The Partridge Family - A Partridge Family Christmas Card (1971)

Here's one of my absolute favorite Christmas albums! Yes, I'm sure it's out there multiple times in blogland, but I'm sharing my copy anyway!

I fell in love with David Cassidy when I first saw his picture in a magazine called "Who's Who in the Teen World", just a couple of months before "The Partridge Family" came on the air. I was just a little kid, but I was completely enamored of the show! Every Friday night, I would lock myself in my parents' bedroom with my little tape recorder (I'd tell my family to be sure not to bother me or make noise), watch the show on the 13-inch TV, and would record the song they sang each week. I wanted to make sure I had all the songs before the albums actually came out. I do remember the Christmas episode, and I've included a video clip from that episode where they sing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (video clip deleted from YouTube).

Besides the fact that I'll love the Partridge Family forever (thank goodness I learned how to digitize my albums so I can listen in my car!), and have wonderful memories of watching the show, listening to their albums, reading about them in magazines, etc., I have great memories of listening to this album at Christmas. I especially remember one occasion when my Uncle Abel, Aunt Licha, and cousins Abel and Sammy, came to our house on Christmas Day. I put this album on my little portable record player (Realistic brand from Radio Shack), and my Uncle Abe danced around the tree with us kids to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" . That's really what's it all about - just family (and friends) having a great time together and making great memories such as this.

So, I hope you all make some wonderful Christmas memories this year, and that you include this album in those memories!

Track listing for A Partridge Family Christmas Card (link has been deleted - go buy CD on Amazon):

Side 1:
1. My Christmas Card to You - the absolutely BEST song!
2. White Christmas
3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
4. Blue Christmas
5. Jingle Bells
6. The Christmas Song

Side 2:
1. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
2. Winter Wonderland
3. Frosty the Snowman
4. Sleigh Ride
5. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas


The back cover of the album.


The Christmas card bonus "signed" by the cast:

Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy - With Love from Hollywood (1959)

Here's an album with one of my favorite musical actresses, Shirley Jones, and her husband at the time, Jack Cassidy (father of David Cassidy, the love of my life - sigh). Both Shirley and Jack sing wonderfully on this album, especially on the duets. When I got this album (during one of my excursions to Half-Price Books' clearance bin), I thought it looked familiar, like maybe I already had it. Well, I didn't have it, but the reason it looked so familiar is that the cover is somewhat similar to a Steve and Eydie album, where they're sitting with their backs to us and looking over their shoulders at us. There are even some of the same songs on both albums. (For you Steve and Eydie fans out there, I do plan to post that album at some point.)

Anyway, back to Shirley and Jack... Shirley Jones is VERY familiar to us as Mrs. Partridge on TV's "The Partridge Family", as well as the star of several Hollywood musicals such as "Oklahoma!", "The Music Man", and "Carousel". I don't remember Jack Cassidy very well - only that I remember seeing him as a guest star on many TV shows. Shirley and Jack ended up divorcing, and Shirley has been married to Marty Ingels for many years. Jack tragically died in a fire in his apartment about 25 years or so ago.

I cleaned up this album as best I could, but there are a couple of songs that each have a skip. It still plays very well - the beautiful voices of Shirley and Jack, with Frank DeVol and his orchestra...

Track listing for Shirley Jones and Jack Cassidy - With Love from Hollywood:

Side 1:
1. Cheek to Cheek
2. Dearly Beloved
3. It Might as Well Be Spring - (has a skip)
4. For You, for Me, for Evermore
5. Love of My Life
6. Let's Face the Music and Dance

Side 2:
1. Let's Fall in Love
2. Long Ago (and Far Away) - (has a skip)
3. Nina
4. It's Easy to Remember
5. Nice Work If You Can Get It
6. Hit the Road to Dreamland