Raspbernie Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 The story so farÖAbout six months ago, I received an unsolicited e-mail from someone who said that they had purchased the contents of an abandoned storage locker in Los Angeles containing a tape with Eric Carmen's name on it. I was told that I could have it and a few days later a very large and HEAVY box arrived. Inside was a 2" MASTER TAPE with Eric's name on it and the title: "NEVER SAY DIE."I called Tommy Allen, a friend of mine who has connections in the music biz. Tommy is also a long-time friend of Eric's and plays drums for the Flashcubes. When told about my "find," Tommy said that he was in the studio when Eric cut the demo. From what he remembered, it was a "pretty good song." Tommy enlisted Dennis Ferrante, who was assistant engineer on the first three Raspberries LPs. Dennis (who later won a Grammy Award because he's so darned good) scheduled a session at a New York recording studio that had equipment capable of transferring the old analog tape to digital. The tape was loaded onto the machine as Tommy, Dennis and I looked on with excitement. It played for about two seconds and then ground to a rather unceremonious halt. Dennis said, "Looks like we have to bake this tape." Everything was put on hold for another week as the old tape was put through a process that would allow it to be played and we gathered once again at the New York studio.This time the tape played, and Tommy was right. The song was GOOD! Eric's vocals were right on the money, but because it was a demo, it lacked the dynamics of a finished song. That's when I said, "Wouldn't it be great if we could get Jim, Dave and Wally to play on it?" After kicking that thought around for three seconds and realizing it would NEVER happen, Tommy said, "Why don't we finish it?"Intoxicated with the excitement of having the multi-track MASTER of an UNRELEASED Eric Carmen demo in our possession we decided that we could add the other instruments, including real drums to Eric's vocal and keyboards (what a concept!)Earlier this week, we got a copy to Eric who called it "absolutely GREAT!!!"To be continuedÖBernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlene Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 WOW.....this is fantastic !! How exciting for you...for all of us. I can't wait to hear more....Bernie, you ARE a tease..but I'm sure this will be worth waiting for. Thank you. MarleneI'm curious to know what Eric's memory of this song is...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig Benfer Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 That is absolutley GREAT news. I have my list of songs that Eric wrote that I got from the BMI site. There are a total of 13 songs that are lsited that I don't have or haven't heard. "Never Say Die" was one of them. So...in the BE CONTINUED PART, to we get to find out how we are going to hear this gem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raspbernie Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Craig,Getting the song heard is our next priority. It was a labor of love and it really, truly shows. I think everyone is gonna love it. :-)Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoyorex Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 What a great story Bernie!I think it's strange you hadn't heard about this song, as I think you know Eric very well. And strange to find it in an abandoned storage locker. Aren't all recordings kept in Arista's or Geffen's archives?Eric has tons of unreleased good songs. He could make a new CD without writing new stuff.By the way, you seem to have a CD with all those unreleased songs, with at least 16 tracks as "It should have been me" is Track16. Could there be a new CD with all those great songs soon?....Anyway, I'm waiting forward to hear this song.Thanks once again, Bernie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoyorex Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Thanks Craig. I had forgotten about this site. So Never say Die has been written by Eric Carmen and Desmond Child Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raspbernie Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 yoyorex--I knew that the song existed but hadn't heard it. It was written in 1990's, so you could really say it *is* a (relatively) new Eric Carmen song :-)Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAM Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 WAY COOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Bernie what do you intend to do with the finished product? Will it be handed back to Eric? Will it be open to the consumption of the fans on this site who have been waiting years for anything even "relatively" new?Thanks.Marvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordharris Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 It is 10: 10am here, I see everyone here for the excitement of this new song, I am gladly happy to join in on this, I have never ever been on here to see almost, everyone at once, WoW!That song, what your waiting fer, by all means, let's here it, soon, ay guys, Eric, do something about this song so we can hear it , okThis news almost is like, "GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROAD STREET", where's Ringo?Now, it's up to Bernie and Eric.so, let's cross our fingers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggiesjc Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 To be continued! Bernie, please tell us we'll get to hear this song! The story's so good we want to be in on it, too. Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raspbernie Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 I just received the green light from Eric to post the song. Give me an hour or so... and get ready :-)Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggiesjc Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 This is too good to be true! Bernie, you always come through with something incredible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggiesjc Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Also, a huge THANK YOU to Eric for this!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlene Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Thank you, Eric and Bernie. What a treat !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpMan Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Bernie-You are just full of surprises! I can't wait to hear the new song! The story is incredible. Many thanks to you and eric! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I thought I was going to have a nice little surprise for everyone here on the message board. A couple of days ago I got wind that "Never Say Die" was going to be played this Sunday night on WWXE radio on their evening rock and roll show. I guess I should have known that Bernie would top that news big time! Besides, Bernie's story- with the unsolicited email, the storage locker, the mystery tape, the waiting and reformatting; that is way more exciting than me saying "don't forget to turn your radio dial to WWXE Sunday night!" O.k., enough of this, I've got to get back to the mainpage and wait for the big news! Kirk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Allen Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 I've heard it. It's good. They did a fine job with it -- and it's great to hear real live humans playing on it (the drumming ain't bad either!).Bob AllenSyracuse NY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostControl Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Now if only Bernie can parlay this whole story into something like an article in "People Magazine" about how the tape came to him from a storage locker - unheard and forgotten for years. There was a similar story about a guy who bought the contents of a storage locker and got all of Michael Jackson's old stuff. This could really increase interest in Eric's work again - making a new album something a ton of people will be asking for.Hey, do you see the marketing genius in this? Bernie is just about to release his book on Eric, at the same time that this big news comes out about the lost song? Can you say "increase in sales"? Wow Bernie, you never fail to amaze me with your talent for spreading the story of Eric as far and wide as possible. And to top it all off, you're a great guy with a genuine love for the music who's unselfish enough to share it all with us fans. You're one in a million!Now get that song posted so I can stop going nuts sitting here waiting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggiesjc Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Bob, how have you heard it?Kirk, tell us more about this radio station's offering! Your above post is a little vague - please give more details!A few folks seem to be in on this secret before the rest of us. We want to know more!Jennifer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raspbernie Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 It's up! Go to the main page ericcarmen.com and RELOAD if you still see the old page.Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Darn! With no sound card here at work, I've got to wait another 4 hours before I'm home and can listen to the song. Everyone else, let me know!Marvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAM Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 Way to go Bernie!! Mighty fine guitar pickin' there. It's great to hear real instruments again. By chance did he write this for the James Bond movie? Thank you Eric & Bernie. This is turning out to be a GREAT Thursday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggiesjc Posted July 22, 2004 Share Posted July 22, 2004 WOW! Still in the midst of my first listen, and it sounds great! Tremendous power, and more contemporary than I expected for an "old" song! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raspbernie Posted July 22, 2004 Author Share Posted July 22, 2004 Every time you guys shout "Bernie!" I gotta shout "Tommy!" Because without Tommy Allen I'd be posting a picture of a tape in a box. All that magic power-pop pixie-dust was sprinkled liberally by Mr. Allen and he knew just where to put it!Bernie 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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