austinberries Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 the Raspberries did not get where they got to, influence so many other bands & garner the respect of so many fellow musicians (you all know this is a long list, from arena rockers to indie artists) on the back of being able to render spot-on cover tunes. the weight they carry in the music world is based 110% on their original material (especially Eric's). they came from an era when delivering a well-done cover was impressive, & that day is long gone, b/c it's a 'lowest common denominator' approach. so it does end up reeking slightly of 'wedding band' stigma among long-time fans, or people who don't know them, or only know their hits, or don't know their 2nd tier/deep tracks, or fellow musicians, etc. etc. the Raspberries should be doing Raspberries material, b/c they have so much of it (almost all awesome) & to avoid the cheeze factor - this is what they are known & respected forif they went out & banged out a 3-hour show in which they did cover more of their material (someone counted 8 dropped original tunes since earlier shows), & if the tech glitches hadn't cut into even more of their time for their material, then a cover or two on top of all that wouldn't have been quite so out of place, but in this case w/ the reunion shows, because of those factors, i think it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Nah...The covers do nothing to take away from the band...I'm a lifelong fan and as I've said before..they've ALWAYS played covers...I'm talking about their heyday as well.They played covers at the Carnegie Hall show for cryin out loud. I respect your opinion though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HT from Mo Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Anne, LC, Hollies... I couldn't agree more with your opinions but I do respect what austinberries has to say and that I understand where he's coming from. Hollies is right that the boys played covers in that legendary performance at Carnegie Hall. Man, I wish I could have heard that entire performance! I am just so excited to be able to see them perform live for the first time that I don't really care what they play as long as they have fun doing it! HT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austinberries Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 hmm - maybe they should do a half-originals/half-covers show for the cover fans among y'all; but when they come to Austin our club rider will specifically delineate: 'NO COVERS!' ;-)our airport already says 'Live Music Capitol of the World' & is outfitted w/ giant artwork pieces of famous Texas/Austin musicians, while Texas/Austin music is piped thru the airport speaker system. maybe the sub-caption should say 'NOT counting cover bands' ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Mary had a little lamb? It worked for McCartney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Playing a couple cover songs does not make you a cover band...mmmm, let's see..The Beatles,Stones,Who...let's jump to the future...Tommy Keene,GBVs, Of Montreal,FOW...nope I wouldn't call any of those bands cover bands. I have a friend,Dave Swanson who has a band Rainy Day Saints...they have two critically acclaimed records of original music out right now...they play a couple cover version tunes when playing out...does not make them any less great. IMO of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 I respect all opinions on this board, INCLUDING the band's, which obviously allows for covers, since they still play several live. IMO, part of the problem regarding the "absolutely no covers" scenario is that if all they're playing for is hard-core fans or fellow musicians, or maybe just members of this board, then Friends, we're in for a lot more shows with 200 people there! (however many or few that may be...)Those of us who enjoy the covers don't want to see a 50/50 show, or an all-covers show....just an occasional cover tune. We have nothing against their original material! We have no problems if they choose to go the all-original route either. It's called being open-minded...as opposed to "no, absolutely no covers; it's cheesy, lowest common denominator, wedding band, etc." (NOTE: As if the entire music industry nowadays ISN'T geared to the LCD??????) Regarding Austin, BTW, at the last SXSW I attended in 2006 (in Austin), I'm guessing that practically every band of the 35-40 I saw played their fair share of covers....and nobody was run out of town or off the stage! And two of the local faves I saw several years before at clubs there were The Derailers (who sounded just like Buck Owens & The Buckaroos in their prime) and Wayne Hancock (a Hank Williams clone)...both of whom did covers as well. Yeah, certainly there are tons of all-original musicians there, as there are literally thousands of musicians living there, it seems....same in NYC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna R Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 C'mon guys... these are our boys for cryin' out loud! Aren't we just thrilled to death to have them doing shows after 30 years????? I know I am SO THANKFUL to each and every person in the band for taking their precious time to leave their families at home, and come out and do these shows for all of us. Sherberries... Mary Had A Little Lamb? I agree! Anna still on cloud 9..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Any band that sounds like Buck and his Buckaroos is A-OK with me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Anna R - Agreed!Hollies65 - Also agreed....but they're NOT all-original!!!Hell, one of the best-received shows I saw at Austin in '06 was Walter Clevenger & The Dairy Kings, with special guests, doing all Nick Lowe covers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 A-berries: Again, I respect your opinion and everyone else's, too. I just don't get why you're so anti-cover. The 'berries LOVE those covers they play live.... Why begrudge them three and a half minutes of cranking on "Substitute" or "I Can't Explain"? Eric has written on this board, very eloquently, about how much "Mr. Tambourine Man" means to him --- about how he pulled his car off the road the first time he heard it on the radio because he just had to stop and listen. The band is in their glory playing songs like that. THey're probably having as big a nostalgia blitz playing those songs as we are in hearing Raspberries live. Think of your your favorite band or artist in the world, other than Raspberries. If it were, say, Springsteen, wouldn't you love to be at one of his concerts and hear him and the E Streeters launch into "Tonight" or "Ecstacy"? IMHO, Raspberries have graduated past the stage where they need to make a statement with their set list. At this level, I don't think they're trying to "win over" fans by playing a cover; I bet they do it as more of a tribute. And the 'berries obviously love paying homage to the Beatles, the Who, and the Byrds. Hecks, I'd love to hear their interpretation of "Surfer Girl" or "Surfin' USA." At every show, they're giving us a big helping o' 'berries.... The covers take up maybe 11 or 12 minutes total. Like I always tell my daughter, it's not a big deal... it's a "little deal." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austinberries Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 yeah, i don't think anyone'll change anyone's opinions here; i'd still rather not see them play a single cover, as much as others don't mind covers in the set, but obviously will take it as they dish it. but ultimately i'm there to hear the Raspberries play Raspberries/EC tunes, & in the end, it's just great to have them back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny S. Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Actually, Raspberries do "Substitute" Live, better than The Who did it..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Austinberries - Agreed!Danny S - Also agreed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMan Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Did anyone get ticked at The Beatles for covering "Long Tall Sally", "Roll Over Beethoven", or a beautiful tune like "Anna"? I love when the Raspberries throw in a few! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austinberries Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 LC said: Think of your your favorite band or artist in the world, other than Raspberries. If it were, say, Springsteen, wouldn't you love to be at one of his concerts and hear him and the E Streeters launch into "Tonight" or "Ecstacy"? ha! uh, let's see... how about, NO?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Sister Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I am always amused by the people who love to argue. The point is everyone is entitled to their opinion and opinions have no wrong or right so why argue? Its obvious that for whatever reason this band likes to do covers, have done covers from the beginning and will probably continue to do them as long as they continue to play. I agree that there are alot of original songs that we would all like to hear but again, they choose to not do them for their own reasons.Some people are not going to be happy either way, can't we all just enjoy listening to them now because eventually it will end although I hope not for a long time and then all we will have are the memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Well...I enjoy the give and take! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austinberries Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 yeah, i don't really see it as arguing, & don't think people really 'love to argue'; more like volleying back & forth of opinions, impressions, perceptions, & the general take on the event as they experienced it. it's just spirited dialogue w/ a healthy dose of inevitable variety of how they personally experienced the event & what they came away from it with; no way around that fact o' life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Oh, come on, A-berries! You mean you actually wouldn't get a kick out of Springsteen playing "Tonight" in concert? I think that would be awesome. Bruce's concert shout-outs on behalf of Raspberries a few years ago were great testimony, and his liner notes for the live album were awesome (albeit brief).... But covering "Tonight" or another song like it would be a perfect validation of the 'berries. I'm sure you'd be grumbling about it all the way out the door, but... it would be cool. Not that it would ever happen, but hey, Bruce has done a fair amount of covers in concert over the years. Cover boy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 austinberries said: our airport already says 'Live Music Capitol of the World' & is outfitted w/ giant artwork pieces of famous Texas/Austin musicians, while Texas/Austin music is piped thru the airport speaker system. maybe the sub-caption should say 'NOT counting cover bands' ;-) PS: Geez... if I were the Raspberries' booking agent, that post would make me avoid Austin like the plague. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeler Deb Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 If I were the Raspberries' booking agent, I would book them in Pittsburgh or at Seven Springs. They could play whatever they want! Deborah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Deborah with all due respect, what makes you think the 'berries could sell out Pittsburgh if they couldn't sell out in a music mecca like LA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LC Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 Marv,They'd sell out Pittsburgh before they'd sell out Calgary! Hee hee hee.... Just teasing you. Seriously, though, it's only a 3- or 4-hour drive from Cleveland.... I know they'd get some travelers coming from all over Ohio to see 'em play. Not to mention western NY and western PA fans.... Yeah, I think Pittsburgh could work. Plus, the band wouldn't have to travel very far, except Dave. And maybe Ryko could do some old-fashioned, sidewalk-pounding publicity and marketing....Besides, a Pittsburgh gig would give me an excuse to go see my old house. See, I spent my first three years of high school near Pittsburgh (Murraysville/Monroeville --- Franklin Regional HS), and I loved it. In fact, looking back, I wonder if it was Pittsburgh's close proximity to Cleveland that helped get "Go All the Way" and "I Wanna Be With You" in my ears all the time....So, I'll second Deb's emotion, er, motion. Now that that's settled, Deb, which venue should host Raspberries? It's been a long time since I've set foot in Pittsburgh, so toss a venue or two out there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 LC said: Seriously, though, it's only a 3- or 4-hour drive from Cleveland.... I know they'd get some travelers coming from all over Ohio to see 'em play. Again I'll play devil's advocate: Being close to Cleveland or NY doesn't count for much when both those cities aren't selling like they did a couple of years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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