The Osmonds
were the first family of AM
pop
in the 1970s. This 28-song compilation collects tracks by the
Osmond
brothers, as well as
Donny
's solo work,
Marie
's solo work, and
Donny & Marie
together. The
brothers had some really big hits, and their ten tracks here are littered with them. Songs like the joyous
Jackson 5
-inspired
"One Bad Apple,"
the crazed, hard rocking
"Crazy Horses,"
and the infectious
"Down by the Lazy River"
show a group with an energy and a strong sense of popcraft.
tended to go for the soft,
teen idol
type of sounds. His 12 entries on
Osmondmania!
feature cuddly tracks like
"Puppy Love,"
"Young Love,"
and
"The Twelfth of Never,"
and give a good idea why the little girls went wild for
.
clocks in with three
country
-influenced songs, including her smash,
"Paper Roses."
Her popular teaming with
found the pair exploring many styles of music, but they were mostly rooted firmly in AM
. Three songs by the duo are featured, the cover of
"Deep Purple"
being a highlight.
is a nice summation of the work of the first family of '70s
. The tracks are well selected and sequenced and
Alan Osmond
's liner notes are a nice touch. One has to wonder why
Little Jimmy Osmond
's ridiculous hit single,
"Long Haired Lover from Liverpool,"
was omitted -- but only a little, since mostly one is too busy grooving along with the light and poppy sounds of
the Osmonds
. ~ Tim Sendra