The raspberries

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Raspberries were an American pop and rock band from Cleveland , Ohio that formed in Mentor in 1970 and broke up in 1975.

Band history

Singer and songwriter Eric Carmen and drummer Jim Bonfanti were already known regionally pop musicians as members of the bands Cyrus Erie and The Choir at the end of the 1960s. In 1970 they founded The Raspberries in Mentor, Ohio. Guitarist Wally Bryson and bassist John Aleksic, both former members of The Choir like Bonfanti, completed the first line- up of the formation, which made its live debut in October of that year. With their short hair, the right suits and a sound reminiscent of The Beatles , they differed from the locally dominant hard rock scene in Cleveland at the time. After just a few appearances, the group developed into one of the most popular live acts in the area. After the production of the first demo , Aleksic left the band in March 1971 and was replaced by rhythm guitarist Dave Smalley, Carmen switched to bass.

The producer Jimmy Ienner became aware of the demo tape, whereupon several major labels showed interest in The Raspberries. Eventually the band signed a contract with Capitol and released their debut album Raspberries in the spring of 1972 , which climbed to number 51 on the Billboard 200 . The pre-release single Don't Want to Say Goodbye became a small hit and reached number 86 on the US pop charts . The final breakthrough came in May of that year with the follow -up single Go All the Way, based on Who- inspired guitar playing and Beach Boys style harmony singing . The title rose to number 5 on the US charts and was awarded gold . Before starting production of the next album , Carmen and Smalley swapped roles on guitar and bass.

In November 1972, the album Fresh , which made it to number 36 on the Billboard charts, was released with the US hits I Wanna Be with You (number 16) and Let's Pretend (number 35). Despite the continued success, there was tension in the group because Carmen dominated creative matters and songwriting contributions by Bryson and Smalley were hardly noticed. That is why the 1973 album Side 3 sounded more aggressive than its predecessors and missed the top 100 of the album charts with number 128, but contained two chart singles with Tonight (number 69) and I'm a Rocker (number 94). After a celebrated performance at Carnegie Hall , Smalley and Bonfanti left The Raspberries to form their own band called Dynamite. The replacement came bassist Scott McCarl and former Cyrus Erie drummer Michael McBride.

With the album Starting Over released in September 1974 , the success continued to decline. The record only came to number 143 in the US charts and contained only one single, Overnight Sensation (Hit Record) , which made it into the American charts (number 18). The ongoing dispute between Carmen and Bryson initially led to the group appearing several times only as a trio, which ultimately led to the Raspberries breaking up in 1975. Carmen then started a solo career and won McBride as the drummer for his debut album. His biggest hits are All by Myself (1975) and Hungry Eyes (1987). Bryson first became a member of a band called Tattoo in 1976 and switched to the power pop group Fotomaker in 1978 for three albums .

In 1999, Smalley, Carmen, Bryson and Bonfanti met again for the first time, which gave rise to the rumor that the Raspberries would reunite. A few months later, three of the four members played for rock journalist Jane Scott's 80th birthday. Thereupon the Billboard magazine confirmed a reunion tour, which however did not take place because Carmen wanted to concentrate on his work as a soloist. Bryson, Smalley and McCarl decided in 2000 to continue the Raspberries as a trio.

In 2004 this trio finally reunited with Eric Carmen. As a quartet, the Raspberries gave several public concerts, the last one on December 14, 2007 in front of 2000 fans in Cleveland. The last time the band played in 2009 was a VIP concert in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame .

occupation

Founding members

  • Eric Carmen (born August 11, 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio) - vocals, guitar, bass
  • Wally Bryson (born July 18, 1949 in Gastonia , North Carolina ) - guitar
  • John Aleksic - bass (until March 1971)
  • Jim Bonfanti (born December 17, 1948 in Winber, Pennsylvania) - drums (until 1974)

Later members

  • David Smalley (born July 10, 1949 in Oil City, Pennsylvania ) - rhythm guitar, bass (from 1971 for Aleksic)
  • Scott McCarl - bass (from 1974 for Smalley)
  • Michael McBride - drums (from 1974 for Bonfanti)

Discography

Studio albums

year Title
music label 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1972 Raspberries
Capitol 11036 		US51 (30 weeks)
US
First published: April 10, 1972
Producer: Jimmy Ienner
Fresh
Capitol 11123 		US36 (16 weeks)
US
First published: November 13, 1972
Producer: Jimmy Ienner
1973 Side 3
Capitol 11220 		US128 (7 weeks)
US
First published: September 10, 1973
Producer: Jimmy Ienner
1974 Starting Over
Capitol 11329 		US143 (6 weeks)
US
First published: September 16, 1974
Producer: Jimmy Ienner

Live albums

  • 2007: Live on Sunset Strip (2 CDs + DVD; Rykodisc, Inc. 10879; release: July 31st)
  • 2017: Pop Art Live (2 CDs; Omnivore Recordings 229; release: August 18th)

Compilations

year Title
music label 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1976 Raspberries' Best Feat. Eric Carmen
Capitol 11524 		US138 (4 weeks)
US
First release: May 1976
feat. Eric Carmen
Producer: Jimmy Ienner

More compilations

  • 1987: Overnight Sensation: The Very Best of the Raspberries
  • 1988: Lil 'Bit of Gold
  • 1991: Capitol Collectors Series
  • 1995: Greatest Hits
  • 1996: Power Pop Volume Two
  • 2000: Greatest Hits
  • 2002: The Very Best of the Raspberries
  • 2003: Back2Back Rock Hits ( split album with The Babys , each 5 tracks)
  • 2005: Greatest
  • 2015: Classic Album Set (box with 4 CDs)

Singles

year Title
album 		Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1972 Don't Want to Say Goodbye
Raspberries 		US86 (2 weeks)
US
First published: February 14, 1972
Authors: Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson
Go All the Way
Raspberries 		US5
gold
gold

(18 weeks)US
First published: May 22, 1972
Author: Eric Carmen
I wanna be with you
fresh 		US16 (11 weeks)
US
First published: October 30, 1972
Author: Eric Carmen
1973 Let's Pretend
Fresh 		US35 (16 weeks)
US
First published: February 26, 1973
Author: Eric Carmen
Tonight
Side 3 		US69 (7 weeks)
US
First published: August 6, 1973
Author: Eric Carmen
I'm a rocker
side 3 		US94 (3 weeks)
US
First published: October 29, 1973
Author: Eric Carmen
1974 Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)
Starting Over 		US18 (12 weeks)
US
First published: August 19, 1974
Author: Eric Carmen

More singles

  • 1974: Ecstasy (released January 28)
  • 1974: Drivin 'Around (release: May)
  • 1974: Cruisin 'Music (release: December 2nd)
  • 1974: Party's Over (release: December 2nd)

literature

swell

  1. ↑ The Raspberries on Facebook
  2. ↑ a b c Chart sources: US
  3. ↑ a b c gold / platinum database US

Web links