Well, this is live but you get the idea.
And plus you prog-likin-lunatics probably prefer a mellotron (or whatever that is) to real strings.
But damn--this sounds like Eric Carmen tried to write a prog song based on a written explanation of what one was supposed to be rather than what it actually sounds like.
It is a self contained rock band trying to condense the ballads of Pet Sounds into an 8 minute song of shifting moods--albeit all pale colored and melancholy.
Believe it or not, Raspberries were a superb live band, quite capable of replicating their studio vocal harmonies and competent, if not overly creative.
I saw them open for ???? (sorry) right after the first s/t "Go All The Way" album came out. I really enjoyed them & hadn't heard a note before that night.
"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician, and to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference"
President Harry S. Truman
When I was a music writer in college I got a promo copy of their live album from 2009ish when they reformed for a couple shows in LA.
I had forgotton I had the thing, but when I visited my parents my dad had dug the thing out and it was in the stereo.
Some studio sweetening is more than possible, but it is ten times the live record than it should be by any rights. Sure beats the hell out of that Hatfield and the North live record from the early 90s hahaha
Eric Carmen's voice has held up better than singers two decades his junior. And the man is a better piano player than the two guys from Greenslade combined.
But really though, the Raspberries are great. Perhaps their only problem is that the compilations that exist of them are so perfectly curated that it's not advisable to buy their albums unless you're a really big power pop fan.
But if the compilation you own doesn't have "I Can Remember" you are in a whole world of trouble.
Last edited by bigjohnwayne; 08-18-2014 at 09:11 PM. Reason: typo
I only have a compilation and this is on it. To me it plays like a precursor of Carmen's later 'All By Myself'- the long version with the classical piano in the middle. Very talented and underrated writer.
The band that actually comes to mind frequently when I hear some of their other songs is The Small Faces- not usually mentioned in 'power pop' discussions. The Beach Boys is another obvious influence.
Badfinger had a couple of longer tracks on their 'Wish You Were Here' album- 'Meanwhile Back At The Ranch'/'Should I Smoke' is just audio nirvana as far as I'm concerned.
Love this song. Carmen's love for McCartney really shows.
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