Search - Raspberries :: Raspberries - Greatest Hits

Greatest Power Pop Band of All Time

David K. Richard | Minot , ND USA | 09/15/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Raspberries along with stable mates Badfinger (Apple Records was after all distributed by Capitol Records) are considered the #1 Power Pop band bar none. The Who like opening chords of Go All The Way literally jump out of your speakers and when the angst driven vocals of Eric Carmen emerge in the mix you know you're in for a great treat. The Byrds influenced guitars and Beach Boy choir like harmonies throughout this disc make for listening bliss. In 1976 when Capitol Records released the first Raspberries Best Of to capitalize on Eric Carmen's solo career it was greeted with great enthusiasum by both the record buying public and musicians alike. Bruce Springsteen cites that LP as his inspiration for releasing The River with radio friendly songs such as Hungry Heart and Crush on You. Let's Pretend from the Raspberries Fresh LP is the closest anyone will ever get to the ultimate teen dream song. It's like Wouldn't It Be Nice and God Only Knows by the Beach Boys rolled into one. The excellent Side 3 is represented by Power Pop classics Tonight, I'm A Rocker and Ecstasy. Overnight Sensation (Hit Record) from Starting Over was voted by the critics of Rolling Stone magazine as one of the Top 100 45's of all time. The bonus tracks which are from the original 4 song demo that got the Raspberries signed to Capitol Records in the first place show a band on the verge of something new. Unfortunately due to a long standing disagreement with Capitol Records over song selection and copyright problems with the bonus tracks this disc has yet to see the light of day save for a few hundered copies inadvertently sent out by the BMG record club over a year ago. I was one of the lucky ones to receive a copy before it was yanked. The 24 bit mastering job gives the songs a new sparkle and an informative booklet with great liner notes and little seen photos of the band add to this already essential release. Good luck on finding a copy in the near future"

Put The Power Back Into Your Pop

MF Regan | Ontario, Canada | 11/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
For anyone who ever understood climbing into a car, turning on the radio and cruising to some great tunes- or walking into the best party that ever was 'cause the music rocked it- The Raspberries are for you. I think that this collection is the best introduction to the band because it has some of Wally Bryson's songs on it (none of Dave Smalley's or Scott McCarl's, unfortunately), but it blends the essence of the four albums these guys did. And rest assured, it will lead you back to them like a magnet.



Forget the analysis. Forget the influences that you'll hear. They created and played music that was fun and meant for that. It's what great Pop was all about. It's infectious, it's melodic and then it's rocking. It demonstrates how good commercial can sound in the right hands.



Give this collection a listen and then find Raspberries/Fresh/Side 3 and finally Starting Over. Listen to Bryson/Smalley and McCarl's work alongside Carmen's (they had some real songwriting talent, too). Listen to the progression in power and content.



John Lennon, Ringo Starr, The Who, Paul Stanley and others were supporters of this group. There's a reason and it's in the grooves.



Enjoy. And you will!"