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Critic's Review
Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
This compilation was issued shortly after the demise of The Partridge Family television show, which ran on ABC-TV from September 25, 1970, through August 31, 1974. The 20 songs present a rather skewed overview of the seven LPs that came out under the Partridge Family moniker. In fact, while nearly half of The Partridge Family Album (1970) is included, there are no tracks from Crossword Puzzle (1973). That caveat noted, the rest of the group's catalog is highlighted by the Top 40 hits "I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," "I'll Meet You Halfway," "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted," "It's One of Those Nights (Yes Love)," "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," and "Looking Through the Eyes of Love." The whole phenomenon was a reflection of the multi-media success of the Monkees' made-for-TV origins, with a story line taken from the real pop/rock family the Cowsills. Another Monkee-mania derived lesson was the incorporation of the primary cast -- Shirley Jones (vocals) and David Cassidy (vocals) -- to likewise provide Partridge Family lead vocals. The campaign ultimately yielded a consistently high-rated television program as well as no less than nine albums and 11 singles that charted in the Top 40. Accompanying Cassidy and Jones were a veritable who's who of studio heavyweights, such as Hal Blaine (drums), Larry Carlton (guitar), Joe Osborne (bass), and Larry Knechtel (keyboards). They were joined by the painfully sweet backing of the six-member Love Generation, who participated to some degree on every one of the Partridge Family's LPs. As this title has been out of print since the 1970s, modern listeners are best served by the well-rounded 24-track Definitive Collection (2001), which also includes a few solo numbers from Cassidy.
