comes across as a slicker pop sound that retrofitted them as a permanant and lasting contender on the pop scene. Unfortunately, this LP comes forward to the present as one of the less popular Partridge LPs despite it's flashy floral print and silouette Partridge faces reminiscent of an Andy Warhol portrait. The original Partridge vinyl release, complete with the "prize-inside-the-package" gimmickery of an actual shopping bag and gatefold jacket with a foldout black & white awesome family portrait did little to properly propel the Partridge money making machine over the top. The sound was moodier and ridden with teenage angst but was not the lively , bubbley pop tunes teens had come to expect. Although "It's One Of Those Nights" reached moderate success at #20 on the charts, it's followup single "Am I Losing You"? With it's wailing guitars did little to boost this LP with a dismal peak at barely above #60, throwing a wrench in the works. One must wonder who was choosing the hits with such great tunes as "Girl, You Make My Day", "Every Little Bit O' You" and "It's All In Your Mind" such pop-infused bouncy fluff was also offered up here! Even the self-penned Cassidy gem "There'll Come A Time" was better. The mood had changed, the sound had grown and the kids were restless for something new. BUT looking back from a more aged perspective, these tunes have held up well and the once child audience has matured to babyboomers and this LP conversion to CD sounds ripened, mellow and has aged like a fine and familiar wine. This collection of Partridge tunes, although not my most favorite as a child, has come forward with a much more appreciated sound and love that cannot be matched by a lot of pop from that time. Grab a copy of this CD, the liner notes by Lisa Sutton, foremost Partridge historian, are alone worth the price. The tighter background vocals are beautifully enhanced and great tunes like "Something New Got Old", "Last Night" and "Hello Hello" actually sparkle here on this gem. Worth every penny of the purchase price and then some!

I loved this album so much that I still have it after 31 years! I used to sing the songs from this album for anyone who cared to listen when I was a kid. "Girl You make my day" is a great song, and I especially love "Hello Hello." "There'll come a time" is also a good one, and "Am I losing you." If this is a lousy album like others are saying, then why is this one priced at close to $... when the others are selling for $... $...? The GReatest Hits album (with the house on the cover) is also great, as is all their albums! I collect memorabilia and the Greatest Hits album is hanging up on the wall in my house! I'm a true fan of David's!

I've been listening to all my Partridge Family CDs a lot lately since the recent release of the final album "Bulletin Board". "Shopping Bag" seems to be the one I enjoy the most at this time. Although it didn't produce any Top 10 hits, it's not the music that's at fault, it seems that bad choices were made at the record company. This album is very uplifting and makes you want to sing-a-long with David Cassidy. "Girl, you make my day" is one of my favorites and it starts the album off great. I love the harpsicord on it. "Every little bit of you" is better than i remembered it and is now one of my favorites. "Am I losing you" has a funky guitar opening that sounds great, although it didn't climb the charts as it should have. "Last night" is a great pop song. "Hello, Hello" is really the only song that isn't classic Partridge Family. It has a strange opening sound and it's a little too long and boring for my taste. All in all, this album should be purchased by all fans of 70's pop. It should put a smile on your face if you listen with an open mind and heart. David Cassidy deserves a lot of credit for his contribution to all these overlooked, classic songs that never were taken too seriously by the general public. I was only 2 years old when this was originally released in 1972. I became a big fan of the Partridge Family/David Cassidy in my early twenties (1990's). So, it's never too late to enjoy the sounds from the past. These songs have really grown on me and I can appreciate them more as I get older and wiser. Even if you have to listen to them in private (guilty pleasures!) don't let that stop you from enjoying yourself.

I am 47 and I grew up with this music. I loved these Partridge Family albums as a young teenager and to have them on cd is a great gift. Even though the cast members didn't really sing other than David Cassidy and Shirley Jones the music is excellent pop/bubble gum.

The four stars I am giving this cd is based on the genre and it is not basing it in comparison to other real music. Now back to the Partridge Family. Their earlier albums did have stronger songs and a certain more mature pop sound to them. Starting with this album the quality of songs did diminish a little but I still find this one a true pleasure from beginning to end. Granted there weren't as many "hits" on it but songs put on greatest hits collections are chosen by the producers of the compilations and don't necessarily represent the best work.

David Cassidy is always reliable to do a great job on each track. My favorites on this cd are EVERY LITTLE BIT O' YOU, AM I LOSING YOU, IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND, HELLO HELLO and EVERY SONG IS YOU. As you can see this is a great portion of the cd.

I must admit that playing this music isn't just reliving my youth and that I really enjoy the music. As I said, this cd is a little more bubble gum and lacks a certain maturity the earlier albums had but it is a definite feel good cd. When I play it I find myself singing along in high spirits and repeating the cd over and over. And isn't that what music is supposed to do?

Need to mention that the remastering is superb. Highly recommend.

In the grand scheme of all things Partridge and in deference of the crooning skills of the exceptionally attractive David Cassidy, I have to say that you may want to BAG the Partridge Family's fifth CD, Shopping Bag, unless you are truly a hard-core fan and require the entire collection. I'll give you my review as the "good" and the "bad" as we revisit the world of early 70's bubblegum pop and the days when the "ba, ba, ba's" of a beautiful young man named David Cassidy (alias Keith Partridge) could send you swooning to your room to snuggle with your David Cassidy pillowcase to dream of "sleeping with David." Okay, Shopping Bag was the fifth installment in the Partridge Family empire of albums and memorabilia that ruled the early 70's, and I feel that Shopping Bag followed just too closely on the heels of the Partridge Family Christmas Card LP which was surprising good and quickly went Gold. David's solo offerings had started to appear just before Shopping Bag was released and Cherish, his first and arguably best solo album, had just hit the stores. Just when it seemed that Wes Farrell might never run out of hits for Mr Cassidy, his step-mom Shirley Jones, and the studio backup singers named "the Wrecking Crew," in waltzes the Shopping Bag album, which seems to me to be hastily thrown together with a modicum of forethought and a lack of quality material. I am a huge fan of David Cassidy; his voice is phenomenal and his talent causes me to still see him in concert today, thirty years later. I am also a fan of bubblegum "happiness," and of revisiting the music of my childhood which was happy and non-offensive and featured "singalongish-ness" at it's best. The problem which Shopping Bag (thirty years ago)as well as today is that quite simply the songs sound too much alike; the album has a few standout tunes but the rest are mediocre and this album begins the decent into mediocrity by the third song on the Side One. The lack of good material and production was not apparent on Up To Date, the second album, or the PF's finest contribution, Sound Magazine. After Shopping Bag, the "sound" on the last three albums evolved into late 70's "easy-listening" which I did not like in the 70's but I really enjoy today. However, Shopping Bag stand alone with a distinctive (and not great) sound all it's own: heavy on the tamborines, the synthesizer and all of the lyrics suprising alike. That's the "bad" part about Shopping Bag, and now here's the "good" part. This CD was released by Razor & Tie a few years ago and I purchased it because of a few tunes that will forever be Partride Family staples to me: "It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love)," which is a gorgeously remastered example of the impeccable voice of our Favorite Teen Idol, David Cassidy; and "They'll Come a Time," a ballad written by Mr Cassidy to express the angst of "stardom" and the isolation that he felt at the height of his career. I have nostalgia for playing this album as a child with my sister in her bedroom, and whenever I hear the first strains of "Girl, You Make My Day," I find myself smiling and reliving those days. My personal favorites on this album are: "Every Little Bit of You," "They'll Come a Time," "Every Song is You," and "It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love)," which David remade on his new CD Then and Now. David's vocals are lush, sexy and very mature for the 20ish pop icon; his depth of phrasing and emotion is fabulous; this is some very sophisticated "bubblegum music" and it still holds up today. Originally released in 1972, this CD was re-released a second time in May 2003 by BMG/Heritage music and it is a fabulous remix and a definite improvement over the Razor & Tie version, so I now have two copies of the Shopping Bag CD! The new liner notes by Lisa Sutton are imformative, and read like delicious gossip about our favorite "love god" of the 70's. Supposedly, all of the tracks were featured on the Partridge Family series in the second and third seasons. One of two singles that was released from this album was "Am I Losing You," which peaked at a lowly #59 on the pop charts and definitely set the tone for the album, while "It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love)" peaked at only #20. During the time of this album release, David Cassidy was baring it all not only for his female fans but for Rolling Stone Magazine, which adds to the bizarre "popishness" of this album. Overall, Shopping Bag is an okay representation of the Partridge Family sound, a little bit hokey and not the bigest hits by a longshot. However, if the thought of hearing Mr Cassidy's fabulous vocals still makes you swoon over you Tiger Beat magazines, then purchase a copy. Sometimes, we all just need a boost of hormones!

This is an often underated and unappreciated album from the Partridge Family although it is really one of their best in my opinion. HELLO, HELLO is the weakest song and it's not as bad as songs from Notebook, Crossword Puzzle or the first family album. IT'S ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS(yes love) and GIRL YOU MAKE MY DAY are excellent tunes. EVERY LITTLE BIT OF YOU, EVERY SONG IS YOU and LAST NIGHT are songs that could have been top 10 singles if they were released back in 1972. Overall, this CD has excellent sound quality and is worth every penny you pay for it.

Many yrs. ago, I received this album as a gift. Although, I was a loyal fan of the hit show "The Partridge Family", and of course, David Cassidy, once I listened to this, I became even more of a fan. David has always put his whole heart & soul into all the songs he sings, and so, his voice blended very well with all the many others that contributed their vocals for his records. "shopping bag" record is upbeat and fun to listen to. Even though this kind of music is far different from the current hitmakers of today, the melodies are good and timeless.

This album came originally with a plastic shopping bag that featured the cover art -- colorful, fun, splashy, and more than little bit 70's. The 11 cuts on this album feature more of the same well-produced Wes Farrell pop that you will love if you dig the PF sound. Those harmonies just never quit! A few cuts are above average, most notably the lovely IF YOU EVER GO by Tony Romeo, who wrote I THINK I LOVE YOU. A fresh retro-fun CD, and for PF fans, a must!

"Shopping Bag" has always been my favorite album in the Partridge Family catalogue. The CD sounds better than ever the second time around--crisp and high quality audio! "Girl, You Make My Day" starts off this collection of well-crafted pop songs with its harpsichord opening and haunting melody. Other gems include the ballads "Every Song Is You," "It's One of Those Nights," and "Something New Got Old." The CD also includes an alternate version of "There'll Come A Time." The colorful CD cover and liner notes are an added treat! Buy this CD--even if you already own the Razor & Tie version released in 1993. The 2003 version sounds better, and the repackaging is far superior as well!

This brings back great memories of when I was 9. There is not much more to say other than get it if you like nostalgia and have fond memories of this genre.