DAVID CASSIDY – Cherish – (Bell) – 1972

David Cassidy has become one of my guilty pleasures. I loved the Partridge Family as a kid but I thought I had outgrown it when I became a teen.

I probably had but as the years passed I found myself listening to more and more David Cassidy.

Refer to my other posts for Cassidy bio details.

I have said this in regards to his career:

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.

You may think the Elvis and Beatles references are a bit silly and they are when we speak of Cassidy in musical terms but in terms of fans, popularity and hysteria you would be hard pressed to find a bigger focal point for teen mania in the early to mid 70s than David Cassidy. (OK the mania surrounding him was smaller but it still was "mania")

The most interesting thing about this album is that it is really is a Partridge Family album done solo. The same pop hooks and sounds as well as the same personnel and many of the same writers (Tony Romeo, Wes Farrell, Bobby Hart etc) appear. None of this is surprising given this was Cassidy’s first solo LP and a hit formula was never, not going to be followed.

Cassidy would, over the next couple of albums, start to develop his own sound which is not to dissimilar from this musically but at least it is individual, distinct and more thoughtful. Thematically his music would move dramatically away from the love / lost love breakup songs here and deal with issues of fame, celebrity and love in a slightly more cynical way.

Cassidy, here, writes one song by himself and all the rest are written for him or are covers. The album is produced (again) by Wes Farrell and session musicians include: Hal Blaine on piano and Tommy Tedesco and Larry Carlton amongst others on guitars. Though not credited on the album apparently others Wrecking Crew sessionmen play also.

Tracks (best in italics)

Being Together – a big beat ballad about falling in love…..filler at the start of an album?
I Just Wanna Make You Happy – another big beat ballad about falling in love – this one better.
Could It Be Forever – filler
Blind Hope – romantic and disposable.
I Lost My Chance – romantic but not quite disposable
My First Night Alone Without You – the lonesome ballad.
We Could Never Be Friends ('Cause We've Been Lovers Too Long) – mainstream pop …but catchy. Not that different to The Archies.
Where Is the Morning – superior kiddie pop.
I Am a Clown – very maudlin but catchy and with the spoken intro it’s dramatic and silly, much like “Are you Lonesome Tonight” and it’s spoken section. That doesn’t mean it’s bad ….actually it’s quite good, as is “Are You Lonesome” ….
Cherish – another pure pop song and another good one. Well, it is the title tune after all ….
Ricky's Tune – a song by David about his dog and one of the best songs on the album – less pop and more west coast rock with country overtones ….think Crosby Stills and Nash.