4 Out Of 5 Stars
sticker. The first hit from that album, "Go All The Way," roared out
with loud, sweet guitars and Beach Boy harmony, setting up the future
for the band.
Centered mainly on Eric Carmen's McCartney-esque voice and songwriting, The Rasperries began knocking out single marvels with the consistency of the best Badfinger
hits. They used lyrical teases instead of blatant come-ons to make
their songs cover more ground, like when Carmen chirps "Oh! I wanna be
with you! So Baaaaaaad!" or the winsome want of "Let's Pretend." The
band also were excellent mimics, with "Drivin' Around" a flawless Beach
Boys
concoction. However, Carmen began to exert domination over the band and tension caused both Dave Smalley and Jim Bonfanti to split after Side 3
. Regrouping led to the appropriately named Starting Over
and Carmen's last single masterpiece with The Raspberries. With the
plea for success that is the pocket symphony "Overnight Sensation,"
Carmen blended Brian Wilson's songwriting with Phil Spector production
to create one of power pop's perfect four minutes. About midway into
the single, Carmen and the band get sucked into a car radio and the
tinny speaker cranks out the boys as they chant "want a hit record,
yeah!" across the nation's airwaves. I can still occasionally get the
goosebumps when I hear this song.
That bit of wishful thinking not withstanding, The Raspberries broke up soon after. Eric Carmen
had a fairly successful solo career and Wally Bryson went on to join power pop maestros (and cult faves) Fotomaker
. But for a brief and fiery moment, The Raspberries made the kid of guilty pleasure music you didn't have to feel guilty about.
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