A RASPBERRIES NEW YEAR?

When I was a little kid in southwest Ohio, I loved to listen to The Raspberries. My playmates up and down the street had no idea who The Raspberries were. In fact, back then I never knew that this power-pop band got their start in Cleveland, Ohio! Today, it's not a far stretch to grasp the band's influences from the "British Invasion" of 1964: The Beatles, The Who, The Hollies and Small Faces. Over 30 years later, I'm hard-pressed to think of a better lead guitarist than Wally Bryson, or a drummer like Jim Bonfanti who inspires comparisons to the late Keith Moon of The Who. Interestingly, I found myself standing in a concert ticket line behind Raspberries bass player Dave Smalley last year. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I simply loved the crunchy guitars and the tight harmonies of this band. Perhaps unconsciously, even as a kid, I sensed that they were going in an opposite direction to audiences tastes during a time frame that many musical historians regard as a period of excess with little substance.

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From 1970 to 1975 this power-pop band poured out a string of Top 10 singles, among them: "Go All The Way", "I Wanna Be With You", "Ecstacy", "Overnight Sensation" (Hit Record), "Tonight", "Let's Pretend", "Don't Want To Say Goodbye", and "Play On". When the band split up in April, 1975 singer/songwriter Eric Carmen penned the hit "All By Myself" as a solo artist. Later in 1987, Eric's songwriting and vocals on the hit song "Hungry Eyes" became such a huge part of the movie and soundtrack from "Dirty Dancing". This song appeared in the unforgettable dance rehearsal scenes with the late Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. I can't say how many people who watched that film made the connection between Eric's songwriting, his vocals and The Raspberries. But watching the closing credits, I for one smiled and remembered.

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The Raspberries was also a favorite band of the late Beatle John Lennon. Other fans included: Elton John, Tom Petty, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Cheap Trick, Nirvana, Motley Crue and Axl Rose of Guns n' Roses. Like Bruce Springsteen, Blondie and Fountains of Wayne, these artists cite The Raspberries as a pivotal influence.

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Fate dealt an interesting hand in 2004 when The House of Blues invited The Raspberries to perform at their new nightclub in Cleveland, Ohio. The band agreed to perform one show on November 26, 2004--which sold out in four minutes! This led to a mini-tour in 2005 that began at The House of Blues in Chicago, Illinois. A Vh1 Classic episode on cable television ostensibly led to a recorded concert on XM Satellite Radio. At the band's New York shows, attendees included E. Street Band members Steve Van Zandt and Max Weinberg, Jon Bon Jovi, Rick Springfield, KISS's Paul Stanley and May Pang, John Lennon's former girlfriend. Attendees at other shows also included members of The Romantics and The Go Go's. On October 21, 2005 The Raspberries House of Blues appearance in Los Angeles, California was filmed and recorded for a 2 CD/Bonus DVD release in 2007.

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At a Rick Springfield concert in Chandler, Arizona bass player Dave Smalley was standing in front of me in the ticket line. Whenever I see a famous person, I always remember what Steve McQueen once said about having your anonymity as being "the ultimate". So, I am particularly careful never to bother them. Nevertheless, I as I casually looked around, I realized no one else had apparently recognized Dave (Arizonans are also very polite, so restraint may have prevailed). He wound up sitting with his party near my table at the Casino Arizona.

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With only a few album releases, The Raspberries made their mark in music history. It's nice to remember that period of time from my early childhood, and it's also a nice New Years wish to see The Raspberries reunite for a future concert tour. In closing, what I also see in their music that is missing today is a sense of fun and optimism. A Raspberry tour would be a nice addition to the New Year!
MM

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“…I used to keep the 'Raspberries Greatest Hits'— the cassette — in my car. They haven't gotten the respect they deserved in my opinion. With all of the power pop music you hear out there, what about the Raspberries? The Raspberries had great stuff. And they had a great record called 'Overnight Sensation’, one of the greatest little pop operas that anybody ever did.”

- Bruce Springsteen


“Raspberries are absolutely awesome. What they did, they did brilliantly. Tremendous!”
– Paul Stanley - KISS

"I love the Raspberries. The show was really cool! Eric is one of the greatest pop screamers and is such a great writer. I've been playing Ecstasy, Play On, Tonight, I Wanna Be With You, Party's Over, Let's Pretend, Hard To Get Over A Heartbreak, I'm A Rocker and I Don't Know What I Want all weekend. Great stuff. Thanks for the great music. I forgot how much Wally sounds like Lennon too."

-Rick Springfield

"Magnificent!"
– Steven Van Zandt

“…Bruce gave me a copy of ‘Greatest Hits’ years ago, and I’ve been a fan ever since. I wouldn’t miss this show. I never got to see them perform the first time around. But I think I wore out their greatest-hits album."

– Jon Bon Jovi

“We love those guys!” – Joe Walsh - James Gang

“The Raspberries are one of the more remarkable stories in the history of American pop music, a notion they reaffirmed in a brilliant two-hour show.” – Chicago Sun-Times

“It's a stunning performance, nailing both the timeless hooks and the sexual promise that had made it a hit in the first place.” – Pittsburgh Post Gazette

“In our humble opinion, "Go All the Way" is one of the best power pop songs ever, which makes it all the more exciting that Raspberries are reuniting for their first show in 31 years.”

- Billboard

Set List from House of Blues
Los Angeles, California
Sunset Strip Performance

October 21, 2005

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I Wanna Be with You
I Can't Explain [The Who]
Play On
Tonight
Should I Wait
Nobody Knows
Making It Easy
Come Around and See Me
If you Change Your Mind
It Seemed So Easy
Let’s Pretend
Last Dance
Needles And Pins [The Searchers]
I Can Remember
Party’s Over
Don’t Want To Say Goodbye
Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)
Hard to Get Over a Heartbreak
I Don’t Know What I Want
Ecstasy

ENCORE
I Saw the Light
Starting Over
I'm A Rocker
Go All the Way
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The Raspberries:
Eric Carmen
Wally Bryson
Dave Smalley
Jim Bonfanti
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With Musical Support from:
Paul Sidoti
Billy Sullivan
Jennifer Lee