kyletx500

I love Foxes and Fossils! Their cover of Todd Rundgren's "We Gotta Get You a Woman" is superb:

From what I've read and heard, Craig's account seems on the money. Eric was, for better or for worse, the biggest talent in the group (in terms of vocals and songwriting prowess). In situations like those, the rest of the band has to decide if they want to ride the wave and be content playing backup, or leave the group... Seems like a lot of times, members choose the latter and the band is forced to dissolve. I'm sure with Eric and Wally it was a difficult relationship, since they were so close, and I get the feeling the idea was to treat each other as equals. But singing and songwriting is paramount, and whilst Wally was a fantastic guitarist, he didn't have the vocal or compositional chops to stand equal with Eric... which I'm sure caused a lot of tension. It may sound harsh, but Eric's talents allowed him the ability to cultivate a career with or without the Raspberries backing him up. There's plenty of top-notch players and musicians, but being a true artist, the all-in-one package so to speak, is a rare gift.

I generally like AllMusic and their reviews seem pretty fair most of the time, but the star ratings for Eric's discography make me scratch my head. BATC at 2 stars? Are you kidding me? I think even Eric's weakest efforts deserve 2.5 or 3 stars.

Possibly the schmaltziest cover of ABM ever? I can't believe how little of the rhythmic integrity they left from the original, you can hear the disco seeping in 🤢

Killer cover, deserves more attention! Cool to hear the song by a more mature singer in a slightly lower key, lends a different flavor.

Having the two voices going at the same time is definitely an odd choice, but I kind of get it... You get to instantly hear the differences in rhythm and delivery, which is kind of neat. This is definitely more of an academic experiment than a casual listening mash-up.

I know we all have our off moments, but man, the vocals on that track are quite pitchy in parts, especially when he double-tracks and he's not dead-on pitchwise. Like nails on a chalkboard 🤣

I remember reading in Marathon Man that Eric didn't care for his vocal performance on this track, but I think he compliments Janey's voice quite nicely. Definitely some jazzy chord voicings and unexpected melodic moments that I imagine made it a little tough to learn.

He's got a nice enough voice, but as the others have touched upon, the lack of expressiveness and emotion leaves many cold (me included). Sounds like a really well-polished choir performance 🤣

Man, that is a pro-looking mock-up; if only it existed! As far as I know, the only songbooks that ever came out were for his first two albums (solid releases, the S/T one even mimics the bronze metallic sheen of the album art). There were single song sheets for the bigger hits here and there after that, but nothing comprehensive .

I found it funny they were asking about Eric's Melody Maker from that era... if only the story was available on a certain forum post:

Bumping an old thread but I missed this when it was first posted. Really cool to see some of the finessing of the lyrics in the bridge; seems Eric had the major ideas he wanted to touch on, but just not quite the concise, effective lines that would make the final cut. Just goes to show how much a draft or two can help!

What an odd approach to this song; the organ, the slowed down vocals, everything... I find anytime that vocals are artificially slowed down, it gives the performance a slurred, almost drunk sounding delivery, and this is no exception. It's like the boys got hammered before going into a church to sing 😄

I love this guy, you can tell he's a big Eric fan too... 7 different Carmen compositions as covers!

Well said John! I hope (somewhat selfishly) it's not the end of Eric's recorded output but if it were, it would be a high note to end on for sure. I just got the Record Store Day 7" version in the mail today and had a listen. The alternate, more sparse mix without drums is a nice variation to the mix that appears on the Essential CD.

I loved "Make Me Lose Control" from the moment I first heard it, and the demo is such a gem of a find. While I like the original subject matter of the demo's lyrics, I imagine it got changed in part due to the fact that it's not really a rock'n'roll number. The revised lyrics kept the nostalgic feel but probably made it easier to market. Anyways, the demo is great to hear, especially with Eric doing all the background vocals too. I think I read in the past that Jimmy Ienner was the reason Eric only sang lead on the final track because, apparently to Ienner, his backing vocals sounded too much like the Beach Boys (which is a good thing if you ask me), but alas...

Awesome interview! I actually just picked up Starting Over last Saturday from the record shop and had refrained listening to it until I got a copy. I was quite impressed in particular by Scott's contributions to the album. His story of joining the band was awesome to hear.

Hey guys and gals, the vinyl singles are now for sale for those interested! Thanks for even considering to purchase this release, I'm really happy with the way it turned out. https://www.discogs.com/sell/item/1854106804

Yeah Bernie, the whole thing is fishy. The album art for the release looks really pro, which probably fooled a lot of people into thinking it's legit. But the name of the release is taken from a line in a song that doesn't even appear in the set (wrong decade) and the source must be a second hand copy or deteriorated tape since I heard pretty noticable dropouts in some the songs.

It's a shame that some people feel the need to ruin an otherwise good thing. I happen to stream on Twitch.tv quite a bit and I have to deal with a similar dynamic; 99% of the people are very cool and respectful, but that 1% that's not is all it takes to put a damper on the mood. It's better to ban those people I say; no need to bend over backwards for them when all they're here to do is to cause trouble. Thanks for your work Bernie!

Sorry for bumping an old thread but this song deserves more attention! Bernie and the boys did a great job polishing up the demo; there's some great production and playing in their version, which I believe might be buried somewhere on this site, but I was able to find it on YouTube. I seem to recall reading in the anecdotes from Marathon Man that Eric really didn't have much to do with the writing of the song, but man does he nail the vocal.

Part of me hopes that the "Keep This Feelin' Alive" (odd title) broadcast would get a vinyl release, but I don't think it'll happen. It's really a great set of tunes at a great time in Eric's burgeoning solo career. It's odd how it really got released digitally out of seemingly nowhere.

Nice list RCT! Looking at yours makes me wish I had squeezed a few more from Eric's debut album onto mine; he really came out swinging for the fences on that first record. As for the waltz feel on "Change of Heart," Rhonda hit the nail on the head. Technically, that piano demo isn't a waltz since it is played in 4/4, however the way Eric emphasizes certain beats ingratiates a little bit of that feel. The easiest way I can explain what he's doing in the demo is to count each pulse on the piano. He is playing in 4/4, which is standard pop, but he's playing eighth notes, so each measure gets eight hits (from one to eight). You'll notice that he emphasizes the downbeat (or one) as we would expect. But whereas the typical pop song would probably place emphasis on the 5 as that would also be a "downbeat," Eric instead emphasizes a eighth note early on 4. This gives the song more of a driving feel, as well as a bit of a waltz type sway. Hopefully that made sense haha. I've had musical training for most of my life so I take some of these concepts for granted.

I don't know if you've heard this piano demo or not LC, but this may help you get an idea for the waltz feel that Eric initially had in mind for "Change of Heart." I do admit the production on the album version is perhaps less timeless than it could have been, so I could see getting left cold by it. But c'mon, that bridge! 😄

Thanks for bumping this LC! I never got to do this so here's my 15: She Did It (after the melancholy of All By Myself and NGFILA, this was a ray of sunshine; masterful vocals by Eric) Boats Against the Current (probably the better song compared to She Did It, but also a more situational listen) I'm Through With Love (spine-tingling for a one-take demo piano/vocal) Make Me Lose Control (solid follow-up to Hungry Eyes, and the better song imo) Never Gonna Fall in Love Again (my favorite from the S/T 1975 album) It Hurts Too Much (this should've been a smash, deserved far more promotion from Arista) My Girl (excellent Brian Wilson inspired masterpiece with clever chord changes throughout) Love is All That Matters (absolutely lovely melody) Haven't We Come A Long Way (I think even Eric considered this "lightweight," but it works for me) All By Myself (this probably deserves to be higher, but it's been oversaturated) Foolin' Myself (my favorite ballad from the TYM album) Change of Heart (not everyone's favorite, but I see how it hit top 20, plus the bridge is killer) The Way We Used to Be (up there with Though With Love from the 1985 album) Great Expectations (underrated gem from the 1975 album, love the Tin Pan Alley slant) Someday (doesn't really fit thematically on Change of Heart, but it's a killer B-side)