Month: August 2026

The Partridge Family in the 1980s: Two Different Arista Releases of “The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits” LP

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Today’s post dovetails nicely with my last post about different versions/different pressings of the same album.

Just over a year ago I posted a piece about some Partridge Family records I had recently purchased which included a version of their 1972 album “The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits” that I had never seen.

Let me backtrack a little.

The Partridge Family was a TV show in the 1970s starring Shirley Jones and featuring her then stepson David Cassidy. Not only was The Partridge Family a high-rated TV show but there were also several singles and albums released under The Partridge Family name that were enormous sellers resulting in seven Top Forty US hits (three of them Top Ten hits including the No. 1 smash “I Think I Love You”) plus six gold-selling albums.

The songs from The Partridge Family featured David Cassidy on lead vocals plus Shirley Jones as part of the background vocal blend that became a signature of the sound of the records that came out under The Partridge Family name.

(Note: None of the other cast members of The Partridge Family TV show were a part of the recordings)

While the show lasted from 1970-1974, the recordings that were released as The Partridge Family had a much longer shelf life as their 1972 gold-selling album “The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits” managed to outlive the TV show being reissued in the 1980s by Arista Records with not one but two different covers and catalog numbers.

(Note 2: All of the original issues of The Partridge Family records were released by Bell Records which was owned by Columbia Pictures who made The Partridge Family TV show. Bell Records became Arista Records in 1974 thus any Partridge Family recording issued after 1974 was on Arista Records)

Now I was a fan of the show during its first run in the 1970s and owned all The Partridge Family recordings on Bell Records. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I discovered that a lone 1980s vinyl reissue of “The Partridge Family At Home With Their Greatest Hits” existed and was released by Arista Records sometime in the early 1980s.

As The Partridge Family recordings have some sort of stigma as a relic of the 1970s bubblegum/teen idol era you don’t see much about their records online so there isn’t too much information about this particular reissue of the album. (And yes I think these recordings are pop/rock gems and feature exquisite pop tunes song superbly by David Cassidy who is a much underrated singer.)

It wasn’t until last year in fact that I even came across a copy which I featured in this very blog.

Well much to my surprise I was on ebay a couple of weeks ago and discovered another Arista pressing of this album! This pressing is obviously from the early 1980s as well (see photos of other Arista albums on the inner sleeve) and while it features the same basic cover as the other Arista reissue the back cover on this version has removed all the photos and fan club info that was on the original back cover from 1972 and this one features a different catalog number as well (see photos above and below).

I’m guessing by the second Arista reissue of this album since the other Partridge Family albums were out of print they decided to delete those album photos from the back cover as well as the now mute fan club information. Why they didn’t do that for the first Arista reissue I don’t know. Maybe that first reissue came out a couple of years earlier then the second Arista issue and they were just reusing original Bell album covers and slapping new catalog stickers on them, who knows?

The photos above feature the new version I just found of the album with the changes to the back cover while the photos below feature the first Arista pressing I found which mirrors the original album cover from 1972 but just changes the catalog number from the Bell issue.

Are you following me lol?

I know, I know practically no one besides me cares about this sort of thing but for the four or five people out there who do here’s your chance to see both Arista reissues. As I said in my previous blog post, I love these little vinyl variation discoveries and since there are other nutjobs like me out there feast your eyes!

Just a fun vinyl tidbit for fellow 70s pop music collectors and Partridge fans out there. And for those who are interested, both of these Arista issues sound great and both the copies I have are near mint and play super quiet and are very dynamic sounding records.

The original Bell Records issues were made of cheaper vinyl than these and tended to sound like Rice Krispies at times from the pop and static. If you want some Partridge hits in decent sound, try and hunt one of these down, you won’t be disappointed.

Well, that’s all again.

Be safe and well and see you soon!

Treasure Hunt: Monkee Records Hit the High Seas – “The Monkees” and “Headquarters” from El Salvador, India and Venezuela

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I’ve come to believe that looking for older, obscure records especially from other countries is more like the thrill of a treasure hunt than anything else.

That feeling of hunting down a really rare or just plain weird looking pressing from some small country that may or may not sound as good as a more common pressing from say the USA is something that can get under your skin and before you know it take hold of your psyche in a very non rational way.

I mean really, what on earth is it about records from other countries that gets under a collectors skin? Is it the unique cover art? The sometimes alternate track listing or alternate mix? The sound of vinyl from other countries? The groovy different record labels?

Well, it’s all of the above my friend, at least it is for me.

Take for instance todays blog post. If you’ve read any of the previous posts than you know I’m a sucker for all things Monkees or Beatles; especially vinyl. The more obscure or rare the better. A slightly different alternate mix or record cover and I’m all over it like a fly on … well, you get the picture.

Today I’m taking a look at three fairly obscure foreign pressing of Monkees records:

“The Monkees” – a mono pressing from Venezuela

“Headquarters” – a mono copy from El Salvador

“Headquarters” – s stereo copy from India

I’ve acquired all three of these pressings in the last few months with the “Headquarters” from El Salvador landing at my doorstep just this past week.

First off, I have to say that while all three of these pressings are fairly obscure here in America they aren’t full of alternate mixes or truly different covers (the copy of “The Monkees” from Venezuela does have a different rear cover though). They do however have great labels featuring the black RCA label common to foreign pressings which does check off a couple of marks on my want list.

I also have to add that while they aren’t all in mint condition all three sound really good! I’m guessing they all come from plates made in the States and even “The Monkees” from Venezuela has the same matrix from mono US copies – TZRM-4687 and TZRM-4688.

The only one of the three that has a bit of surface noise is the Venezuelan pressing and even that has nice strong bass and clarity and sounds just the same as a mono US copy.

I guess the thing that really drives my near obsession with Monkees vinyl is the fact that during the 1970s and early ’80s there was precious few new Monkees vinyl on the market and finding used copies of the original Colgems US albums was hard at least for me. Seeing as how I couldn’t drive in the ’70s, by the time I could drive used copies around my area were scarce.

Fast forward to the current Internet age and the availability of used Monkees albums is a common thing. I am just fascinated by looking up Monkees albums on ebay and when I come across an interesting foreign copy for a decent price I love to add it to my collection.

Of the three albums above I really love the Indian “Headquarters” as it has the beards cover on the back and the fact that I’ve never seen any other India pressings, it’s a real fun one to own. The El Salvador pressing is also amazing to me as I never even knew that Monkees records were pressed in El Salvador so having two unique pressings of “Headquarters”, one in stereo and one in mono, is really great.

An earlier post of mine that highlighted the mono copy of “The Bird, The Bees & The Monkees” also from Venezuela that features the ultra rare US mono mix so I’m hoping to find some more unique foreign pressings with mix differences. If I find any, I’ll be sure to post them here.

As you can see from the photos above and below, these foreign pressings are fun to look at and hopefully I’ll be featuring more on the near future.

That’s all of now.

Until next time, be healthy and well and see you soon!

Eight Routes of Broad Street – Paul McCartney’s 1984 Soundtrack Album on CD

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Ah, the Fall of 1984, I remember it well. 

It was a time of transition for Paul McCartney career wise, and it truth be told it was a major time of transition for me as well.

You see I had graduated from high school in May of 1984 and I was kind of floundering. What to do? Where to go? What to be?

I wanted to go to college but I had no idea of what to study or what to do with my life. That long ago Fall I remember working part-time and taking a couple of classes from an area trade school in hope of finding out what I wanted to do.

As usual I was my Beatle loving self and was anxiously waiting the new Paul McCartney movie and soundtrack “Give My Regards to Broad Street”.

I was a major Paul McCartney fan at the time, still am as you can see if you read this blog, and I was particularly fond of McCartney’s last two albums produced by George Martin – “Tug of War” and “Pipes of Peace” – so I was beside myself thinking about how good the movie and soundtrack surely would be when they arrived.

Of course, as all Paul McCartney fans know both the soundtrack and the film of “Give My Regards to Broad Street” were not greeted warmly and in fact kind of derailed McCartney’s career for a few years.

It started off great with the lead single “No More Lonely Nights”, a superb song and Top Ten hit on both sides of the Atlantic, which which is still considered one of McCartney’s better ballads. The song not only contains a great McCartney vocal but also includes some lovely guitar work from David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.

Then as the Fall progressed and McCartney did a massive amount of press to boost the pictures fortunes it was becoming apparent that the film of “Give My Regards to Broad Street” was not only not liked it was roundly panned by most critics.

While the soundtrack wasn’t loved it wasn’t quite as hated as the movie. Because McCartney decided to re-record some of his most famous Beatles songs the soundtrack was dismissed as good in spots but overall it was deemed a lackluster affair and written of as too slick and bland.

Now I couldn’t have disagreed more at the time. I loved the soundtrack particularly the two new songs “No Values” and “Not Such a Bad Boy” (which was performed live in the film) and the lovely new longer version of “Eleanor Rigby/Eleanor’s Dream” which to this day is one of my favorites.

Yes the remakes of “Yesterday”, “For No One”, “Good Day Sunshine” and “Here, There and Everywhere” didn’t improve on the originals (how could they?) but they were nonetheless very enjoyable and I still rate the soundtrack as a whole a solid 8 out of 10.

I really do love the remake of “The Long and Winding Road” though as I really like how George Martin produced it with some lovely horns and strings which is not nearly as bombastic sounding as the Phil Spector version from 1970.

Anyway, as I said I was kind of floundering at the time and this soundtrack album always takes me back to that feeling of uncertainty and it illustrates just how much Paul McCartney’s music meant to me as it gave me a lifeline when I needed it most and that feeling remains with me to this day.

It’s those memories I feel every time I listen to this album and the reason it remains one of my all-time favorite McCartney albums as it means more to me than just a dismissive review, it was then and is now a portal to another place and time as well as a bridge over some weighty decisions and angst that leads to calmer waters.

It’s also simply a lovely collection of great music.

And of course though it did kind of derail McCartney’s career a bit at the time it was one of the first times since The Beatles split that he openly celebrated his Beatles past and I think in way it kind of saved him as the commercial and critical disappointment of “Give My Regards to Broad Street” gave him the impetus to work his way back to his muse which opened up his later career to a second wave of superb work that rivaled his Beatles days.

I’m sure a lot of folks will disagree but to me it felt as if subconsciously McCartney was trying to reconnect to his past to propel him forward.

So that leads me to the eight routes of Broad Street.

I have eight, yes eight (I know, crazy but true) different CD variations of the “Give My Regards to Broad Street” soundtrack on CD and thought I’d share photos of all of them here today.

The Broad Street film and soundtrack have not been a part of McCartney’s Archive Collection of the past sixteen years and I’m guessing it may never be as I’m sure the whole affair of bad press and reviews from the period have majorly tainted both the film and soundtrack in McCartney’s mind.

That’s too bad as an Archive release of “Give My Regards to Broad Street” could really be fantastic but we may never have the chance to experience it but who knows, weirder things have happened.

Anyway, below is a list of all eight CDs of Broad Street that own as well as photos above and below for folks to are interested in seeing them.

I also threw in some newspaper clippings of the local showing of the film that eventually did land in a theater near me though it took a bit of time to get to my city. I believe the film was released in late October of 1984 but didn’t land here until about a month later.

I still quite enjoy the film but I see it more a s long form video ala “Thriller” than as a film on the level of The Beatles “A Hard Day’s Night”. I think critics at the time were constantly comparing it to the universally acclaimed Beatles film but really if you look at it as a long form music video with a bare bones plot but lots of well filmed music videos it holds up much better.

All of My Broad Street CDs (see photos above and below):

Give My Regards to Broad Street – 1st issue US Columbia CD Made in Japan

Give My Regards to Broad Street – US Columbia CD Made in USA

Give My Regards to Broad Street – Columbia CD issued in Canada but CD Made in USA. Has different cover insert and rear tray card that were printed in Canada
 
Give My Regards to Broad Street – 1st issue UK CD Made in Japan
 
Give My Regards to Broad Street – UK CD Made in UK
 
Give My Regards to Broad Street – UK CD from 1993 Paul McCartney Collection
 
Give My Regards to Broad Street – Capitol CD USA issue
 
Give My Regards to Broad Street – Mini Lp CD Made in Japan from late 90s
 
Also, there are two ads from my local newspaper for showings of the “Give My Regard to Broad Street” film. I saw it at the Northwood Cinema (see below)
 
There you have it, just a few views on the “Give My Regards to Broad Street” soundtrack and film and a peek at most of the variations of CDs that were produced of the soundtrack from the 1984/85 era and the lovely remastered CD from 1993 as well as the superb looking Mini-Lp CD from Japan which features the 1993 mastering.
 
I actually just added the Canadian Columbia CD and the US Columbia CD Made in Japan in the past couple of weeks which spurred me on to do this blog post.
 
That’s all for now.
 
Until next time be safe and well and see you back here soon!