The Cowsills - II X II (1969)

In 1970, the Partridge Family, the made-for-TV family based on the real-life sibling pop group the Cowsills, were doing great, scoring big ratings with their recently launched television series and landing high in the charts with their debut album and the single "I Think I Love You." The real Cowsills, however, weren't enjoying the same sort of luck; having released four album of beautifully crafted sunshine pop, the siblings were eager to do something more musically ambitious, and while their fictional counterparts were taking their place on the radio and in record stores, the Cowsills' II x II album practically sank without a trace. Too bad, since it contained some of the very finest music the Cowsills ever committed to tape -- it's a mature, fully realized album of lyrical folk-rock, with subtle, well-crafted melodies buoyed by some of the most glorious harmonies this side of the Byrds or Moby Grape. "The Prophecy of Daniel and John the Divine" and the title cut found the Cowsills digging into spiritual themes with intelligence and conviction (and hearing the kids singing "Six! Six! Six!" is a bit of a jolt on first listen), while "Start to Love," "Don't Look Back," and "Father" proved Bill Cowsill and his brother Bob had grown into top-shelf songwriters. Bob Cowsill also arranged and produced the sessions for II x II, and there's an organic, human sound to this music that expands beyond the boundaries of the group's earlier hits without sounding the least bit strained. In addition, "Signs" is a rare example of the Cowsills' rocking out and meaning it, while "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" is a quite effective stab at country-rock -- simply put, II x II sounds like a neglected classic all these years after it was released to public indifference, and demonstrates that as good as the Cowsills were early on, they were capable of even more with a few years experience. It's a tremendous loss that they didn't get the chance to stretch their wings much further in the studio; a year later, after releasing 1971's On My Side, the group would call it quits.