[.ca] Raspberries

Three Decades On, They're STILL A Two-Straw Milkshake:
It's only too easy now to say the Raspberries deserved way better than they got in their own time. But this Cleveland quartet gave new meaning to the idea of "back to the future" long before that phrase was even coined. The pouf-haired, cream-suited foursome (they looked like they'd grown up spending too much time watching the British Invasion on "The Ed Sullivan Show") held fast to the best of the early Beatle era, threw in a few unlikely additional influences (they were, judging by most of their harder rockers and "Go All The Way" in particular, equally influenced by the Who and Free), and caught the 1972 audience completely off guard when "Go All The Way" smashed into the Top 10 and spent damn near the entire summer there (take THAT, Gilbert O'Sullivan!). The Raspberries managed to shove open a radio door through which it would soon enough become more than acceptable for what became called "power pop" to take and keep hold, even if much of what followed them didn't have the Raspberries' breezy chutzpah (or Eric Carmen's early way with power chords - just listen again to "Ecstasy" and tell me Carmen and fellow guitarslinger Wally Bryson were phoning in those slash-and-spine-crunch chords and that gloriously chiming final bridge), freewheeling harmony style ("Drivin' Around" notwithstanding, the Raspberries' vocal style owed way more to the Beatles, the Hollies and the Zombies than to the Beach Boys), and salacious winking - unless you still really think "Go All The Way" was talking only about getting that first kiss. And for those who still want to write them off as prissy-looking lightweights, pick up this set - the absolute best anthology ever assembled on the band - and have another listen to the likes of "Tonight," "Ecstasy," "I Wanna Be With You," the gorgeous "Let's Pretend" (Paul McCartney once wanted to write a song as good as "Wouldn't It Be Nice"? Eric Carmen did), "I'm A Rocker," "Drivin' Around," the surprisingly introspective (and lovely) "Starting Over" (the absolute best near-power ballad Carmen has ever written) and "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)," the last and perhaps the best single-pocket exercise in confessing the rock and roll dream and its frustrations in the chasing (which was pretty good for a band who'd actually gotten three decent enough tastes of the Top 40 before they cut the song!). They looked and sounded almost out of place in their own time - even the band's name sounded, well, dorky as all get out. But they ended up having three (count 'em) top 40 hits ("I Wanna Be With You" and "Let's Pretend" got there, though the latter just barely) and that isn't exactly sneezing matter. Their image probably got the better of them after awhile; by the time they cut their fourth and final album, the cream suits were gone but so were the prime gigs at places like Carnegie Hall (where they played to a sellout crowd in 1973). But the Raspberries ended up having an influence beyond their time regardless. What came to be called "power pop" would likely have been as impossible without them as without Alex Chilton's Big Star. One friendly critic called them a two-straw milkshake. Three decades later, they still have the taste. Put another dime in the jukebox, baby.

The spawn of Big Star and the British Invasion:
It's a tragedy the Raspberries never achieved the acclaim they deserved. They worshipped on the altar of Lennon/McCartney without going off on White Album-ish tangents. These guys seemed to try to duplicate -- and elevate -- "Fab Four" era Beatles by throwing everything but the kitchen sink at AM radio: rock-solid power pop hooks, soaring vocals, catchy melodies and an unmistakable love of 60s rock and roll. "Go All the Way" joins "Little Bit o' Soul" and "No Matter What" as power pop gems -- paving the way for later classics like "What I Like About You," "My Sharona" and "Centerfold" as all-time power pop anthems. These are songs you can't get out of your head. It's like Big Star \owith an ample helping of Beach Boys\c tossed into a blender with every British Invasion band and the result being a completely fresh sound. No wonder rock radio -- and audiences -- had no idea what to make of them. The Romantics, the Knack, Paul Collins' Beat and dozens of other new wave bands of the time owe a big debit to the Raspberries.

Great music for that long drive:
Let's face it, there's not a clinker on here. There may be a questionable inclusion or two, but for the most part this cd wildly succeeds in presenting an overview of an incredibly talented band that left us all too soon. It's all here (with the possible exception of their incredible Who homage "I Don't Know What I Want",) and some bonus stuff also. (You'll notice that the counter on your cd player shows 22 songs instead of the listed 20. Very cool. I wish this happened more often.) This is a can't miss collection and if you even have a passing interest in this band it will be a part of your travel collection from now on.

Great Collection:
The Raspberries were the first band that I really got into. This collection covers the absolute best of Eric Carmen's early work. Classic tunes such as "Go All The Way" and "I Want To Be With You" are included here-not to mention the non-top 40 hit "Tonight." This collection is a must for fans of early 70s pop music and also Eric Carmen "solo" fans. Great to see the Raspberries on CD!!

BACK TO A BETTER TIME:
THIS CD GOES BACK TO THE EARLY 70'S WHEN MUSIC WAS MUSIC AND ROCK WAS ROCK. SURE THESE GUYS HAD A FEW SLOW SONGS THAT SOME PEOPLE DON'T LIKE BUT THE ROCKERS ON THIS DISC MAKE UP FOR THAT. ERIC CARMEN WAS AND STILL IS A GREAT MUSICIAN BUT HE WAS ONLY A FOURTH OF THIS GROUP. ALL THE GUYS WERE TALENTED. WALLY BRYSON WENT ON TO BE WITH FOTOMAKER ( A NEW YORK BAND THAT WAS VERY UNDERRATED). jUST LISTEN TO SOME OF THE SONGS ON THE DISC BEFORE YOU BUY IT. THIS IS A GREAT CD IF YOUR APPROCHING FIFTY AS I AM. MAYBE THEY WILL GET BACK TOGETHER SOMEDAY FOR A REUNION TOUR. THAT WILL PROBABLY NEVER HAPPEN BUT WE CAN DREAM CAN'T WE!

• Go All the Way
• Come Around and See Me
• I Saw the Light
• Don't Want to Say Goodbye
• I Wanna Be with You
• Let's Pretend
• I Reach for the Light
• Nobody Knows
• If You Change Your Mind
• Drivin' Around
• Tonight
• Last Dance
• Hard to Get over a Heartbreak
• I'm a Rocker
• Ecstasy
• Overnight Sensation
• Party's Over
• Rose Coloured Glasses
• Cruisin' Music
• Starting Over