The Cowsills: All I Really Wanta Be Is Me (Joda J-103)

If you hate sweet bubblegum pop, you're probably retching now upon hearing the very name of The Cowsills. After all, this family group was responsible for such hits as "The Rain, The Park and Other Things," "Hair," "Indian Lake" and "We Can Fly."
You can also blame them for being the inspiration for TV's "The Partridge Family" if you want to.

But don't pooh-pooh this one. It's their first (from 1965) and it comes from a time before their mother and sister were in the group. And it's a very cool slice of Byrds-like teen pop with a slightly tougher sound than any of their hits. If the hits are all you're used to, you're in for a big surprise here. Fans of jangly guitar teen pop ought to go for this one in a big way. In fact, it's right up there with such classics as The Choir's "It's Cold Outisde."

After this, the Cowsills recorded several sides for Phillips before moving on to MGM and the rain, the park and other things. Such is history.