Digitally re-mastered and expanded edition of this 1967 album including eight bonus tracks. The Cowsills possessed one of the most pleasing vocal blends in all of popular music. In addition, they created-without proper credit-the blueprint for countless other singing 'family bands,' including, the TV-created Partridge Family, who were actually based on The Cowsills. Released in 1967, The Cowsills' self-titled eponymous album was the perfect long-playing launch pad, blending Soft Pop buoyancy with Psych Pop excursions and Sunshine Pop sensibilities. The thread that tied these elements together was their undeniable vocal dexterity. This first-ever legitimate CD issue of this album from the original mono master includes the Top 10 hit 'The Rain, The Park And Other Things.' Also included are eight bonus tracks, including all the material that comprised The Cowsills Plus The Lincoln Park Zoo album. The full-color booklet also includes rare, unpublished photos and extensive liner notes that feature the participation of original band members.
D**E
Vinyl records are the best.
I'm starting up my vinyl records again and I had to include this gem.
S**S
Great Seller
Great customer service Great product Highly recommended seller Thank you!!!!!
G**D
Only for die-hard Cowsills fans; even then is not worth buying
This review is for the Razor & Tie version (catalogue # RE 2037). I bought it purely for "The Rain, The Park And Other Things", as it's one of my favourite songs. Unfortunately I found little else of interest on this disc (except if you were a *serious* Cowsills fan). Note that it does not include "Indian Lake" or "Hair".Pros: Mastering was done by the great Steve Hoffman. As such the sound quality is fantastic with a very natural, analogue feel.Cons: "The Rain, The Park And Other Things" is the stereo mix and is FAR inferior to the mono mix. The harmonies ("I love the flower girl"... etc.) in the chorus are very buried in the mix and the instruments dominate the vocals throughout the entire song. You can get the mono mix of "The Rain, The Park And Other Things" on 45's on CD, Vol. 3 (1966-1969) .N.B: The track listing provided by Amazon is incorrect. My CD is as follows (asterisk denotes changes in the Amazon provided track listing; hash denotes bonus tracks):1. The Rain, The Park And Other Things2. Pennies*3. La Rue Du Soleil*4. Thinkin' About The Other Side*5. Dreams of Linda*6. River Blue*7. Gettin' Into That Sunny, Sunny Feelin' Again*8. That's My Time of Day*9. Troubled Roses*10. (Stop, Look) Is Anyone There?*11. How Can I Make You See*12. (Come 'Round Here) I'm The One You Need*13. Love American Style* [#]14. The Impossible Years* [#]
J**R
The first MGM album with some additional tracks.
This expanded edition CD of the Cowsills first MGM album includes several cuts from the Mercury/Phillips stint and makes it worth the cost. Even at this early age the first family of pop/rock were amazing and this CD proves the point.
P**Y
It's the Cowsills, folks
Much better quality and a more representative sample than the little 12-track CD I bought a month ago. True, it doesn't include the favorites 'Indian Lake' or 'Hair', but a nice selection of folk-pop sounds, a cover of S&G 'A Most Peculiar Man', some Cowsills-written tunes - I liked it. Not sure why there are two versions of 'The Rain the Park and Other Things', but -
L**A
Cowsills LP--An Excellent Re-Release
An excellent re-release, with some fine extra tracks to fill out the CD. Brings me back to a different time and an different place.
C**P
Groovin to the Cowsills again.
This vintage vinyl was in excellent condition. It has very few pops and no scratches. The sound quality is intact and the packaging looks almost new.
A**A
Three Stars
a little scratched
R**5
'What's It Gonna Be Like'
The Cowsills have to be one of the most interesting bands to come out of the 1960s; a highly talented family band who deserved much more success than they ultimately received.This CD release puts their first album, 'The Cowsills' onto disc as well as including a 24-page booklet and bonus tracks, including singles and mono-mixes of a couple of the album tracks which were released on the album in stereo form. The booklet has some rare pictures and liner notes provided by Bob Cowsill about the recordings on the LP, including a few interesting facts about their recording, 'The Rain, the Park and Other Things'.One error to note though; the opening page in the booklet identifies John Cowsill as Barry Cowsill and the other way around. Coincidentally, the record company also did this on their first single 'Most of All' in 1965.It's easy to knock The Cowsills on the first impression given; a family band full of children and their mother does sound pretty unappealing to many people, but make no mistake this was a very talented band. Many of the songs on this disc are originals, and written by either (or mainly both) Bill and Bob Cowsill, and many of these songs are well written and excellent productions. The opening track is 'The Rain, the Park and Other Things' which was given a gold disc in 1967, and the following recordings are just as good, capturing The Cowsills at their very best, including their outstanding original recording 'River Blue'.The original band featured Bill, Bob and Barry Cowsill before they shortly joined by brother John. Later, their mother Barbara and younger Susan joined the group before another brother Paul also joined (Bud, their father and manager would not let their other brother Richard (who was Bob's twin brother) join, but instead sent him off to Vietnam). Sadly, despite the happy image the group presented, the reality was much, much different (check out the poignant DVD 'The Cowsills Story' which is recommended for any Cowsill fan). To this day, Susan, Bob and Paul continue to perform as The Cowsills and John drums with the Beach Boys. Unfortunately, Barbara passed away in 1985, followed by Bud in 1992. We lost Barry Cowsill during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, shortly followed by older brother Bill a few months later in 2006 and in 2014, the non-performing Cowsill (Richard) has since passed away.This is an excellent re-release on disc for an underrated band who deserved a lot more than they received, and definitely deserves 5*. If you enjoyed this album, I'd also recommend another of their albums, 'Captain Sad & his Shop of Fools' from 1968.
R**Y
Good compilation
I expect a lot of people were first introduced to the Cowsills via the Jim Carey film 'Dumb and Dumber'which featured their hit single 'The rain,the park and other things'.But those in the know have been enjoying the bubblegum pop and close harmonies of The Cowsills for many years.For people who don't know they were a sort of prototype Partridge family but were much, much better (and were a real family!)They have suffered more than their fair share of tradgedy over the years but the remaining members still gig from time to time.This collection is a good place to start for those new to The Cowsills and if you like the above mentioned song you should'nt be dissapionted by anything here.
A**R
Cowsills first is great ,and soon to be rare and out of print.
These are not just kids singing, if you like the association ,monkees, beach boys, good harmony pop from the 60s then you are to be smitten.
J**R
Warum Mono?
So sehr ich mich freue, dass es diese LP jetzt auf CD mit Bonustiteln gibt, frage ich mich, warum man die Mono-Bänder genommen hat. Meine alte LP (MGM.Deutsche Grammophon Ges., Deutsche Pressung) ist Stereo. Trotzdem lohnt der Kauf allein schon wegen den Bonustiteln
J**.
fantastic booklet, sound good but mono
fantastic booklet ,sound good but mono ,amazon, listing led me to believe that this great disc was stereo with bonus tracks in mono, its all mono, never mind , in November its being released by universal in japan, s,j,
