“A Partridge Family Christmas Card” is the fourth studio album for the Partridge Family. The sitcom stars released this album in November of 1971 with a Christmas card signed by the whole family. It was the best-selling Christmas album in the United States during the Christmas season of 1971 on Billboard magazine’s special Christmas Albums sales chart.
The lead vocals were by Keith Partridge (David Cassidy) save for “The Christmas Song” which Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones) sings. The Partridge Family ran from September 25, 1970, until August 24, 1974, on the ABC network as part of a Friday-night lineup, and had subsequent runs in syndication. The family was loosely based on the real-life musical family of the Cowsills[1], a popular band in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Two tracks from the LP made it onto the sitcom.
Written by Partridge popmeister, Tony Romeo, My Christmas Card To You also exhibits some wonderfully complex and harmonious background vocals from John Bahler and company. David Cassidy’s performance is a delight, as he sings of the fields and farms and the road to town. To hear the magic of this song is alone worth the price of admission.
Reviewed by Howard Pattow
“Winter Wonderland” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, were featured on the TV show (in the second-season episode “Don’t Bring Your Guns to Town, Santa”). “My Christmas Card to You” is an original track for this album and a great song, one of my all-time favorites. The album was recorded at Western Recorders (Studio 2) in Los Angeles, California. “A Partridge Family Christmas Card” consists of solid, well-sung pop music throughout.
My Christmas Card to You written by Tony Romeo
INTRO:
To you and all your family, your neighbors and your friends
May all your days be happy with a joy that never ends
May peace and love surround you
at Christmas time and all the whole year through
I'm looking out my window at the softly falling snow
that dances in the early morning light
I got my guitar right before me, strummin' a beautiful sound
watching it a-comin' down, all around
on the fields and the farms and the road to town
And I'm thinkin' up a letter that I'm writin' in my head
a Christmas card to all the folks I love
Instead of lettin' the postman bring it, I decided I'd rather sing it
especially for you, for you
To you and all your family, your neighbors and your friends
May all your days be happy with a joy that never ends
May peace and love surround you
at Christmas time and all the whole year through
BREAK:
May your life be filled with sunshine, may your every wish come true
May you find the sweet fulfillment in everything you do
May your days be blessed with the very very best
both now and the whole year through
it says so in my Christmas card to
You and all your family, your neighbors and your friends
May all your days be happy with a joy that never ends
May peace and love surround you
at Christmas time and all the whole year through
at Christmas time and all the whole year through
The Partridge Family
- Shirley Jones as Shirley Partridge: vocals, keyboard, tambourine, percussion
- David Cassidy as Keith Partridge: lead vocals, guitars, banjo
- Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge: vocals, harmony, piano, Hammond organ, percussion
- Danny Bonaduce as Danny Partridge: vocals, bass guitar.
- Jeremy Gelbwaks as Chris Partridge (Season 1): vocals, drums
- Brian Forster as Chris Partridge (Seasons 2–4): vocals, drums
- Suzanne Crough as Tracy Partridge: tambourine, percussion, vocals
- Dave Madden as Reuben Kincaid: band manager
Stateside – BL 279 New Zealand
The Tracks – Side One
- “My Christmas Card to You” (Tony Romeo) 2:33
- “White Christmas” (Irving Berlin) 2:45
- “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” (Haven Gillespie, J. Fred Coots) 2:28
- “Blue Christmas” (Billy Hayes, Jay W. Johnson) 3:27
- “Jingle Bells” (arranged by Wes Farrell) (James Lord Pierpont) 2:54
- “The Christmas Song” (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) 2:30
The Tracks – Side Two
- “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” (Johnny Marks) 2:34
- “Winter Wonderland” (Richard B. Smith, Felix Bernard) 2:19
- “Frosty the Snowman” (Jack Rollins, Steve Nelson) 3:51
- “Sleigh Ride” (Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish) 2:40
- “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane) 2:22
The Band
- David Cassidy – lead vocals
- Shirley Jones – lead and backing vocals
- Dennis Budimir, Louie Shelton – guitar
- Max Bennett – bass
- Mike Melvoin – piano
- Hal Blaine – drums
- Jackie Ward, John Bahler, Ron Hicklin, Tom Bahler – background vocals
- Wes Farrell – arrangement of rhythm tracks, producer
- John Bahler – arrangement of vocal background
- Gene Trindel – Christmas card photography
- Beverly Weinstein – art direction
- The Music Agency – cover design
- Bob Kovach – engineer
Footnotes
- The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island, with six siblings noted for performing professionally and singing harmonies at an early age, later with their mother. The band was formed in early 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry Cowsill; their brother John joined shortly thereafter. Originally Bill and Bob played guitar and Barry played the drums. When John learned to play drums and joined the band, Barry began playing bass. After their initial success, the brothers were joined by their siblings Susan and Paul along with their mother, Barbara. A seventh sibling, Bob’s fraternal twin brother Richard, was never part of the band during its heyday, although he occasionally appeared with them in later years. The band’s road manager for most of their career was Richard “Biggie” Korn. When the group expanded to its full family membership by 1967, the six siblings ranged in age from 8 to 19. Joined by their mother, Barbara Cowsill (née Russell), the group inspired the 1970s television show The Partridge Family. [Back]
Further Reading
Sources
Lyric Advisor
Wikipedia
Discogs
Hip Christmas
