pablo cruise

In Part 3 of my conversation with Bill Schnee he tells amazing stories from the studio with artists Steely Dan, Toto, Boz Skaggs, Pablo Cruise, Julio Iglesias, Vince Gill, Mark Knoffler and Dire Straits and others.

By the time Billy Joel released The Stranger, his fifth studio album, he was at risk of being dropped by Columbia Records.  His second album, Piano Man, had been a surprise success, but the follow-up third and fourth studio albums had met with disappointing commercial appeal.   

Joel had a solid band that had toured with him for his previous album, Turnstiles, and he wanted to keep that band for the next album.  He first considered Beatles producer George Martin to be his producer for this album, but decided against him when Martin wanted to use session players instead of Joel's band for the album.  Instead, Joel turned to Phil Ramone (co-founder of A&R Recording) to produce The Stranger.  The album would produce four singles, all hits, and would be a commercial and critical success.  It would also be Columbia Records best selling album release, and Joel's best selling non-compilation album.

Bruce and Wayne are out, and for the first time ever, TWO friends of the show Bill Cook and Todd Hendricks join in for this podcast.

 

The Stranger
This title track examines the way we all hide aspects of ourselves, projecting one image to the public while a stranger lurks deep inside.  Joel had originally intended the whistling to be a wind instrument, but when he demonstrated it to producer Phil Ramone, Ramone determined that his whistling was perfect.

Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)
The opening track to the album was also the first single, and is a commentary on those in working class ethnic communities around New York who put in long hours for the appearances of success.  "Anthony works in a grocery store, saving his pennies for someday."  A Broadway musical featuring the music of Billy Joel took the name of this song as well.

Only the Good Die Young
The third single from the album was quite controversial at the time, because it is about a boy encouraging a religious Catholic girl to have premarital sex with him, though she considers it sinful.  The name Virginia comes from a high school crush of Joel's named Virginia Callahan.  As is often the case, attempts to ban the song only made it more popular.

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
Although not released as a single, this epic medley received significant airplay on AOR stations at the time, and is one of Billy Joel's favorites.  This 7-plus medley is in three parts, the longest of which is "The Ballad of Brenda and Eddie," two high school sweethearts and their journey through life.  

 

ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:

Main Theme from the television series “Soap”
This parody of the television soap operas premiered in September 1977.  It would be highly controversial throughout its four year run, drawing criticism from the Moral Majority, the Roman Catholic Church, and a number of gay organizations.

 

STAFF PICKS:

Whatcha Gonna Do? by Pablo Cruise
Rob kicks off the staff picks with a band named after a non-existent person (think Pink Floyd or Jethro Tull).  "Pablo" represents a down-to-earth individual and "Cruise" represents an easy-going approach to life.  The song cautions against taking a good relationship for granted.   

Handyman  by James Taylor
Bill Cook's staff pick was actually a cover originally recorded by the Sparks of Rhythm in 1953.  Jame's Taylor's version hit number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned him his second Grammy award.  

Smoke from a Distant Fire by the Sanford Townsend Band
John WayneTownsend and Ed Sanford head up the band that takes their name, and Todd Hendricks brings us this one-hit wonder.  Although the band recorded and worked out of Mussel Shoals, worked with a number of acts, and opened for bands like Fleetwood Mac and Foreigner, they never made the charts beyond this hit.

I'm In You by Peter Frampton
Brian brings us the title track from the follow-up studio album to his amazingly popular live album "Frampton Comes Alive."  A&M Records put a lot of pressure on Frampton to have another hit after the live album, and this was his biggest-selling single, though the album was a let-down to the company.  This acoustic version highlights his guitar talents.   

   

TRIBUTE TRACK:

Memories by Elvis Presley
This is the month that Elvis died, and this song is our tribute to the King.

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It’s mime time at the Most Magical Place on Earth in 1978’s Christmas at Walt Disney World, featuring Shields and Yarnell as the most 1978 couple imaginable, Pablo Cruise and their indifference to help a screaming woman escape from pirates, Phyllis Diller in the world’s poofiest princess dress, the Doritos guy as a wildly off-model Geppetto, Dee from What’s Happening as an ungrateful passenger in a magical pumpkin coach, and Broadway’s original Annie singing Christmas carols with surprisingly reverent Disney villains.  

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🎙 Guests:  

Drew Crowley (@pizzanautgo) and John Dedeke (@johndedeke) from The Hourchive.  

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💬 Topics & Tangents:  

1. A map of what Walt Disney World looked like in 1978.  

2. Vault Disney.  

3. Mystery solved: How My Favorite Things became a Christmas song.  

4. The opening music, The Great Gate of Kiev, part of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and the entrance theme for Jerry “The King” Lawler.  

5. Dick Clark interviews Shields and Yarnell on American Bandstand in 1976.  

6. Drew eating a gigantic spoonful of mashed potatoes at the Liberty Tree Tavern.  

7. Photos from the long-abandoned Discovery Island in 2009.  

8. Disney’s short-lived plans of reopening Discovery Island as an attraction based on Myst.  

9. The History (and Mystery) Behind Discovery Island (MSN).  

10. One-day admission to the Magic Kingdom plus a book of attraction tickets in 1978 cost $13, according to this Ticket Price Guide.  

11. Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain.  

12. I miss Winnie-the-Pooh with the honey pot on his head.  

13. Giant, smoking cigars in a theme park parade for children.  

14. The (1970s) Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World.  

15. That time Kraft saluted Walt Disney World’s 10th anniversary.  

16. The Hourchive on Walt Disney World: Part 1 and Part 2.  

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“Christmas at Walt Disney World” © 1978 Walt Disney Productions.  

Full show notes with links at adventcalendar.house.  
Say hi on Twitter @adventcalhouse.

Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  
Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.