Customer Reviews

Live on Sunset Strip (Deluxe Version)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought one of the 300 limited edition sets the band released, but I want to comment here about the recording of this CD. The Raspberries were one of best bands to come out of the 70's and an all time personal favorite of mine. I was fortunate enough to see them twice in the old days (1973-1974)and was truly privilaged to see them on the 2005 tour at their BB KING's show in in NYC. They were great in the 70's and they were really awesome in 2005. This CD is a great represenation of that short reunion tour. This is not a fixed-up-overdubbed-almost live CD, this is exactly what they sounded like in 2005 - powerful, melodic and vocally perfect. From a technical standpoint, this is one of the best concert CD's I have ever heard. The instruments come through in sparking quality and the vocals sit perfectly in the mix. This deluxe set comes with a 6 song DVD. The band released the whole concert on the DVD that came with the limited edition set (and of course it is awesome). If you want to know what the term "Power Pop" is all about, listen to one of the founding bands that created that sound. For the first time you get to hear real bass and drums on a Raspberries record (the original albums had a very thin AM radio sound that never represented their real live sound). Bruce Springsteen wrote some great liner notes for this CD talking about how often he played a Raspberries Greatest Hits cassette in his truck while driving to the Jersey shore to play a show. He speaks about how much of an influence they were on him.
These are not over the hill rockers looking for a quick buck, this is truly the work of a legendary band that still has the magic. It is recorded here perfectly and they have recaptured their often overlooked reputation as one of the best melody/harmony bands ever. This is what a five star CD is all about.

I was at this show....and it ROCKED!!!
having a memento of the show like this CD / DVD set is absolutely beyond my wishes..but enough

It was a great show..and much of the excitement is captured on the CDs..
I feel a few songs have been dropped and the sound is patchy in parts but overall a very exciting live sound...and Erics vocals just got stronger and more assured as the gig went on ...Overnight Sensation just blew the roof off the dump!!!

The bonus DVD is sooo good I am wondering why only 6 songs and 22 minutes?? Please release the whole show on DVD. Unlike Eric I DO know what I want AND I want it NOW!

all Power pop fans...BUY THIS!!!

Like Bruce Springsteen says in the liner notes..listen up!!

Over thirty years after calling it a day,the true fathers of power pop return with a sparkling set of tunes from their sold out reunion tour. Recorded at the Los Angeles show,it is apparent from the opening machine gun drums of the classic 'I Wanna Be With You' that the tour and fanatical crowds had the 'Berries' full of energy and at the top of their game.The entire band proves what those lucky enough to have seen the band in it's heyday already knew...these guys had the chops...and still do. Of special note is how great the harmonies still sound 30+ years down the road.Also mindboggling is the performance of their masterpiece 'Overnight Sensation'. From Eric Carmen's beautiful stark intro to ace guitarist Wally Bryson's perfect fills and topped with the sweetest harmonies this side of the Beach Boys,it is a great song performed perfectly.I can't praise this album enough...do youself a favor...buy it,

The summer of '72 was the lead in to my senior year of high school, and "Go All the Way" was the song of that summer for me. Then fall came and "I Wanna Be With You", which to this day is my favorite song not done by the Beatles ever. Needless to say, I am an original Raspberries lover, owning all the original LP's. When they FINALLY reunited in 2005, my then 22 year old son (yes...I converted him as a child!) and myself nabbed tickets and saw the band at Scene Pavilion in Cleveland on July 15th. All I can say is that after probably 25 major concerts in my lifetime, that night beat 'em all! Eric and the boys ripped all night long, and all I can say is BUY THIS SET NOW. The thunder and power on these tunes is remarkable, and even if they never play another note on stage, their legacy has been reclaimed with this remarkable set! Absolutely one of the most important bands of our lifetime, and it's all captured here with crunching performances of "I Wanna Be With You", "Tonight", "I Don't Know What I Want", "Ecstacy", "I'm a Rocker" (incredible!) and, of course, a scorching "Go All the Way" to close out. By the way, the rest of the songs are just as good. Thanks, Raspberries; the wait was worth it all!

In their heyday, the Raspberries all but invented the genre of power pop music, truly combining the pop sensibilities of the Beatles and Byrds with the power of The Who and Small Faces. Sadly though, massive acceptance of this type of music has only occurred infrequently, and during very brief windows in time - notably, the British Invasion of the mid-60s and the punk/New Wave passing craze in the late 70's - and the Raspberries came along between these two times, just missing the success that their music so richly desrved. What's astounding about this new live CD, as anyone who's attended any of their 2004-05 reunion shows can attest to - most of the versions of their classic songs here are even better than the originals!!!

Gone is the studio-generated heavily compressed sound, and in its place is a rich, full, bass/bottom foundation, clear backing vocals, thundering/booming drums (courtesy of Jim Bonfanti), lead guitar that cuts through the mix like a hot knife through butter (especially when Wally Bryson's playing his recent Parker), and Eric Carmen's exceptional lead vocals. No, he can't hit the old high notes of, let's say, the original "Let's Pretend", but his voice has aged like the finest whiskey -he's a better singer now, over 30 years later! Backing vocals are about the best you'll find this side of the Beach Boys during their heyday. The songs are truly timeless pop classics, and the live sound, courtesy of Mark Linett, is clear and up-front - it's just like being there.

Most importantly, nobody's likely to hear any of their old tunes on this new release and contend that they're trying too hard to sound like the Beach Boys ("Overnight Sensation"), Beatles ("Play On"), Small Faces ("Tonight"), or any combination of bands ("Go All The Way"). The songs are clearly theirs now, as is their sound. In an ideal world, this new release would be skyrocketing up the charts, and Eric, Wally, Dave Smalley & Jim would be preparing for their upcoming tour to support it. Realistically, we true believer fans know better. But we can dream - and in the meantime, we have this brilliant new release! Now...about a new studio album?...

Without a shadow of a doubt, having attended hundreds & hundreds of concerts over the last few decades, the Raspberries reunion shows were perhaps the best live sound experience to ever meet my ears. Never having been fortunate to have see Raspberries perform live prior to the reunion shows in 2004 & 2005, I always imagined what they'd sound like live, having always felt the early records were a bit compressed, begging for the dynamics of today's recording capabilities. On this record, the band's impeccable attention to detail and production gives these incredible songs the justice they've always deserved. Coupled with the sheer talent of each band member at their craft, spilling over this record in bucketfuls, this is perhaps the greatest live power pop record ever made. If Cheap Trick's "Live At Budokan" has an older brother, this is it. Grab the deluxe version before they're gone!

WOW!!!
Wally is so incredible to watch!!! His playing is outstanding and his talent goes beyond measure!!
Is there a guitar he cannot play?!!
Barbara

Ever since 1975, their debut record, I have been waiting for the return of the Raspberries You won't be disappointed. Eric Carmen has been compared to Paul McCartney as to his vocal ranges and style. All the hits are there from the 70's. They have always been an underrated group. This set clearly places them in rock history as one of the most talented groups over the past 45 years. If you are Raspberries fan, you owe it to yourself to purchase this set. I am hoping that they release the enrire concert on DVD. With the set you get a DVD of 6 songs which include two of the best rock songs of the rock era, Go All The Way and I'm A Rocker. Classic act, classic CD/DVD set.

Way back in the day,I never could make up my mind about The 'berries.
I owned a couple of their singles,which I loved,but I never really paid much attention to their albums.They always rocked hard on the Midnight Special,but the production on the album tracks didn't really reflect the energy they could conjure up in a live concert setting.
But with this live disc,all doubts are erased.This thing rocks from beginning to end.These guys should be respected in the same way Big Star
and ( early ) Cheap Trick are revered.Eric Carmen and company were probably a little too ahead of their time for the masses to really appreciate them and it's a damn shame. Make it up to them by purchasing
" Live On Sunset Strip ". It's money well spent.

Disappointed I missed the 2005 Raspberries reunion tour, but this deluxe version is a satisfying alternative. Glad the usually fueding band members decided to make up, even for this one-shot tour. Eric Carmen's voice may have mellowed with age -- he sounds more like Paul McCartney on some tracks than McCartney -- but it just gives the band's greatest hits a more distinctive sound that doesn't just replicate album tracks. The covers of "I Can't Explain" And "Needles and Pins" are great, too. Since there never was an official live Raspberries album before now, this one closes (maybe not) the chapter on one of the best power pop bands there ever was, despite lackluster critical acclaim in their heyday. Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind if the Raspberries were starting over.