Raspbernie Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Check out this GREAT old unpublished Polaroid photo ARTFUL DODGER guitarist Gary Cox took of Eric Carmen with fellow bandmember Gary Herrewig.The story behind the photo goes like this: Eric stopped in to catch Artful Dodger when they played the Agora. Gary wasn't sure of the date except it was around 1975/76.Just an aside, Artful Dodger listened to Raspberries: Live On Sunset Strip on the night before their recent reunion show in Cleveland this past weekend (they hadn't heard it yet). They were in awe over how great Raspberries sounded playing together once again—Cox and Herrewig are huge fans. If Raspberries do another show together, Artful Dodger members would love to catch the show, especially if it's in Cleveland (their second home). Cox and Herrewig said that it's been way too long since they've talked to Eric, if he still even remembers them—I think the phrase was they felt they were just "a blip on his radar!" "Mistake" from Artful Dodger's excellent Babes On Broadway album is one of my Top 10 songs of all time—that's how much I love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Nice photo Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 'Think Think' by Artful Dodger is in my top 100. Artful Dodger sold better in Cleveland than anywhere including their Va. homebase. I also loved Cox's 'Silver & Gold'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dianed Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 If Raspberries do another show together, Artful Dodger members would love to catch the show, especially if it's in Cleveland (their second home). Ya hear that boys !!! What a great incentive for more shows !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanTylerVO Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Lucky me...when Eric was first out on solo tours in Cleveland, I went to go see him I think at Music Hall, as EC was to open for SWEET. Well, as we are waiting there for EC to open up, some roadies come out and start setting up a drum kit, amps etc. hmmmmmmm..well folks, without prior notice or fanfare, ARTFUL DODGER takes the stage! What a night....AD were great as always, great tunes, big hooks, harmonies..sound familiar???? Best surprise of my young life...EC then hits the stage with Sunrise, and Sweet proved to be overweight, toothless and boring. End of a pretty great story, don't ya think?Dean Tyler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendy-Ann Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Awesome photo! Thanks Bernie! Wendy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marlene Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Super COOL photo! Great story! Merci, Bernie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwannabebymyself Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Great Picture! The Artful Dodger concert this weekend was great. I was a big fan when they were playing the Cleveland and Youngstown/Warrenarea in the past. Like with the Raspberries, I never thought I'd get to see them in concert again but fortunately that wasn't the case. Was anyone from this site at the concert on Saturday?Bernie..were you at the concert or did a member talk to them to get the story you told? We were at the preshow party and didn't recognize anyone from the Raspberries preshow parties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HT from Mo Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Fantastic photo Bernie! Are there any more photos that haven't seen the light of day in awhile? HT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna R Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 It may have been 30 years since this photo was taken.....the man is still as sexy today as he surely was back then!! ( sorry...couldn't help myself) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna R Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 And...thanks Bernie! I sure didn't need my usual caffeine fix to get me going this morning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 Great Picture! The Artful Dodger concert this weekend was great.Bernie..were you at the concert or did a member talk to them to get the story you told? First, glad you could make the Artful Dodger show, and I'm also glad you thought the show was great! The guys in Artful Dodger were really psych'd about doing the show and practiced several times a week for the last few months to make it the best possible reunion show to date. I think it showed with how tight they played. On the picture, Gary Cox gave me a box at dinner Friday, and there were several KISS pics he took from a show that AD opened for them back in 75/76. In the very bottom of the box, was this flipped over Polaroid shot. I looked up at Gary and asked what it was (he had this devilish grin on his face) and said "You know who that is??". He then told me the whole story behind the picture. I had told Gary about the Raspberries new disc and loaned him mine to listen to.The next day at soundcheck, Gary Cox told me that they sat around all night listening to it, everyone commenting on how great it sounded, and of course, reminiscing of "the good old days". Gary Herrewig asked if I had been to any of the Raspberries' reunion shows - How they were, and if I knew if they were going to do any more shows. Unfortunately, I have only been to The Choir show, and only Eric Carmen and company can answer the second part of that question. They said to give them a "heads up" if the Raspberries do another reunion show. The day after the show, I scanned it in for our site, but thought I'd send a copy on to Bernie (because he's such a great guy!) to do with as he pleased - along with the story. Bernie posted it here, and thankfully edited the story (I tend to ramble on a bit, like an ol' Chrysler...) So there you have the whole story...Thanks for posting it, Bernie, and thanks for the great editing job!BTW - American Beat Records informs that the reissue of Artful Dodger's debut and "Babes On Broadway" are very close to release. They are also going to look into "Rave On". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bessieboo Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I don't know the nameWhat songs did they/he have?Was this a regional group ?What years are talking about ?Nice photo ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Here ya go... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wov-egQN_T4&feature=related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Thanks hollies65!Another link is: http://www.youtube.com/user/artfuldodgersite That's the main channel and you can pick and choose at your leisure...Artful Dodger's recording career started in 1975 and ended around 1981. Three releases were on Columbia records, one on Ariola/Arista. They were managed by Krebs, same as Aerosmith. Their sound is compared to Rod Stewart/The Faces. Some comparisons were made to the Raspberries, some say the Rolling Stones, depends on who is talking about them. "Think Think" and "Come Close To Me" kind of have a Raspberries sound to it. They had scattered popularity, but Ohio was probably their best market due to the efforts of the Columbia Records promoter in the area. Their most popular songs were "Wayside", "It's Over", "Think Think", "Remember", "She's Just My Baby", "A Girl (La La La)" and "Scream" (their highest charting, though nothing cracked the Top 40). Most critics like the debut best, but their final album "Rave On" is also favored by some critics for the quality/variety of song styles on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 The debut album is a bonafide classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamacote Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 ......a powerhouse rock'n roll band with more hooks than my grandaddy's tackle-box!!!!.......EVEN BETTER LIVE!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 Personally, I think "Rave On" is their best overall effort....and it's the one picked by Popdude in his Best 200 Power Pop albums.Does anyone know when the other three - their debut, "Babes On Broadway" and "Rave On" are finally going to be reissued on CD? "Honor Among Thieves" just came out this past January on the American Beat label. I got a copy of the CD version of "Rave On" that they put out a couple of years ago and sold at one of their Agora shows, but it was obviously burned from vinyl...and not brand new vinyl at that!P.S. Always a damn shame, I thought, that they couldn't draw flies in their native DC area. I remember seeing them at what's now Jaxx, in Springfield, VA, and there were about 100 of us there, tops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hollies65 Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 I have it all on vinyl also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnO Posted May 7, 2008 Share Posted May 7, 2008 There was also a decent bootleg CD version of "Rave On", with the songs in a weird order, and one or two of them with the endings cut slightly off. It's a double disk with 1-2 songs from each of the other 3 LPs, as well as the widely circulated "Live In Cleveland" boot as a 2nd disk. Overall, though, my best CD versions of Babes and Rave were burned from my own vinyl... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 There was also a decent bootleg CD version of "Rave On", with the songs in a weird order, and one or two of them with the endings cut slightly off. It's a double disk with 1-2 songs from each of the other 3 LPs, as well as the widely circulated "Live In Cleveland" boot as a 2nd disk. Overall, though, my best CD versions of Babes and Rave were burned from my own vinyl... This item sometimes pops up on Ebay and unfortunately people buy it, and get burned by the horrible quality of it. The "Live In Cleveland" was a 1976 show broadcast on WMMS, and "It's Over" is chopped, plus the broadcast mixing has lots of hiss in it. The Agora owns a superb copy of that recording from the board and not the broadcast recorded on a home stereo.Fortunately, American Beat will be releasing the debut and "Babes On Broadway" in the very near future. Most likely late summer. They are also going to see if they can do something with "Rave On". Goldmine Magazine gave the reissue of "Honor Among Thieves" high marks, which was fantastic.Also, Artful Dodger is on Clear Channel's Unsigned Artist On-Demand Site, here's the link: http://www.wmvx.com/cc-common/artist_submission/player.html?art=162062 And they are also in the Gretsch 125th Anniversary contest at: www.gretsch125th.com Listening and voting starts June 15th and runs through July 16th. Any support would be appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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