Have you seen the CVS commercial. The one about receiving Double Bucks. The song that they are using is Double Lovin’ by the Osmonds.

After their big success with their self titled Osmonds album and their single from it One Bad Apple they recorded a follow-up album. The album was called Homemade and the first single release from it was the song Double Lovin’.

The song wasn’t as successful as One Bad Apple nor the song that followed Yo-Yo. While both of these reached the Top 5, with One Bad Apple reaching the top spot, Double Lovin’ would peak at 14.

By the time of their fourth album, Crazy Horses, the brothers not only were playing all of the instruments they were also writing the songs. They were also moving away from the bubblegum pop of their first couple of albums to be more Rock and Roll. It can be considered their first real sophisticated album and although there was some hints on their third album, Phase Three, this was a real departure for them.

Hold Me Tight was the first track on the album as well as their first single from it. This song can really be considered a rock song. The opening riff has been compared, even by some as lifted, to Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song.

It peaked at Number 14 on the charts.

Too bad that by the time of the release of the fourth album they were entrenched in the bubblegum image. By just listen to the albums that they released under their own direction, one could see their music as acid rock. In fact as recalled by brother Merrill on his his brother Jay’s website, JayOsmond.com, when they appeared in a concert in France, the audience didn’t know of their wholesome image and “the whole audience was Zeppelin, with long hair and drugs all over the arena” .

1971 may have been the biggest year for The Osmonds as a group, but in 1972 they were still one of the biggest acts around. Sure they may have had a young audience and didn’t draw the same type of crowds as The Who, Santana or Chicago, but they could rock. Here they are at the Ohio State Fair in August of 1972 doing Santana’s Everyone Everything and Chicago’s Free.

This performance from the 1972 Ohio State Fair features the Osmonds doing a song that opened many of their shows in the early 1970s. Motown Special is a medley of songs of Motown.

Not only was it the opening song of their shows it was also the opening song of their self-titled first album released in 1970.

Songs of the medley include; Motown Special, My World Is Empty Without You and I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.

By the time of the 1972 Ohio State Fair performance they had changed the words slightly using Osmond Special instead of Motown Special.

The Bee Gees had the year’s number 5 most popular song with How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. In some way 1971 could be marked as the end of one part of their career since after 1971 their popularity decreased until the rise of Disco a few years later.

Even though to some the Osmonds seemed like the white Jackson 5, the brothers had been singing together for over 10 years when they recorded their self-named album and reached the top with their most popular song One Bad Apple. Many loved it since it was the number 4 song of the year.

Tapestry was Carole King’s second solo album and it became one of the biggest selling albums of all time. The release of It’s Too Late and I Feel The Earth Move on the same single record gave disc jockeys a hard choice on which to play. While I liked both songs, my favorite side was I Feel The Earth Move.

Rod Stewart also had a two sided hit record with Maggie May and Reason to Believe. This release helped him to establish himself as s solo star and was the number 2 bestselling record of the year. My feeling is that the best song done by Stewart in 1971 was with him as the singer of Faces and their song Stay With Me.

When I first saw the song Joy to the World by Three Dog Night listed on a chart, it was listed on a top 40 chart published by a newspaper before I heard the song, I was wondering why 1) a Christmas song was doing on the charts and 2) why it was still therw in April? Since then I’ve enjoyed plenty of wine (figurately) with my friend the Bull Frog, Jeremiah.

And this list doesn’t include a couple of album tracks that not only are a couple of my favorite songs, they are favorites of many others. Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven or any other song from that album and The Who’s Won’t get Fooled Again. And even though it was recorded in 1970 and released that same year, it was in 1971 that my all time favorite song was released as single record. Chicago’s Colour My World.

Originally appeared on 6ThingsToConsider.com. Many thanks to Steven G. Atkinson for allowing this reprint.

From the Donny and Marie Show.

The Osmonds seem to have been born to entertain. Over 50 years ago brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay began performing together as a young barbershop Quartet. They appeared in Disneyland as well as on the Andy Williams show in the 1960s.

By the beginning of the 1970s the brothers, now joined by Donny, born in 1957 shortly before his older brothers started, Rocked and Rolled. Sometimes they were called the white Jackson Five. But although early songs were closer t Bubblegum Rock, once they began recording their own songs they really did rock.

Donny following a similar type career as Michael Jackson recorded solo as well as with his brothers.

Younger sister, Marie, recorded a couple of county flavored songs.

Then there was the idea to team Donny and Marie together with their own variety show on ABC. The older Osmonds moved behind the scenes and supported their siblings and occasionally appeared as a quest on the show.

The Jackson 5ive series debuted on September 11, 1971 with the last episode showing on September 1, 1973 on ABC. Season 1 had 17 episodes with Season 2 adding another 6. Other than the music of the brothers none of them voiced the parts of their cartoon images.

Beginning on September 9, 1972 the Jackson Five was joined in cartoon land by the Osmonds. In this case the brothers voiced their cartoon images and were join by their younger brother Jimmy. 17 episodes were produced in their single series.