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28 January 2008

From the Bands That Never Got Their Due Department, [More:] I give you The Raspberries. While Big Star deserves every bit of praise they get as power-pop progenitors, it's odd that this outfit is overlooked. Paradoxically, maybe because they did have some limited commercial success that they are seen as a flash in the pan rather than unheralded pioneers.

Emerging out of Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1970's in matching stage outfits and bouffant hairdos, they couldn't have looked more anachronistic in the progressive-boogie-glam '70s. Their sound seemed like a throwback, too, but that was deceptive since in many ways it actually pointed toward the future.

Leader and songwriter Eric Carmen (yes, that Eric Carmen) knew how to combine Who-style guitar punch with Beach Boys melodicism in just the right proportions. Throw in Beatlesque understanding of how to pack a lot of complexity into a three-and-a-half minutes and a dash of lyrical frankness to acknowledge that it's a new decade and you have a recipe for some great pop-rock.

In 1972, they broke out in a big way with 'Go All The Way,'(YouTube), a near perfect car radio song with it's power chords, irresitible chorus and great lead vocal, hitting #4 on the pop chart. According to the new Replacements bio, this song is what made a teenage Paul Westerberg first pick up a guitar. Both the 'Mats and Seattle pop-punk legends the Fastbacks have covered this song. They followed up with 'I Wanna Be With You'(YouTube) and 'Tonight' (YouTube) in the same vien, artistically satisfying but with less commercial success.

By 1974, the Raspberries star seemed to be fading, which caused Carment o write their masterpiece, 'Overnite Sensation (Hit Record)' (Yousendit). With it's barrage of music-biz jargon and clear-eyed explanation of the rock-and-roll dream, this song stands as one of the greats, in part because Carmen was smart enough to realize that a song subtitle 'Hit Record' had better sound like a hit, and with it's stately piano, explosive chorus and power chords, this definitely qualifies. If there was any cosmic justice this record would've hit #1. It made it to #18, and the 'Berries broke up not long after. Carmen went on to write syrupy ballads like 'All By Myself' and 'Hungry Eyes,' and the Raspberries are remembered nostalgically as one-hit wonders, if at all. Which is a shame because their influence looms large over not just the aforementioned Replacements and Fastbacks but also Cheap trick, Teenage Fanclub, the Bangles and even Bruce Springsteen (he's publicly proclaimed himself a huge fan and says they were big influences on The River and Tunnel Of Love). These cats coulda been contenders.
So the wikipedia article says they've reformed (without Carmen) and did a bit of a tour? What do you know about that, Jon?
posted by gaspode 28 January | 11:18
I didn't see it, and Carmen, despite his flaws, was the driving force of the group.
posted by jonmc 28 January | 11:22
What I remember was the marketing of the Raspberries. They were the last band to get branded the "new Monkees". Especially the radio ads seemed targeted at Monkees fans' younger sisters.

1972 was also the year of Ziggy Stardust, or what the tastes of those original Monkees fans had evolved into. That was the summer too for the Hollies "Long Cool Woman".
posted by Ardiril 28 January | 11:59
What I remember was the marketing of the Raspberries. They were the last band to get branded the "new Monkees".

which is really weird, since unlike the Monkees (who I love, by the way) were not a manufactured band, but a self-contained creative unit.
posted by jonmc 28 January | 12:02
That's true, but at that point in time the corporate part of corporate rock was in its adolescence and proving to be quite the idiot savant.
posted by Ardiril 28 January | 12:22
Not in this case, since as I said in the initial post these guys deserved both more commercial success and artistic redit both as influences and as artists in their own right than they've recieved.
posted by jonmc 28 January | 12:29
I'd forgotten about them too, but I remember liking almost all those songs on AM radio BITD. And Eric Carmen will always be mah hee-row for recycling Rachmaninoff melodies pretty deftly ("All By Myself," "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again").
posted by PaxDigita 28 January | 12:37
I don't dispute that, just providing context for why that recognition did not materialize.
posted by Ardiril 28 January | 12:40
Aw, jonmc, I love you (and the Raspberries). I have to admit I prefer their earlier, Beach Boys–ier stuff to "Overnight Sensation," though. Weird coincidence -- I mentioned the Raspberries yesterday.
posted by booksandlibretti 28 January | 21:24
They've been in my rotation for years, "Tonight" especially. I think The Knack probably grew up listening to the Raspberries non stop.
I've always filed them along with Badfinger, The Nazz and other power popster types.
Amiwrong?
posted by black8 28 January | 23:43
omg puppy vs robot! || What's the etiquette

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