Donny & Danny

No homo, of course.

Don't be fooled by the cover: despite the Osmonds' penchant for churning out the bubblegummiest of bubblegum pop back in the early 70's, this record is actually pretty enjoyable.

The then-16-year-old Osmond was still in the process of establishing himself as an artist in his own right, hence the attempt at making "grown-up" songs. There are quite a few gems on this LP; particularly the tear-jerking "I'm Dyin'", which I gave the Danny! treatment a few years back for the instrumental that would become "So All Alone". Other tracks, like "If Someone Ever Breaks Your Heart", are more light-hearted, yet sappy as hell. Interestingly, "Sixteen Candles", a track covered by the Jackson Five three years earlier, turns up here, as does "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", which was also covered by Al Green a year before.

Donny was released in 1974 under MGM Records who, in conjunction with Pride Records, also released the first three records of one of my favorite bands of all time, the Sylvers (more to come on them later).

Enjoy! I'm just now listening to this again for the first time in two years, maybe I'll find some other goodies... (download)