The Cowsills
Global
(Robin Records)
Global contains 11 tracks that have been circulating among fans for some years. Anyone that heard "Is It Any Wonder?" on the first Yellow Pills CD back in 1993 couldn't fail to be amazed by a) the breath-taking quality of the song and b) the fact that The Cowsills were without a recording contract -- it seems that due to their Brady Bunch-style past they were untouchable! So if you can't get a deal, start a label. Which is just what the Cowsills have done. And now at last the music of John, Bob, Susan, Paul and their friend Robby Scharf is available for the world to hear.
The album contains a few sad songs and a couple of fairly pedestrian folk-rock numbers and an overall sound that is far more Fleetwood Mac than Partridge Family -- which may not be to everyone's liking - but on occasions, in particular "I Be Low", "Under The Gun", and the sublime "Is It Any Wonder?", when the picture-perfect vocal harmonies glide in and the band achieves an almost spiritual high you can just see them mouthing to the majors "listen to what you're missing". (www.robinrecords.com).
(PS My friend Robin Wills is smitten with "Global" and says, "I've now lived with this album for ten days and I can't seem to play anything else. This is either a sign of benign madness or the mark of a truly great album -- you decide").
© 1998 Terry Harmon and Bucketfull of Brains
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