Cherish (album)
Encyclopedia
Cherish is the debut solo album by American singer David Cassidy
, produced by Wes Farrell
and released by Bell Records in early 1972.
and had sung lead on several hit singles and successful albums under the group moniker. Being underage at 19 upon being signed to The Partridge Family and during the first season of the show, Cassidy was on a flat-rate contract with Columbia Pictures
and earned no royalties from recordings issued under the Partridge Family name on the Columbia-owned Bell label. However, upon reaching the age of 21 during the hiatus before Season 2 began production in April 1971, Cassidy was able to renegotiate his contract to include payment of royalties for sales of recordings and merchandise, as well as gaining a degree of input into, and control over, his recording career.
Cherish was designed as a project by Partridge Family musical producer Wes Farrell to break Cassidy out as a solo star via material not directly connected to the TV series. The album was recorded during the second half of 1971 with essentially the same musicians and technicians who had worked on earlier Partridge Family recordings, but with the aim of giving Cassidy a more mature sound than he had been able to display via the Partridge Family, and more personal material with which to work. Regular Farrell associates Tony Romeo
and Adam Miller contributed three tracks each, while Kin Vassy
– at the time a member of The First Edition
featuring Kenny Rogers
– penned the dramatic ballad "My First Night Alone Without You", a track which was subsequently covered by a number of other artists including Dionne Warwick
and Bonnie Raitt
. The album also includes the Cassidy-penned track "Ricky's Tune", reportedly a homage to a recently-deceased pet dog.
, a cover of The Association
's 1966 Billboard chart topper, said to have been chosen as the lead single by Farrell after a search for a song which would be instantly familiar to audiences, but had not yet been the subject of any widely-known cover version. The single peaked at #9 in December 1971 (#1 Adult Contemporary), and was followed by the U.S. release of the album in early February 1972, along with a second single "Could It Be Forever". The single stalled at #37, but the album was generally favorably received and sold well, reaching #15 on the Billboard 200
.
In the United Kingdom, where the Partridge Family were just beginning to catch on (the TV series did not start to air there until December 1971), Cherish was released in March. It was decided to release "Could It Be Forever" and "Cherish" as a Double A-side, which quickly rose to #2 with "Could It Be Forever" receiving the majority of airplay on radio stations. The album also took off and climbed to #2, marking the start of a 3-year period in which Cassidy became one of the biggest record-sellers and a preeminent teen idol
in the UK and Australia (where "Cherish" hit #1) at the same time as his sales in the U.S. were plummeting. In March 1973 (following two successful singles from Cassidy's second album Rock Me Baby
) the UK fan-favorite "I Am a Clown" with its memorable spoken introduction was belatedly issued as a single, and reached #3.
Cherish was deleted from catalogs in the late 1970s, and for many years remained available only via second-hand markets. The album was finally remastered and issued on CD through Arista
in 2000, and remains in print. The reputation of Cherish is largely positive, with Allmusic's Lindsay Planer describing the album as " Overall...an admirable first time out and, above all, [it] continues to display the vocalist's theatrical sensibilities and performance style."
David Cassidy
David Bruce Cassidy is an American actor, singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his role as the character of Keith Partridge in the 1970s musical/sitcom The Partridge Family. He was one of pop culture's most celebrated teen idols, enjoying a successful pop career in the 1970s, and...
, produced by Wes Farrell
Wes Farrell
Wes Farrell was an American musician, songwriter and record producer, who was most active in the 1960s and 1970s...
and released by Bell Records in early 1972.
Recording
Cassidy had come to prominence via the TV series The Partridge FamilyThe Partridge Family
The Partridge Family is an American television sitcom about a widowed mother and her five children who embark on a music career. The series originally ran from September 25, 1970 until August 31, 1974, the last new episode airing on March 23, 1974, on the ABC network, as part of a Friday-night lineup...
and had sung lead on several hit singles and successful albums under the group moniker. Being underage at 19 upon being signed to The Partridge Family and during the first season of the show, Cassidy was on a flat-rate contract with Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
and earned no royalties from recordings issued under the Partridge Family name on the Columbia-owned Bell label. However, upon reaching the age of 21 during the hiatus before Season 2 began production in April 1971, Cassidy was able to renegotiate his contract to include payment of royalties for sales of recordings and merchandise, as well as gaining a degree of input into, and control over, his recording career.
Cherish was designed as a project by Partridge Family musical producer Wes Farrell to break Cassidy out as a solo star via material not directly connected to the TV series. The album was recorded during the second half of 1971 with essentially the same musicians and technicians who had worked on earlier Partridge Family recordings, but with the aim of giving Cassidy a more mature sound than he had been able to display via the Partridge Family, and more personal material with which to work. Regular Farrell associates Tony Romeo
Tony Romeo
Tony Romeo was an American songwriter. He is famous for writing the No.1 hit "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family as well as many other hit records, mostly during the 1960s and 1970s....
and Adam Miller contributed three tracks each, while Kin Vassy
Kin Vassy
Charles Kindred "Kin" Vassy was a singer-songwriter who in addition to his solo recordings also recorded with other artists, most notably Kenny Rogers, Frank Zappa and Elvis Presley....
– at the time a member of The First Edition
The First Edition
The First Edition was a country music/rock band. Its stalwart members being Kenny Rogers , Mickey Jones and Terry Williams...
featuring Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
– penned the dramatic ballad "My First Night Alone Without You", a track which was subsequently covered by a number of other artists including Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
and Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
. The album also includes the Cassidy-penned track "Ricky's Tune", reportedly a homage to a recently-deceased pet dog.
Release
Cassidy's first solo single, released in October 1971 while recording of the album was still in progress, was the title trackCherish (The Association song)
"Cherish" is a pop song written by Terry Kirkman and recorded by The Association. Released in 1966, the song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in September of that year and remained in the top position for three weeks. In Canada, the song also reached number one...
, a cover of The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
's 1966 Billboard chart topper, said to have been chosen as the lead single by Farrell after a search for a song which would be instantly familiar to audiences, but had not yet been the subject of any widely-known cover version. The single peaked at #9 in December 1971 (#1 Adult Contemporary), and was followed by the U.S. release of the album in early February 1972, along with a second single "Could It Be Forever". The single stalled at #37, but the album was generally favorably received and sold well, reaching #15 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
In the United Kingdom, where the Partridge Family were just beginning to catch on (the TV series did not start to air there until December 1971), Cherish was released in March. It was decided to release "Could It Be Forever" and "Cherish" as a Double A-side, which quickly rose to #2 with "Could It Be Forever" receiving the majority of airplay on radio stations. The album also took off and climbed to #2, marking the start of a 3-year period in which Cassidy became one of the biggest record-sellers and a preeminent teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
in the UK and Australia (where "Cherish" hit #1) at the same time as his sales in the U.S. were plummeting. In March 1973 (following two successful singles from Cassidy's second album Rock Me Baby
Rock Me Baby (album)
Rock Me Baby was the second solo album release from David Cassidy. It was released in 1972 and produced by Wes Farrell on Bell Records. It contains one song written by Cassidy called "Two Time Loser" and a song he co-wrote with Kim Carnes entitled "Song for a Rainy Day". The album peaked at #2 in...
) the UK fan-favorite "I Am a Clown" with its memorable spoken introduction was belatedly issued as a single, and reached #3.
Cherish was deleted from catalogs in the late 1970s, and for many years remained available only via second-hand markets. The album was finally remastered and issued on CD through Arista
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in 2000, and remains in print. The reputation of Cherish is largely positive, with Allmusic's Lindsay Planer describing the album as " Overall...an admirable first time out and, above all, [it] continues to display the vocalist's theatrical sensibilities and performance style."
Track listing
- "Being Together" (Tony RomeoTony RomeoTony Romeo was an American songwriter. He is famous for writing the No.1 hit "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family as well as many other hit records, mostly during the 1960s and 1970s....
) – 2:53 - "I Just Wanna Make You Happy" (Wes Farrell, Bobby Hart) – 2:18
- "Could It Be Forever" (Farrell, Danny Janssen) – 2:16
- "Blind Hope" (Adam Miller) – 3:14
- "I Lost My Chance" (Miller) – 2:38
- "My First Night Alone Without You" (Kin VassyKin VassyCharles Kindred "Kin" Vassy was a singer-songwriter who in addition to his solo recordings also recorded with other artists, most notably Kenny Rogers, Frank Zappa and Elvis Presley....
) – 3:34 - "We Could Never Be Friends ('Cause We've Been Lovers Too Long)" (Romeo) – 2:50
- "Where Is the Morning" (Miller) – 2:53
- "I Am a Clown" (Romeo) – 4:35
- "CherishCherish (The Association song)"Cherish" is a pop song written by Terry Kirkman and recorded by The Association. Released in 1966, the song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in September of that year and remained in the top position for three weeks. In Canada, the song also reached number one...
" (Terry KirkmanTerry KirkmanTerry Kirkman, in Salina, Kansas, U.S., is a musician and writer of the hit songs "Cherish", "Everything That Touches You", and "Six Man Band". He left the band Men in 1962 to become a founding member and sometime leader of the musical group The Association. Kirkman co-wrote some material with...
) – 3:46 - "Ricky's Tune" (David Cassidy) – 3:24
Personnel
- David Cassidy – Vocals
- Hal BlaineHal BlaineHal Blaine is an American drummer and session musician. He is most known for his work with the Wrecking Crew in California. Blaine played on numerous hits by popular groups, including Elvis Presley, John Denver, the Ronettes, Simon & Garfunkel, the Carpenters, the Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, and...
– Drums - Mike MelvoinMike MelvoinMike Melvoin is an American jazz pianist.Melvoin began on piano at age three. He studied English at Dartmouth College, graduating in 1959, but decided to pursue a career in music. After moving to Los Angeles in 1961, he played with Frank Rosolino, Leroy Vinnegar, Gerald Wilson, Paul Horn, Terry...
– Piano, strings & horn arrangements - Max BennettMax Bennett (musician)Max Bennett is an American jazz bassist and session musician.Bennett grew up in Kansas City and Oskaloosa, Iowa, and went to college in Iowa. His first professional gig was with Herbie Fields in 1949, and following this he played with Georgie Auld, Terry Gibbs, and Charlie Ventura...
, Reinie Press – Bass - Louis SheltonLouis SheltonLouis Shelton , also known as Louie Shelton, is an American musician and music producer....
, Tommy TedescoTommy TedescoThomas J. Tedesco was an American master session musician and renowned jazz and bebop guitarist.Tedesco's credits include the iconic brand-burning accompaniment theme from television's Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, Vic Mizzy's iconic theme from Green Acres, M*A*S*H, Batman, and Elvis Presley's '68...
, Larry CarltonLarry CarltonLarry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
, Dennis Budimir – Guitar - The Love GenerationThe Love GenerationNot To Be Confused with the Swedish Group Love GenerationThe Love Generation was an American pop rock band from the 1960s. The band was together from 1967 to 1969.-History:...
– Backing vocals (arranged by John BahlerJohn BahlerJohn Bähler is an American vocalist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer.John Bähler is brother of Tom Bähler and husband of Janet Lennon .-Early career:...
)