darlene Posted April 12, 2006 Share Posted April 12, 2006 My feelings were buoyed by Eric's "we'll have to look into it." A *very* hopeful note. I, too, adore that montage. --Darlene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Wow---this thread has taken some amazing twists and turns! I went from hoping it would fade away (so as not to get the Raspberries "family" feuding) to being glad it stayed alive. Eric, your George Szell anecdote on p. 5 is gold.... What great insight into an influence that clearly shaped your career. I totally get the perfectionism thing, even though I can only compare to my own career, publishing. Why send a magazine or book to the printer when you can hold it an extra hour (or 12 hours or 2 days) and make it better? I always run into people whose attitude is, "Oh, that's good enough---just send it." Those types drive me crazy and vise versa. I would bet that a majority of your fans tend to be perfectionist types too. One of my favorite phrases in any song is "Perfection is consuming..." It reminds me of that great Dylan lyric along the lines of: "There's no success like failure/And failure's no success at all." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Carmen Posted April 13, 2006 Author Share Posted April 13, 2006 I'm sure all of us know some very good musicians who are either playing at a Ramada Inn somewhere or out of the business altogether. Madonna and Springsteen are where they are because they were willing to do whatever it took to get there. They had a vision and they would not be deterred. There's no 9 to 5 in the music business. There are too many people waiting in line who want your job. You have to want it more than anything else. You have to be willing to sacrifice. You have to learn from your mistakes and forge ahead. You have to be better than the next band, not just as good. It's like the Olympics. Nobody remembers who got the bronze. ec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierson Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Eric Carmen said: You have to be better than the next band, not just as good. It's like the Olympics. Nobody remembers who got the bronze. ec Unlike the Olympics, some of the GREATEST stuff never comes close to receiving accolades (or what would be the equivalent to a gold medal)... I would even say in the Raspberries case the rewards don't equate with the brilliance of the music made. Case & point would be songs like "Let's Pretend" and "Overnight Sensation" which in a perfect world would be far more popular & well known than stuff like the "Theme From S.W.A.T." or "Convoy"... or for more timely parallels, "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" or Blue Swede's "Hooked On A Feeling"... You don't have to be "better" than the next band... you just have to have a lot of luck... how else could anyone ever explain Huey Lewis & The News???? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Cartmill Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Hey, Huey and his band worked hard, had a good run, and deserve that 3-4 years near the top. Sports is a solid album... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Carmen Posted April 13, 2006 Author Share Posted April 13, 2006 Even when you ARE better than the next band, it doesn't insure your success. I just don't know how anyone could hope to make it by doing less than their best. By the way Pat, thanks for the CD's. Some cool stuff in there. I'm still listening but I especially liked A Girl Named Eddy, the Dusty Springfield track and Shelby Lynne ( I already knew that one, it was on the Bridget Jones' Diary Sountrack along with the ever popular ABM.) But where in the heck are the Pernice Brothers?????? ec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally G Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Spent a lot of time reading this thread and reflecting on it. Eric and everyone else are expressing honest opinions so beautifully and eloquently, sometimes quite humorously. Everyone's sincerity regarding an extremely beloved subject and sensitive situation is very true.I believe completely and totally Eric's motivations for posting on this site to be this: He adores his fans and enjoys his respectful connection with us, it's so obvious to me. He demonstrates this to us over and over on this site and elsewhere. When Tom and I have said hello to Eric, Eric has walked up to us, we didn't walk up to him. Two friends of mine were going through something recently and was largely due to a misunderstanding. Once again one of them was trying to suck me into the middle of it. Once again I refused to get sucked into the middle of it. Instead what I offered was this: It would be foolish to throw away 26 years of friendship, discuss it.Enjoy the band, enjoy friends, coworkers, and life and all its offerings.To quote Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."All The Best,Joyce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cozmik Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 Talking about including the video montage - does that mean a DVD is still on the table? It seemed like the talk about work on a live CD implied the DVD was shelved (because the CD is coming from the L.A. show and I was under the impression it wasn't filmed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I teach 7th grade Multimedia and I am amazed at the difference between the perfectionists and the "good enough" crowd. I have the perfectionist kids working on projects in my lab from when I come in at 7:00 AM and they beg for me to stay "just a few more minutes" at 5:00 PM. It's both exciting and exhausting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecstasy Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I've been really quiet on this topic because in many ways I'm still the "new kid on the block." But maybe that gives me and edge. I remember my first post and saying something to the effect that "you all seem like a family and I hope to be part of it soon." The response was that I'm already here and already family! Not one or two, but SEVERAL people welcomed me and made me feel at home. I tell my friends that I'm fortunate to have found "the best adult playground in the world." (In an appropriate kind of way. Well, maybe except for Tony...)LOL Now I'm not sure what's being referred to as manipulation and/or control issues, arguments and sarcasm, or band issues over here. I'm having a blast hanging out with friends most evenings. I'm watching people laugh, and play, and tease each other, and end disagreements AS FRIENDS. I watched the board for a few months before I joined and THIS FAMILY is why! Now, if hanging out with Eric (which I consider an honor, privilege, and dream come true) is control then he's welcome to control away! I'm having a great time talking about non-threatening, non-band stuff like his computers, his son's piano lessons, and his beloved puppy! I'd rather be human with someone like that anytime and I admire and respect that he reveals himself to us in that manner. Eric, Bernie, Kathy --- thanks for making this a wonderful, happy, safe place to be. My kids say they can always tell when I'm here because I laugh all night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierson Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 [QUO But where in the heck are the Pernice Brothers?????? ec [/QB] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierson Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Tony Cartmill said: Hey, Huey and his band worked hard, had a good run, and deserve that 3-4 years near the top. Sports is a solid album... Here it is plain & simple... Huey Lewis & the News are mere crap-- or Lowest Common Denominator Pop (take your pick) the success of "Sports" compared to the lack of success of say "Starting Over" should IMMEDIATELY scream injustice to anyone with a good set of ears... YES, Huey Lewis & his band worked their asses off... BUT it's the music that lacks depth and any true sense of inspiration & conviction, let alone passion and any sense of importance... it's all crappy jingle junk for stoopid white people... Huey Lewis' music is so vapid & devoid of personality that it makes Billy Joel sound like John Lennon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Eric Carmen said: I'm sure all of us know some very good musicians who are either playing at a Ramada Inn somewhere or out of the business altogether. When I see sentences like this, I, unfortunately always think of one person -- Emitt Rhodes. What a musical genius gone to waste. He's alive, but was burned early on, in no great shape, from what I read, and apparently couldn't "do whatever it took". But, he was up there with the best of them of all time. Just a randon thought .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Jeff...I heard from a friend that lives in LA, as of a few years ago,that Emitt Rhodes drives a bus around LAX... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Brian said: Jeff...I heard from a friend that lives in LA, as of a few years ago,that Emitt Rhodes drives a bus around LAX... Wow, another one -- seems public transport in and around lAX is where many a great musician gravitate to Emirr truly is one of the sad stories. A couple of people I know, and also from reading, Ken (Sharp), has had contact with Emitt a few years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Early Wynn Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Hey, take it easy on Huey. True, they weren't playing some complicated classical music, but they played some catchy pop that was, in my opinion, head and shoulders better than the other crap that was on MTV and the radio in the mid-80's. Just look at the top 40 - 20 years ago and tell me his stuff wasn't better than most of it. And besides, he was such a nice guy. I met him once after a show in Philly, and he was friendly and seemed more than happy to listen to me babble on about music and the west coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travis Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 I do so love the Pop elitists who can tell us all what is crap and what is great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 While I personally didn't care for Huey Lewis & The News' records (and still don't), one thing a lot of the "pop elitists" forget about is that an earlier incarnation of the band, Clover, had tons of street cred, with their Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello connections (Nick brought them over to the UK and introduced them to EC, they backed him on his debut LP, "My Aim Is True"). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Shaft Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Plus, Huey played harmonica on one of the greatest live albums ever made: "Live & Dangerous" from Thin Lizzy (I believe that Clover supported Lizzy on tour at that time). That has to give him a little bit of credibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Early Wynn Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 "Live and Dangerous" was a great live CD. It had blistering versions of "Don't Believe a Word" and "Cowboy Song." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg_Kihn Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Just curious about Huey Lewis. One of my pop protagonists Greg Kihn was called a "poor mans Huey Lewis" back when he released his best-selling album Kihnspiracy back in 1983. Yet the Greg Kihn band had some awesome albums before Huey Lewis was even around. Do most people think Huey Lewis is better than Greg Kihn? I say he was just an average guy who got more packaging at the right time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAM Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 I adored Rhodes solo album (the one with "Fresh As A Daisy")that came out at the same time as McCartney's first. I think I wore out 3 copies of the record. I finally found it on CD a few years back. Great tunes, great playing, and a great job for a one man band (imo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teragram Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 I've always been a big Emitt fan and I'm trying to get hold of his Mirror album on cd, but it seems the only place to get it is on ebay. When it does appear, it sells for big money. Emitt recently worked with Ray Paul doing a duet on the McCartney song "Oh woman oh why". I think it's on a Ray Paul dvd. A guy called Kevin Ryan was running the Emitt website for years but he hasn't updated it since Dec 19 2003, so it's hard to find any new info on him. I wish someone would give him a break. He must have a garage load of new material waiting to be released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Well Pat you know I love you, but we're at an impasse here. No doubt that "Starting Over"and other music by the 'berries didn't receive their just desserts, but to fault artists like Huey Lewis or Billy Joel, is not a fair argument. Listening tastes and radio in the 1980's was certainly not the same as it was in 1974. Was it better or worse? That's debatable, but just as radio was not ready for Raspberries in the 1970's, radio and the public in the 1980's were ready for Lewis' songs, and their undeniable catchiness. You can't blame Lewis for knowing how to write songs that made received radio airplay. Personally, I rank Lewis' songs like "Do You Believe In Love", "If This Is It" and "Doing It All For My Baby", and Joel's albums "The Nylon Curtain" and "An Innocent Man", among my favourite pop releases. Marv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Cartmill Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 You know, I listened to Emmit Rhodes on a CD that I think MAM sent me...and I was not impressed...Is he an acquired taste? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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