The Cowsills
Global
(Robin Records)
Global contains 11 tracks that have been circulating among fans
for some years. Anyone that heard "Is It Any Wonder?" on the first
Yellow Pills CD back in 1993 couldn't fail to be amazed by a) the breath-taking quality of
the song and b) the fact that The Cowsills were without a recording contract -- it seems
that due to their Brady Bunch-style past they were untouchable! So if you can't get a
deal, start a label. Which is just what the Cowsills have done. And now at last the music
of John, Bob, Susan, Paul and their friend Robby Scharf is available for the world to
hear.
The album contains a few sad songs and a couple of fairly
pedestrian folk-rock numbers and an overall sound that is far more Fleetwood Mac than
Partridge Family -- which may not be to everyone's liking - but on occasions, in
particular "I Be Low", "Under The Gun", and the
sublime "Is It Any Wonder?", when the picture-perfect vocal harmonies
glide in and the band achieves an almost spiritual high you can just see them mouthing to
the majors "listen to what you're missing". (www.robinrecords.com).
(PS My friend Robin Wills is smitten with "Global" and
says, "I've now lived with this album for ten days and I can't seem to play anything
else. This is either a sign of benign madness or the mark of a truly great album -- you
decide").
© 1998 Terry Harmon and Bucketfull of Brains |
