THE RASPBERRIES REUNITE!

Eric Carmen and The Raspberries Reunited!

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You know something very cool is up when Steven Van Zandt, Max Weinberg (of The E. Street Band), Jon Bon Jovi, Rick Springfield, Paul Stanley and John Lennon's ex-girlfriend May Pang show up at the Los Angeles "House of Blues" off Sunset Boulevard. In this case it was to hear a short-lived but highly successful rock band from the 1970's: THE RASPBERRIES! May Pang handed lead singer Eric Carmen a framed photo of John Lennon wearing a Raspberries T-Shirt! Many of you will remember Eric Carmen from his hits "Hungry Eyes" (used in the movie "Dirty Dancing"), "All By Myself" and "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again". I can't believe this guy lives in Gates Mill, Ohio! But this is--after all --a Cleveland, Ohio band that released four albums: "Raspberries" and "Fresh" in 1972, "Side 3" in 1973 and "Starting Over" in 1974. Actually, what happened was that the band was caught up in a time warp when audience tastes were changing to album rock with bands like Queen and Jethro Tull. Critics loved their hits, "Go All the Way", "I Wanna Be with You" and "Overnight Sensation". In 2004, a reunion of the band led The House of Blues to approach the band for a concert. The option of a new CD is on the table, along with touring. But Carmen says cautiously, "We're going with the flow, but we're realistic. Do we put new songs on a MySpace page and give it away? That seems to be the new paradigm". Carmen is admittedly cautious because more than thirty years has passed since the band's last album. "We were about something other than Star Search or American Idol and becoming a product. When MTV came into play, that was the beginning of the end. Music took a back seat to what people looked like and how they danced", he said. Still, there's hope for a tour. Now 58, Eric Carmen retired 10 years ago to raise his family. Here's hoping that his passion for playing again is back. If so, look for news of a tour. I'm optimistic.