Saturday 16 November 2013

The Partridge Calamity

If you feel the need to blame anyone for today’s monstrosity, don’t blame me: blame TheSquire Presents.

A couple of weeks ago the Squire invited me to contribute to his upcoming Christmas podcast. We spent a great afternoon chatting about some of my favourite bad Christmas records and he introduced me to some of his. I’m not going to spoil the surprise by telling you which discs we chose, but one of the songs he played – and one I was, until then, unaware of, was by a four year-old moppet by the name of Ricky Segall. The song sounded to me as if it were being performed by Ike Broflovsky, Kyle’s adopted Canadian brother (if you don’t watch South Park you’ll not understand that reference). It was hideous.

Needless to say, I had to track down a copy of little Ricky’s one and only album. And I’m so glad that I did.

Ricky Segall and the Segalls Singing Selections from “The Partridge Family” Television Show, to give it its full title, is truly abhorrent. Ricky himself was, at the time, a four year-old child actor who had been drafted in to the hit US TV series The Partridge Family to add some light relief to the show’s final series – and hopefully distract the audience from the fact that teen heart-throb David Cassidy would soon be moving on to pastures new. Unfortunately the fourth series, the one that introduced his character (Ricky Stevens), would also become the show’s last.


All of the songs on the – thankfully short – album are written by Ricky’s dad Rick and feature Ricky’s parents prominently. Rick Senior scored a songwriting contract with Colgems, the musical arm of the giant Columbia Pictures organisation and the company behind The Monkees’ recorded output, and the album features such top-ranking musicians as noted drummers Hal Blaine and Jim Gordon. It still stinks. And why is the little urchin rising out of a giant egg on the front cover? There’s a Freudian nightmare if I’ve ever seen one.

Richard Robert Segall III was born on in New York on March 10, 1969. Now known as the Reverend Richard Segall, little Ricky is a minister at The Church On The Way in San Antonio, Texas but he still takes on the occasional acting role. He released his second album, A Time to Dance, in 1999 – described as an ‘explosive, hi-tech, electronic dance CD’. I’ll take Amazon’s word for it.


The two tracks I present for you today tell you pretty much everything you need to know about this project. Say, Hey, Willie – which opens the album and introduces Ricky’s parents to an uncaring and uninterested audience – is a ‘tribute’ to American baseball legend Willie Mays, whose nickname was the Say Hey Kid apparently. Mr President is Ricky’s stab at a protest song – at least I think that’s what it is. You decide. I’ve sat through this crap three times now this morning and my brain is starting to atrophy.

Enjoy!

UPDATE, DECEMBER 2015: both links  - long broken - have now been replaced and should work fine. To download, simply click on the Tindeck logo and the download page will open in a new window




32 comments:

  1. hahaha can't download these "classics"

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    1. You aren't missing a thing. A child with an unformed palate and no volume control equals one shouting loudly and vaguely hitting some of the notes. I don't like being yelled at by a child... It is NOT cute!

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  2. Truly effin' horrible , well done sir !

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  3. Replies
    1. x^D .... you have a way with words, jay!!

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  4. Jim Gordon played drums on this abominable album?!? This LP must be partly to blame for his untimely mental breakdown, which resulted in the murder of his mother, and his subsequent incarceration (still to this day).

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  5. Horrible yes indeed, Voodoo Wagoneer: zigzagwanderer. Even worse though, is Danny Bonaduce's eponymous album from 1973___http://1001-songs.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-5-worst-albums-of-1973.html___http://washedupcelebrities.blogspot.com/2007/11/danny-bonaduce.html

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  6. Just watched the first episode introducing Ricky Segal on the Partridge Family. I truly have never ! been a fan of children on TV; but this little boy was the most gorgeous and entertaining child I have ever!! seen in my life. It is unimaginable to me how anyone could bash this beautiful four year old child. (Maybe you think your child could have done a better job.) I think not. Any by the way, I would also say to the "haters" out there; everyone knows that David Cassidy caused the demise of the Partridge Family. Mr. Segall, I hope you are having a beautiful happy life. Unlike the haters, who will never by happy and enjoy anything.

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    1. anon from 4sept'15: i imagine you are related to ricky, &/or have a tin ear.

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    2. Lots of hateful people out there, feeling all good about themselves bashing a 4 year old boy ONLY doing what his parents told him to do!
      From what I've read about Ricky, he's grown up to be a sweet kind adult.
      I can't say the same about most of the commenters here. Lots of pitiful people STILL bullying and behaving like nasty children in the schoolyard...
      getting their feel good by mocking a 4 year old baby boy.... *smh*
      What miserable lives you must have...

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    3. And his mother is the biggest nightmare. She is a practising therapist who abused who clients and got caught and suspended.

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  7. Where are the links - I MUST hear these songs again, after all these decades! Please repost!

    All the best to you from Pee-Pee Soaked Heckhole (www.peepeesoakedheckhole.blogspot.com)

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    1. here you go, all fixed. I've also added your excellent blog to my bogroll - the links on the right hand side of this page. Happy Holidays!

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    2. Ha ha! Thanks tone! Wow, what a flashback . . . I remember this kid performing "Say Hey Willie" on The Partridge Family back when I was only slightly older than he was. Always wondered what happened to him . . . The early '70s were seemingly the heyday of hit songs by child singers - remember Rodney Allen Rippy ss well?

      Thanks again for the memories (and thanks for the add to your blog roll)!

      All the best to you from Pee-Pee Soaked Heckhole

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    3. You're welcome. Incidentally I wrote about Rodney Allen Rippy's album - Take Life a Little Easier - in my second book: http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Worst-Records-Another-Atrocity/dp/1508728933

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    5. I raised my original price offering when I realized that there is a market for this gem. See the next comment.

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  8. I have Ricky Segall's first LP on vinyl in mint condition in the original cover and sleeve for sale for $1000.00 (or else I will choose to keep it). Bidders can go higher. Good luck finding one in as good condition.

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  9. I have Ricky Segall's first LP on vinyl in mint condition in the original cover and sleeve for sale for $1000.00 (or else I will choose to keep it). Bidders can go higher. Good luck finding one in as good condition.

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    1. I found this LP in mint condition and did a rip of the whole thing in high-quality. It's on my blog. Won't make for pleasant listening, but I felt someone had to document this. Surprised anyone else remembers this one. (And, regarding the above comment, my copy was bought for $1 at a recent record show, not $1000. Mine was sealed, too.)

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    2. broken arrows: love it that you paid only $1 for a sealed lp!! good for you; ha-ha!

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  11. I remember this from my childhood and love the idea of the songs. Listening to it now, it's obviously horrible singing. But...the memories of it overrule that. I, sadly with a smile, remember all of the words to every song. Another similar one...Singin' in the Kitchen..I think it was Bobby Bare.

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  12. OMG...i remember seeing that Partridge Family episode when it was first run. THe song was god awful but i remember it to this day.

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  13. Wow. I remember watching this show when I was about 10 yrs old. Here's a link to the P.F. episode. Ricky's scene starts at 10:24 https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-iba-1&hsimp=yhs-1&hspart=iba&p=the+partridge+family+the+strike-out+king#id=1&vid=2e45b09de931b4d170da6f8111acd864&action=click

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  14. Hi Darryl -

    Gonna throw out a challenge for you; I've looked high and low for this one for months without luck. I figure if ANYONE can track this one down, YOU can:

    Danny Bonaduce (Lion Records, 1973)

    Whatever you can run down would be GREATLY appreciated!

    Thanks again!

    All the best to you from Pee-Pee Soaked Heckhole
    www.peepeesoakedheckhole.blogspot.com

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  15. Actually - found this on Youtube. Dumped it onto Mr W&W Darryl.

    That was the easy part. Then ... there was the listening experience!

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  16. Well, I'm just glad I'm not the only one who finds it repugnant

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  17. The Oliver of the Partridge Family🤐

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  18. I often wondered why they brought that little kid onto the show. He didn't bring any new levity, or anything good, for that matter.

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