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It's A Sunshine Day
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To buy this CD from Amazon.com, click here: It's a Sunshine Day: The Best of the Brady Bunch
__________________________________________________THE BRADY BUNCH
It’s A Sunshine Day – The Best Of The Brady Bunch
MCA Records
1 THEME FROM THE BRADY BUNCH
(S. Schwartz / F. DeVol)
Previously Unreleased Version
2 PROMO INTRO
3 IT’S A SUNSHINE DAY
(Stephen R. McCarthy)
From “The Kids From The Brady Bunch” Paramount LP # PAS 6037
4 WE CAN MAKE THE WORLD A WHOLE LOT BRIGHTER
(M. Gately / R. John)
From “Meet The Brady Bunch” Paramount LP # PAS 6032
5 AMERICAN PIE
(D. McLean)
From “Meet The Brady Bunch” Paramount LP # PAS 6032
6 BORN TO SAY GOODBYE +
(Alan Gordon)
Florence Henderson ABC Single # 12274
7 KEEP ON
(J. Mills / T. Jenkins)
From “The Kids From The Brady Bunch” Paramount LP # PAS 6037
8 TIME TO CHANGE
(R. Bloodworth / C. Welch / B. Meshel)
From “Meet The Brady Bunch” Paramount LP # PAS 6032
9 SWEET SWEETHEART*
(C. King / G. Goffin)
Barry Williams Paramount Single # PAA 0122
10 I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND
(C. Boettcher)
From “Meet The Brady Bunch” Paramount LP # PAS 6032
11 MERRY GO ROUND
(B. Nearly / J. DiMuro)
From “The Kids From The Brady Bunch” Paramount LP # PAS 6037
12 CHARLOTTE’S WEB
(R.M. Sherman / R.B. Sherman)
From “The Brady Bunch Phonographic Album” Paramount Album # PAS 6058
13 CANDY (SUGAR SHOPPE)
(G. Rogalski / J.E. Lindvald)
From “The Kids From The Brady Bunch” Paramount LP # PAS 6037
14 CHEYENNE*
(Gary St. Clair / Tim O’Brien)
Barry Williams – Previously Unreleased
15 ROAD TO LOVE
(C. Carmichael)
From “Chris Knight & Maureen McCormick” Paramount Album # PAS 6062
16 GONNA FIND A RAINBOW
(Stephen R. McCarthy)
From “The Brady Bunch Phonographic Album” Paramount Album # PAS 6058
17 TRUCKIN’ BACK TO YOU*
(Gary St. Clair / Tim O’Brien)
Maureen McCormick Paramount Single # PAA 217
18 FROSTY THE SNOWMAN*
(S. Nelson / J. Rollins)
From “Merry Christmas from The Brady Bunch” Paramount Album # PAS 5026
19 WE’LL ALWAYS BE FRIENDS
(J. Mills / D. Janssen)
From “Meet The Brady Bunch” Paramount Album # PAS 6032
20 PROMO OUTRO
_____________________________________________________________
Produced by JACKIE MILLS for Wednesday’s Child Productions
Arranged by AL CAPPS except
+ Produced by CHARLES KOPPELMAN for The Entertainment Co.
Arranged by MIKE MILLER
* Produced and Arranged by TIM O’BRIEN
_________________________________________________
Compiled by Lisa Sutton
Coordinated by Andy McKaie
Digitally remastered from the original Paramount Records masters (except “Theme Song”) by Erik Labson, MCA Studios, North Hollywood, CA
“Theme Song” mixed by Bill Inglot at Penguin Studios, Eagle Rock, CA
Art Direction: Vartan
Design: Lisa Sutton
Photos courtesy of Joe Seiter
Memorabilia Photographed by Don The Great
Research Assistance: Andrew Sandoval
Special Thanks to Ken Sharp for his interviews with Eve Plumb and Barry Williams
Thanks also to: Chris Knight, Gary from Rockaway, Bill Inglot, Gary Stewart, Tom Wilson, Rick Sloane, Matt Tunia, Kip from Ear Candy, Jim Laspeesa, Daniel Wachtenheim and Duane Dimock.
(P) 1993, 1976, 1973, 1972 © 1993 MCA Records, Inc. Universal City, CA 91608. Distributed by Uni Distribution Corp. Warning: All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws.
MCAD-10764
__________________________________________________
The marriage between music and television has often been a pre-arranged one. From the time Ricky Nelson’s “I’m Walkin’” blasted up the charts via the Ozzie And Harriet Show, studio execs have captivated the youth market with made for TV musicals such as The Monkees, The Banana Splits and The Bugaloos. Even the Beatles had their own Saturday morning cartoon. Not surprisingly, America’s all-time favorite prime-time family The Brady Bunch also got into the groove, creating their own tuneful legacy of ‘70s pop magic.
In the fall of 1970, The Brady Bunch was entering its second season on ABC (Fridays at 8pm). Concurrently, sitcom soul-mate The Partridge Family (Fridays at 8:30) was creating a sensation with the Partridge’s hit record “I Think I Love You.” The #1 selling single of that year proved, once again, the power of television. The boppers of the ‘70s couldn’t wait to drop their dollars on the albums and singles that David Cassidy and his lip-synching cohorts put forth. As a knee-jerk reaction to this success, some brilliant soul in the Brady camp came up with the idea of committing the Brady family to vinyl in order to fulfill the equation: TV + Music = $.
Because of the timing, it was easily decided to begin with a Christmas album featuring the six child actors (Barry “Greg” Williams, Maureen “Marcia” McCormick, Chris “Peter” Knight, Eve “Jan” Plumb, Susan “Cindy” Olsen and Mike “Bobby” Lookinland). This decision was of some disappointment to Brady mom and seasoned vocalist Florence Henderson, who very much wanted to participate in the musical foray. Henderson herself came up with an idea for a singing act involving herself and the three boys. This was deemed inappropriate by those in control, and never came to be.
Ultimately, Henderson must have had little regret not participating in Merry Christmas From The Brady Bunch. The entire project was cranked out in less than two weeks in order to make the November 1970 release date, and sounds like it. Paramount Records (the TV studio’s custom label) brought in their house producer Tim O’Brien, who recalls being saddled with “six little kids who could not sing.” Each Brady was given a holiday standard to do their best with, as well as a couple of group singalongs. Credited only under their television pseudonyms, Greg, Marsha (sic), Peter, Jan, Cindy and Bobby did as well as could be expected under the circumstances. And, although Maureen McCormick’s vocal was a standout at this point, Susan Olsen’s lispy rendition of “Frosty The Snowman” was the first ever Brady Bunch single.
Technically, the pitiful warbling of “Greg’s” “O Holy Night” should have marked the end of Barry Williams’ musical career. However, the teen heart-throb decided to grab his weakness by the vocal chords, took voice lessons and convinced Paramount to record a solo album. Williams had always included singing in his own master plan, and did whatever it took to achieve his goal. Back in the studio with Tim O’Brien, the greatly improved Williams recorded six songs out of a slated eleven for the album. Tiger Beat anxiously reported the forth-coming single “Cheyenne,” which was replaced at the eleventh hour with the ultra-catchy “Sweet Sweetheart” backed with “Sunny” (not the Bobby Hebb hit of the same name). Although never released, the remaining tracks were typical pop productions and could easily have held up to any existing offering from the teen-idol era.
Meanwhile, the powers that be at Paramount were preparing for bigger and better things and decided to put Barry’s solo efforts on hold. Having relative success with the barely promoted Christmas album, it was decided that the time had come to market them via the small screen. Once again, the kids were herded into the studio, this time with producer Jackie Mills, recognized for his work with Bobby Sherman and Davy Jones. Not known for his diplomacy, Mills made no attempt to hide his dissatisfaction with his newest project. Therefore, Meet The Brady Bunch was recorded with little enthusiasm on his part. The tracks were a combination of singalongs, cover tunes selected solely for their current popularity (as with the guilty pleasure “American Pie”) and tracks written especially for the series. Standout album cuts include “We’ll Always Be Friends”, co-written by Mills and Partridge Family/Josie & The Pussycats tunesmith Danny Janssen, and “I Just Want To Be Your Friend,” penned by Association producer and Millennium band member Curt Boettcher.
On January 14, 1972, “The Brady Six” debuted their musical act in an episode entitled “Dough-Re-Mi.” As all Brady-boomers remember, the plot goes as such: Greg “writes” the groovy and ecologically minded “We Can Make The World A Whole Lot Brighter,” and along with the other five kids drops 150 non-refundable dollars on time in Mr. Dimsdale’s recording studio. When Peter’s voice begins to change mid-rehearsal, the harrowing dilemma ensues; “Keep Peter? Dump Peter?” The 30-minute crisis control that is television comes up with the ultimate solution; Greg writes a new number, “Time To Change,” custom made for the middle Brady boy’s unstable vocal status. Promotional tapes of the Brady Kids informing radio personnel of their musical debut were sent to stations across the country to no measurable response, though the visual version made pop-culture history.
With two albums under their collective belt, there emerged varying degrees of excitement in the Brady camp for their musical vocation. Barry saw himself as somewhat of a ringleader for the act and clearly saw a musical career in his future. Maureen was also quite comfortable, as is evident throughout her vocals. Eve never thought of the singing as anything other than one more thing to do, although she went on to record a solo single for her father (producer Neely Plumb) for RCA Records (“How Will It Be”/“The Fortune Cookie Song”).
Interestingly, Mike Lookinland also recorded a single with Neely Plumb, this one for Capitol Records (“Love Doesn’t Care Who’s In It”/“Gum Drop”). Chris Knight, unfortunately, found no pleasure whatsoever in singing, and he felt he possessed no talent. He actually found the voice cracking episode an affront to his limited ability, and wanted no part of the group. Unfortunately and ironically, Chris’ manager mother was a driving force behind the group, thus binding him to the situation.
After little promotion on the last album, save for a trip in a VW microbus to a bunch of Southern California “White Front” department stores for autograph sessions, it was back to the studio. The next album, The Kids From The Brady Bunch, was rushed out, again with Jackie Mills at the helm. The kids were brought into the studio and sang to the pre-recorded instrumentation and back-up vocalists (some of which also sang on the Partridge LPs). Many of the songs from this (and the previous LP) were used in the Saturday morning cartoon show The Brady Kids, and their cartoon likenesses appeared on the album cover. The closest thing to a bonafide hit, and the most memorable of all Brady tracks “It’s A Sunshine Day” came from “The Kids From” album as well as “Keep On,” both featured on the awesomely choreographed episode “Amateur Night” (aka “The Silver Platters”). “Candy (Sugar Shoppe),” the Bradys with a Bo Diddley beat, and “Merry Go Round” were great examples of the fun sing along style that these albums displayed at their best. Also, in a record industry first, the Kids From album sported the announcement “Save the Forests. This album is printed on recycled paper.”
The fourth Brady LP was released in late 1973. The Brady Bunch Phonographic Album was the usual collection of cover tunes and pop numbers including Brady original “Gonna Find A Rainbow,” plus songs from the films, Tom Sawyer and Hanna Barbera’s Charlotte’s Web. As a promotional event, the Bradys performed their single “Zuckerman’s Famous Pig” and the stronger B-side “(Theme From) Charlotte’s Web” at the premiere of the animated feature. This took place at the Avco Theater in U.C.L.A. campus town Westwood Village, where they also obliged fans by signing autographs on the picture sleeved 45.
Chris Knight And Maureen McCormick was the last of the Brady albums to be released. Not the usual group effort, this collection consisted of Chris and Maureen alternating solo numbers plus two duets – one of which was a cover of the Davy Jones B-side “Road To Love.” On the surface, the pairing of this duo seems puzzling, Barry being the more likely choice. However, Chris and Maureen were approached for the project based on the sheer volume of fan mail they both received. Chris, nevertheless, was a reluctant participant, and being dissatisfied with the product (more specifically the cover photo), refused to promote the album in any way. The result was a collector’s item of the first order with barely any copies in circulation. Leftover tracks resulted in Maureen’s solo single “Love’s In The Roses”/“Harmonize” and “Truckin’ Back To You” backed with “Teeny Weeny Bit (Too Long).”
The final songs recorded by the Bradys as a group unfortunately never made any commercial release. “Got To Be In Love To Love A Love Song” and “Good Time Music” were both recorded specifically for the episode “Adios, Johnny Bravo” along with an unfinished, ultra-distorted Greg solo number. These songs were recorded after the release of Phonographic Album, and were never officially completed, having no outlet for release. Also never released were the Florence and Maureen duet “Together Wherever We Go” from “The Show Must Go On” episode and “Till There Was You,” Greg’s try-out number for the Banana Convention in “Where There’s Smoke.”
With strong enough album sales and consistently solid Nielsen ratings, the obvious next step was taking the show on the road. Decked out in handcrafted fringe and beaded outfits, the Brady Kids hit the state fair circuit, eagerly greeted by enthusiastic hoards of young fans. The shows were put on by Vegas producers Ray Reese and Osmond Brothers choreographer Joe Seiter. Between February 1972 and Fall 1973 they blazed a polyester trail across the U.S., sharing the bill with the likes of Tony Orlando And Dawn and The Fifth Dimension. One unbelievable showcase headlined the Brady Kids with special guests H.R. Puf ‘n’stuf, the Lidsville lids, Jack Wild, Johnny Whitaker, the Bugaloos, Billy Barty and the Krofft puppets! (Eat your hearts out Spinal Tap.) Along the way, the group found time to make appearances on various variety shows, including American Bandstand and The Mike Douglas Show.
Ironically, the demise of the Brady Bunch as a TV series was related in part to the musical act. After the heady experience of life on the road, the group negotiated behind producer and creator Sherwood Schwartz’s back to have almost half of any future episodes musically oriented. Coupled with mounting problems on the set, Schwartz opted to pull the plug, despite unfaltering ratings. The group disbanded shortly after when Chris Knight politely resigned. Barry continued to tour solo for a short time, next joining a road tour of the musical “Pippin.”
Florence Henderson finally got her opportunity to sing with the group when the Brady family re-united for the Sid & Marty Krofft produced Brady Bunch Variety Hour in November of 1976. Steeped in all the glitz of the disco years, 8 out of 9 original cast members (Eve Plumb had the wisdom to sit this one out) got together to perform loosely Brady-related skits and the hits of the era (i.e. “Shake Your Booty”) with guest stars and “The Water Follies.” The pilot was stretched into the 6-episode Brady Bunch Hour, and on the final episode, Florence Henderson, as Carol Brady, performed her single “Born To Say Goodbye.”
The end of the Variety Hour marked the end of the recording careers of most the Bradys. Barry Williams has continued in musical theatre, and once again attempted a solo recording career in the late ‘70s, cutting three tracks with producer Mike Post. Unfortunately, the label he was recording for went under before anything could be committed to vinyl. Williams has since met his greatest success with his book Growing Up Brady, a national best seller.
Florence Henderson can be seen on the program Country Kitchen on the Nashville Network, and, in addition, is fondly remembered for her Wesson Oil TV commercials.
Although she claims singing “isn’t my first love,” Eve Plumb recently took on the role of Nelly Forbisher in South Pacific. She also showed up in the non-musical role of Tami Cutler in The Real Live Brady Bunch stage show.
Susan Olsen is a graphic designer (she created patterned fabrics for Converse shoes) and, also, played bass with the band Light Sweet Crude.
Maureen McCormick recently signed with the William Morris Agency, hoping to re-ignite her acting career.
Mike Lookinland is a production assistant with a film company in Utah.
And finally, Chris Knight recently took time off from his job as the manager of a software company to play the heavy in the film “Good Girls Don’t.”
Of course, the Bradys all seem to turn up in some sort of reunion every few years, and as the most frequently syndicated show of all time, there’s always reruns. Somewhere in the world, the Brady Kids are singing right now. “Here’s the story…”
– Lisa Sutton
__________________________________________________
BRADY BUNCH ALBUMS
“Merry Christmas From The Brady Bunch”
Paramount # PAS 5026.
November, 1970
“Meet The Brady Bunch”
Paramount # PAS 6032.
Early 1972
“The Kids From The Brady Bunch”
Paramount # PAS 6037.
Late 1972
“Phonographic Album”
Paramount # PAS 6058.
1973
“Chris Knight and Maureen McCormick”
Paramount # PAS 6062.
1973
Florence Henderson
“With One More Look At You”
Manhattan Records # MR LA 953H.
1979
Florence Henderson
“Selections From Gypsy & Flower Drum Song”
RCA Camden Records # CAL 560. 1959
BRADY BUNCH SINGLES
Frosty The Snowman / Silver Bells
Paramount # PAA 0062
Time To Change / We Can Make The World A Whole Lot Brighter
Paramount # PAA 0141
We’ll Always Be Friends / Time To Change
Paramount # PAA 0167
Candy (Sugar Shoppe) / Drummer Man
Paramount # PAA 0180
Zuckerman’s Famous Pig / Charlotte’s Web
Paramount # PAA 0205
I’d Love You To Want Me / Everything I Do
Paramount # PAA 0229
SOLO SINGLES
Barry Williams
Sweet Sweetheart / Sunny
Paramount # PAA 0122
Chris Knight
Over And Over / Good For Each Other
Paramount # PAA 0177
Maureen McCormick
Truckin’ Back To You / Teeny Weeny Bit
Paramount # PAA 0217
Maureen McCormick
Little Bird / Just A Singin’ Alone
Paramount # PAA 0246
Maureen McCormick
Love’s In The Roses / Harmonize
Paramount # PAA 0292
Eve Plumb
The Fortune Cookie Song / How Will It Be
RCA # 0409
Mike Lookinland
Love Doesn’t Care Who’s In It / Gum Drop
Capitol # CAP 3914
Florence Henderson
Born To Say Goodbye / Can I Rely On You
ABC records # 12274
UNRELEASED MATERIAL
We Can Make The World A Whole Lot Brighter
“Guitar Version”
You’ve Got To Be In Love (To Love A Love Song)
Good Time Music
Incomplete Barry Williams LP for Paramount
Sweet Sweetheart, Early Days, It Ought To Be Raining, All She Wants To Be, Cheyenne, Sunny
(songs recorded between 9/24/71 & 3/23/72)
Barry Williams recorded 3 songs with producer Mike Post in 1978 including cover tune We’ve Got To Get It On Again. None were ever committed to vinyl.
© 1993 MCA Records, Inc.
