{"id":30105,"date":"2025-12-25T05:30:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T10:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=30105"},"modified":"2025-11-19T14:34:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T19:34:42","slug":"remembering-the-raspberries-part-4-of-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/25\/remembering-the-raspberries-part-4-of-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the Raspberries, Part 4 of 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

Continued from Part Three<\/a>\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"Raspberries Remembrance<\/b>
\nThe idea for a Raspberries tribute album came more than three years ago from Fernando Perdomo. The multi-instrumentalist and producer is among the busiest and most in-demand session players in rock and pop, with a deep catalog and an astoundingly long list of credits. Perdomo approached Ken Sharp with his idea. \u201cInitially, I wasn\u2019t sure about it,\u201d Sharp says. \u201cMy deep passion for the Raspberries would not allow me to be involved on any level unless it was [100%].\u201d Perdomo enthusiastically agreed, and work got underway.<\/p>\n

For many of the album\u2019s songs, Sharp and Perdomo laid down basic tracks. Sharp can be heard on electric and acoustic guitars, piano, celeste, ukulele, various percussion and more. Perdomo \u2013 who can play every instrument with dazzling skill \u2013 contributed drums, sitar and many other parts. Sharp even convinced Jim Bonfanti to get involved. \u201cHe plays drums on four songs on the album,\u201d Sharp says with visible pride.<\/p>\n

Sharp sent the unfinished tracks to the artists who would then add their vocals and\/or additional instrumentation. Several of the acts contributing to Play On<\/i> \u2013 Rick Springfield, the Lemon Twigs, the Spongetones, Robin Taylor Zander, Darian Sahanaja, Bird Streets, Popdudes, Parthenon Huxley, Shoes and several others \u2013 handled their own recordings start to finish, using their own personnel.<\/p>\n

As with any various-artists tribute project, Play On<\/i> is a mixed bag. Some artists take a reverent approach, turning in covers of Raspberries classics that closely follow the original arrangements and style. Others take the songs in a new direction. Ultimately, that variety is one of the strengths of Play On<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Highlights of the latter approach include Tori Holub\u2019s reading of \u201cStarting Over.\u201d Over subtle instrumental backing by Sharp on multiple instruments \u2013 Mellotron, guitars, bell tree \u2013 Holub turns in a sublime vocal that strongly calls to mind Karen Carpenter. \u201cTori\u2019s in her early 20s and hadn\u2019t really heard of the Raspberries,\u201d Sharp says. \u201cBut she loved the song.\u201d<\/p>\n

So did Eric Carmen. \u201cAfter the last conversation I had with Eric, he sent me a voice message,\u201d Sharp says. \u201cHe said, \u2018I really love this version; her voice is beautiful. It doesn\u2019t sound like the Raspberries, and it shouldn\u2019t.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Released as the Raspberries\u2019 final single in 1975, \u201cCruisin\u2019 Music\u201d failed to chart anywhere. But with its lyrics and vocal arrangement both nodding to the Beach Boys, it\u2019s a favored track among serious fans. For Play On<\/i>, Ronnie D\u2019Addario \u2013 father of the Lemon Twigs and an accomplished recording artist in his own right \u2013 leaned even more heavily into the Beach Boys vibe for his reading of the tune. The result is one of the strongest tracks on the entire 37-song collection.<\/p>\n

\"\"Yet there are many tracks vying for that distinction. Tackling the dramatic \u201cI Can Remember\u201d calls for a formidable vocalist, and few can compare with Karla DeVito. With instrumental backing from Sharp, Perdomo, Sahanaja and Billy Sullivan \u2013 the latter a touring musician with the Raspberries for their 2004 to 2007 live dates \u2013 DeVito turns in a breathtaking, bravura performance that rivals the original.<\/p>\n

A few surprises make the solid album even better. John Lennon called The Hudson Brothers \u201cthe kings of Saturday morning\u201d in the \u201870s; Mark, Bill and Brett scored hits with their sophisticated pop, and hosted a popular CBS TV series, The Hudson Brothers Razzle Dazzle Show<\/i>. The trio released six albums between 1972 and 1980, and landed four singles on Billboard<\/i>\u2019s Hot 100. But the group split in 1981 and hadn\u2019t been heard from since. So the unexpected reappearance of the three brothers for the rocking \u201cAll Through the Night\u201d (originally heard on Starting Over<\/i>) is a treat. Bringing things full circle, the Hudson Brothers are joined by Randy Klawon (of the Choir and Cyrus Erie) on the recording.<\/p>\n

Raspberries Respect<\/b>
\n\u201cThe Raspberries were among the first and most prominent artists with a \u2018manifesto\u2019 approach to power pop,\u201d says Justin Fielding, director of the authoritative, long-gestating and eagerly awaited documentary The Power Pop Movie<\/i>. He summarizes that manifesto: \u201c\u2019We don\u2019t like where music is going. We want more great records like we got in the 1960s\u2026 and we\u2019re<\/i> going to make them.\u2019 And they did!\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked to reflect on the Raspberries\u2019 legacy, Scott McCarl is stumped. \u201cThat\u2019s for others to say,\u201d he offers. \u201cI\u2019m just glad we\u2019re remembered.\u201d Jim Bonfanti is pleased that his old group is continually cited by younger artists as an influence. \u201cWe have a large family of musicians in the power pop genre who say we\u2019ve influenced them in some way,\u201d he notes. \u201cThat\u2019s the thing that people should remember. Whether we ever get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, we were there at the beginning of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT: Bonus Bit\u2026<\/b>
\nScott McCarl addresses another bit of Raspberries lore: rumors that John Lennon had a hand in the mixing of \u201cOvernight Sensation.\u201d \u201cI only know what I heard,\u201d he says. \u201cWe weren\u2019t there for the mix.\u201d In those days, track mixing was neither computerized nor automated. \u201cThere were all these tough fader moves on the 24-track [console] that needed to happen in that mix,\u201d he says, and the story goes that Lennon happily jumped in to help producer Jimmy Ienner.<\/p>\n

The story holds up to scrutiny; sessions for Starting Over<\/i> took place at New York City\u2019s Record Plant. And at the same time, Lennon \u2013 in his capacity as producer \u2013 held some of the sessions for Harry Nilsson\u2019s Pussy Cats<\/i> album in the same studio. \u201cWe had more and more contact with [John] as the days went by, so it sure is possible,\u201d McCarl says. \u201cEric and Wally even sang on a chorus of one of the songs he was producing.\u201d He recalls an actual motorcycle being wheeled into the studio for Nilsson\u2019s reading of \u201cRock Around the Clock.\u201d \u201cThey were doing huge figure-eights around the Studio A floor,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen they opened the doors afterward, the exhaust smoke came billowing out of the room!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Continued from Part Three\u2026 Raspberries Remembrance The idea for a Raspberries tribute album came more than three years ago from Fernando Perdomo. The multi-instrumentalist and producer is among the busiest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,49,55,62],"tags":[3177],"class_list":["post-30105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-new-release","category-powerpop","category-rawk","tag-raspberries","cat-41-id","cat-49-id","cat-55-id","cat-62-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30105"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30456,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30105\/revisions\/30456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}