Some Old Woman / Shel Silvertstein, Bob Gibson

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It's such a gem of a song, short, but so wonderfully played. Michael H. McDonald (electric piano), Michael Omartian (grand piano), Richard Bennett and Dave Ellingson (guitars), Emory Gordy Jr (bass guitar), Ron Tutt (drums), and also Milt Holland and Victor Feldman. Great, stellar musicians and 23 year-old amazing artist, because David Cassidy was not only a wonderful singer. He was a great interpreter, and what's more a very smart and sophisticated one. 

David's 'Some  Old Woman', it's difficult even to call it a cover of Shel Silverstein and Bob Gibson's song, because it's so different than the original. In 1973 it was a very unexpected choice of a song for someone who said in many interviews that he wanted to play rock or blues. David Cassidy didn't fit into any one category, he was in a class of his own. 

I think it was Henry Diltz who introduced DC to Bob Gibson and folk music, after all Henry Diltz before became a photographer was a folk musician and a member of Modern Folk Quartet. 

Bob Gibson has a wonderful web page, and we can read there the lyrics of the original song, 'Some Old Woman Tellin' All Those Lies', and listen to his and David Cassidy's version.

https://www.bobgibsonfolk.com/song-some-old-woman-tellin-all-those-lies/

David Cassidy's version is not only shorter, has different mood, but also there is one significant change in the lyrics. In Bob Gibson's the woman, 'livin' right here in this here town, she keeps tellin' all them lies about me',  in David's there is, 'how she lie around New York City just tellin' lies, tellin' les on me.' We will never know now who he meant. We can only guess.

Anyway I've thought about this song recently while reading some new/old articles found by unstoppable Lanie and posted by Jane. It's unbielevable how many articles from the 70s we have on the website now. David was written about in all kinds of press, not only those devoted to teenagers, television or music industry. There are some  nice reviews of his concerts, PF's albums and his first solo efforts, e.g. this one,

https://www.davidcassidy.com/fansite/InPrintPages/News1971Nov04_ParkForestStar.pdf

There are interviews and David telling some stories later included in his autobiographies (eg about his trip to Big Sur and  escaping Girls Scouts). There are a lot of letters from fans asking for info, like this one from Feb 15, 1971 -

https://www.davidcassidy.com/fansite/InPrintPages/News1971Feb15_WilloughbyNewsHerald.pdf

And there are some about tellin' lies. November 2, 1971, "Not true that David Cassidy of ABC-TC's The Partridge Family has gotten such a swelled head over his success that he now insists everyone on the set, including Shirley Jones, address him as 'Mr.Cassidy.' The story was fabricated by a Hollywood columnist who was getting back at David for not granting her an interview." Or that David wanted to buy a helicopter. "that's what sudden stardom does for the fantasies  of a kid who just wanted pop's car keys a few record hits ago.'

Let's finish with the song about misunderstanding and gossip.  'the next day the whole town was talkin'..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJZRRekOYqk&t=20s

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