what Frank is listening to #27 – DAVID CASSIDY – Home is where the Heart Is – (RCA) – 1976
At the outset I will say I don't know why David Cassidy gets knocked as much as he does. The kids (of the time) certainly loved him, but, despite being a teen idol, his albums were thematically and lyrically quite adult. Musically he wasn't an innovator, but the songs are catchy enough. Cassidy also seems to understand his celebrity, and he was very, very popular. In terms of adulation Elvis and the Beatles werent that different … they also had millions of 13 year old girls fawning over them, and both, also, recorded a healthy dose of pop. That's not to say he is as good as Elvis or the Beatles but he deserves more investigation, and respect, than that accorded to him.
When people are willing to concede anything to Cassidy they usually say the Partridge Family had a few good catchy tracks. And, this is true, but Cassidy solo, is still dismissed. This is unfortunate because at his best he is Paul McCartney Jr … he has a good pop sensibility, McCartneyesque phrasing, and his lyrics (whether he wrote them or not) are thoughtful enough to place him higher than his teen idol contemporaries. In many ways he seems to be mining the same ground as another underappreicated 70s pop idol, David Essex. And, that's not a bad thing as Essex had quite a few great tracks.
"Damned If This Aint Love" … seems to take the Bobby Darin refrain from the song "Change" … "Damned if what you're feelin' isn't change" and put it in the context of a medium tempo pop song.
"January" – a very credible version (or reasonable facsimile) of the great "Pilot" song … not quite as good but not bad.
"Tomorrow" – this is the McCartney tune from his "Wild Life" (1971) album … and you cant find a clearer example of the McCartney influence on Cassidy … he does a great Paul impersonation. (UK#12)
