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ivan@stellysee.de
| From | Dave Seaman <seamand@upmc.edu> |
| Subject | Raspberries tour? |
| Date | Tue, 30 Nov 2004 15:40:57 -0500 |
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<<<From: Popdude@aol.com
To: audities@smoe.org
I've been hearing a lot about the reunion show last week and how wonderful
it was from many folks who were there...and apparently there is a chance of
a 40 city tour occurring. I for one would welcome the chance to see the
original 'Berries live---after all, these guys are the Godfathers of Power
Pop and, more importantly, they can still deliver the goods live.>>>
They certainly can. I was there, and it was power pop heaven. I went in with
the same concerns as others - do they still have it, or will they be lame?
And the verdict was 100% positive... All of them were in fine voice, Eric
rocked as hard as in the old days, the whole band in fact rocked hard when
they needed to and made those familiar sweet sweet sounds everywhere else,
the harmonies were exquisite, and the playing was stellar - spot on piano by
Eric, freakin FANTASTIC and flawless lead guitar by Wally, exceptional and
perfect drumming by Jimmy (including the Moonisms), and solid bass work by
David. They were so tight, it was obvious they practiced their buns off.
And may I add that the song selection was perfect - I heard about every
song I could possibly want to hear from the first three albums (except for
"I Reach For the Light"), and got the best stuff from their fourth, despite
the absence of Scott McCarl (who Eric dedicated "Play On" to). In fact, I
didn't miss Scott's participation, even though I think he would edge out
Dave Smalley in the playing, singing and songwriting areas (which is no easy
feat, Dave did a great job and had some classic songs under his belt). Plus
some great covers of Beatles and Who tracks, and two Choir songs to
everyone's surprise. As for the classic Berries trax: many many goose-bump
moments - I Wanna Be With You, Let's Pretend, Tonight, I Can Remember,
Overnight Sensation... hell, just about everything!
The mix - well, it was about the best I've ever heard. Every instrument
sounded CD quality, and at the proper relational level to each other; loud
enough to get your rocks off, but not so loud that it blurred together. If
you closed your eyes to the fact that Eric's classic 'do is now more salt
than pepper, Wally has gained many a pound and has silver hair down to his
waist, and Jimmy looks like a 55 year old auto broker (which he is) -- you
were immediately transported back to the early 70s.
It really was a fantastic show, every aspect of it. And, importantly, the
band was spirited and in good spirits. Mr Carmen smiled a lot, joked, and
seemed genuinely happy to be there -- D Smalley was just plain loving it and
everybody -- and Wally B was hilarious, with his Jackie Gleason impressions,
half-assed jokes, and admonitions against smoking as he staggered in a swirl
of cigarette smoke from the butt on his machine head. They all professed
lots of love to their fans, "the best fans in the world - who else would
keep after a band to reunite for 30 years?"
I would highly welcome a tour, and every fan of theirs should do everything
possible to see it and bring along anyone else who might be interested.
Honestly!!
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