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November 3, Genghis Cantina, Hollywood
Despite the new images they're trying to project, there's definitely a camp element to the recent "comebacks" of both David Cassidy and Donny Osmond. On that basis alone, you'd think some enterprising A&R person would want to sign the Cowsills. The Southern California (by way of Rhode Island) pop-rock family-band scored three Top 10 singles between 1967 and '69, two of them reached #2 on the Billboard charts. They were very hot for a while there, with TV appearances, national tours. 16 magazine (which was a hell of a lot hipper in the late '60s than it's been since) articles, you name it. Hell, I even had a Cowsills comic book that either DC or Marvel published. A lot of (then!) 12-year-old boys fondly remember 10-year-old Susan Cowsill as their first innocent celebrity crush. And when you get right down to it, there probably wouldn't be a David Cassidy, for crissakes, if it hadn't been for the Cowsills, as this pop-rock version of the Von Trapp Family Singers were the spark that begat The Partridge Family in the first place.
All that nostalgic/emotional baggage aside, how the Monkees hardly count; refer to their Headquarters LP for sufficient proof). Despite what many believe to the contrary, the Cowsills were not a manufactured pop sound. Those kids could really sing. They had to be able to sing in the late '60s, just as they had to have personality. I'm sorry, but image and celebrity alone just weren't enough in 1968. And 21 years after the fact, they remain charming, witty, funny, and extremely entertaining.
OK, but aside from camp value, why should any money-hungry record company even care about a charming group of sibling vocalists who had three hits 21 years ago? Well, for one thing, this particular gig consisted of all-original material, with the exceptions of a final, breathtaking (I'm not kidding) encore rendition of "Hair" (with which they transcended mere nostalgia by including the original third verse about Jesus and Mary and going ga-ga at the go-go from the Broadway production, which wouldn't have made it onto Top 40 radio in '68), and a cover of "Going Down to Liverpool," which Susan sang better than the Bangles and Katrina & The Waves combined. Susan and Bob pretty much alternated lead vocal duties, as John and Paul (nice name for a pop-rock team) provided those wonderful, impeccable harmonies. Paul also played a Roland D-50 keyboard, as Bob and Susan strummed acoustic guitars. (Brothers Bill and Barry no longer perform with the group.)
And just how good was the new material? Well, here are a few raves from the critic's notebook. "Their time with Dwight Twilley must have rubbed off on them" (both John and Susan appeared on Scuba Diver): "Maybe It's You" sounds almost like a Tom Petty tune . . . great rock chords, great song"; "She Don't Wanna Love Me Anymore' is a genuinely sad song") and "Here's an idea - put them back in the studio, and let someone like Brian Wilson produce them" (OK I'd had a couple of drinks!) "Under the Gun," "She Said to Me," "Take a Free Fall," "I Wanna Rescue You," and “They Were Some Good Years" are all listed in the same notebook as mighty terrific tunes. And, as former Boston Globe critic/current Rhino publicity maven Brett Milano commented halfway through the performance: "This is probably the best power-pop band I've seen all year."
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