Okay, today you’re going to see something you don’t often see on the Web. In fact I’ve never seen it (BUT that’s one of the reasons I love doing this blog!).

Anyway, today I’m taking a look at some Partridge Family album pressings from around the world.

Why The Partridge Family you may ask? Why not say I!

I know The Partridge Family recordings are not seen by many “serious” rock/pop music fans as anything but fluff and not worth the time to play but on the contrary they’re damn fine pop records and have stood the test of time.

I have always loved these records and I always will – nuff said.

In the last year or so I’ve found a few really interesting Partridge pressings from the UK, Canada, Germany and of all places Greece!

Since most Bell Records US pressings of The Partridge Family are hit or miss I wondered how pressings round the world fared compared to the often noisy and sometimes badly pressed US copies.

Pressings from Europe tend to be quieter and better pressed than the States and in the case of The Partridge Family that is certainly true.

The drawback to foreign pressings is that more then likely they are a generation or two removed from the sources that are used to press the US Partridge albums as The Partridge Family originated in the States and then foreign countries were sent copy tapes to press their records.

I have the following albums from different countries and will comment on each:

The Partridge Family Album – UK pressing – This is the first Partridge platter released and sure enough this UK pressing is nice and quiet and sounds really nice. It tends to lack a bit of high end, probably from a lower generation tape, but sounds very good. A clean US pressing will sound better if you can find a decent pressing

Up to Date – UK pressing – The second Partridge Family album to be released and this UK copy is much like the previous disc – nice pressing and decent sound. Even though it may not be as detailed as a US pressing this UK version is much quieter than my US pressings so it may win out in the end.

Sound Magazine – a Canadian pressing and a pressing from Greece – This is where it gets interesting.

• Canada: This pressing is superb! It easily beasts my US copy. It’s not only quiet but sounds not only just as good as a US copy but in fact this may be the best pressing of this album I’ve ever heard. The cover is also super sturdy and the quality of the colors and photos is excellent as well.
• Greece: This album is an interesting combination of songs from the first three US Partridge albums with “It’s One of Those Nights (Yes Love)” thrown in for good measure. While the color quality is lacking especially on the front cover I was surprised to find out how good this pressing sounds. There may be a slight boos tn treble as compared to the UK copies which makes this sound quite close to a US copy. Very nice sound a I love the weird selection of songs.

Hits Aus Der Fernseh-Serie:  “Die Partridge Famile” – Unique German album and pressing – Speaking of weird song selections, this album contains songs from the first two US Partridge albums and throws in “Breakin’ Up is Hard to Do” oddly enough. I must say I do love the song selection though and I love the glossy cover and this Lp sounds great – better than the UK Partridge albums and very quiet and a great pressing as well.

The Partridge Family Christmas Album – UK pressing – This is a budget UK pressing of the US “Christmas Card” album that is far and away the best sounding UK Partridge album I own. In fact I’d say it hands down beats the US version – great sound, quiet pressing and also handily beats the sound of the CD pressing as well.

So there you have it. Just a brief overview of some really interesting Partridge Family discs that might peak the curiosity of any Partridge or David Cassidy fan or even fans of good ’70’s pop music.

If you’re a Partridge Family fan it’s well worth trying to track down some foreign pressings of their records as they tend to be much quieter than US copies and there are plenty of unique variations out there that are fun to look at as well as play.

These recordings just shine on vinyl and are a blast to play if you happen to own any or find them online or wherever you may stumble across them.

As usual there are plenty of photos above.

Until next time take care and be well and enjoy the sunshine if you have it!