Pablo Cruise was one of those fun West Coast bands that had the potential to go all the way, but just stalled at a certain point and went no further. Not unlike contemporaries Toto, Pablo Cruise was made up of former members of two popular Bay Area bands, Stoneground and It’s A Beautiful Day.
Spearheaded by…entire summary
Dave Jenkins - guitar, vocals
Steve Price - drums
Bruce Day - bass
Cory Lerios - keyboards
Pablo Cruise was one of those fun West Coast bands that had the potential to go all the way, but just stalled at a certain point and went no further. Not unlike contemporaries Toto, Pablo Cruise was made up of former members of two popular Bay Area bands, Stoneground and It’s A Beautiful Day.
Spearheaded by vocalist Dave Jenkins, the band soon found a following in West Coast clubs before getting signed to A&M Records in 1976. The band took off with a Top 20 hit called "Wat’cha Gonna Do?" which was followed the next year with "Love Will Find A Way,” and then the up-tempo rocker, "A Place In The Sun.”
They had considerable radio play and maintained strong attendance at their shows, but they failed to score that true breakthrough hit that would make them a household musical name. In addition, just as Pablo Cruise was growing in popularity, their label-mate Peter Frampton scored with Frampton Comes Alive, which sold a staggering 15 million copies and forced A&M to put their priorities securely behind Frampton. The band would continue to record and tour through the early 1980s before disbanding. Much of their music, however, has found its way into film and TV show soundtracks, keeping the name Pablo Cruise alive with industry insiders.
Highlights of the show include "Can’t You Hear The Music,” "Raging Fire,” "Ocean Breeze,” "Wat’cha Gonna Do?” and "A Place In The Sun.” "Island Woman,” which is over nine minutes long, complete with a flourishing drum solo, ends the main part of the show before the encore of the band favorite: "Good Ship Pablo Cruise.”
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