“Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque”
A new year, and a whole new slate of songs and covers to assault your eardrums. You’re welcome! Randy got the new year rolling with “Light My Fire” two weeks ago, and now it’s my turn. If the first thing that came to your mind when reading the song title above was Bugs Bunny, you’re not alone. Several years ago, when I did a motorcycle trip on Route 66 from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, the first thing that popped into my head when I saw the first road sign for the city was that “wascally wabbit” (thank you, Elmer Fudd)! I can also tell you that the furthest thing from my mind was The Partridge Family and their song. After listening to it you might understand why.
The Partridge Family, as I am sure many of you know, was an American musical sitcom, created by Bernard Slade, and was broadcast in the United States from September 1970 to March 1974 on ABC Network. The show followed the trials and tribulations of a fictional pop-music band formed by the titular family, which included Shirley (Shirley Jones), Keith (David Cassidy), Laurie (Susan Dey), Danny (Danny Bonaduce), Chris (Jeremy Gelbwaks – Season 1, Brian Foster – Seasons 2-4), and Tracy (Suzanne Crough, as well as their manager Rueben Kincaid (Dave Madden). The show and family were loosely based on the real-life musical family, The Cowsills, who were a popular band in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The featured song was written by Tony Romeo and was based on a real-life incident. It was one of the first three songs he submitted for The Partridge Family, the others being “I Think I Love You” and “Morning Rider on the Road,” the first two appearing on what would be the first of eight studio albums, The Partridge Family Album (1970). When they recorded the song, Cassidy’s voice was sped up slightly to make him sound more youthful! I let you be the judge if that worked or not, assuming you make it through the entire song! It also inspired the plot of the episode “Road Song.”
Tin Idols started out as a cool idea – Re-write the Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack as a Heavy Metal Soundtrack – that turned into a year-long project for producer/musician Gerard K. Gonslaves and his assistant producer, Jimmy Caterine. They assembled musicians form all over Hawaii to produce the soundtrack, who donated their time and efforts for free, just for the love of music. So, if you are reading between the lines, yes, their cover of “Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque” is supposed to be a metal cover. I will let you decide if it is or isn’t. As far as which is more annoying, the original or the cover, flip a coin!
Here ya go.
The Partridge Family. “Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque. 1970.
Tin Idols. “Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque” cover 2019.
Los Angeles 2025
Well it’s no “Galveston” that’s for sure. I have publicly confessed this before but my sisters cajoled me into splitting the cost on this album, thus my first record purchase. I was only 11 and perhaps my feelings for Susan Dey clouded my judgement! I don’t think I ever listened to it. So I don’t remember this song and it seems it’s just as well. Metal cover? Not so much!
Sisters will do that, at least that’s what I’ve been told! I have succumbed to clouded judgement too many times to mention. Yeah, not really metal at all!
Huh. The metal version actually made the original *slightly* more palatable in comparison. Not the most annoying song ever, but I don’t imagine I’ll be returning to it on purpose anytime soon.
I think Susan Dey would be a good enough reason for buying an album, Randy, recalling being a young lad watching her on the series…
Susan Dey drew me in as a fan of the Partridge family at least if I was watching ’em on tv. My eyes were sorta drawn to Susan, for some reason. Not so much a fan of their sound on the on the radio though…
I’m a few years younger than you, and watched The Partridge Family TV show for the first season at least, mainly because I really liked Shirley Jones. But even as a 16-year-old, the show quickly grew stale to me. I also loved their debut smash hit “I Think I Love You”, though I now consider it mediocre pop schmaltz. I’ve never heard “Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque”, which is pretty lame, both musically and lyrically. The cover by Tin Idols sounds lame too, but it’s a toss-up for me as to which version is better or worse. And though it has a few metal-esque guitar riffs, it doesn’t qualify as such in my book.
I was 7 in 1974 so I barely remember it real time…but I do remember The Monkees and The Partridge Family in reruns…I was a Monkees guy. Whenever I see David Cassidy I think of my sister’s room and all over her wall.
This song is lame I have to say.