ALBUM: “The Cowsills in Concert (1969):
MVC Rating: 3.5/$
I’m serious here.
The Cowsills deserve to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, alongside other family acts like Sly and the Family Stone, the Allman Brothers, the Staple Sisters, the Jackson 5 and others. They could be in the family band section, if there was one.
I have to admit I just recently bought this record for $2 at Birmingham’s Seasick Records, one of several great pre-owned record dealers in the area. Nice prices and nice selection for folks like me trying to do a blog on this stuff.. Although I have 678 of my own records to count down,
On a Cowsills fan website, there is a case made to put the ‘real Partridge Family’ in the Hall of Fame. (They are already in the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame, for goodness sakes.)
Among the myriad reasons they should be in the Hall, the website post argues is that they wrote and performed the theme song for the TV show Love American Style. I loved that song and watched that show every Friday night, as a youngster. It came on some time after the Partridge Family, I believe.?
This record was a nostalgia purchase. I couldn’t resist buying it. Because it tweaked early early rock and roll memories.
I remember in 5th grade coming over to a friends house in Athens, Ga., and my friend’s brother was dancing on the coffee table with ‘Hair’ going full blast. I think it also fueled my dislike of haircuts in the late 1960s, early 1970s.
Kind of strange that this appealed so much to young kids. The song came from the Broadway musical of the same name, notorious for its nude scenes. The song was also a #2 national hit for the Cowsills. Not surprising as they turned it into a silly but arresting pop single –which is the correct interpretation of such a goofy song — as opposed to the more serious take from the musical.
And, i’m not kidding you here: They could really sing and play as this live album shows. They were the model for TV’s popular Partridge Family, and musically, they would have blown most of the Partridges back to their high school drama classes. Some were amazed at the Cowsills pulling off the Beach Boys” Good Vibrations.’ live in concert — a difficult task as the Beach Boys themselves learned because of the degree of difficulty playing Brian Wilson’s masterpiece. 
The Cowsills consisted of the mother, three brothers) and sister (Susan). The live album had lots of well-played covers and introduced me to tunes I would love later like Walk Away Renee, Monday Monday, Please Mr.Postman and Good Vibrations. Devil with a Blue Dress.
This website has has a dissertation’s worth of arguments for why the Cowsills should be in the HOF.
I see that others don’t find the value in the Cowsill’s concert disc that I, in my 40 years of record collecting say it warrants. Excellent music, family band cute, lots of drama over the years and nearly virtuoso playing and, get this, Discogs is listing this record at $1 plus shipping. What? Did they make 5 million of these things?
They should be as rare as a Bobby Sherman Remembering You record, I say.
I’m serious here. Sort of.
Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.