seattlesteve

That's cool Eric. Thanks. Seattle Steve

No new news here. Couldn't get the reserved tickets either. I've screwed up twice on this. First even though I was already a member I didn't realize that the HOB presale was as early as it was, then this morning I'm assumming that I need to get on Ticketmaster right at 9:00 to try, so hear I sit at 8:00 and get all the bad news from the east coast who tried an hour ago. Erics note on the meet and greet softens the blow. Seattle Steve

This won't be big enough news I think until after the HOB show. Sell out in 2 seconds on Saturday, and absolutely kill 11/26, have a few celebrities that attend and are willing to be quoted, now you got something for the Today show. Personally, I think the most likely and perhaps best thing to come out of this along that vein, is a VH1 special, and a behind the scenes dvd. Either a behind the music, or a storytellers type of thing. Actually, they might just start airing the HOB concert now that I think about it. If a tour comes out of this, my wife and I are going to have to find a nanny so we can travel and be Berryheads. Jim: Go wild on the drums, can't wait for your take on Overnight Sensation. Go for it, beats the goofy restraints they put on you at the Mike Douglas show. ;-) Steve

Marvin, I would have agreed with you a few years ago, regarding not wanting to hit the road with young children but I speculate that this is different and special. He can't be completely against it as he did hook up with Ringo. The reason this is different is it's his career, not Ringos. They have been talking about a Raspberries reunion forever, first the band didn't want it, then the promoters lost interest. If this show kills (and it will) and the promoters come calling with good venues, it's a once in a lifetime deal that will be hard to pass up. The concert, the book, Ringo, etc... the worlds are colliding and it is time to strike. They already know this. I'm not exactly sure how it all works, but maybe they don't even need a third party promoter, the House of Blues is so big you can stage an extended tour and never leave their family of venues. When McCartney was trying to come back with Wings Over America in 76, he just packed the family with him on the road, no problem. Now if Eric insists that Susan play keyboards for the band, the boys might have issues... ;-) (joke) I'm just speculating.. it's just fun to have something to speculate about. Steve

The Guess Who would work too.

"I wanna be with you so BAD" Eric did get help on that one note, but he knew it in advance, and joked about it. I'm sure he doesn't even remember it, but he told me after the show that the 1 hour interview before really parched his vocal chords. But if you were there, and witnessed Make Me Lose Control and Boats, it was better than the recorded version. Eric still has game. I never had the opportunity to see the Ringo Tour, but have been told by people that did, that once he got in to it, and singing so often, that he was completely into form, and would have easily just nailed that note. Since they are already rehearsing, I predict that on 11/26 he will pull a McCartney, and hit every note, in the orignal key. I never understood it, I speculate that Eric fancies himself more as a composer/musician than a performer, yet I think he's got the best voice I've ever heard in Rock and Roll. I'm a huge McCartney fan, but Eric has him beat on vocals. Someone told me that I need to hear his version of Maybe I'm Amazed that the boys used to play. You guys picking up on my anticpation and excitement...? Steve

If they do any covers, Beatles are a natural, however I wouldn't mind hearing their take on Locomotion, or No Matter What.

They have to do Starting Over, it's got all new meaning. SS

June, I do hold a couple GA tickets, and will be in the Sat race to get reserved. I need that meet/greet. Steve

Brian Wilson is playing Cleveland TONIGHT. Is Eric going?

Wonder what they are rehearsing? 2/3 of the set list is obvious, so the fun is the other 1/3. Backtracks, solo stuff etc. I'm thinking it will be largely, if not all Raspberries. Anyway the non single Raspberries song I would be most excited about seeing live is "If You Change Your Mind" I love the way it builds. Who plays the acoustic guitar on that one anyway? I assumed it was Eric and Wally comes in with the electric. Maybe Wally played both on the record, but I've always pictured Eric on a stool with the acoustic with one light on a darkened stage, then gradually the others are added as the song builds, and that song live, could really rock in the end, even more than on the record.. with an extended jam by Wally /screaming session. Mellow song.. hah. You could make a case that Come Around and See Me would be fun and appropriate too. I see some songs maybe such as I Wanna Be With You, be letter perfect to the record, and then others like the before mentioned If You Change Your Mind could vary with a jam that leaves people saying... wow. I can dream anyway... talk about dreaming, one more, if they do it that way, Eric says on the stool this is for Steve in Seattle... now I'm really delirious. I need to get back to work before this reunion costs me too much more business.. Seattle Steve

My exact sentiments and strategy. I wonder what the House of Blues record is for a sell out, how many minutes once they go on sale to the public. Wouldn't that be something...

Besides the book, I believe this website and it's inherent ability to centralize the fans comments, have also served to validate the interest in the band. No one wants to put on a reunion show if no one wants to see it. I'm sure all band members are quiet stalkers here, and are pumped at not only the number of fans, but the depth of the loyalty and appreciation. And were not just talking Cleveland. Face it, the boys had to feel a little under appreciated when the "critics were raving about their albums but we were making 50 cents". This website collects the voices. I remember in the late 90's thinking about doing this. Bernie did it. Congrats man, we all owe you. It's almost like Back to the Future. Bernie started out putting up a fan appreciation forum, and you have now affected musical history. Although I'm sitting here with only GA seats and will be fighting it out with everyone else for the reserved Saturday (you fly in all the way from Seattle, you gotta meet and greet,) I also hope it sells out in 2 seconds so it gets the interest of a promoter for a tour. It takes almost the same amount of rehearsal to put on one show, as a 20 stop tour, so I'm sure they will be ready. I'm also sure at the show we will make a statement to anyone that still has doubt, the interest is there, and these guys were/are incredible, on an equal level as their heros. Even if a tour happens, you won't be able to beat the magic of the first night. And Wally if you're reading this, like at Carnegie Hall you had the foresight to try and record it, don't let someone stop you here. Make sure it's filmed in it's entirety, and in fact I would be filming rehearsals, and backstage, so you guys can put together a very special commentorative dvd that will sell like hotcakes and make a little coin. Cool. I'm done. I'm anxious. I'm pumped. That guy from Seattle

No no, I was just alluding to the fact that Eric reads the board

"Well the writer got some of the details wrong, but there's certainly passion in his article." The author claims to be a big fan then proceeds to guess at a likely lineup that doesn't include a drummer.

You just did ;-) Seatle Steve

"It's just that your voice made me think that one of those Alan Jackson-type guys singing this song could actually get plenty of airplay somewhere." -Bernie" I say give Alan Jackson "High Cost of Loving You". Seattle Steve

Got to hand it to Don, he nailed it eloquently.

Overnight Sensation is a good a reason as any to play off the 4th album. One of Rolling Stones top songs of that year. Starting Over works thematically. Seattle Steve

I don't see "Steve" being worked into any song soon. Although it took me years to realize that it is mentioned in the opening of Queens "Another One Bites The Dust' SS

"Jennifer's got her Daddy's car she's playing Uptown on the radio..."

During the same year, Eric and Billy wrote about the music business, Overnight Sensation and The Entertainer. Verse 5 from Billy, think about OS while you read it, you think these two piano players were equally frustrated in '74? "I am the entertainer, I come to do my show, You heard my latest record, it's been on the radio Ah it took me years to write it, they were the best years of my life, It was a beautiful song, but it ran too long, if youre gonna have a hit, You gotta make it fit, so they cut it down to 3:05" I love that line, "cut it down to three oh five" Clive is a very succesful man, but it's all about the numbers, give him credit he recognized the talent in Eric, but with the first two releases being ballads, all he ever wanted was the son of All By Myself/Never Gonna, over and over again. Bernie and Eric brought out in the book, how EC would have flourished with BJ's management as Billy had a free ride to go ballad, rocker, ballad rocker, etc.... They didn't make him go son of "Just the Way You Are" over and over. I don't get it.. McCartney could rock and croon, Brian Wilson could, Billy Joel could, Burton Cummings could, Elton could, Rod Stewart used to be able to, why did EC get tagged so early after all those Raspberries rockers? I digress. The media could not get a handle on the versatility of the Raspberries. Hopefully we will, if they pull of this reunion. I am so optimistically pumped! SS

"Check out the second to last paragraph of page 324 to see how quickly things change" Indeed. Can't wait. Definately want to hear the music again, but I told Bernie, what will make it fun for me, is to see 4 smiles on stage. The Raspberries weren't completely about the music, they also were about attitude. I have a feeling I won't be disappointed. SS

"What a great marketer Bernie is." That's my field too, and I can tell you Bernie knows his way around a marketing minefield. I can tell you that I coached my sons soccer practice last night and the shirt I wore, that I bought off the shelf, said "Got Soccer?". Enough said. Seattle Steve

poor4life: Excellent point, hard core fans like myself would have to buy the updated version again... Bernie schedule the presses SS