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In the early Seventies, Eric Carmen and Jim Bonfanti
recognized that a huge void existed for the kind of
music that would rekindle the glory days of the Beatles,
the Who, and the Beach Boys. Along with Wally Bryson and
Dave Smalley their new band – Raspberries - produced a
head-on collision with the progressive rock scene and
coined the “Power Pop” sound, which featured explosive
rock guitars combined with soaring two and four-part pop
harmonies.
Raspberries played their first show on October 16, 1970.
Weekly gigs at the Agora in Cleveland created a
groundswell of support for this new hot local band whose
reputation as a live act was already becoming legendary,
and before long they were attracting more than 1,000
people a night. Signed to Capitol Records by noted
producer Jimmy Ienner in the winter of 1971 they
completed their first album, Raspberries. To create
excitement about this new band, Capitol employed a
raspberry-scented scratch-and-sniff sticker affixed to
the cover of their debut, the aroma of which exists to
this day. |
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Released in early 1972, the album showcased the smash
top 5 single, “Go All The Way”, which became a
million-seller and Raspberries’ first gold record.
Raspberries garnered rave notices from almost every
music publication of the day with Rolling Stone
providing their most impassioned review: “Raspberries
opens with the finest burst of lightweight English rock
I’ve heard all year. The rest of the album is just as
good.” Following the album’s release, Raspberries toured
with the Grass Roots and the Hollies and appeared in
front of over
50,000 fans at a major outdoor rock festival held at
the Los Angeles Coliseum with such acts as Stevie
Wonder, Sly & the Family Stone, the Bee Gees, the Eagles
and Chuck Berry.
Raspberries’ second LP, Fresh, contained the hits, “I
Wanna Be With You” and “Let’s Pretend” and saw the band
embarking on a European tour. The group’s third album,
1973’s Side 3, demonstrated a clear evolution in the
band’s sound and Eric, Wally and Dave’s songwriting
skills and featured the standout rock tracks “Tonight”
and “Ecstasy.” During this time, Raspberries’ media
profile was further heightened by appearances on
television shows, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and The
Midnight Special. A career highlight was the band’s
sold-out concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall on
September 26, 1973, which has achieved near mythical
status among their fan base. Raspberries’ final LP,
ironically titled Starting Over, included what many
critics and fans alike still consider to be one of the
best singles ever recorded, the Top 20 “Overnight
Sensation (Hit Record).” |
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On November 26, 2004, 31 years since their last
performance, Raspberries classic lineup of Eric Carmen,
Jim Bonfanti, Wally Bryson and Dave Smalley reunited at
Cleveland’s House Of Blues for a show that sold out in
four minutes. A handful of additional shows in 2005
produced SRO crowds and rave reviews from both critics
and peers alike.
Artists such as Paul Stanley, Rick Springfield,
Jon Bon Jovi, Steve Van Zandt, Max Weinberg, Desmond
Child, as well as members of The Romantics, Blondie, the
Go Go's and other peers attended their shows, and
Bruce Springsteen affectionately spoke of the band at
three of his concerts in the summer of 2005.
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