The Cowsills, IIxII, MGM SE-4639, 1970
I have a confession to make: I kinda love The Cowsills. The All-American family band that was the inspiration for The Partridge Family had two #2 hits in three years, and but for a looney father and lack of record company support they might have been one of the best groups of the era. The documentary of their story Family Band is a worthy watch, but listening to their albums are the real treat….for me. I think I may be just about the only one who feels that way.
This record came out in 1970, eighteen months after their biggest hit Hair. It had no hit singles and failed to chart, and the band was falling apart. It became their last major label release. MGM spent a little money it, giving them a gatefold cover and Sgt. Pepper style collage. None of it worked.
This particular copy was obviously in a flood of some sort. The lower 1/4 of the cover is warped and missing it’s original paper picture. The smell of old mold is pretty intense. If you shop for discount records, you will find records that have been damaged by water.
Does that mean I shouldn’t have forked over $1 from an obscure album from a group I happen to like? Not a chance! For starters, I’ve never seen this record before, and not for lack of looking. Second, it’s not something I’d want to spend any kind of real money for, despite my intense case of like for the group. But finally because I have a remedy for getting moldy records to play like new.
Audio purists will be horrified, but a good swipe with a premoistened wipe will do the trick. I use Lysol brand wipes myself, and one good spin of each side removes years of mold and dirt. You just have to be careful to let the record dry before you play it. It doesn’t take much time, and the results are worth it.
I’m sorry for the broken water heater the Norbratens experienced, it looked like a bad leak! And Loopnet, the commercial real estate online broker shows several vacancies at 9255 Sunset Boulevard. I wonder if that’s why my letter to the Cowsills Fan Club has gone unreturned.
Today’s Summary:
Cost: $1, $976 Remaining
THE GROOVES MAN 