From: Eric Greenspan<\/p>\n
I sent Amy Carmen your article and here was her response.<\/p>\n
Thanks for sharing \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 to brighten the mood here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00c2\u00a0a great EC memory:<\/p>\n
Eric and I were in the car maybe 10-14 days ago when Casey Kasem\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0American Top 40 was replaying\u00c2\u00a0the October 1972 broadcast\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0&\u00c2\u00a0Overnight Sensation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00c2\u00a0came in on the top 40 chart\u00c2\u00a0at # 26 .<\/p>\n
Eric\u00c2\u00a0was so pissed that Casey cut the end of the song off . \u00c2\u00a0But the great memory I have of him is watching him\u00c2\u00a0air drum -the drum fills!<\/p>\n
Bob\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right I only heard Overnight Sensation one other time on the radio\u00c2\u00a0and I think it was Little Steven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Underground Garage<\/p>\n
Love,<\/p>\n
Amy<\/p>\n
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Let the truth be told, Kevin Sutter broke World Party. It was a labor of love\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never worked with a person with such strong conviction to this artist.<\/p>\n
From the onset we at Chrysalis Records realized that Karl Wallinger was a brilliant talent.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Rock radio was not easy to garner\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 in the era of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153more Zep you f*ckers\u00e2\u20ac\u009d…World Party was no walk in the park. Program Directors said no\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 no and more no\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Sutter persevered and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ship of Fools\u00e2\u20ac\u009d became a radio hit\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p>\n
What a mega hit!<\/p>\n
The greatness of World Party was in their live performance\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Your jaw would drop\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.<\/p>\n
Jeff Laufer<\/p>\n
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I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell you how saddened I am about Karl Wallinger\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s passing.<\/p>\n
Not only because his songs were the soundtrack of my twenties, but because he recently became a friend.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Good to see you getting good recognition,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he wrote me.<\/p>\n
I was floored. Here was one of the greatest songwriters affirming that I had something to say too.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
It felt like winning the lottery.<\/p>\n
That nod of acceptance affected me deeply. We even talked about writing a song together.<\/p>\n
Sadly, that wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t to be. But I wanted to write to say that Karl\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s generosity and kindness were as strong as the songs he left us with.<\/p>\n
And trust me, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been on repeat over here.<\/p>\n
Thanks for remembering him.<\/p>\n
Jon Regen<\/p>\n
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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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s death makes the second personal loss for me in the past week and the fourth in the past few months .<\/p>\n
I was a fan of Raspberries from the first time I heard \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Go All the Way\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and I got their Starting Over album when it came out and thought it should have been a hit on FM Radio.<\/p>\n
So in 2007 when I heard that ( the) Raspberries had reunited and were going to play the House Of Blues in LA, \u00c2\u00a0I 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)<\/p>\n
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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Time marches on with the same eventual outcome for everyone including our idols. As the song says \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Mark Linett<\/p>\n
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Hi Bob,<\/p>\n
Seatrain!\u00c2\u00a0 Love you mentioned them!\u00c2\u00a0 Many, sadly,\u00c2\u00a0 never heard Seatrain\/Marblehead Messenger!\u00c2\u00a0 Shanda!\u00c2\u00a0 Barry Goldberg turned me on to them when I was working with Albert Grossman!\u00c2\u00a0 The office was casual, and artists often would just hang…this office,\u00c2\u00a0 oy, I got stories, but I digress…<\/p>\n
Thank you Bob for sharing Eric Carmen, an early Arista signing…<\/p>\n
Respectfully,<\/p>\n
Rose Gross-Marino<\/p>\n
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Bob:\u00c2\u00a0 I am so sad that there will never be another Raspberries reunion.<\/p>\n
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.\u00c2\u00a0 Remember ordering records through the mail and waiting eagerly for weeks for them to show up?\u00c2\u00a0 I did, finally, see the Raspberries during the same reunion tour you did and they were great!!!<\/p>\n
I always thought ‘Go All The Way’ was one of the greatest guitar songs EVER.\u00c2\u00a0 Maybe the first true ‘power pop’ song.<\/p>\n
Safe travels Eric Carmen, you (and the band) deserved more than you got.<\/p>\n
Marty Hecker<\/p>\n
Denver, CO<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
Randy Dawson<\/p>\n
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Well said Bob,
\nI remember one of my buddies like thirty years ago saying his Mom loved the Raspberries, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153go all the way\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get it but now I do
\nAnother 67 year old guy remembering
\nGerry Lauderdale
\nBoston MA<\/p>\n
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Hey Bob<\/p>\n
Eric Carmen’s passing really hit a nerve (as does the theme of your article).<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
(although he\/they were a few years ahead of me\/us).<\/p>\n
I was always a big\u00c2\u00a0fan, and I always thought\u00c2\u00a0he\u00c2\u00a0was underrated as a songwriter and a recording artist –<\/p>\n
and I agree “Boats\u00c2\u00a0Against The Current” was a musical masterpiece of sorts.<\/p>\n
Wallace Collins<\/p>\n
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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.
\nRIP Karl.<\/p>\n
Gary Jackson<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Marc Platt<\/p>\n
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There were\u00c2\u00a0no better songs for high school love then Go\u00c2\u00a0All The Way and I Wanna Be With You. And Karl Wallinger\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s World\u00c2\u00a0Party\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s GoodBye Jumbo is a non skip masterpiece. Both Eric Carmen and Karl Wallinger were superstars in their own right.<\/p>\n
jeffsackstennis<\/p>\n
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Seatrain!<\/p>\n
Caught them live in my hometown (Princeton).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Thanks for the very fond walk down memory lane.<\/p>\n
Scott Kauffman<\/p>\n
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The reason The Silencers got to open for U2 at Cardiff Arms Park, on the Joshua\u00c2\u00a0Tree tour, Karl Wallinger was sick that day.<\/p>\n
I saw World Party play\u00c2\u00a0live in London a few months earlier and was blown away. An amazing writer and performer.<\/p>\n
The World Party albums were for me a sanctuary when things got a little tough, always an uplifting melancholic cuddle.<\/p>\n
Thanks for writing about Karl.<\/p>\n
Martin Stuart Hanlin<\/p>\n
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SEATRAIN\u00e2\u20ac\u201d fabulous, almost too-hip, reference<\/p>\n
Fred Ansis<\/p>\n
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\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re afraid of being injured, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re afraid of living\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
I of course will live forever!<\/p>\n
Thank you once again Bob for hitting that nail on the head..<\/p>\n
Michael Des Barres<\/p>\n
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I felt bad when I heard Eric died. Not sure why, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t 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 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Something Else Records\u00e2\u20ac\u009d named after the Eddie Cochran hit, when I was in my 20 s. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m 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.<\/p>\n
Bob Morelli<\/p>\n
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My uncle was a classmate of Eric Carmen’s at Brush High School in Lyndhurst.<\/p>\n
Back in the 60\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s my uncle\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s band The Cellmates played the same circuit as Eric\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s band The Sounds of Silence.<\/p>\n
They would all get together and jam at the Brush High School reunions:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.buckeyebeat.com\/cellmates.html<\/p>\n
Vince Welsh<\/p>\n
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I turned my daughter onto \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcthe choir\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 last year \u00e2\u20ac\u0153baby it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cold outside\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and whenever she comes to visit me in London Ontario from her home just outside of Ottawa chilling at some point, she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll put that song on the Bluetooth player at least once during her long weekend visits.
\nShe 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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more complicated than I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve just spelled out), I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m glad I was able to share that with her last night that EC had died – because the kid gets it 25yrs old.<\/p>\n
And also last night , before I was made aware, I listened to my two favourite live albums of all time: Deep Purple Made in \u00c2\u00a0Japan -,the second LP I ever bought, \u00c2\u00a0and \u00c2\u00a0Emerson, Lake & Palmer \u00e2\u20ac\u0153welcome back my friends to the show that never ends\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 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.<\/p>\n
Andrew Parr<\/p>\n
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“I don’t need anybody else to agree with me.” (Bob Lefsetz)<\/p>\n
Well, Bob…<\/p>\n
Allow me to do so.<\/p>\n
“Boats Against the Current” is exceptional.<\/p>\n
It’s simple.<\/p>\n
It soars.<\/p>\n
And with every bad review it got…<\/p>\n
It got better and better with every listen.<\/p>\n
Marty Bender<\/p>\n
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Also two days ago\u00e2\u20ac\u201d March 10<\/p>\n
T. M. Stevens<\/p>\n
Bassist supreme\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. Amazing vocalist\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. 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<\/p>\n
Albums and shows with Cissy Houston \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.and was there for Whitney Houston\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s beginning, and played live w her. Lots of sessions on Narada Michael Walden productions\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 played bass & sang backups on the biggest charting and airplay James Brown hit \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Living in America, co-written by Dan Hartman & Charlie Midnight.<\/p>\n
Dan as you well know had massive hits instant Replay, I can Dream About You, and T.M. recorded and \u00c2\u00a0toured for years in Dan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s projects & bands.<\/p>\n
He had the usual dizzying resume of the journeyman bassist\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6..from Miles Davis and John McLaughlin to Tina Turner, Steve Vai, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Nona Hendryx, Little Steven, Stacy Lattisaw \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6was in the Pretenders for attending Get Close album, with Bernie Worrell, whose band he was also in\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6.. Billy Joel , River Of Dreams album\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s endless.<\/p>\n
Any Electric bass player knows him from countless magazine ads since the 80s for strings, bass guitars and pedals\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. unmistakable with his multicolor, African themed outfits and crazy dreadlocks<\/p>\n
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.\u00c2\u00a0 He will be majorly missed. As you say\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6. This is talkin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 bout our generation starting to die.<\/p>\n
Andr\u00c3\u00a9 Cholmondeley<\/p>\n
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We as music obsessives will realize we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pay enough attention to Eric Carmen while he was here.<\/p>\n
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll miss him not just for the ballads but for the razor sharp power pop.\u00c2\u00a0 Hell, he may have invented that particular subgenre.<\/p>\n
We didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pay enough attention to Karl Wallinger either.<\/p>\n
Or Wayne Kramer.<\/p>\n
Spot on as always Bob, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.<\/p>\n
As a grizzled Minnesota poet once said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not busy being born, your busy dying\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
John Tierney<\/p>\n
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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.\u00c2\u00a0 I am so glad he did.\u00c2\u00a0 I greatly enjoy reading your in sights \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 however, this one on Eric Carmen hit home with me like no other before.<\/p>\n
Eric was brilliant and I loved his songs \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153All by Myself\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hungry Eyes\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and The Raspberries \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Go All The Way\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I Saw the Light\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are some of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tunes of my life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 He captured our inner thoughts with his lyrics and sang them as if there would not be a tomorrow\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 quite the passion.<\/p>\n
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.\u00c2\u00a0 On the other hand, you have er keep the fire burning \u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 when you get off the next ski lift, make a run like there will never be another one, because maybe (at our age) …<\/p>\n
As Christopher Cross sings \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ride Like The Wind.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
My best,<\/p>\n
Gene Ellison<\/p>\n
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Most excellent of you to mention the passing\u00c2\u00a0of Karl Wallinger. He was an excellent songwriter and all-around musician who beyond that initial “hit” phase, continued to make some really fine, well\u00c2\u00a0crafted albums.<\/p>\n
I once called him the poor man’s Warren Zevon but meant it as a compliment\u00c2\u00a0of the highest order. He will be missed.<\/p>\n
– J. Pothier\/Fairfield CT<\/p>\n
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I got to see the Raspberries during the reunion in NYC on the second night. They were fantastic.<\/p>\n
I am a fan of ALL of their music as well as Eric\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s solo stuff. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re right, they should\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been bigger. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pretend\u00e2\u20ac\u009dcould have gotten them bonafides as a serious act.<\/p>\n
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\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kinda like that Velvet underground quote that said something like the album itself didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do so well but it spawned 1000 bands.<\/p>\n
He will be missed<\/p>\n
Sincerely,
\nRobert Garcia<\/p>\n
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My favorite Eric Carmen record (he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the remixer!)<\/p>\n
Steve Popovich released this on his Cleveland International label.<\/p>\n
Jim Charne<\/p>\n