Jed Weitzman is head of music at Logitix, he specializes in employing data to properly price tickets. We also talk about Jed’s upbringing in Los Angeles as the scion of a legendary attorney and the stepson of a legendary actor, as well as his career in management and more. The Morrissey stories are priceless!
Oh Bob I guess it’s not gonna stop huh?
One by one they go marching off stage but never to be forgotten.
I remember the day I got the call from Clive.
He said I have this album I can’t seem to get finished. The producer quit and I think it’s a really great record. Would you come in and finish it?
Eric Carmen – Boats Against The Current.
That voice and persona will be missed for sure.
Val Garay
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Damn!
I promoted “She Did It†when I worked for Arista in Detroit.
Rosalie played it for me at CKLW in Detroit.
He used to call me from Ohio when he’d hear it on “The Big 8.â€
Nice guy.
Hugh Surratt
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the coolest bands in cleveland were james gang and cyrus erie. that was eric and wally’s pre raspberries band. they had a single out (maybe on epic). saw them open for the Who at a small place (400 attendance maybe pre monterey) my dad took me when i was maybe in 6th grade. song is Get the Message -it’s on spotify – you can hear the raspberries were not a big step – just better craftsmanship
Bob Pfeiffer
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For a musician, playing music with your heroes is probably the most exhilarating experience you can have. Imagine a bunch of 20 year olds in a local band getting asked to be the back-up band for one of those on his first solo album. Eric took  a giant leap of faith on us when Jimmy Ienner wanted NY studio musicians. It changed all our lives and I think provided a partial band cocoon for him as he transitioned to a serious solo artist. There are great stories from that first tour. Getting the telegram from Elton John saying Eric was robbed of a #1 with “All By Myself†was just one.
I will always be a fan. It’s very sad he’s gone as I know there was a lot more music in him if he had wanted to let it out
Best…
Stephen Knill
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In high school in Cleveland, the first artist I ever managed was Eric Carmen & his band, ‘The Sounds of Silence’. During the Summer break after my Freshman year at Ithaca College, I booked Eric’s newly-signed band, Cyrus Erie (Epic Records) to play at the Chagrin Falls National Guard Armory; it sold out & I bought my first tech gear, a Wollensak 1/4″ reel-to-reel tape deck. I then followed his Raspberries period from a distance.
We reconnected when he opened for the Beach Boys in support of his Arista debut, we traded current contact info. He invited me to the Raspberries reunion show at the Hollywood House of Blues, the set exceeded my expectations.
The last time I saw him in person, we had lunch in Cleveland in November 2015, he was in good spirits.
Ted Cohen
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Those three big hits from Raspberries (“Go All the Way,” “Let’s Pretend” and “I Wanna Be With You”) STILL sound fantastic!
Mark B. Spiegel
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Even if he hadn’t done anything else Eric Carmen coined the greatest catch all phrase that exemplifies the spirit and frustration of the music industry: That‘s Rock ‘n Roll!!
Grant Futtock
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Thank you for the very thoughtful and touching piece about Eric and Karl, and the follow-up responses.
I am a big fan of both men. As well as a long-time close friend of Kevin Sutter’s.  Jeff Laufer was gracious in commenting about Kevin’s contributions. Kevin loved Karl’s music and we talked about it often
Thanks again for all you do.
Yours,
Joe Moss
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i’m not sure which piano ballad is more touching and powerful, “All By Myself” or “She’s The One”…but man, to lose those two icons on the same day makes this music fan’s heart ache. RIP Eric and Karl…..I am going to put a playlist together today which I will share with you. thanks Bob
Mike Farley
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For Eric Carmen, my number one has always been LETS PRETEND- sexy, romantic, touching all at once –
On the Waterboys second album ‘A Pagan Place’ (with Karl Wallinger) it’s always been CHURCH NOT MADE WITH HANDS and ALL THE THINGS SHE GAVE ME –
All of these are terrific,
Best to you, Phil Klausner
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Re: World Party/Karl
Tell me this isn’t the saddest breakup song ever…
“And I Fell Back Alone”: https://open.spotify.com/track/3iLd1w35nTO6aWSsNMsroB?si=1bb1ce93d5d046dc
Jim Guerinot
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When I heard that Karl Wallinger passed away at 66 and my local station in NY , WFUV played his song She’s the One, it made me cry.
Besides wishing I had someone who felt that way about me( haha) I was thinking how we can all die at any time,  like you say Bob. I’m 70 and if I had died when I was 66 I wouldn’t even have known my youngest four-year-old grandchild. That’s the sad part of dying. Missing everything!!
We need to enjoy every minute while we are still here!!
Joanne Schenendorf
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Eric Carmen was a big talent and an extraordinary musician.
I will always remember that he borrowed themes for a couple of songs from Rachmaninoff. “All By Myself†was based on the 2nd movement of the 2nd piano concerto.  “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again†came from the 3rd movement of the 2nd symphony. Might as well borrow from the best. I believe he got caught up in some copyright complications with the composer’s estate.
I saw Seatrain live at when I was in college in the early 70s. They were outstanding. “13 Questions†was their encore.
Richard Franklin
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SEATRAIN!
Thanks for remembering the band!!!
I might have been 1 of the 19 German youngsters who bought their amazing debut LP at the time — and played it incessantly!
I was astonished to notice someone (at Capitol?) sent the band to London where they were “Produced by George Martinâ€!
Sure you can find out more about these mysteries and let us know.
Thanks
Werner Balzert
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Don’t forget Mojo Nixon
He was a one of a kind soul.
Tom Overby
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I’m a little late to this party, but Eric’s All By My Self was a huge hit in Canada in the mid 70s. It was beautiful, dark, and eerie, and also had the best pregnant (important) drum fill ever right before the last chorus. Three toms,boom.. boom….boom…….smash…all by my self…
Life changing for a passionate musician like myself:)
Love you Bob!!
John Ellis, Vancouver
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I enjoyed your post about Eric that was shared by another friend from our junior high days. After moving to Texas, I lost track of Eric until the Dirty Dancing tour came to Dallas. My kids knew Eric’s music and wanted to see that show. We were able to get backstage and have a quick mini-reunion. Fast forward to 1997 and we connected again at a high school reunion. I remember Susan being very pregnant at the time.
Since then, it’s been social media posts and listening to the music and retrieving some memories. Tuesday morning, I was bummed. Another of us bites the dust. By the end of the day, the remembrances on social media, then listening again to his music, had lifted my spirits.
I shared some of my stories with co-workers today. They’re mostly Gen X like my kids. Some of them love Eric Carmen. Everyone knew his songs. Maybe we won’t be the last ones.
My Best Always,
Phil Daneman
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So Saturday night, around 11:00, I’m watching TV with my wife here in NJ, and out of nowhere a song pops into my head. Â It’s a World Party song–Sweet Soul Dream. Â The only World Party stuff that I really know is the album Goodbye Jumbo, which I bought when it was new and that I think is a great album, but I haven’t listened to it in maybe 5 years. Â Anyway, Sweet Soul Dream comes into my head and I feel compelled to learn it on guitar and vocals (I am an amateur, and like to learn songs–I like to get them to the point where I have them memorized and can perform them competently, which I sometimes do at open mikes, etc., but mostly just to amuse myself). But it’s not something I do all the time and it’s not usually a song that just pops into my head out of nowhere and I don’t usually feel I have to learn the song immediately when I think of it. Â So after my wife goes to bed I pick up the guitar and, into the early hours of Sunday, work out Sweet Soul Dream and get it down to my satisfaction. Â Maybe I’ll post a FB or YT video. Imagine my amazement when I learn, from you, that Karl (who is right around my age) died on the same day (and who knows, maybe the same time) that all of the above happened! Â I am not into the occult or anything like that, but man, that is some weird coincidence, is it not?
Rich Cohn
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To me, The Raspberries and Eric Carmen always seem evergreen…something that is always fresh, exciting and will somehow never die, even though they were from a certain time, and obviously everything and everyone has an expiration date.
I remember seeing them perform “Go All The Wayâ€, on “Don Kirschner’s Rock Concert†many, many years after it originally aired. Eric was in a white, bell-bottomed stage suit, shirtless with that full head of hair, looking the part of the heartthrob, but was absolutely SLASHING at that guitar with all the stage moves.
I wondered “where has this band been all my life?!?!†What a talented group and one that changed my music listening forever, as I never knew true “power-pop†before that! They had it all, yet so few seemed to know about them. Solo Eric had the biggest hits.
Thanks again for never missing, Bob.
Brian Friel
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…..when i first heard the opening salvo of “go all the way” in the summer of 1972, it was as if someone had flipped the “on” switch on ME…….it is impossible for me to overstate the profound influence the raspberries had on my life….i saw them in syracuse after the release of their second album and was hypnotized……..from then on my efforts to convert the masses were in full swing……my entire family would take turns calling the local radio stations requesting airplay, my high school desks were festooned with etched raspberries logos, each record was meticulously inspected with forensic interest…..it’s fair to say i was obsessed………i first “met” eric when i crashed a soundcheck in 1976 and asked him if i could take a picture….he said, “yeah, if you can take it from there”, (he was at the piano, i was standing below the rim of the stage)…..ten years later i was living in nyc and joined a band with a songwriter named john denicola who had written a pair of songs for the movie “dirty dancing”, one of which was “hungry eyes”…..it was around then when i met eric briefly for a second time at the hard rock cafe in nyc…..a great thrill for me at the time…….in 1991 as a recent resident of california, temporarily housed in the pacific palisades rented home of a jingle producer, i was learning how to program a new drum machine that was in the home studio, using “all by myself” as the learning template, when the phone rang, my then girlfriend was in the studio singing on a coca-cola jungle and said, “you’ll never guess who i’m standing next to”……it was eric, and naturally she told him of my fan-boy status…..she handed the phone to him and from that moment on a relationship was cultivated……now, i’m not unaware that in the early stages of what was a decades long friendship it was more an artist/fan dynamic, but over the next months and years he let me in, in ways only a friend would allow…….there are countless things over the years that led to him trusting me with some of his music and as an occasional collaborator, and every moment for me was an experience of great magnitude……when i was mixing the raspberries first reunion show that would become “pop art live” it was quite literally a dream come true……..i am bereft right now, but his music that has meant so much to me will continue to inspire and fascinate me for the rest of my days………..he was a friend, a very good friend…..a mentor, a very good mentor……..and i will miss him………..meeting your heroes might not always be what you expect, but i can say with certainty that this hero was everything and more…………….tommy allen/nyc
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Loved your homage to Eric Carmen.
I was 12 when Overnight Sensation came out. I’m pretty sure I first heard it on Casey Kasem’s American Top 40, which I religiously listened to every Saturday.
I went out and bought the 45, so played It many times even ‘tho it never got much radio airplay. It is one of the top 10 songs of my youth. My favorite part is at the end where you actually hear (what at least sounds like) Overnight Sensation being played on the radio.
I respected Eric’s solo work, but can’t say I was a fan. I’d moved on to Rock, Punk, and early New Wave by then.
Karl Wallinger, on the other hand, was someone whose music I listened to and loved during my 20s. Both his work with the Waterboys and his own band, World Party. Ship of Fools is seared into my brain. I hadn’t known about Karl’s struggles with ill health until reading the obits.
As Warren Zevon famously said, enjoy every sandwich.
“I cannot leave Apple and Amazon, like I did Spotify, because my music would have very little streaming outlet to music lovers.”
Distribution is king. Content is important, but if you’ve got nowhere to see it/hear it, it’s like it doesn’t exist.
This is the battle Universal is having with TikTok. Music companies are used to having the ultimate leverage, after all, they control the content! But TikTok carries on without Universal’s music. Doesn’t seem to be missing a beat. Sure, hobbled a bit, but distribution is king. One can posit that “Texas Hold ‘Em” is even bigger than it would have been because of the lack of competition from Universal artists and writers on TikTok. Nature abhors a vacuum, and Beyonce is filling it. To the detriment of Universal acts, I must say. Take the side of the company at your peril, it does not have your best interests at heart. Sure, rights holders should be fairly paid on TikTok, but if you think that money is going to go into your coffers in a significant amount, you must be a superstar, and most people are not. That’s right, the switch has flipped, exposure/publicity is more important than a few measly cents. A few measly cents for each artist adds up for Universal, but not the individual act. The individual act needs the promotion, the exposure, and twenty five years of the internet have proven that you have to know when to monetize, if you’re charging at every step of the way you’re sacrificing your audience. There are more ways to make money than ever before in music today, and you should not be upset/angered that some that used to be primary are now secondary. Like recordings. As for all those acts with few Spotify streams… Yeah, just imagine your music was unavailable on Spotify, you’d be like Neil Young, SOL.
As for Joe Rogan…
Today he’s bigger than Neil Young. And more influential than any musician I can think of. Probably because of his association with the UFC. There’s that pesky distribution element once again. That’s what made Trump President, distribution on NBC, on “The Apprentice.” And network impact keeps cratering, but if you’re not on television at all…
And speaking of TV, all those channels in the cable package you pay for and don’t watch, assuming you still subscribe, are on life support. They’re paid by the cable providers, and if you cut the cord they make less, they’re evaporating in front of our very eyes.
And speaking of distribution… It doesn’t only cut one way. All the studios thought they could compete with Netflix but it turns out they can’t, they don’t have first mover advantage and they refuse to follow Netflix’s paradigm, which is a plethora of product. Do you subscribe to Apple TV? Unless you’re a diehard Apple fan, I doubt it. The outlet just doesn’t have enough product. And they dribble it out week by week. It’s not consumer friendly, it’s hit dependent, and it’s hard to predict and make a hit.
As for Disney, it thought children’s programming and a bit of “Star Wars” was enough. That’s like walking into Walmart and seeing ten products for sale.
And as far as Paramount and Peacock go… Really?
Netflix not only has a ton of product, it has invested in foreign product, which was not hurt by the strikes. Meanwhile, Zaslav cut foreign production in order to balance the books, to Max’s detriment. Furthermore, Zaslav has not invested in technical infrastructure. The Max app is a puzzle. Figure out how to fast-forward. It’s not like brain surgery, it’s just that Zaslav himself has never used the app.
Whereas Netflix… You can always find something to watch. Netflix is the subscription you’re going to cancel last.
As for Joe Rogan… He’s got the edginess that musical artists used to have. Musicians are trolling for corporate endorsements, privates and selling perfume. Rogan has it right, it’s the art itself that counts. While musical artists are perfecting their wares and dribbling out new material, Rogan is in the studio pounding it out essentially every day. For hours. And not every minute is riveting, but there’s enough nougat to keep dedicated listeners tuned in, and to have clips go viral on the internet. With Rogan it’s about the essence, not the penumbra.
Then again, you’ve got to give Rogan credit for owning his identity. If I hear one more musician thank his audience… If you do it right you should be thanking yourself! Neil Young has made a number of fan-unfriendly moves, like playing all new material on an arena tour after “Harvest,” but it has ultimately burnished his image as a true original, putting artistry first. Rogan is a bro into the UFC, in many cases an uneducated nitwit pontificating on what he hears via scuttlebutt, as opposed to facts. Just like his listeners! He’s perfect for the internet world, where the truth is fungible and he or she with the most eyeballs wins.
Not that I listen to or support Rogan. But you can’t deny his success.
As for Spotify… It learned that its exclusive podcast formula was detrimental. That when it comes to content, it’s best to have it available everywhere! You don’t want any walls. Pull it down at your peril.
This is also beneficial to musicians, because they keep on coming up with new portals of distribution. It’s not only Spotify and TikTok, but it’s Twitch and so many more. And you’ve got to be everywhere or it’s akin to being nowhere.
Sure, Spotify needs Universal’s content. But I can’t say the same about Amazon and Apple. Music at those two companies is a feature, and far from the main one. Meaning they have more leverage. And also can undercut and take more risks than Spotify because music is not their main income driver. Tower went out of business when physical collapsed, but not Best Buy.
So kudos to Neil Young for recognizing the landscape has changed, unlike our politicians, mired in pledges not to tax and so much else from the past. You’ve got to assess the landscape, be willing to change.
But first and foremost you want your product to be available everywhere. To think otherwise is to hurt yourself. Musicians are dope dealers. The first one is free, but once you’re hooked…you’ll be paying forever.
I sent Amy Carmen your article and here was her response.
Thanks for sharing … to brighten the mood here’s a great EC memory:
Eric and I were in the car maybe 10-14 days ago when Casey Kasem’s  American Top 40 was replaying the October 1972 broadcastâ€Â & Overnight Sensation† came in on the top 40 chart at # 26 .
Eric was so pissed that Casey cut the end of the song off .  But the great memory I have of him is watching him air drum -the drum fills!
Bob’s right I only heard Overnight Sensation one other time on the radio and I think it was Little Steven’s Underground Garage
Love,
Amy
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Let the truth be told, Kevin Sutter broke World Party. It was a labor of love… I’ve never worked with a person with such strong conviction to this artist.
From the onset we at Chrysalis Records realized that Karl Wallinger was a brilliant talent.
KROQ was not easy to convince to play the record as some people might think. It was not your typical Rick Carrol choice.. It took a lot of convincing, massaging and dinners..it eventually went on the radio. Jed the Fish was championing this record from day one.
Rock radio was not easy to garner… in the era of “more Zep you f*ckers World Party was no walk in the park. Program Directors said no… no and more no…
Sutter persevered and “Ship of Fools†became a radio hit….
What a mega hit!
The greatness of World Party was in their live performance…
Your jaw would drop….
Jeff Laufer
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I can’t tell you how saddened I am about Karl Wallinger’s passing.
Not only because his songs were the soundtrack of my twenties, but because he recently became a friend.
When my latest album ‘Satisfied Mind’ came out this past July, Karl was cheering me on, with Facebook messages and texts saying how much he loved the music.
“Good to see you getting good recognition,†he wrote me.
I was floored. Here was one of the greatest songwriters affirming that I had something to say too.
In fact, it was only a few weeks ago when he texted me that he and his wife were digging the vinyl version of the album.
It felt like winning the lottery.
That nod of acceptance affected me deeply. We even talked about writing a song together.
Sadly, that wasn’t to be. But I wanted to write to say that Karl’s generosity and kindness were as strong as the songs he left us with.
And trust me, they’ve been on repeat over here.
Thanks for remembering him.
Jon Regen
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It is a sad revelation that we are rapidly losing our idols who are just a few years older than we are. Eric’s death makes the second personal loss for me in the past week and the fourth in the past few months .
I was a fan of Raspberries from the first time I heard “Go All the Way†and I got their Starting Over album when it came out and thought it should have been a hit on FM Radio.
So in 2007 when I heard that ( the) Raspberries had reunited and were going to play the House Of Blues in LA, Â I contacted them and recorded the show in hopes of getting a live album released . There was no deal, no label it just seemed like a worthwhile thing to do. (I did that a lot in those days)
I worked with Eric long distance on the mixes after the band did some overdubs in Cleveland , and we eventually made a deal with Ryco to release a deluxe CD and DVD with both the 2007 live show and other recordings going back to the 70’s.
When they came back to play the HOB later that year I had them come to my studio where we recorded two tracks which turned out to be the last recordings by the band.
Time marches on with the same eventual outcome for everyone including our idols. As the song says “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Aliveâ€
Mark Linett
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Hi Bob,
Seatrain! Love you mentioned them! Many, sadly, never heard Seatrain/Marblehead Messenger! Shanda! Barry Goldberg turned me on to them when I was working with Albert Grossman! The office was casual, and artists often would just hang…this office, oy, I got stories, but I digress…
Thank you Bob for sharing Eric Carmen, an early Arista signing…
Respectfully,
Rose Gross-Marino
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Bob:Â I am so sad that there will never be another Raspberries reunion.
I bought the single Go All the Way in sixth grade and their second album (with ‘I Wanna Be With You’) through the Record Club of America. Remember ordering records through the mail and waiting eagerly for weeks for them to show up? I did, finally, see the Raspberries during the same reunion tour you did and they were great!!!
I always thought ‘Go All The Way’ was one of the greatest guitar songs EVER. Maybe the first true ‘power pop’ song.
Safe travels Eric Carmen, you (and the band) deserved more than you got.
Marty Hecker
Denver, CO
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It was sad to hear of Eric’s passing.. I feel that his hit “Hungry Eyes” was one of the sexiest songs I remember hearing from that era.. It was one of those songs you hear on the radio and you just have to stop what you’re doing and listen.. I found it to be a powerful statement.
Randy Dawson
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Well said Bob,
I remember one of my buddies like thirty years ago saying his Mom loved the Raspberries, “go all the way†I didn’t get it but now I do
Another 67 year old guy remembering
Gerry Lauderdale
Boston MA
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Hey Bob
Eric Carmen’s passing really hit a nerve (as does the theme of your article).
We were label mates of sorts: he (and The Raspberries) and my band were both groomed at the same Jimmy Ienner-run production company long, long ago
(although he/they were a few years ahead of me/us).
I was always a big fan, and I always thought he was underrated as a songwriter and a recording artist –
and I agree “Boats Against The Current” was a musical masterpiece of sorts.
Wallace Collins
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I can’t say I was a big Eric Carmen fan, but Karl Wallinger led one of my favorite, “Kiss of Death” bands, World Party. They seem to come out of nowhere, I know he was in the Waterboys, but in America that was out of nowhere. He played all his own instruments like Emmett Rhoads, wrote great tunes and everything sounded great. I never got to see him live but I’ve got four really good records from him and that’s hard to do.
RIP Karl.
Gary Jackson
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Watching these artists slip away is painful. Right now, we still have Paul & Ringo, Mick & Keith and that is a good thing, but so many have moved over the musical rainbow bridge in the past few years, it is a sad thing to absorb. I appreciate what you wrote here about YOUR personal memories. I have my Eric Carmen 45rpm of “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again” that showed just how immense his talent was in the mid-1970’s after Raspberries.
It is Karl Wallinger’s passing that hit me so hard. His undying love for all things Beatles permeated his music and he was out in the open about those influences. He was fantastic and will be missed.
Marc Platt
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There were no better songs for high school love then Go All The Way and I Wanna Be With You. And Karl Wallinger’s World Party’s GoodBye Jumbo is a non skip masterpiece. Both Eric Carmen and Karl Wallinger were superstars in their own right.
jeffsackstennis
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Seatrain!
Caught them live in my hometown (Princeton).
For the record (pun intended) they were also on Capitol, and I think the label did a good job with the texture of the album cover.
Thanks for the very fond walk down memory lane.
Scott Kauffman
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The reason The Silencers got to open for U2 at Cardiff Arms Park, on the Joshua Tree tour, Karl Wallinger was sick that day.
I saw World Party play live in London a few months earlier and was blown away. An amazing writer and performer.
The World Party albums were for me a sanctuary when things got a little tough, always an uplifting melancholic cuddle.
Thanks for writing about Karl.
Martin Stuart Hanlin
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SEATRAIN— fabulous, almost too-hip, reference
Fred Ansis
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“If you’re afraid of being injured, you’re afraid of livingâ€
That is so perfect in all the factors of life. An extraordinary songwriter, arranger, and vocalist. Eric Carmen has left us with a treasure load of greatness.
I of course will live forever!
Thank you once again Bob for hitting that nail on the head..
Michael Des Barres
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I felt bad when I heard Eric died. Not sure why, I didn’t know him. Other artists, other people die and I chalk it up to Nobody gets out alive stuff. But I loved the Raspberries. I owned an indie record store in the 70s “Something Else Records†named after the Eddie Cochran hit, when I was in my 20 s. I’m a Rocker was on heavy rotation in the store. I was working for BMG when Dirty Dancing came out. Not only did it help pay the rent, but loved the soundtrack, and Hungry Eyes. And I’m a sucker for lush ballads which he made cool. Later I found the Live Raspberries album at a used record shop and loved it. He made an impact on me, that few have. May he RIP.
Bob Morelli
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My uncle was a classmate of Eric Carmen’s at Brush High School in Lyndhurst.
Back in the 60’s my uncle’s band The Cellmates played the same circuit as Eric’s band The Sounds of Silence.
They would all get together and jam at the Brush High School reunions:
https://www.buckeyebeat.com/cellmates.html
Vince Welsh
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I turned my daughter onto ‘the choir’ last year “baby it’s cold outside†and whenever she comes to visit me in London Ontario from her home just outside of Ottawa chilling at some point, she’ll put that song on the Bluetooth player at least once during her long weekend visits.
She gets it she knows who Eric Carmen is and how he hooked up with the choir to form the Raspberries (did I spell it right? And I get it’s more complicated than I’ve just spelled out), I’m glad I was able to share that with her last night that EC had died – because the kid gets it 25yrs old.
And also last night , before I was made aware, I listened to my two favourite live albums of all time: Deep Purple Made in  Japan -,the second LP I ever bought,  and  Emerson, Lake & Palmer “welcome back my friends to the show that never ends’ with new Apple earbuds,,, kind of neat that you mentioned Keith Emerson. Great article you wrote – I love Eric Carmen: may he rest in peace. You? stay safe stay sane.
Andrew Parr
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“I don’t need anybody else to agree with me.” (Bob Lefsetz)
Well, Bob…
Allow me to do so.
“Boats Against the Current” is exceptional.
It’s simple.
It soars.
And with every bad review it got…
It got better and better with every listen.
Marty Bender
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Also two days ago— March 10
T. M. Stevens
Bassist supreme…. Amazing vocalist…. One of those cats who is on A MILLION albums, is on the radio every day on hits.. but not a household name outside certain musician circles
Albums and shows with Cissy Houston ….and was there for Whitney Houston’s beginning, and played live w her. Lots of sessions on Narada Michael Walden productions…
… played bass & sang backups on the biggest charting and airplay James Brown hit … Living in America, co-written by Dan Hartman & Charlie Midnight.
Dan as you well know had massive hits instant Replay, I can Dream About You, and T.M. recorded and  toured for years in Dan’s projects & bands.
He had the usual dizzying resume of the journeyman bassist…..from Miles Davis and John McLaughlin to Tina Turner, Steve Vai, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Nona Hendryx, Little Steven, Stacy Lattisaw …was in the Pretenders for attending Get Close album, with Bernie Worrell, whose band he was also in….. Billy Joel , River Of Dreams album…… it’s endless.
Any Electric bass player knows him from countless magazine ads since the 80s for strings, bass guitars and pedals…. unmistakable with his multicolor, African themed outfits and crazy dreadlocks
A brilliant Zelig of the funk-rock bass world, and a dear friend, has fallen. A fireball of energy and meticulous session musician with a distinct sound. He will be majorly missed. As you say…. This is talkin’ bout our generation starting to die.
We as music obsessives will realize we didn’t pay enough attention to Eric Carmen while he was here.
I’ll miss him not just for the ballads but for the razor sharp power pop. Hell, he may have invented that particular subgenre.
We didn’t pay enough attention to Karl Wallinger either.
Or Wayne Kramer.
Spot on as always Bob, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.
As a grizzled Minnesota poet once said, “if you’re not busy being born, your busy dyingâ€
John Tierney
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My close friend and band partner from days gone by, Phil Sullivan, recommended I subscribe to your daily thoughts a few months back. I am so glad he did. I greatly enjoy reading your in sights … however, this one on Eric Carmen hit home with me like no other before.
Eric was brilliant and I loved his songs … “All by Myselfâ€Â “Hungry Eyes†and The Raspberries “Go All The Way†and “I Saw the Light†are some of the “tunes of my life.â€Â He captured our inner thoughts with his lyrics and sang them as if there would not be a tomorrow… quite the passion.
I agree with you, the internet has killed the music artist and the (important) messages we need to hear from them; now maybe more than ever. On the other hand, you have er keep the fire burning  … when you get off the next ski lift, make a run like there will never be another one, because maybe (at our age) …
As Christopher Cross sings “Ride Like The Wind.â€
My best,
Gene Ellison
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Most excellent of you to mention the passing of Karl Wallinger. He was an excellent songwriter and all-around musician who beyond that initial “hit” phase, continued to make some really fine, well crafted albums.
I once called him the poor man’s Warren Zevon but meant it as a compliment of the highest order. He will be missed.
– J. Pothier/Fairfield CT
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I got to see the Raspberries during the reunion in NYC on the second night. They were fantastic.
I am a fan of ALL of their music as well as Eric’s solo stuff. You’re right, they should’ve been bigger. “Let’s pretendâ€could have gotten them bonafides as a serious act.
I was told the night before a cavalcade of famous people who they influenced came to see them. I know Bruce mentioned them, Paul Stanley, Bon Jovi and Cheap Trick have mentioned them too. It’s kinda like that Velvet underground quote that said something like the album itself didn’t do so well but it spawned 1000 bands.
He will be missed
Sincerely,
Robert Garcia
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My favorite Eric Carmen record (he’s the remixer!)
Steve Popovich released this on his Cleveland International label.
Jim Charne
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Damn, Bob. That was a bummer of a post. Sometimes I really hate it when you push so hard on the truth. Re: Eric Carmen – I loved his BATC album too. Those songs have been inside me since the day it was released in 1977 – the same day I turned 21 and bought that record in Austin. But now for Eric, there’s no more beating on against the current. Dear God, that’s so so sad. 🙁
Roy Nelson Duffle
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“Peace comes after the laughter. I started to cry. And now I find I’m blind.â€
I might have been about 11 when I first heard this. It was the saddest song I’d ever heard and kind of scary. But I kept listening.
He wrote good hooks.
Best,
Velina Brown
Stories: :”What Comes After”: https://shorturl.at/jnrt0
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Please don’t forget Eric Carmen’s wonderful 1975 “All by Myself” – (albeit courtesy of Rachmaninov) (almost 50 years old!)
ELLIS S RICH OBE HON DMus CEO
Supreme Songs Limited
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For my money the best World Party song is All Come True. Can listen to that groove over and over.
John Hughes
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I grew up in Youngstown Ohio. I saw Hard Days Night there. I would drive with my buddies to Cleveland to see The Raspberries play. Eric Carmen burned it down doing The Beatles version of Twist And Shout.
The James Gang played Thursday nights in Youngstown at this weird club called The Freakout.
Joe Walsh and Phil Keagy killed it playing Jeff’s Boogie there.
Bob Seger played there as well. Ramblin Gamblin Man at Maximum volume.
Eric Carmen and The Raspberries finally played there but only once.
I’ve lived in Nashville for the past forty years, writing songs. Lots of songs.
Country music has been very, very good to me.
But long ago and far away, I lived in Rock n Roll heaven. Where Eric is now.
Bob DiPiero
Nashville
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Karl Wallinger was born less than 2 weeks before me in 57, gives one pause. I was aware of World Party but never got into them. But I love The Waterboys and saw them a few years ago here in Halifax. Not sure if Wallinger was with them I just know it was an amazing show in a small venue.
Makes one ponder when we see our musical heroes fall by the wayside, Bowie was a tough one as was Cohen.
But for me Dylan will be the biggest. I’ve been a Dylan addict for a long time and this world will be a much sadder place without Bob. The fact he could pen Murder Most Fowl in his waning years is stunning.
Your right Bob, we oldsters don’t have much time left, so we may, as much as possible enjoy it.
Doug Gillis
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Boy, are you right, Bob. I was living my best life when I found out I have terminal cancer on 12-26-23. Since then, friends who I thought were my best friends have faded away claiming they can’t handle what’s happening to me and don’t know what to say. People I barely know on facebook offer me places to stay in Maryland when I go for a huge operation at Johns Hopkins in May.
My world has turned upside down. I had two music cruises planned, and decided I needed to not go and sell my room. StarVista (Flower Power cruise) said I couldn’t sell the room to a person I found to buy it because I missed the deadline by ONE DAY. They would have made an extra $500 just by changing the name on the reservation. They said, “No, you can turn it in and we’ll resell it.” “What do I get?” “Nothing.” It seems like each day a new insult happens.
We are all old cars heading for the junk heap. But when you have zero symptoms and a doctor looks you in the eye and says, “You have 9 to 18 months to live,” it is shocking to your mind, heart and soul.
Katie Bradford
Portland, OR
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So I’m sitting in a waiting room at Gare du Nord station where I’ve spent the day in a studio in Paris working with a young 20 yr old singer on one of my songs for a movie ….….I had a few big hits as an artist in the Seventies ….produced ‘Boogie Nights’ and most of the Heatwave hits…. and carried on writing and producing through the 80’s to now when I’m in my early Seventies….I’m reading you post and watching all my contemporaries fading away …….why am I still doing this ???
Barry Blue
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You speak the truth in your assement . At 70 we sold everything. I sold all my instruments except a few and my music computer. We then moved to Portugal because life is about experiences and that’s what we want at this point. I want to remember everything that happened to me in 50 + years in the music world. We are experiencing new adventures here in Europe and we realize we are not going to be here forever but living here gives us a shot at extending the adventure.
People need to step back and then take the next step if you want the most out of this life
Greetings from Lisbon
Peace,Jason Miles
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Very well put, I just turned 79 and have wonderful memories having worked for Mercury, Capitol, ABC/Dunhill, MCA and Capricorn. All during what I consider the cream of the crop days of music. Radio was king in making the hits ! I still believe in the music and I feel it in my heart and soul, long live music!
Barry Pollack
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Great letter! I’m turning 80 next month, healthy, active , still working but I know it’s only a matter of time.
Jan Burden
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My apologies for the golf analogy.  As you may know, I LOVE golf.  Millions of golfers dream of shooting a score of 72 when they’re age is 72.  In fact, it’s called “shooting your age”.  I want to shoot 95 when I’m 95!!  That will require me remaining to be younger than my years.  That is also my motivation. If you’re going to go, go all the way.  Dream on, right?
