Don_Krider's Full Review: I Was Born to Love You by Eric Carmen
Bruce Springsteen was sitting backstage after a concert in Cleveland talking with that city's biggest pop star (next to Joe Walsh, that is), Mr. Eric Carmen, according to The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Springsteen said that when writing the songs for his album, "The River," that he listened to The Raspberries "Best Of" album for songwriting ideas. Quite a compliment for Carmen.
Others to cite The Raspberries as influential include Tom Petty, Kiss (Paul Stanley admits to stealing the intro to the Kiss song "Deuce" from "Go All The Way"), the Posies, Jellyfish, Enuff Z'Nuff, Axl Rose and even Elton John!
Singer-songwriter Eric Carmen returns to the U. S. record bins with his first studio album since 1985 with "I Was Born To Love You." He embarks on his first U. S. tour since 1988 (when he had his last Top 5 hits with the singles "Make Me Lose Control" and "Hungry Eyes") as a member of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band in May and June of 2000 (with additional solo appearances in his hometown of Cleveland this month).
Eric's a serious student of the Brian Wilson/Lennon-McCartney style of songwriting. Though his earliest success came with The Raspberries ("Go All The Way," "I Wanna Be With You" and "Overnight Sensation" were Top 20 hits in 1972-74), Carmen has increasingly leaned toward ballads that show his classical music training (he attended the Cleveland Institute of Music beginning at age 2) as a pianist.
The Raspberries are legendary, at least to their fans. "Go All The Way" was named one of the 100 Greatest Singles of the Rock Era by Spin magaine. "Overnight Sensation" received the same honor from Rolling Stone magazine in 1989.
Most recently, The Raspberries were honored for their final album, "Starting Over," as one of the Top 1000 Albums Of All-Time by Paul Du Noyer in his British book, "Encyclopedia Of Albums" (the album was named one of 1974's seven best albums by Rolling Stone magazine as well).
The February 2000 issue of the British rock magazine "Mojo" also names the band as one of its "100 Essential Cult Heroes."
Music critics have been less kind to Eric's solo material, and his solo career has had several highs and lows since The Raspberries split in 1975 (they briefly reunited in 1999, but have since parted ways again).
Eric's highs include the million-seller "All By Myself", which hit # 2 in Billboard and # 1 in Cashbox in 1976, as well as the two Top 5 singles from 1988 mentioned previously. The lows have included being signed and let go by several labels over the years (Epic, Capitol, Arista, Geffen and RCA, and then Arista for a second time in the early '90s when Arista rejected an album he submitted).
This album, part of a one-album deal (in other words, score a hit and we'll give you a second chance) with Pyramid Records (part of Rhino/Warner Brothers) contains 10 tracks from a 1998 Japanese release entitled "Winter Dreams" (Pioneer LDC Japan).
The title track was released to radio stations as a single in January, gaining enough early airplay to briefly chart as "bubbling under" the adult contemporary Top 30 in Radio & Records. Though reviewed highly in Billboard magazine, it has yet to make any of Billboard's charts as yet (hindered in part by no commercial release of the single!). People magazine tore the album apart in a highly negative review.
"I Was Born To Love You" was released Feb. 29, 2000. It marks another hard day's night for "The Kid" from Cleveland.
The production and arrangements are by Eric, who plays most of the instruments on the album (I must admit, I'm not a fan of drum machines, and Raspberries' drummer Jim Bonfanti said in an interview that he kept telling Eric he needed a "real drummer" on this album, and I agree totally with that comment).
That's a minor problem. The album does have some nice extras --- ex-Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson plays guitar on two tracks, the ballad "Every Time I Make Love To You" and the stunning, Beatle-ish "I Could Really Love You." James Gang bassist Dale Peters also appears on some tracks. Kind of a get-together by Cleveland musicians.
The album is ballad-heavy. If you expect a rocking Raspberries album, this isn't going to satisfy you. Some stunning ballads and great pop tunes, but none of the 'Berries rock that Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty have raved about.
That's not to say it's a bad album; it's actually pretty good, but for special tastes. Here's an idea: in 1973, Eric's bio said his favorite female singer was Lesley Gore; he updated that in 1997 to read "Celine Dion," indicating his growing taste for middle-of-the-road ballads over uptempo pop.
Eric has had some success the last few years as a songwriter --- his "All By Myself" has been covered by Celine Dion, Sheryl Crow, Jewel and Babes In Toyland in the past few years. Others to cover his songs include Frank Sinatra, Frankie Valli, the Bay City Rollers, John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Vanessa Williams (1994's "Long Way Home"), The Lettermen and many more.
In fact, Eric himself remakes some of his older songs here. "Almost Paradise," which he wrote with Dean Pitchford for the film "Footloose," was a Top 10 hit for Mike Reno and Ann Wilson in 1984. Eric released a live version recorded with Merry Clayton as an album track ("Dirty Dancing Live") and as a single in 1989 on RCA --- neither the album nor the single charted (he also performs the tune in the 1989 VHS video "Dirty Dancing Live").
Eric has done his "definitive" studio version now for this album, recording the song as a duet with Jennifer Lee (best known for her work with The Michael Stanley Band). I'm not sure about the wisdom of recording another version of the song, but that's my personal taste.
Eric also covered his co-write with Andy Goldmark of "(I Wanna Take) Forever Tonight." The song was a 1995 adult contemporary chart hit for Peter Cetera, so including such a recent song is again questionable. Eric does a fine job with the song, aided by guitarist Bruce Gaitsch (of Chicago and Richard Marx fame), with Eric playing all the other instruments.
"Someone That You Loved Before" was written by Eric with hit-maker Diane Warren. (Side bar: Warren wrote "My Heart Stops," a 1992 Arista single by Eric that failed to chart.) Another ballad about lost love: "You used to touch me / but baby, now your touch has turned so cold / You used to want me / Now baby, you just want to let me go / And I can see I'm losin' you now / And I don't want to be / someone that you loved before..."
The song has chart potential, but Diana Ross recorded her version of the song last year and performed it in an ABC-TV movie as well.
Okay, how about a "Top Down Summer"? Carmen and Pitchford (co-writers of such Top 40 hits as "Almost Paradise", Eric's "I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips" from 1985 and Eric's "Make Me Lose Control" from 1988) have come up with the perfect follow-up to "Make Me Lose Control." Okay, it's 12 years too late, even Eric admits that, but it's a great pop tune.
In fact, the tune, a Beach Boys-style, uptempo tribute to summer, may seem a strange tune for a 50-year-old to be singing, but Carmen sounds twenty-something on this: "Girls in cars are driving through the city / Breaking hearts, they're looking awful pretty / baby, not so fast / make the summer last / Top down summer / are you ready for love..."
"Isn't It Romantic" has a '40s ballad feel to it, opening with some fine acoustic guitar by Gaitsch. Gaitsch's wife, Janey Clewer, duets with Carmen and the song (also by Carmen-Goldmark) is a very enjoyable, slightly uptempo ballad.
Now, about the title track, it features classical and electric guitars by Gaitsch, with Carmen playing everything else. Singing another Carmen-Goldmark tune, Eric croons: "I was born to love you / born to be right here by your side / through all of your darkest nights / I was born to love you / I'd do anything to make you mine / until the end of time." My impression: it's just a bit too sweet for my tastes.
My personal favorite is Eric's cover of The Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee." It's a splendid update of that 1967 classic: "Just walk away Renee / you won't see me follow you back home / The empty sidewalks / On my block are not the same / You're not to blame..."
It's got a Raspberries feel to it, and as long as Eric Carmen can still come up with a track like that, I guess I can hope for some more Raspberries-style rockers in the future.
Side bar: The Japanese version of the album included Eric's cover of The Beach Boys "Caroline No," which was wonderful. Leaving the tune off the U. S. release was a major mistake.
***Update (June 2005): The original Raspberries recording lineup (Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson, Dave Smalley and Jim Bonfanti) reunited in 2004. In 2004 and 2005, the band has played to sell-out crowds across the USA.***
Just released:
Eric Carmen appears on Live On Sunset Strip (Deluxe Edition of 2 CDs and a DVD recorded during the 2005 reunion tour) By Raspberries, a 2007 Rykodisc release with liner notes byBruce Springsteen and a photo of John Lennon in a Raspberries sweatshirt in the CD booklet, produced by Mark Linett and Eric Carmen: http://www.epinions.com/content_393207123588
Related review:
Capitol/EMI's 24-bit digitally remastered CD "Greatest" by Raspberries was released in May of 2005 in the U. S. and Europe. It features all 7 of Raspberries Hot 100 singles, has 20 tracks and runs 78:53 minutes: http://www.epinions.com/content_186044681860
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