Raspberries

I wanted to fall back into posting songs after my one week absence by posting some covers of songs by my second (or third, depending on my mood) favorite early 70s power pop band, The Raspberries.



The Raspberries reunited a few years ago for a few concerts (none in the S.F. Bay Area, sadly), and released a live CD/DVD of one show at L.A.'s House of Blues (Live On Sunset Strip) demonstrating that they sound even better now than they did back in the 70s. They're playing a couple more gigs this weekend at the NYC's Highline Ballroom, so hopefully they'll play a full tour before too long. I don't know if I'd travel to see the Raspberries, but I'd love to see them tear the roof off S.F's Fillmore (where my favorite early 70s power pop band is playing next weekend).

Here are five covers of Raspberries tunes that showcase their enduring influence on musicians that matter. The covers by Off Broadway and the Rubinoos sound so much like these bands' own songs, that it's hard to imagine them existing without the Raspberries. And the Sneetches/Shoes cover of "I Wanna Be With You" (from one of those Pravda Explosive Dynamic Super Smash Hits compilations) is a near-perfect match of artists and song. The late Greg Shaw claimed that "Go All The Way" was the first power-pop song, and still one of the best three minute encapsulations of the genre. When I saw the Fastbacks cover the song in the early 90s (a the height of grunge), I was instantly smitten, and took it as a sign that the rest of the world was slowly but surely coming around to my way of thinking.

Scott McCarl was in the final Raspberries lineup from 1974's Starting Over album, and he covered "Nobody Knows" from their first album on a Yellow Pills compilation. McCarl and McBride (the Big Mac rhythm section from Starting Over) aren't a part of the Raspberries reunion, but should both be given their due as important parts of the original band.

Five Raspberries Covers
Go All The Way - The Fastbacks
I Wanna Be With You - The Sneetches (with Shoes)
Tonight - Off Broadway
Cruisin' Music - The Rubinoos
Nobody Knows - Scott McCarl

Bonus: There are lots of Raspberries clips (both old and new) on youtube, showing that they always rocked a lot harder on stage than on disc. Here's a great medley of their first two hits from a 1973 performance at the Record Plant.