Rupert Holmes – Partners In Crime

Ive always mistaken the pina colada song for a billy joel song since it has that billy joel sound. now i understand why. it was mastered by ted jensen who also mastered most of mr joel's discography. i have this copy in transit now. just hope it doesnt have that japanese tinny and trebly sound signature (fingers crossed)

This is a great album ruined by an awful CD mastering. It sounds like it's coming from a cheap clock radio. Avoid this US pressing at all costs. Look for a Japanese version or any of the many compilations with these tracks on them. A great alternative is the original LP which sounds terrific.

This is a sleeper in of production quality.
Just a regular pressing but better sound than many audiophile releases I have.

listening to this album today for the 10,000th time inspired me to sit down and share with the world why it is so good. first of all, based on the success of 'escape', you can find a copy of this in most thrift stores in the world for $1 which puts it around the price of gold for value per ounce. highly recommended you get out and find one. why? let me explain.

it is just too much to compute to take 'escape' out of context of the artist himself, and not just dismiss it as a novelty track. but a very bare analysis shows story telling so potent, under such constraint of a four and a half minute song, that is so unique yet so universal. truly and positively one of the most romantic stories ever told, or at least of those put to music. and as the opening track, it would be easy to wing the LP out the nearest window as a makeshift frisbee because you not feel you have confirmation that it is a silly - forgive me for again using the word - 'novelty'. rupert holmes could write you a story on a napkin when sitting next to you at your local tavern (still waiting for this to happen, we'd have plenty to talk about) that would top 99% of the overblown narratives in pop music. or maybe any music.

case in point is the next track; the title cut. 'partners in crime' comes wrapped in an almost sinister vibe, something dark, but never morbid, just serious. and serious lessons abound here in the three verses/tales of codependency. the chorus ties it together so well, it is just gift wrapped for you. easy to digest as your local fast food but swimming in details that flesh out the portrait distinctly. and again, so universal that you shake your own head and guaranteed place yourself in some variation of these stories.

'nearsighted' comes as palate cleanser, early on in our musical dinner. the vibe changes 180 degrees with a simple piano/voice (and soon after, lush strings) combination. orchestral touches come soon with a tale so romantic but cut with smart comedic intelligence that you marvel at it and feel your heart break at the same time. what an epic and important song that these jaded ears need.

if there were any worries of this album going into the 'deep' end of the pool with the last track, 'lunch hour' brings the vibe right back again to where you need it. a snappy, almost bouncy accompaniment backs a perfectly articulated fable of the good old fashioned 'quickie'. nearly arousing in its detail, this is just masterful lyricism.

the last thing you'd expect to hear at this point is rupert riding a mildly reggae-ish beat but that is what you will find in 'drop it'. one of the most obtuse tracks on the album...i have to picture rupert with his tinder date, trying to have a cocktail with a pretty lady who won't shut her trap about world of the kardashian's she either lives in or hopes to. rupert ain't there and can barely stand the noise, I hope he did make that body a friend of his. and if not, we sure know his attitude on the stories in the 'entertainment' tab of my google news feed.

either by some serious craftsmanship in tracklist selection or standard luck, 'him' greets us as we flip the disc. one of the oldest tales of woe, revisited here as rupert shows his disgust and disdain for his cheating lover with such tiny details as the foreign smokes found in his apartment. he's not having it and us listeners are empowered as we revisit past cheats or comtemplate what that must be like. an easy task with this level of lucidity.

a track so fun i had to grab the 7" single when i came across it, the chorus of 'answering machine' can be heard sung by yours truly on my very own land line answering machine (for real). maybe the most common thread of humanity is that person who won't pickup their phone when you have something important to share, and rupert seizes and exploits that here. either that, or feeding your cat food for dogs, not sure which at the moment.

if the intense longing injected into your heart by the story wasnt enough, the strings will push you over the edge. 'the people that you never get to love' isnt the shortest song on the album (almost) but it seems to disappear before my eyes. a story is vivid when the teller has a toolbox stuffed with tricks to get your attention, but it comes alive in your imagination when suddenly you are in that elevator, or the bookstore. or youve been there before - and you have, don't lie. this one just hurts.

'get outta yourself' has a vibe that feels like the closing credits to an awesome film that you watch again and again. it isnt the last track on the album but something about the slow building intro, as the bricks fall into place i find myself an odd mix of happy and sad - ive never been so OK to lose a couple tears (ive got extra) but to know that everything is going to be OK helps. take a deep breath and let it out: this is the message to the listener and to the unseen object of rupert's affections. i cant articulate what moves me so much about this piece, but i know it leaves me with a sigh of relief. the sparse instrumentation and particularly the guitar just develop the emotions so well, this is a masterpiece.

what is rupert more masterful at? writing stories? singing? or sharing and articulating his clearly superior understanding of love and relationships. this is a trophy in a case stuffed with souvenirs of battles won and lost in love. the horns give this track a bold feel and a well stated guitar solo build the rich environment for the story. you have three options: you live this story, you want to live this story, or you are dead.

get out of yourself - and your house - and down to the store to get a copy. they will tuck this one under my arm when they put me in the earth, ill need something like this to keep me straight when i check out the wild blue yonder.

Some would say that this album is 'cheesy' of which I would agree with. However, I love it. This is a full-on lover 'sing a songwriter' album. Now Barry Manilow was always seen as the king of this style at the time but iv always thought that Rupert Holmes was way more talented. This is a wonderful sounding album, with layers and layers of instruments and a strong, tight and full sound. In fact, there isn't a beat that goes even slightly out on the whole thing. Mixing and musicianship wise, the album gets tens around. It docent looses beat even slightly through the whole album. Ironically the only member who struggling is Holmes himself. Not to say that he's a bad singer, he holds the tune and plays the part well, however, he does struggle to reach the notes at times. A wonderful album of love songs that varies easily to listen to.

7/10

Later US pressings of this LP are on MCA (some copies have the Infinity logo/information blacked out and MCA logo and address in its place but have Infinity-pressed records in them; likewise MCA label LPs were in a few original Infinity covers -- this happened as MCA was shutting down Infinity as the album was climbing up the charts).