The best Raspberries post, ever

Hell, I never even know myself wha I'm going to slap up here
.....just looking randomly over the shelves, and it hit me....."Ahh, the Raspberries, PERFECT!" Been a while since I even remembered that the Raspberries EXISTED, let alone listened to em, but my memory came back qucikly, because the Raspberries were THE quinessential AM Radio singles band, PowerPop LONG before we eer decided to call it that! I LOVED this stuff when I was in grade school, it was rockin', yet accessible/radio friendly and what's more, a VERY unique and identifiable sound.

From Cleveland Ohio, the band consisted of vocalist/bassist Eric Carmen, guitarist Wally Bryson, drummer Jim Fonanti, and guitarist/bassist Dave Smalley.....though All-American they incorporated the sound of English pop quite well, at times (really) even sounding quite Beatlesque.

They made like 3 or 4 album, I don't think I've ever heard one of em in it's totality, if I recall one of them had a vile smelling raspberry sticker attached to the cover. An album act they were not, but singles? Oh hell yes! This is why I a not dicking around with their albums here (I don't have em, as I said I've never heard em, and I just ate, so if they were to like on their full lengths get all "serious" or "experimental" I'd likely lose my dinner. This was on of those bands for whom if you have the "Greatest Hits" package, you know the story.....and a simply FANTASTIC run of power-poppish, rocking, radio-ready tunes, that ALWAYS sounded perfect on a transistor (shut up junior) or a tinny AM car radio (again, shut up junior)......

Well, for MY money at least, "Go All the Way" was perhaps the best of the lot, but some real dent company: "I Wanna Be With You", "Let's Pretend", "Tonight", "I'm a Rocker", and "Overnight Sensation"are highights but the proper way to hear this is all at once, similar to a good power-pop comp it flows like a 1973 sort-of hip AM station. And what ever could possibly be wrong with that?

Special bonus: have NO CLUE as to where I got this, but how's about a 1973 live show from NY NY? As you may expect, they don't (at least in this instance) sound like they took a lot of chances on stage, but really, did you EVER think you'd hear a live Raspberries album? Me neither.

As I keep saying, I continually try to come up with posts of originality and variety....let me know what else you be wanting and I'll be getting it put up here yo!

GREATEST HITS-01 Go All the Way/02 Come Around and See Me/03 Don't Want To Say Goodbye/04 I Saw the Light/05 I Can Remember/06 I Wanna Be With You/07 Drivin Around/08 Let's Pretend/09 I Reach For the Light/10 Nobody Knows/11 If You Change Your Mind/12 Tonight/13 I'm a Rocker/14 Ecstacy/15 Last Dance/16 Rock N Roll Mama/17 Cruisin Muic/18 Party's Over/19 Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)

PALACE THEATER NY NY 11/07/73-01 Tonight/02 Making It Easy/03 Roll Over Beethoven/04 Last Dance/05 I Wanna Be With You/06 I Can Remember/07 Be My Baby/08 Drivin Around/09 Go All the Way