The bloom was off the
David Cassidy rose by the time he released
Gettin' It in the Street in 1976. It had been almost half-a-decade since he topped the charts and this LP didn't reverse the trajectory of his career; it closed out his three-album run at RCA, never receiving a proper release within the U.S. (it appeared in Japan and Germany), and it would be nearly another decade before he recorded a pop album. Despite its lack of success, or even exposure,
Getting' It in the Street is, by many measures, one of
Cassidy's best records, a lively, mildly adventurous collaboration with
America's
Gerry Beckley. Echoes of
Cassidy's earlier
Bruce Johnston-produced albums can be heard on the
Brian Wilson collaboration "Cruise to Harlem," but
the Beach Boys aren't necessarily the primary influence here, despite the preponderance of melodic, piano-anchored pop, nor is
Beckley's sunny, sonic Ventura high vista a touch point. This is a thoroughly modern pop album circa 1976, favoring soft yet sprightly melodies over a persistent disco beat; think something that falls halfway between
McCartney and/or
Eric Carmen, or even
David Dundas. There are two big showstoppers, the soaring ballad "I'll Have to Go Away (Saying Goodbye)" and
Harry Nilsson's pastiche "The Story of Rock & Roll," and there's also a giddy piece of Tropicalia on "Rosa's Cantina," but most of this is big-budget pop with chart aspirations. That
Gettin' It in the Street didn't wind up achieving its goal -- didn't even receive American release -- shouldn't be held against it, as it's a thoroughly enjoyable piece of mainstream mid-'70s pop.