Play On: A Fabulous Raspberries Tribute

The Raspberries are one of the most beloved bands in the power pop genre. The group has a dedicated group of fans, including artists like Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Paul Stanley, and Rick Nielsen. If the band had only recorded the classic 1972 hit “Go All The Way,” their place in the rock and roll firmament would be assured, but the group had several other hits, including “Let’s Pretend,”  “I Wanna Be With You,” and one of my personal favorites, the epic "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)." Their quartet of original albums are considered power pop classics. The original Raspberries lineup featured the late Eric Carmen on vocals, guitar, bass, and piano, Dave Smalley on guitar and bass guitars, bass) Wally Bryson on guitar and Jim Bonfanti on drums. 

The band’s legacy is being celebrated on Play On: A Raspberries Tribute, a super-sized two-disc tribute album which will be released on September 12th. This comprehensive record features 37 tracks from an all-star roster of musicians ranging from power pop royalty like Rick Springfield, Debbi and Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, and Marshall Crenshaw, to up and coming artists such as The Lemon Twigs, Olivia Rubini and Bird Streets. The amazing lineup of performers also includes fan favorites such as John Waite, Kasim Sulton, Darian Sahanaja and The Hudson Brothers. There are also appearances from Wally Bryson’s son, Jesse, who delivers a heartfelt version of “Might as Well,” original drummer Jim Bonfanti, who plays on four songs on the disc, and Eric Carmen, who provides the count in on Lou Gramm’s rendition of “Tonight.”

You’ll find many of the band’s classics here, including Rick Springfield’s fabulous version of “Go All The Way,” The Spongetones excellent Beatles style run through of “It Seemed So Easy,” and album co-producer Ken Sharp’s spirited remake of “I’m A Rocker.” This stellar collection is filled with musical gems from across the Raspberries catalog, ranging from all out rockers like Eric Dover’s dynamic cover of “Ecstasy,” ex-Runaway Cherie Currie’s kick out the jams take on “Hands On You” and Brasko’s kinetic “Making It Easy.” Chris Price infuses “Nobody Knows” with Motown vibes, while The Caulfields amp up the pop/rock energy on “Goin’ Nowhere.” There’s also a strong focus on the band’s wonderful ballads, including Karla DeVito’s lovely version of “I Can Remember” and Katie Ferrara’s deeply emotional reading of “Come Around and See Me.”

Play On: A Raspberries Tribute is a cross-generational rock and roll love letter to The Raspberries and the enduring power of their music. Ken Sharp (author and longtime Raspberries devotee) and Fernando Perdomo (producer and multi-instrumentalist) did excellent work curating this amazing record. Covering a band whose music is as melodic and emotionally rich as that of the Raspberries is no easy task, but all of the artists here have done a superb job. They manage to highlight the strengths of the original songs while allowing their own personality to shine through on their renditions of these unforgettable tunes. Play On: A Raspberries Tribute will be released on September 12 on Think Like A Key records. Here’s a link to a sampler of the music on this fabulous record: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2KUH3d_ZIc.