JohnO

I don't know if the Bears will win both games from the Packers, but......they're looking more and more like the Ravens of 2000 and the Bucs of 2002 - neither team had much of an offense, but they were capable of shutting down everybody. I suspect they may get past the first round of the playoffs this year. (NOTE: I assume they'll win their Division, even if Minnesota has come to life since Culpepper gfot injured.) P.S. I'm having a great time here in DC, watching the Redskins self-destruct every week, it seems...and Joe Gibbs' blood pressure builds and builds.....(If anyone wants to know what's happened to them...try the fact that they've gone 1-4 since putting that hot dog free-lancer LeVar Arrington back into their lineup...4-2 without him)

Eric - Thanks for the nice message, and thanks for making 2005 an extra special year for everyone on this list!!! Will see you at your next show....

Agree with Gene that the Redwalls could be big with just the right song. Based on their 2 CDs, though, I'm not sure if they're capable of writing a monster hit themselves. IMO, there's a wealth of great young 60's/70's-style R&R bands out there waiting to be discovered. I saw at least 2 dozen bands last year at Little Steven's Underground Garage Fest (Randall's Island, NYC) that could break out nationally or world-wide if they got the right exposure (The Contrasts, the Singles, Muck & The Mires - the best Merseybeat band I've seen since The Kaisers, Jarvis Humby, the DM4, etc.). The music's still alive...the question is - will enough youngsters be interested at this point? The huge success of some bands like Jet, the Hives, White Hypes (er...Stripes, I mean!), and the Strokes shows that there's a great deal of interest out there, provided MTV plays a particular band's videos (the modern day equivalent of the old Top 40).

Actually, the Redwalls have released 2 CDs. To echo Tommy T., they're both pretty good, with decent singing and playing, but I think the writing's a bit on the weak side. They definitely have potential. I believe they opened for Oasis at some of their '05 shows, which was a pretty good match-up.

Raspberrywine hit the nail on the head regarding the need to promote whatever the guys do. One way is to go back to an earlier thread on who should produce a new album....if the Bruce Springsteen's and Jon Bon Jovi's and Paul Stanley's of the music world are truly behind the boys, they need to lend their expertise and/or cash and/or whatever label help they can give to any future endeavor. While I've grown to absolutely detest albums by older bands where they bring in "guest stars" (I'm thinking the Yardbirds' "Birdland" from 2004), this could be a route to go to at least earn them some cash. Getting a celebrity producer such as a Phil Spector (bad example, I know....he's in jail) or Brian Wilson (perhaps another bad example, as he's probably burned out) will also get them publicity that will sell more records than they'd otherwise hope to. (Example: If Neil Diamond had recorded a stripped-down LP sans Rick Rubin, I doubt he would have gotten a tenth of the publicity, regardless of how good or bad it actually is.) The band also has to stay active, as far as playing gigs and writing new material. It's really up to them....and they need to manage any expectations (no problem for them, I'm sure, at this point) because, frankly, no matter how great their shows are, and no matter how great any new material is, they're not likely to set the world on fire at this stage, simply because tasteful, tuneful R&R isn't likely to sell millions or even hundreds of thousands at this point. Music like they make has, for the most part, been confined to small labels and small distributors such as Not Lame, Rhino, Paisley Pop, etc., for the past decade or longer.

No, Cream did not do any Clapton solo songs. The only non-Cream tune they did was a cover of T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday". I personally don't have problems with the 'Berries playing an occasional cover OR 1-2 EC solo numbers. However, if it came to an "Eric Carmen and the Raspberries" billing, and an Eric solo set, I wouldn't be surprised if they drew less than they would under either the current arrangement (as the Raspberries) or Eric would as a solo act. While I don't pretend to understand exactly why, it appears that most die-hard Raspberries fans aren't all that thrilled with a lot of Eric's solo material (considering it easy listening in nature), and I suspect a lot of the crowd who would go and see Eric live for "Hungry Eyes", "All By Myself", etc., might not care about seeing his earlier, harder rocking pre-solo band. Eric himself has talked about this weird dichotomy in interviews over the years. (NOTE: This likely would not apply to most members of this board....but several personal friends of mine had no desire to see recent Raspberries shows, thinking they'd get a big dose of Eric solo material in the bargain.)

While I'm a life-long Yankee fan and an A-Rod fan, and I agree that Rodriguez is a much better all-around player than Ortiz AND had a better overall offensive season, I still would have voted for Ortiz for MVP in '05. Simply, he appeared to win more ball games than A-Rod, hitting much better in clutch situations (53 points higher from the 7th inning on than A-Rod (.346 to .293), with 11 HRs to 4 and 33 RBI to 12)....and 62 points higher with runners in scoring position (.352 to .290). I say "appeared to win more ball games" because A-Rod could have saved quite a few with his glove. However, in most Yankees games I watched during the season, Alex was pretty much a non-factor at the plate in late innings. While I could easily vote for either, I'd give a slight edge to Ortiz as far as being more valuable. There should also be some sort of a Player of the Year Award, IMO, that's geared primarily toward statistics. Derek Lee in the NL, who had a monster season, but on a crappy club, would at least have a shot at an award like that. My comments about the DH mirror those of many sportswriters who were quoted as saying that they would not vote for a DH over a regular player....or would not do so unless the DH's numbers were overwhelmingly better.

Oh God, I forgot the MC3...er, MC5/DTK completely, who I've seen 3 times....most recently with Handsome Dick Manitoba and Lisa K. (BellRays) as guest vocalists - perhaps the best version yet of the reconstituted MC5. No Evan Dando, thank God! (Although, surprisingly, Marshall Crenshaw did a pretty good job in the Sonic Smith 2nd guitar chair....)

It's a definite rejection by the voters of Designated Hitters....because, God knows, Ortiz deserved it more than A-Rod if it's based just on offense.

Speaking of Herman's Hermits...there are 2 versions out there now - one fronted by Peter Noone and another one that just has Barry, their original drummer - I think they're a 4 piece. They pretty much sound alike, although Noone is a more recognizable vocalist than the ringer that the second band is using. This sort of nonsense happens in the UK all the time. There are 2 versions of The Searchers who tour regularly in the UK and Europe - The "original" Searchers (with John McNally plus Frank Allen and a couple of ringers....one of whom, Spencer James, was in First Edition (of "Beach Baby" fame)) and Mike Pender's Searchers, featuring, not surprisingly, Mr. Pender and 3 ringers. The two bands play pretty much the same material and almost sound exactly the same. There were also two bands calling themselves The Hollies until recently. Tony Hicks and Bobby Elliott got some sort of court order preventing their old bass player (Eric Haydock, I think) from using the name. With the recent death of their singer (ex-Move frontman) Carl Wayne, I'm not sure if there are any bands calling themselves The Hollies anymore.

Regarding the subject of performing covers - While I much prefer the Raspberries' originals, I think the occasional well-placed cover kind of raises the energy level of the crowd, especially of newbies who aren't that familiar with the LP cuts. A friend of mine who watched the LA HOB show next to me commented the next day that he wasn't as blown away as he thought he'd be, based on my previous rantings and ravings. He said that the pacing of the show tended to drag in places for him, especially after a couple of ballads or mid-tempo songs that he wasn't too familiar with. I thought - had they pulled out a spot-on Beatles cover like "Ticket To Ride" or maybe "Mr. Tambourine Man" in those spots, it very well might have raised his energy level at that point...and he agreed. Just a thought....

I'm glad to see that someone mentioned the NY Dolls and dBs, but nobody's brought up the original Stooges (minus Dave Alexander, plus Mike Watt on bass) yet.....who, aside from maybe the Raspberries, have probably been doing the most incendiary live shows of all of the reunited bands. Also - The Plimsouls, Zombies, Arthur Lee & Love (with only Arthur as an original, although they added original guitarist Johnny Echol for part of their last tour). (At least no one had the bad taste to bring up a Ramones reunion....with Tommy and 3 ringers needed....)

Hmmm...Prairie is in the Tubes, Jefferson Starship, Journey (on occasion), Todd Rundgren's live band, Magic Christian (Cyril Jordan's band in SF), and Blue Cheer (at the recent Chet Helms Tribal Stomp Fest)...and the Cars now? (And I'm probably leaving out several other bands.) He's definitely a drumming fool......

With the Raspberries' considerable vocal chops, I'd love to hear what Brian Wilson could do in the studio with them. (At the very least, we'd hear some interesting vocal arrangements). Tom Werman, who did wonders with Cheap Trick in the last 80's, could do a great job. Assuming he doesn't wind up in the jail the rest of his life, a Phil Spector wall of sound take on the 'Berries would also be interesting. Lastly, why not bring Jimmy Ienner back to do it?

Let's see....he produced a couple of Three Dog Night's LPs, one (I think) by Lighthouse, and at least one Bay City Rollers (the one with their cover of "Let's Pretend" on it). He may have produced Gene Chandler's "Duke Of Earl" as well, but, then again, he may have only sung on it (the well-known bass part). I'm sure there are others that I can't remember.....

Craig Pearmen, I presume? That's a great track on YP 3! Welcome ot the board!

I think the Overdubs give the Raspberries the kind of edge that Brian Wilson's been getting in his live performances from his 8-9 piece band. Much more lush instrumentation and vocals, much more of a studio sound (although...in Brian's case, he can't really sing the high parts himself live anymore, and he uses Jeffrey Foskett for that - Brian's range nowadays in closer to Mike Love's old parts. At least Eric can still sing his old material, even if they have lowered the key on a couple of songs to better preserve his voice.) I wonder....if Eric, Wally & co. go back into the studio, will they use the Overdubs.....or do their own overdubs?

There's really nothing wrong with the Yankees, IMO, that a mostly healthy starting pitching staff next year wouldn't cure. Of course, you can say the same thing about the Cubs in the senior circuit (will Wood or Prior ever be able to stay off the DL for a full season?). As a Yanks fan, I'd much rather see them get Hunter or Pierre in CF than Damon....the only positive thing about NY getting Damon would be that he'd have to shave and cut his hair!

Bernie - Many thanks for yet another low-tech extra goodie!

I just got back from LA last night....what a great show it was last Friday! The longest of the 4 I've seen (2 in NYC and the Atlantic City show), and with the least covers. Great to see the band AND you guys again! The other Rock & Roll highlight of my trip out West - seeing the graves of Dee Dee and Johnny Ramone at Hollywood Forever......(although, dammit, they belong in NYC, not LA!!!!!!!!)

NRBQ used to do an annual Fest for their fans, usually in a large hotel somewhere in the NE (Connecticut, NY), although I think they did it one year out West. 300-400 diehard fans crammed into a hotel for a couple of shows and drunken foolishness throughout the weekend. If I recall, they charged their fans enough (between $600-$1000) for the weekend so the band made decent bucks for it....and just serious fans showed up.

Question for Billy - Are all of the different models/sounds on your guitar usable? I've heard rumors that the Ric 12-string sound, for example, doesn't cut it too well. (Possibly the reason why you use an actual Ric?) On the other hand, the Coral electric sitar and banjo supposedly sound very accurate. Just curious... While I don't have a Line 6 guitar, I've been using one of their POD guitar amps/modelers (in headphone mode) for several years...and some of the amp models sound great, while others are too digital and sterile sounding for my taste. (The effects all sound pretty good, at least to my ears....and it's great for recording direct!)

....and it was a rather fey-looking goatee he was sporting......

Bernie - Thanks for the latest freebie - this one, I could actually play!....which brings me to....any way to put out a similar audio-only file of the "Ticket To Ride" soundcheck? I'd love to hear that one, even if I can't see it!

No, but Paul R. has cut his hair short and does look a bit less, shall we say, manly, than he used to........