pierson

also.... long after all of us are either toast or that long dreamt of generation way back when, there will be the music of Eric Carmen & the Raspberries... Clive might be this dude who was part of this ephemeral burst of greed of corporate America, but Eric & The 'Berries will remain the definitive burst of magic they always were/are....

this is why we luv darlene... and of course the MAIN MAN Eric Carmen......... It's all part of evolution and a great site that's open to deeper discussion which respects the artist it represents, while trying to push a few envelopes.... Rock on.....

hardly... and his world is shrinking quickly with the power of online music distribution... lots of musicians have opted out of the major label route to avoid that nightmare scenario which has been a harsh reality for many... but of course they may have lost an opportunity to have the mega distribution that could've broken them to a wider audience...

And this acutely points out Clive's lack of true intelligence and business acumen... IF he was a genius, he'd have her do demos at a home studio until he felt there were enough top quality songs to make into an amazing album & then drop the big wad of cash into it... (whether or not he has the insight to hear a hit single when it's in demo-form may be the problem, too) what this does prove is that he's the wasteful idiot he's always been.... and yes, god is below him... delusion little greaseball that he is (not god, clive)

don't slag Britney... some of Max Martin's tunes are amazing power pop... a lot are pap... also dig Aly & AJ James Blunt is dreadful, as are Nsynchbackstreetboys

well, that's what differentiates us... truth be told, I can't stop hunting for new bands or music (basically because IT IS STILL REALLY GOOD)... I haven't had enough music with my 20+ years living w/ bands, seeing the musical process, being on radio, and club DJ-ing & doing a music mag... There's still stuff that's just as amazing as the stuff made 30 years ago, despite the fact that I'm not nearly as impressionable as I was back then....

because i wouldn't bother to listen to any band with a stupid name. [/QB]

luckily, you don't have to be from "here" to check any of this stuff out; the world is at your fingertips w/ a simple google search... most are on youtube & most have a myspace page with 4 songs to check out... in parentheses is a song of choice; not necessarily one on their webpage, but maybe up on youtube... you never know Pernice Brothers ("Somerville") Ivy ("The Best Thing") Ed Harcourt ("Born In The '70s") Magnet/Even Johansen ("Where Happiness Lives") Johan ("Oceans") Doves ("Black & White") Keane ("This Is The Last Time") Fratellis ("Chelsea Dagger") Chamber Strings ("It's No Wonder") Jon Brion ("Here We Go") Wannadies ("You") Rialto ("Untouchable") Readymade Breakup (new debut CD, hopefully "Say Yes" is on it-- recommended to anyone who loves Rooney, Jellyfish & Fountains Of Wayne) Nada Surf ("Look In The Mirror") My Morning Jacket (cover of The Band's "It Makes No Difference") Trashcan Sinatras ("Usually" "Weightlifting") Myracle Brah ("Orange Shirt") Spoon ("The Beast & Dragon Adored") Smart Brown Handbag ("Greetings From The Longest Weekend"; for fans of early-era REM) Rooney ("Blueside") Stereophonics ("Dakota")

these days you do have choices.... you can get satellite radio (although the honeymoon is close to over)... or you can use the internet to your advantage and find bands...

well... here in the USA we do have the Pernice Brothers making some of the greatest pop music ever created.... and Ivy (w/ a french femme on vox) making pop music as classic as anything i've ever heard... from the uk: ed harcourt, magnet, johan, doves, keane.... maybe the record sales have dropped drastically, BUT... GREAT pop music is still being made.... other 21st century goodies: Fratellis Chamber Strings Wannadies Rialto Readymade Breakup Nada Surf My Morning Jacket Trashcan Sinatras Myracle Brah Spoon Smart Brown Handbag The Shore Rooney Stereophonics The Veils The Tears

well... "Heart Of The Matter" does make sense in an "Eagles" set... the other MAJOR strike against "Hungry Eyes" is that Eric did not write it...

which makes it a slightly tough call, although I'd err on the side of caution and NOT do a song like "Hungry Eyes" because the other solo stuff is a strong enough draw... think of it this way... I highly doubt that the Eagles do "The Heat Is On" and "All She Wants To Do Is Dance"-- I don't think they would ever make sense at an Eagles concert... or imagine the Faces doing "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" or "Have I Told You Lately"??? people would throw stuff at them... but if they did "You Wear It Well" or "Gasoline Alley" or "Maggie May" they'd be fine....

here's the thing... if i wanted to hear Eric solo material performed by the Raspberries it MUST make sense with the aesthetic of the band... the mid '80s solo doesn't, no matter how much anyone thinks it can be Rasbperries-ized The Zombies tried doing "marginal" latter solo stuff & it SUCKED in the context of what is perceived as a Zombies reunion... whereas if they only chose the good stuff from Colin Blunstone's first solo album, it would fly... The best solo stuff & Wally stuff are songs like: Hey Deanie Sunrise My Girl Come Back It Hurts Too Much Love Is All That Matters Never Gonna Fall In Love Again All By Myself (is a small stretch) using songs like Hungry Eyes & Make Me Lose Control as ticket movers, is ok for that purpose only-- and if the band totally agrees with it, BUT it will definitely come as a major left turn from what should be expected from a Raspberries set... and believe me, there will hardly be a critic standing who wouldn't pounce on it (despite most critics being arses)....

yep... there's definitely an REM vibe w/ them and a lot of '90s Swedish power pop zen... which they helped build... This Perfect Day, Popsicle, Merry Makers, Melony, Beagle etc...

it was hard to tell from the clips how strong the album was... listening to stuff on myspace sometimes takes a lot away from how good it is... if it has "she's got a way with men" i would say listen to it again...

It's gonna be very tough to top this one (although, it actually came out in late 2006)... It's "THX JHN" by Johan... it's their 3rd album and it's one of those very very rare pop masterpieces that make you believe that not all of the great inspiration for transcendental pop/rock has disappeared.... too bad it's all the way in Amsterdam... their myspace page is www.myspace.com/johan4all their website: www.johan4all.com

lip-synch clip from 1972 performance (edited to death, but cool to see the band at their prime) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek_Xf2HTsZo i think this is a more current reunion clip-- showws they still could pull it off live... not bad http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_efJ6y7eHg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvphPDi-Wug

on reality's side... did i see there was no Splinter, Nasty Pop, Sleepy Hollow, Stackridge The Hollies most Beatlesque moment has to be "Put Yourself In My Place"-- Chris Carter even played it on Breakfast w/ The Beatles

not so crazy when one realizes it was produced by former Apple employee Magic Akex & had Yoko's lost uncle, Chin Yi Ono on moog...

yep.... but there's still some more amazin' stuff popping up (especially some "new" old Canadian stuff from A Foot in Cold Water, Thundermug & April Wine) i just posted a new list on my myspace page of 19 clips to check out: www.myspace.com/djpatpierson

interesting question because what makes a Raspberries album less interesting than the other are the songs by the other guys... all 4 albums are equal as far as EC material is concerned, although "Fresh" may be the most impressive in that sense, despite the fact that, imo, "Starting Over" is the most consistent album thru & thru... for the solo stuff I can't listen to the Geffen album 'cause of the production and the same goes for "Change Of Heart"....

i'm not sure what the youtube footage is... but the clip did recently resurface in a doc about JP that aired on public TV... which is worth seeking out... beyond the Beatles curio, Jack Paar's story is an amazing one...

Dirty Looks- Dirty Looks (Stiff 1980)

exactly... The Groovies excell in some weird rock pop hybrid, that's less power pop per se... it's much closer to the spirit of rock and roll.... whereas the Spongetones took the Groovies Beatle (Merseybeat) rip one step further and brought it to the highest level possible... there's a true edge in the Groovies that's absent in the Spongetones (personality & substances have a role)

not quite.... those who came before 85 (bowie, costello, church, etc) made music just as amazing as the stuff that broke them... i don't think things got worse.... people (the audience) got lazier and a lot more music was created... Pernice Bros & Jon Brion are current examples of artists as talented as those I cherish in the past i think there's a lot more after 85 to seek out than there was prior to it (especially UK & Europe)....