The Partridge Family don't get much respect from the standard history of rock from the early '70s. Much like their fellow made-for-TV brethren
the Monkees, their contributions are written off as pre-fab concoctions that are too trifling to be bothered with. If you fall in line with that kind of thinking you are going to miss one of the best pop acts of the era. Utilizing the cream of behind-the-scenes songwriters from
Neil Sedaka to
Hot Chocolate's Errol Brown, and the lush vocal harmonies of the uncredited (at the time) background singers, the Partridge Family's songs are solid AM pop, with hooks galore and a light but not saccharine sound. Add to that the excellent (and under-rated) vocals of
David Cassidy and you have some top-notch disposable pop that has stood the test of time.
Come On Get Happy! The Very Best of the Partridge Family replaces the 1989's decent Greatest Hits and streamlines 2001's Definitive Collection by taking away all the
David Cassidy solo tracks. The bulk of the songs here appear on both those collections, though, including their smash hit "I Think I Love You" plus other gems like "Echo Valley 2-6809" and "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Loved." The collection also includes four previously unreleased tracks, two of which ("Together (Havin' a Ball)" and "Let the Good Times In") appeared in the show's first episode and were sung not by
Cassidy but by
Ron Hicklin, a member of the backing vocal crew. The other two feature
Cassidy and are as good as any of their hits, "Baby I Love, Love, I Love You" is particularly fun. Whether the unreleased four songs belong on a" Very Best Of" collection is up for debate: On one hand it might have been better to add more songs that people remembered. but on the other it is nice to have the rarities unearthed. Either way, this is the best
Partridge Family collection available. ~ Tim Sendra