Lets talk about the albums

[jim]

I'm new here and can't believe no one has started an album page. So what's your favorite Eric album? For me, it's a toss up between "Boats..." and "Tonight..." "Boats..." has always been my favorite. It's the purest collection of poetry I've ever heard, and with over 900 titles in my cd collection, I've heard a lot. My wife and I got married in Sept. 01 and played "Love Is All That Matters" before the ceremony.

"Tonight..." is by far the hardest rocking album in the catalog. "All For Love" is musically one of the coolest songs ever written. I think, though, what truly sets this album apart from the others is the anger. You don't have to listen too closely to hear how pissed off Eric was at the time, as he rightly should have been, but this isn't a history lesson.

[Raspbernie]

Jim-- As the regular visitors around here already may have guessed, my favorite album (of all time, mind you) is BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT. For me, it tops everything: PET SOUNDS, SGT. PEPPER, ABBEY ROAD ... you name it. If I was to be stranded on a deserted island and could only choose one collection of songs to accompany me until I breathed my last breath, it would be BOATS. --Bernie

PS: "All For Love" is certainly one of Eric's most underrated compositions. It simply soars! It's like that commercial where the kid with the peanut butter bumps into the kid with the chocolate bar. Is it a ballad? Or a rocker? It's both! And it's GREAT!

[Foolin' Myself]

I am new to this site as well. I totally agree with you on "Boats Against The Current" being my favorite as an over all LP and "Tonight You're Mine" as second. But gosh!!, Eric has so many wonderful songs that I could not live without in my life that are on his debut LP, "Change Of Heart", Geffen and "I Was Born To Love You". Not to mention his songs with the Raspberries. If I could only have one LP of his it would be "Boats Against The Current", I'm just very glad I never had to make that choice.

[JuliaD]

Mine would have to be the Geffen album, because the songs are upbeat. "Spotlight" reminds me of when I played in local rock bands as a teenager, and when I was a dancer (I still do some dancing), that surge of adrenalin when you hit the stage is just incredible, and "Spotlight" gets that point across nicely. I also have always loved "I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips", and I always smile when I hear the "sequel" to "Go All The Way", "You Took Me All The Way", it's got that sweet innocence of youth, taken one step further into maturity. After that album, I think my 2nd favorite is "Tonight You're Mine". "Boats" is a great album, but I have to be in a certain frame of mind to listen to it, if I'm sad or upset, I find these songs make me even more bluesy, so it's those rare "everything went 100% perfect today" days that I listen to that one.

:rolleyes:

[Kirk]

As much as I like "Boats", it has to get in line behind "Tonight You're Mine" and the Geffen LP for me. And if I'm stranded on that island with Bernie I'm bringing along "Starting Over", my favorite album of all time. Kirk.

[darlene]

Whenever I have to choose a favorite song or album, I feel like I do when I need to make more room in my closet and don't want to part with anything! I stand there in a quandary and wind up keeping it all...I love "Boats..." desperately!

But there are so many great songs on "Tonight You're Mine," and my favorite song "She Remembered" is on the Geffen album, along with a host of great songs too...So, for me, it's a wash.

Can't decide. Love them all! When Eric was at The Bottom Line for his solo debut in New York City, I was very close to the stage and got the best photograph of him while singing "On Broadway" during the lyric "I'll see my name in lights," and his hand was straight up in the air...fabulous picture. I LOVE his performance of that too!

So...my answer is...ALL of them. --Darlene

[Raspbernie]

Darlene-- Send me a copy of that Bottom Line photo. I've been thinking about offering "On Broadway" from that night's show as an MP3 file. It was pretty electric. Wish I was there! --Bernie

[mymooladi]

As most of you know mine is Boats too. If ever there was an album where you hear the heart and soul of artist, this was it. I'd say it's about perfect, there is no doubt that album has a soul all it's own. My favorite song of all time is Runaway, I think it has a symphony all it own. Quite a masterpiece to me. Bernie I could live with just the "Boats album" but I just don't want to. I love all of Eric's music "to much". JUNE

[marvin]

I dug up this Thread because of the recent conversations around "The Way We Used to Be" and other songs from the Geffen album.

In regard to "Spotlight" or "Come Back..", I can't say that I like either of these songs even though I know both these songs have their fans. Same applies to the album as a whole. I know there are fans out there of the album, but I've never understood why. I remember being very disappointed from the first listen all those years ago. Other than "TWWUTB", "American..", and maybe one other cut, I can't bear to listen to the album. It's right there with "WD" as my least-favourite Carmen release. I think that the album lacks any cohesion and the re-write of "Go All the Way" ("She Took Me...") was scraping the bottom of the barrel. All this disappointment was heightened by the fact that the Geffen album came after the "Tonite You're Mine" album, which was far and away Eric's most complete effort.

Marvin

[Julie]

It's tough, but, I gotta go with "Tonight, You're Mine", followed closely by the Geffen album. There are more layers to "TYM" which gives it the edge. It's a great package (except for the cover--I remember being quite embarrassed when I bought it--I sandwiched it between 2 other albums and then the guy at the used record store still made some crack about it--lol). Anyway, TYM really rocks, plus it has "Sleep With Me", "Foolin' Myself" and "All For Love". I never got too excited about "Inside Story" until Bernie posted the live MP3 of it, and now, I really like the instrumental part of it quite a lot. It's got a great, fun, driving beat that I hadn't noticed before. "You Need Some Lovin'" doesn't do anything for me--I just pass it over most of the time. It's too "discordant" (is that even a word?) for my taste.

As for the Berries--oh man, I really love their first album because I LOVE those incredibly long ballads of "I Can Remember" and "Don't Wanna Say Goodbye". But, I do love "Starting Over" too. Oh, it's just too hard to pick favorites!

[okstevens]

It amazes me how we all can rehash,and come up with new things to talk about here concerning EC. Maybe as long as Eric sees this happening he is content to leave things as they are. WE create our own new Eric 'material' My favorite album... his next one.

[Zuke]

I'm surprised nobody likes the first solo album.

Right off the heals of the Raspberries. It was great. It rocked, it bounced, it mellowed.

There are times in a writers life where the stars line up and you can maintain a thought and end one line with "me and you" and the second line with "you and me."

The greatest middle part is; "We'll stick together like the moon and the night time, happy forever I will spen my lifetime so in love with My Girl."

Let's hear it for the first solo album.

Zuke

[Kirk]

Zuke--That first solo album is a gem. A lot of times an artist's solo debut is great because they have had (in some cases) a lifetime of writing leading up to it. And then the label wants you to repeat that success every year! Tough act to follow. Eric had some material that wasn't suitable for the 'berries that worked to perfection on his first solo album. You can't argue with 3 top 40 singles from one album. I guess the reason it might not make more 'fave album lists is because we all played it into the ground. I have a habit of leaving "GATW" off my favorite singles list for the same reason, even though it probably is still a favorite--Kirk.

[blackhawkpat]

I love 'em all (sorry, Marvin...even Winter Dreams!) but my favorite is definately the first one! Always takes me back to a great time in my life (teenager then). Still remember the first time I heard it. I think it played it through five times in a row that night. "Sunrise" and "All By Myself", long version, just knocked me out from the first time.

[marvin]

I also love the first album but I have to admit that it took a while for it to grow on me. I've still got all the magazine reviews (Circus, Hit Parader, etc) and the critics were pretty universal in their dislike for the album. I think many people (myself included) were expecting a harder sound, more along the lines of the 'berries. Softer songs such as "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again" threw people for a loop. Now many years later, I think songs like "Last Night" and "My Girl" are classic pop songs.

Marvin

[Kirk]

Marvin--It's interesting how different our takes (and tastes) can be on some of Eric's songs while others have almost universal approval. "She Took Me All The Way" is one example. You called it "scraping the bottom of the barrel", yet I had been waiting for something like this from Eric since "GATW" was a hit. I was excited to hear the 're-write' with cleaner sound better production. I have heard a couple of different stories on why Eric chose to do this song in this way but the bottom line for me is: I LIKE IT! Kirk.

[marvin]

That's fine Kirk if you like "She Took Me.." I realize that my opinion is very different from many on this list - especially where the Geffen album and "WD" are concerned.

I have pretty vivid memories of first listening to the Geffen album. I remember listening to track by track and being so disappointed that when it came to the track in question, I thought it was a total low point. For me it lacked originality and was the epitome of the album.

I even recall that Andy (Bahoo) had purchased the album a few hours before me so he got to listen to it first. We spoke to each other to express our mutual disappointment. We had always held Eric in very high esteem, and the Geffen

severly affected how we felt.

When Eric came back all those years later with "Make Me Lose Control", he envigorated both Andy and myself. It was obvious to us that Eric was still capable of putting out first rate Pop music.

Marvin

[Tony Cartmill]

The Geffen album way more even and better produced verses WD. I agree that "YTMATW" was the weakest produced (Too slow and thin for a sequel), but not the worst song.

[marvin]

Sure Tony the production is better on the Geffen album than "WD", but the songs leave a lot to be desired. Here's my brief take on each song:

1. I Wanna Hear It - those fake drums: ugh! The song: Yecch!!

2. I'm Through With Love - Passable

3. American As Apple Pie - Cliched, but the strong melody pulls the song through. It's got the Don Gehman production (Mellencamp's former produer), and Larry Crane (Mellencamp's guitarist) guitar crunch all over the song.

4. Living Without Your Love - written by Michael Bolton, that says it all!

5. Come Back to My Love - More Yechh!!

6. She Remembered - The lyrics are even more cliched than "AsAP", and the melody goes nowhere. This should have probably have been a Classical instrumental piece.

7. You Took Me All the Way - I've said enough about this song.

8. Maybe My Baby - This song and the next are 2nd rate Carmen songs.

9. Spotlight - Filler at best

10. The Way We Used to Be - the last song, is the best song on the album. Strong melody, great lyrics, Carmen at his ballad-best.

Now I know many will disagree with my opinions, but that's ok. We can't all like the same songs can we?

Marvin

[Tony Cartmill]

Marvin, sometimes I want to take you out back to a Canadian snow bank and just... ...agree with you...But not this time. Only songs 1,5, and 8 are subpar Carmen efforts. And #5 is not penned by Eric. The Bolton co-write is a good song. Bolton should have recorded it himself.

And "Spotlight" is a perfect opening song if Eric ever went on tour. I like the screaming guitar work in the chorus. You need to give that song another listen. This time WITHOUT the polarbear-skin ear muffs you usually wear in the winter.

[Tony Cartmill]

Thanks again to the gay billionaire (Errrr, Geffen) for giving Eric a contract back in '84 to showcase some great songs when nobody else was interested.

[Steveh]

Tony,

I'm with you on the Geffen album. I really like 6 out of the 10 songs on this CD - to me, the weakest songs are: Living Without Your Love, Come Back to My Love, Maybe My Baby, and The Way We Used to Be.

Steveh

[Billy]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that Maybe My Baby was released by one of the Mandrell girls (maybe Barbara) and it was a hit on the country charts...sometime around 1986.

[Billy]

Also around this same time period Eric worked with one of the Mandrell's and re-released the theme from Growing Pains "As long as we got each other" which was also on the country stations around here in the late 80's.

[Julie]

Billy,

Louise Mandrell is a big fan of Eric's. She has recorded "Maybe My Baby", "I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips", and then recorded "As Long As We Got Each Other" with Eric. I used to try to collect all of the artists that did Eric's music, but it was getting expensive with all of the versions of "All By Myself" so I stopped. I actually kinda liked Louise's stuff. I'm not much into country, but I thought she had some talent.