David Cassidy, RIP.

You're spot on. The 7T's version has been remastered in the usual way these days - that is: they have compressed the dynamic range to make the whole track sound louder (and therefore to people listening to it on a random playlist it will be more noticeable than its neighbours). All the quieter sounds are boosted up a bit so there's less difference or Dynamic Range between the volume of the various instruments and vocal. It has the side effect of making the track a bit 'airless'.

I did a quick check on the title track in a Dynamic Range analysis app, and on the CD Could It Be Forever the track scored 11 (pretty good, and what you would expect to see for an average track), but the 7T's track scored a measly 7 (pretty low). If you look at a waveform of the track you can see that the top peaks of the sound has been clipped off on the 7T's (which could cause distortion on loud bits) but it's all there on the compilation.
However, a lot of music is mastered that way these days eg Bowie's Blackstar.

Kudos to you for having good ears! Where particularly do you notice distortion on the 7T's? I can just hear loudness and lack of air.

 

I have been playing my David Cassidy/Partridge Family greatest hits CD this weekend.
So many great tracks but I have decided that Cherish is my favourite single.

 

He was the Good-looking High School Stoner Everyman. Perfect for the 70s.

 

Well, to be honest, I didn’t think the Cherish album sounded too bad!

It’s the Rock Me Baby album where the distortion is rampant. Particularly on the first half for some reason and especially on Oh No (No Way). Normally this problem is most apparent on headphones but I could hear this when the CD was playing through my speakers. It does seem really loud too. I’m saying that as someone who’s used to loud CDs too. This seems worse. As I said earlier in the thread, the Buddha version of the album from 2003 is just as bad. I’m convinced Cherry Red have simply used that master. I can’t compare waveforms, but the 7ts CD distorts in all the same places.

 

You're probably right. I'll listen to that track tomorrow. I've not heard the Buddha. One of his CDs I've seen is a nice Bell label replica - is that the one?

 

Yes. In fact the Buddha CDs of both Cherish and Rock Me Baby have the Bell replica label.

 

Original Partridge Family pilot.

David Cassidy - The Partridge Family Pilot

 

I saw it in its entirety on YouTube recently.

 

And too cool to ever get busted holding.

 

I'll have to watch it. I loved "Spirit of 45" so I might like the sequel.

 

I've been re-evaluating David Cassidy's work over the past few weeks, and have now ploughed my way through every vinyl (so no brickwalling!) PF and DC album released in the UK from The Partridge Family Album (UK 1971) to Home is Where The Heart Is (1976). That was a lot of output over a five-year period (and 1972 saw him score no fewer than five Top 50 albums!) So what's my evaluation? Well, the earlier songs, both PF and DC, tend to be a bit sappy, but they are well-constructed, and DC's delivery mimics conviction, even if he didn't really have any.

For me, 1972 is where it kicks off. I'm not a big fan of the Cherish LP, but Rock Me Baby shows a bit more maturity. I know Shopping Bag isn't everyone's favourite, but I rate it quite highly (perhaps mainly for opening with an evocative Boyce & Hart song, though the harpsicord is a bit excessive).

And then we move into 1973, when we have Notebook (a few months later than the US), and that's a winner for me (including two extremely good Top 10 singles - and I still see Pan's People whenever I hear 'Walking in the Rain' - plus a handful of other well-crafted songs). Dreams Are Nuthin' More Than Wishes, however, is where we really hit the mark. This is a fine album - no excuses or special pleading needed for any of it. Built around dreams as a concept, it has a bitter-sweet jazzy flavour that really hits the spot.

Come 1974 and we're starting the slow descent. Cassidy Live! is full of energy, and special mention must go to the female backing vocalists who give it a soulful edge. The LP is slightly let down by some clumsy editing, but as live albums go, not bad.

Moving into 1975, The Higher They Climb is admirable and worthy, but a bit too grim to be especially enjoyable. DC seems to be doing on record what The Monkees did on film: anticipating career's end (though, in the long run, it wasn't actually his career's end). That leaves just one more (before my DC collection reaches its end), Home is Where The Heart Is from 1976. This is an improvement with its generally more satisfying post-teenybopper pop. I wonder if DC might have done better if this had come out a year earlier in place of the depressing The Higher They Climb.

I'm afraid I didn't venture into the 1980s with DC as I never braved going there at the time.

Anyway, it does seem a tragedy to me that DC's music isn't more celebrated today. Some of it may be a bit bubblegum, but it's low-sugar, high-protein bubblegum.

 

Have you heard his other 1976 release, Getting It In The Streets?

 

Unfortunately not. I've heard it said that it's pretty good, but I don't think it was released in the UK, so a copy hasn't come my way. I think the next UK LP after Home is Where the Heart Is (unless I've missed one) is Romance, but I never got that one (I wasn't overly impressed with the '80s production on the singles from it). I might keep an eye on Discogs for Gettin' It in the Street (there might be some German copies floating around in the UK).

 

Sad news indeed. Rest in peace mate

 

I used to have a nice collection of import DC/PF on vinyl.
I only had a few things left that I was going to sell.
Then I got back into collecting vinyl & never got around to it.
I decided to pull a few of the unique pieces of vinyl and keep them.
1 album & 6 EPs (all Japanese pressings).



Darryl
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Information has surfaced that Cassidy didn't have have dementia after all. Rather, his death was due to alcohol abuse.

“The fact is that I lied about my drinking,” Cassidy told Saralena Weinfield at the time, People reported. “I did this to myself to cover up the sadness and the emptiness.”

Cassidy, who died on Nov. 21 from organ failure, made the revelation during a recorded call after he was taken to the hospital following a medical scare.

“I have a liver disease,” Cassidy told the filmmaker. “There is no sign of me having dementia at this stage of my life. It was complete alcohol poisoning.”​

David Cassidy didn't have dementia and was still battling alcohol issues, he revealed weeks before his death - NY Daily News

 

Not surprising, as a number of talking head medical experts at the time appeared to be skeptical of the dementia diagnosis (especially since his mother didn't develop it until her eighties).

Very sad, regardless.

 

I’m not surprised as his dad also had a problem with drinking and it contributed to both their deaths. Tragic because, in spite of the tenth bopper surroundings, Cassidy was both a talented singer and performer.

 

David lived on the beach right down the street from us. A friend of mine has seen him at his various watering holes, throughout the years.

Without question, he died from acute liver failure, due to excessive consumption of alcohol over his lifetime.

 

Such a shame.

 

He had a golden voice and looks. Partridge Family was first record I owned as a kid. I loved him.....and why the media had to bring up anything about his alcoholism at this point is beyond me. What purpose does that serve? Let the man rest in peace.....he never found the love or happiness he longed for and his life was tragic, yet he always had a smile and made so many people happy with his music.

 

It's not like the alcoholism was a secret...

 

yes, saw this story yesterday... a big part of my childhood, the first couple years of the show were funny for sure

 

David Cassidy sings McCartney. Paul should have released this song as a single off ‘Wild Life’.

 

As a big fan of both The Partridge Family and the Wild Life lp this just blew my mind.
Perfect for a Friday evening. Thanks for posting.