Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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The Raspberries cut through the epic pretensions and pomposity of '70s-era rock to proudly reclaim the spirit and simplicity of classic pop, recalling the heyday of the British Invasion with their exquisitely crafted melodies and achingly gorgeous harmonies. The group was formed in Mentor, OH, in early 1970 by singer/songwriter Eric Carmen and drummer Jim Bonfanti, local pop heroes thanks to the respective tenures in the hugely popular bands Cyrus Erie and the Choir; guitarist Wally Bryson and bassist John Aleksic (both Choir veterans as well) completed the original lineup, which made its live debut in mid-October. With their short hair, matching suits, and Beatlesque sound, The Raspberries ran in direct opposition to the prevailing hard rock mentality of the Cleveland scene, but after just a handful of gigs, the band was among the city's most popular live acts. However, after cutting their first demo session, Aleksic left the lineup in March of 1971, and with the addition of rhythm guitarist Dave Smalley, Carmen assumed bass duties.

The Raspberries' demo tape ultimately found its way to producer Jimmy Ienner, and in the wake of a major-label bidding war, the band signed to Capitol, issuing their self-titled debut LP (complete with a raspberry-scented scratch-and-sniff cover sticker) in the spring of 1972. The debut single "Don't Want to Say Goodbye," stalled, but the follow-up, "Go All the Way," a magnificent fusion of Who-inspired guitar snarl and Beach Boys-styled vocal harmonies, went on to sell over a million copies on its way to cracking the Top Five. Carmen and Smalley swapped guitar and bass chores prior to recording The Raspberries' sophomore effort, 1972's Fresh; the record generated two more hits, "I Wanna Be with You" and the beautiful "Let's Pretend," and solidified the band's stature as critical favorites. Nevertheless, tension within the ranks – sparked largely by Carmen's creative primacy and the shadow it cast over the songwriting contributions of Bryson and Smalley – were beginning to boil over, and accordingly 1973's Side 3 boasted a more raw, aggressive sound than its predecessors, typified by the visceral crunch of the opening "Tonight."

Side 3 failed even to crack the Top 100, however, and following a triumphant Carnegie Hall date, both Smalley and Bonfanti exited The Raspberries to form their own band, Dynamite. They were replaced by bassist Scott McCarl and ex-Cyrus Erie drummer Michael McBride. 1974's acclaimed Starting Over continued the harder-edged approach of Side 3, yielding the band's final chart smash, the superb "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)." A nasty post-gig confrontation between Carmen and Bryson soon resulted in the latter's departure from the group, and after playing a handful of shows as a three-piece, The Raspberries disbanded in 1975. Carmen then mounted a solo career, tapping McBride to play drums on his self-titled debut LP, which launched the number two blockbuster "All by Myself." He did not return to the upper rungs of the charts for over a decade, however, scoring a major hit in 1987 with his Dirty Dancing soundtrack contribution "Hungry Eyes." "Make Me Lose Control" reached the number three spot a year later. Bryson, meanwhile, resurfaced in the short-lived Tattoo before joining the power pop group Fotomaker for three albums during the late '70s.

In March of 1999, all four original members (Smalley, Carmen, Bryson, and Bonfanti) met up for the first time in years sparking rumors of an impending reunion. A few months later (after three of the four members played together onstage in Cleveland to celebrate the 80th birthday of rock journalist Jane Scott), a Raspberries reunion tour was confirmed as fact by Billboard Magazine. Unfortunately for fans, the reunion failed to materialize. Carmen continued to write and record as a solo artist, while Bryson, Smalley, and latter-day member Scott McCarl opted to resurrect The Raspberries as a trio, issuing the album Refreshed in 2000.

Jason Ankeny, Allmusic.com

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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More than a few bands have spent their entire careers trying to achieve the pure pop perfection of "Go All the Way" by the Raspberries – and that was just the first three minutes and 22 seconds of the Raspberries' first album. Raspberries never quite reaches the transcendent glory of its first cut again, but as a synthesis of British Invasion-era pop influences and '70s rock crunch and drive, it's all but faultless. While the Beatles, Who, and Hollies influences are pretty hard to miss, Eric Carmen and Wally Bryson could write songs strong enough to stand proudly beside their influences, and while Carmen was already beginning to display his penchant for treacle on tunes like "Waiting" and "I Can Remember," producer Jimmy Ienner and the other bandmembers are able to reel him in when he gets too mushy. Even better, some solid rockers like "Rock & Roll Mama" and "Get It Moving" are on hand to kick things back into gear when needed, and this was one power pop band that wasn't afraid to crank up the amps when the occasion called for it. A cracking debut from one of the great "guilty pleasure" bands of the 1970s, though there's not a single good reason why anyone should feel bad about liking music this great.

Mark Deming, Allmusic.com

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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Fresh, the second album from Ohio power pop wunderkinds the Raspberries, managed the rather remarkable accomplishment of improving on their rock-solid debut. Like Raspberries, Fresh opens with a work-of-genius pop single, "I Wanna Be With You," but the remainder of the album is made of stronger stuff than the debut; while Eric Carmen was always the group's sentimentalist, "Let's Pretend" is gush that's seasoned with a solid undertow of lust, and "If You Change Your Mind" represents heartache at its best. And while Carmen's partners didn't get as many songwriting credits on this second album, the Beatlesque shuffle of "Goin' Nowhere Tonight" and the swaggering rock of "Every Way I Can" allowed Dave Smalley to show he also had the goods as a tunesmith. The band is in even more solid form here than on its first set, with gorgeous harmonies and air-tight arrangements, and there's a potent rock & roll undertow in the performances that gives this collection a very solid backbone. Pre-new wave 1970s pop doesn't get a whole lot better than this, and this just edges out the debut as the best of the four albums the Raspberries made in their lifetime.

Mark Deming, Allmusic.com

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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While on their first two albums the Raspberries sounded like a great pop band that wasn't afraid to rock out, with 1973's Side 3 they began to flip the script and came on like a powerhouse rock band that also had a way with a hooky melody, and the group had the talent and confidence to play it both ways. The king-sized guitar figure Wally Bryson uses to launch the first tune, "Tonight," has a bark worthy of Jimmy Page, while drummer Jim Bonfanti lets loose with lots of manic drum fills worthy of his obvious role model, Keith Moon (and on "Ecstasy," the whole band delivers a loving mash note to the Who). While the country-tinged "Should I Wait" and "Last Dance" made it clear the Raspberries hadn't lost their light touch, most of Side 3 finds the band strutting their rock & roll stuff and sounding pretty impressive doing it; the cheeky swagger of "Money Down," the fade-out guitar frenzy of "Hard to Get over a Heartbreak" and the self-explanatory strut of "I'm a Rocker" are the work of a band who could hit harder and heavier than anyone reckoned at the time, and Eric Carmen rose to new heights as a rock belter on these sessions. And while "On the Beach" wasn't as tough on the surface as some of the other tracks, the evolution from the teenage backseat action of "Go All the Way" to this tale of a self-assured pick-up artist showed how much smarts and wit the band had gained in 18 months. Side 3 was the last album to feature the Raspberries' original lineup, and if it isn't quite up to the level of their first two LPs, there's no arguing it's the work of a great band still firing on all cylinders.

Mark Deming, Allmusic.com

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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Raspberries - Studio Albums 1972-1974 (4CD) [Reissue 2004-2005]

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Internal strife caused Raspberries vocalist Eric Carmen and guitarist Wally Bryson to part ways with bassist Dave Smalley and drummer Jim Bonfanti after the tour following the release of 1973's Side 3, and with the group's fourth LP, 1974's appropriately named Starting Over, Carmen and Bryson were breaking in a new rhythm section (Scott McCarl on bass and Michael McBride on drums) while pursuing a more ambitious direction in the studio. Starting Over's lead track, "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)," may be Carmen's most impressive creation, an epic-scale production number about the thrill of hearing your song on the radio (when Carmen sings "I know it sounds funny/But I'm not in it for the money," he sounds so heartfelt you almost believe the guy), and while it's the most polished piece of work on Starting Over, the album does represent a switch from the straightforward rock sound of Side 3. Starting Over does feature some potent rock & roll, especially "Party's Over" (Bryson's rollicking elegy for the band's first lineup), the superb Who pastiche "I Don't Know What I Want" and the strutting "Play On," but the production and texture are a good bit smoother and glossier than the relatively gritty Side 3, and both "Cruisin' Music" and "All Through the Night" suggest Carmen had been listening to a lot of early Beach Boys sides. Similarly, there's a sweetness to "Rose Colored Glasses" and "Cry" that recalls the melodramatic moments of the group's first two albums, and the closing title track anticipates the grandiose tone of Carmen's later solo work, though on the other end of the scale the oddball tape loops on "Hands on You" sound almost avant-garde in this context. The diversity, ambition and polish of Starting Over indicated that much like Side 3, this album was an effort to set aside the "bubblegum popmeisters" tag that had been unfairly hung on the Raspberries after their debut LP, though rather than showing how hard they could rock, this disc was supposed to demonstrate how clever and creative they were. While there's no arguing Starting Over was the work of a very smart and gifted band, anyone who had been listening to their work already knew that. Still, it's a fine farewell from one of the best American pop bands of their era, though they didn't know it would be their last album when they were making it.

Mark Deming, Allmusic.com