Don_Krider

Happy Birthday young fella! - Don Krider and Eric Krider

My deepest sympathy, John. Don Krider

There's a neat fan-created video for Raspberries' "Play On" (the original 1974 version of the Scott McCarl-Eric Carmen written classic) with Scott's left-handed bass and John Lennon-ish lead vocal, Wally Bryson's great driving lead guitar, Michael McBride's powerful drums, Eric Carmen's perfect rhythm guitar and the best pop harmonies in rock at: The Beatles' fan who created that did a great job matching the lyrics to various still photos. Hopefully someone will post the band's live 1975 (aired March and August of that year in syndication) "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" appearance performing that tune on YouTube one day - Scott was such an incredible performer, "shy yet confident," like one magazine said back in the day. Don Krider

Happy Birthday, buddy! Don Krider

Happy Birthday, Chris! Don

How about Raspberries Wally Bryson on the dual neck lead guitar and Dave Smalley on bass (great close-ups of Dave) with The Secret singing one of my favorite Kinks songs, "Tired Of Waiting": Man, Eric Robertson was one very talented lead singer. What a rockin' performance! Don

I've seen short versions of this on YouTube, but someone just added the full video version of "Go All the Way" from November of 1973 (airdate) from "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert" If there was a video definition of the word "cool," this would be it! Don Krider

Happy Birthday, MJ! Don

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/def-leppard-unveils-summer-tour-with-cheap-1003945528.story

I apologize if this has been posted before, but this Bryson Group (Wally Bryson and Jesse Bryson) videos from a live gig opening for Fastball in November of 2008 is new to me, so in case anyone else hasn't seen it, I thought I'd post them here (I would post them in the video section, but I'm afraid they would get lost there): Don Krider

To the first guy to call me "Raspbuddy," Happy Birthday, Bernie! Don

Thanks to everyone for the messages here and for the private emails. You made an aging Raspbuddy feel pretty good. Don

The author of that article, Christopher Bollyn, was profiled by CNN in an interview where he accused Israel and Jewish agents of plotting 9/11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bB6nDk_FEBs

As Rod Serling said, "Submitted for your consideration..." - Popular Mechanics investigation of the the 911 "conspiracy": http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/1227842.html

The members of Magic backed Eric on that appearance (having been renamed The Eric Carmen Band) and one of the two drummers (the impressive blonde-haired lad) is Michael McBride, who played on the Raspberries "Starting Over" album (who also backed Eric in the bands Cyrus Erie and The Quick). McBride was a neat addition to the guys in Magic, who all played on Eric's first Arista solo album in 1975 (at the time, I considered it *almost* a Raspberries album since half the band was on it). Don Krider

I've always liked Frank Sinatra (especially "My Way" and "It Was A Very Good Year"), so it was neat to read Eric Carmen's comments in Crawdaddy magazine back in 1977 at http://www.ericcarmen.com/press/770900a.htm : --------------------------------------- ...Moments later, as he prepares to leave the hotel, Eric brightens with an afterthought. "I got a call recently—Frank Sinatra's gonna cut 'Boats Against the Current' next month. He's already done 'All By Myself' and 'Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.'" He beams. "Having him record your song is the greatest compliment in the world. As for as I'm concerned. I don't care what anybody says. Sinatra is still Number One."... ---------------------------------------- In Bernie and Ken's book "Marathon Man," pages 304-305, there's a quote which makes it pretty clear that Eric was jazzed when Sinatra covered "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again" (Eric admits he might have liked Sinatra to have "done it a little straighter," but adds, "but was I bummed out about it? No. It's fucking Frank Sinatra!"). Sinatra is mentioned several times in the book. Don Krider http://www.epinions.com/user-don_krider

The "concert version" music video of Eric Carmen's 1985 Top 40 hit "I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips" was posted by someone on YouTube just before Christmas of 2007. I hadn't seen this version in a while, and on the off chance that it hasn't been mentioned here, here it is: http://youtube.com/watch?v=xOK8sVmkWxk I still have hopes the other version, which aired for a month on VH-1 in January of 1985 with the giant lips floating around, which I thought was pretty cool at the time, will be posted some day... Don Krider

Roger Ebert reviewed the film last year: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070809/REVIEWS/708090301/1023

Gorgeous, my friend - thanks for posting that! I remember being blown away when I read in Bernie and Ken's "Marathon Man" book that it was The Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man" that inspired Eric (page 6) to "find out what instrument made its distinctive jangly sound." Then over the next few pages finding that one of Eric's early bands played "almost everything from the first Byrds album." On page 18 Eric says that when he heard The Choir (with Wally, Dave and Jim) play, he dreamed of being in that band so he and Wally could play The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man" - "both of us with our 12-string Rickenbackers." Now wouldn't it be cool if Raspberries made that dream come true by adding that song to their set list now? Don Krider

And talking covers, how about The Who's "So Sad About Us" or The Who's "I Can See For Miles." Raspberries could bring new life to those classics (I'd especially love to hear Raspberries' harmonies on "So Sad About Us"). Don Krider

Ditto on that, LC. I lived in Brentwood, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh, from 1968-70 and I loved that place. Pete Hewlett, of the Eric Carmen-produced Euclid Beach Band, lives there. And don't forget that two members of Raspberries, Dave Smalley and Jim Bonfanti, were both born in the great state of Pennsylvania. Sorry, but I have to defend a city where I still have friends. Don

I was thinking of a longer medley - it used to be one of my favorite things to get a Raspberries album or an Eric solo album (toss "Sunrise" and "Someday" onto the medley list) and find one spot-on Beach Boys-inspired tune on every album. On the '73 tour they also did a piano medley (the Raspberries piano songs from the first two albums) that was very cool, too. And hearing that medley of the covers of "Be My Baby" and "Locomotion" on that '73 tour was a high point of my life back then - forget The Ronettes and Little Eva, Raspberries made those songs their own when they sang them. Don Krider

Interesting choices, Marvin. I'd like to hear "All Through The Night" with the original title "Thank You For Services Rendered" (I think that's what Eric said the title was originally - just sounds like it would be a pretty good, Stones-ish gut-puncher with that title and a few lyric changes). I have adored "On The Beach" all my life - minus the birds, please. That chorus is awesome. I'd love to hear a Beach Boys-inspired, Raspberries medley of "On The Beach"/"Cruisin' Music"/"Drivin' Around"/"She Did It"/"Top Down Summer". I think Eric's "Take It Or Leave It," Eric's "Inside Story," Wally's "Come Back" (Fotomaker) and Wally's "I Still Want You" (Tattoo) are all songs that could put all those guitar-players on stage to great use. Don Krider

There's an article in Cleveland Jewish News that says Eric's total sales have passed the 50 million mark.

Austinberries asked: "these 2 tunes were never released by the 'berries, right? The two song demos did appear on the Capitol Records year 2000 "Greatest Hits" CD that was briefly released by BMG Music Club (I bought a couple of those and gave one to a friend) with it's "Let It Be" inspired cover. There are three versions of that album, which was never "officially" released (despite the BMG Music Club copies that briefly got out): the advance promo, the BMG Music Club release and the unreleased Capitol version. Don Krider