The singer/songwriter who recorded Make Me Lose Control, Hungry Eyes, and All By Myself has died at the age of 74.
That’s one that’s a real bummer. I really liked his solo work in the 80s.
Quite the bummer. They had an amazing pop sound. I’m going to have to watch The Raspberries Live on Sunset Strip (2005) tonight with a big scotch.
The Raspberries were very popular when I was in high school. I had two albums on 8 track.
Too bad. I liked “Hungry Eyes,” and I discovered several other of his songs decades after they were hits (e.g., “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again,” “Go All the Way,” “Let’s Pretend”).
I would have sworn that “Go All the Way” was the only Raspberries hit, but looking at their albums, several songs on Eric Carmen’s “Definitive collection” CD are actually Raspberries songs.
Speaking of, to this day can’t believe Go All The Way wasn’t banned from radio everywhere. While the uptight citizens’ brigade was debating the intricacies of Louie Louie and whether 25 or 6 to 4 was about drugs, here was a song, marketed to the Tiger Beat crowd, that says let’s have sex. And no one cared. I mean, they worried about why little Susie was sleeping in Wake Up Little Susie!
Carmen was trained in classical music. Two of his biggest hits, All By Myself and Never Gonna Fall In Love Again had their melodies taken directly from Rachmaninoff. This very weekend we went to Phoenix Symphony and watched them perform All By Myself, I mean, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto #2.
I haven’t thought about Eric Carmen in a long time, but I’m sorry to hear this. I enjoyed most everything that I heard from him.
I always loved that moment in “Make Me Lose Control” when the music drops out to let you really hear the vocal harmony.
There’s a group of Raspberries hits often referred to as the “horny singles.”
Hungry Eyes is used in Dirty Dancing. Eric didn’t write it. He was asked to sing it for the soundtrack.
Not only that, but it was the girl asking the guy to “go all the way.”
Raspberries Greatest Hits is a terrific early power-pop sampler.
Sad to see someone so talented die so young. Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch was a classic.
“Go All The Way” sounded so much like “Don’t Go Away”, it was often sung that way until someone pointed out the error.
RIP. We’re losing our classic rockers too quickly.
I have this album and plan to listen to it this weekend. It’s one of the albums that Apple cornfielded for me when they changed iTunes, so I’m glad I ripped it to CD after I bought it. Great songs, and yes, I’ve also wondered how Go All The Way managed to slip under the outrage radar.