The greatest band out of Rhode Island . okay, perhaps, that’s not a big call (no offence other Rhode Island bands) …
Okay, of all the “family” and “faux family’ vocal groups of the late 60s and early 70s The Cowsills were the best, or if not, certainly the most interesting …
Yes, I.m referring to The Jackson 5, The Osmonds, The Partridge Family, The Archies….
The Cowsills, individually and collectively, were willing to experiment at a time which embraced experimentation.
They never strayed far from their pop sounds but they extended them into some interesting fields.
And that works on me.
Check out my other comments for more detail on the Cowsills.
This album was their third and follows the lead of their first self-titled album from 1967 which yielded a big hit in "The Rain, The Park & Other Things" (#2 US 1967). (Their second album “The Cowsills plus the Lincoln Park Zoo” was a compilation of singles from 1966 on the Philips label, released to cash in on their debut album success).
It is clear the success of their first album (#31 US), and the era of experimentation let their label, MGM, give them some slack.
The family was young, smart and musical and smart enough to accentuate the familial vocal ability.
Blood line family vocals sound good to the ear.
"Sibling harmony is a musical term that refers to the tight — almost inseparable — vocal harmonies generated by members of the same family. Their voices blend so well you can't tell one from the other." https://www.deseretnews.com/article/701507/Sibling-harmony.html
It may be their shared musical attitude as a result of upbringing, their DNA, their similar facial features which when shaped produce the same sounds, their anticipatory senses in relation to their siblings or something more spiritual but whatever it is sounds pleasant to a third party.
You can hear that in The Beach Boys, The Everly Brothers, The Lennon Sisters, The Carter Sisters, The Mills Brothers.
The Cowsills had that.
Beatles references, usually, abound when discussing The Cowsills. Perhaps in terms of experimentation there is some relevance but the arrangements, vocal harmonies and feel though owe a lot more to The Beach Boys. The groove on the record may be light and a happy bounce but like the Beach Boys (at the time) the work behind the scenes was anything but …
From the liner notes to the CD release of this album: “Engineered by Roy Cicalla, We Can Fly was recorded in late 1967, mostly at A&R Studios, a top New York studio also used by Simon and Garfunkel, the Four Seasons and scores of other legends. Both Bill and Bob recall the recording We Can Fly being a fairly laborious process. "We spent hours on that album mixing and recording," Bob recalls. "And we spent a lot of time on our vocals. A lot of double tracking… A lot of times, you mixed as you recorded. I remember thinking, 'Wow, we have eight tracks!' Little did I know twenty-four was soon gonna be the standard.” http://bapresley.com/silverthreads/music/liner/wecanflycd.html
The Cowsills incorporated siblings who could write songs and this was a distinct bonus. They may have been young but they captured the prevailing zeitgeist with some insight. The non-Cowsill writers seem to be experienced Brill Building types with the usual resume of hit, or should have been hit songs.
This is wonderful stuff, evocative of a time and a place (late 1960s, California (even though it was recorded in New York)). The East Coast baroque and melancholy touches are kept in check here but there is a lot happening behind all the sunshine (pop). You don’t have to worry about that now those dark clouds (groan) would become more apparent on later albums.
The persistent problem is that is your long term friends may scratch their heads at your choice of this music. "Sunshine pop" appeals to teens and to "adults" not to a jaded, hard edged, cynical, trying to look tough 20 somethings we were all (well, I was) trying to cultivate, which is what they recall.
Growing older has its benefits though … you don't give a shit what anyone thinks anymore.
So, sit down with the sun on your back, pour a cocktail and enjoy.
Tracks (best in italics)
Side One
-
We Can Fly – (Cowsill/Cowsill/Kornfeld/Duboff) – joyous, lush high energy pop which you could see on any number of television ads from the late 60s. "Flying" was used a lot in songs, perhaps, as a acceptable non-drug alternative to "high" though both referring to the same emotional joys. This song is so bouncy it was covered by
- Gray, Sunny Day – (Cowsill/Cowsill/Sheppard/Powers) – more big East Coast pop. A very catchy song. "We now know the Ramones loved "Grey Sunny Day." We didn't find that out until we did Howard Stern's TV show in 1990. And the Ramones were pulling up in their limo and "Grey Sunny Day" was playing in it. They thought the vocal arrangement on that in particular was great. That was a big deal to us". http://bapresley.com/silverthreads/music/liner/wecanflycd.html
- Heaven Held – (Sheppard/Powers) – Big, faux operatics. This was also done, not surprisingly by Gene Pitney in 1968 on his "She's a Heartbreaker" album. I'm not sure which version was released first.
- A Time For Remembrance – (Cowsill/Cowsill) – in mood this is like a pop rock version of "Green Leaves of Summer". So, it very melancholy but quite good.
- Gotta Get Away From It All – (Cowsill/Cowsill/Dean) – Familiar late 60s themes (look at the song title) with familiar late 60s songs. A great beat.
- What Is Happy? – (Cowsill/Cowsill/Kornfeld/Duboff) – fluffy pop.
Side Two
- In Need Of A Friend – (Cowsill/Cowsill) – high pop with more late 60s familiar themes.
- Yesterday’s Girl – (Morier) – dramatic pop, the late 60s version of the teen operas of the early 60s. Quite effective. Writer Morier is the father of current singer and songwriter Nicole "Coco" Morier.
- Beautiful Beige – (Cowsill/Cowsill/Kornfeld) – Monkees like and very catchy. "Beautiful beige" … and anti-racist theme in a pop song … I love it.
- Mister Flynn – (Cowsill/Cowsill/Cowsill) – about the unhappy stage guy touring bands have to deal with and quite similar to the Kinks "Mister" songs
- One Man Show – (Cowsill/Cowsill/Fishoff) – more television music of the time. It is both evocative and overly familiar. It is never less than pleasant on the ears.
And …
I love this and there is more going on than you pick up on the first listen. Highly underrated … I'm keeping it.
Chart Action
US
Singles
1968 We Can Fly #21
1968 In Need Of A Friend #54
Album
1968 #89
England
nothing
Australia
Singles
1968 We Can Fly #42
Sounds
The full album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IuFf4ow5YU
We Can Fly
Live
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw1aFsdzoXI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW8aBAObrdo
Introduced by Sally Field & Mark Lindsay from "Happening '68":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3kMMt_Dy1w
mp3 attached
Gray, Sunny Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ac8BfxIYII
Heaven Held
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwStz3F0Ckw
A Time For Remembrance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBUZqadtWIo
Gotta Get Away From It All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZM0uv-AE8Q
What Is Happy?
Video clip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJe58-1znn4
In Need Of A Friend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzpLP6zZaz4
Yesterday's Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBDZfYsAMBg
Beautiful Beige
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sz69hJIQv0
Mister Flynn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_hEkRBel-0
One Man Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtMI0OhBeVI
Others
Doing the Beach Boys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKZK1HmgsxU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhX1cBIpRN0
Review
https://www.allmusic.com/album/we-can-fly-mw0000673620
liner notes to the Cd
http://bapresley.com/silverthreads/music/liner/wecanflycd.html
Bio
https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/respect-due-to-the-cowsills/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cowsills
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-cowsills-mn0000784760/biography
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8QbCOJv4pg
Website
http://bapresley.com/silverthreads/
Trivia
- It was the first album sister Susan Cowsill sang on and became part of the group and her voice.
- Arranged By – Artie Schroeck, Charlie Calello, Herb Bernstein .Producer – Bill Cowsill, Bob Cowsill.
- "Today, Bob continues to be marvelled by We Can Fly's staying power, thirty-seven years after its original release. He closes with these thoughts: "You would not believe the emails that come in from all over the world… Songs from the We Can Fly album have been mentioned in the context of having some special memory for (our fans). We Can Fly gave us credibility and established us as producers. It was amazing and I was really glad we got to do it. If you ask any of us our favorite album of the eight or nine that we did. We Can Fly's gonna be number one. We did an OK job for kids." http://bapresley.com/silverthreads/music/liner/wecanflycd.html
