It doesn't happen all the time, but occasionally kitsch burrows itself into the popular consciousness and stays put because it's timelessly, compellingly good. Such is the case with The Very Best of the Partridge Family, which at long last allows pop aficionados who have closeted their dirty-little-secret obsession with the fictitious TV group to come clean. Never mind the ruffles and dove-wing lapels—heartthrob hang-ups aside, David Cassidy can sing (skip "I Think I Love You" and check his soul chops on the raging "Roller Coaster" or his Elvis-like vocal nuances on "Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque" instead.) And it doesn't hurt that the material he crooned was penned by some of the era's top songwriters. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, for example, lent their graceful imagery to "Looking Through the Eyes of Love," and Gerry Goffin was behind "I'll Meet You Halfway." Add to that the band's layered-harmony-nailing background singers and a stash of sensational session players, and it can't be helped: You get happy. -Tammy La Gorce

First time on CD for their 1973 album, including One Day at a Time; Sunshine; Come On Love; I Got Your Love All over Me; Let Your Love Go; It's You; As Long As There's You , and more!

The story once circulated that session keyboardist Larry Knechtel could barely keep a straight face while recording the harpsichord solo on the Partridge Family's "I Think I Love You." Given that Knechtel later joined Bread, another totem of '70s (supposed) disposability, the tale seems to reflect little more than music-biz snobbery. The studio-created pop fronted by series stars David Cassidy and Shirley Jones stands up well for ears sympathetic to the era's have-a-nice-day Top 40 standards. Singles such as "I Think I Love You," "I Woke Up in Love This Morning," and "Doesn't Somebody Want to Be Wanted" remain high points of mainstream manufacture, with Cassidy's soft-sell emoting meshing with crafty arrangements and surefire hooks. These tracks have aged well. The Definitive Collection also offers a healthy selection of Cassidy's TV-era solo work, including his hit covers of the Association's "Cherish" and the Rascals' "How Can I Be Sure." Save for the exclusion of the Partridge's theme song, this CD lives up to its name. --Rickey Wright