🎵 AotW AOTW: Pablo Cruise - A PLACE IN THE SUN (SP-4625)

[LPJim]

Pablo Cruise
A PLACE IN THE SUN
A&M SP-4625

Devid Jenkins - bass, vocals, guitar
Steve Price - drums
Bud Cockrell - bass, vocals
Cory Lerios - keyboards

A Place in the Sun (#42) 4:44
Whatcha' Gonna Do (#6) 4:17
Raging Fire 4:41
Just Wanna Believe 4:15
Tonight My Love 3:53
Can You Hear the Music? 4:07
Never Had a Love 5:08
Atlanta June 4:08
El Veronna 4:40.

Bill Schnee - engineer/producer
Mike Reese - mastering
John Morrow - design/photo

JB

 

[Dave]

OK, this was the Pablo Cruise album that I think would've been cool to own, especially on an 8-Track...!!!

However, little did I know after buying a whole slew of 'em for more than a dollar, a throw, ("He ripped you off!", said the girl I was with, who was a family friend) that it along with a few other titles (like Atlanta Rhythm Section's A Rock 'N' Roll Alternative and Heart's Little Queen and I might'a also had a Carpenters and Rita Coolidge in there, too) would be so break down-prone!

I played it in my home player, though had I driven my car to the flea market (I went with my mom, sister and neighbor in mom's car) I sure would'a had a blast cruisin' home playing those tapes in MY ride!

Anyway, having suffered the embarrassment of buying 8-Tracks that snapped in my Mark IV's PHILCO while I was driving, I really needed to test these tapes at home first...

Fortunately after inserting the cartridge into my player, and it typically starting off with the last song on Program 4, and I think it was "El Veronna" and I also remember it being instrumental, decided to go to something more familiar... So I, then went to the other programs on the tape (and the sampling of the stuff on Program 2 and 3 led me to the idea that I was going to be disappointed in this album if the tape did survive)...

Well, I believe that the songs were programmed the same way as the LP/Cassette configurations are, because Program 1 gave me "A Place In The Sun", followed by "Whatcha' Gonna Do", my two reasons for buying the tape, having bought "What'cha..." on a '45', b/w, I would guess "A Place/Sun"...

I don't remember which track came next, but I would guess I was probably hearing "part 1" of the next track and as the tape switched programs, it snapped...

So, unfortunately those first two songs were all I heard and to better effect on the '45' than here...

(--Though what's keeping me from being a bigger fan of this group? --Should'a bought their complete works and a P/C LUNCH BOX!)

Yes, 'cept for a few of the other 8-Tracks that did play, (though the Heart & ARS, which I clearly remember DIDN'T; those notably broke!) our neighbor was right...!



Dave

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Beginning of the end, from my perspective. Their first two albums had some coolness that just fizzled out on their subsequent albums. I blame chart success.

 

[Steven J. Gross]

They were huge. The stuff is sounding better now that the overplaying is long over.

 

[toeknee4bz]

They were huge. The stuff is sounding better now that the overplaying is long over.

I must confess that I never was a big Pablo Cruise fan. Not that I have anything against them. I just don't remember anybody playing them too much, so I never paid any attention. As for "over-playing": The only two that I remember getting overplayed was "Whatcha Gonna Do", and "Love Will Find A Way" off of WORLDS AWAY. I did buy these albums on vinyl for about a buck a piece, just to get the hits... Guess I'll have to drag them out for another spin.

Tony

 

[Dave]

You can also add "Cool Love" from Reflector...

"...Like rain in the summertime, comin' down..." -- What was their last hit (or charting single) and surely made up for the failure of Part Of The Game which I don't really remember anything being played from...



Dave

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Welllll, they had some hits but they weren't exactly "huge." However, their music certainly doesn't sound as "dated" as some music from that era does...they managed to dodge whatever trendy sounds were happening at the time. But they kind of went bland starting from this album...the uniqueness of such songs as "Island Woman" and "Ocean Breeze" was gone. Just my 2¢!

 

[dostros]

I recently listened to both this album and the Rock and Roll Alternative that Dave mentions in his post. The ARS album was invigorating - a real re-discovery, while the PC album was just that: bland, calculated and dull as dishwater .

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Rock and Roll Alternative

For fun, try playing the song "Imaginary Lover" at 45RPM and marvel at how much it sounds like a Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac song.

 

[KentTeffeteller]

Love Pablo Cruise. A Place In The Sun and Worlds Away especially. I have a WLP of "Worlds Away" which sounds superb. Paid .25 for it.

 

[Rudy]

There was a good Mobile Fidelity pressing of this from a few decades ago. That's what I have for this album.

 

[Dave]

Is it too late to start a "Heard Pablo Cruise" thread?

Yes, "Whatcha' Gonna Do (When She Says Goodbye?)" came on the radio just a few days ago and I didn't even recognize it until after the drum-beat intro...

A friend of mine at work even said he heard it, too, just a couple days ago which was a day of two after I did, so that's why I just remembered it...!



Dave