Eric Carmen with Brian's band for 2014

[astroray]

http://ericcarmen.com/forums/index.php?/topic/30236-brand-new-year-teaser-eccom-exclusive/

[Matt H]

Who wrote that song?  Is that a new Brian song?

[Andrew G. Doe]

Eric's perfectly capable of writing his own BW/BB knockoffs (and excellent they are too) - been doing it since The Raspberries, but I think this is his best one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4diS3khW-5k

[feelsflow]

wait...you mean just a new song for some hit-pack?  Love Eric, and welcome a new song...but the way your thread is titled made it sound like they would be touring together.  That would be great.

38 seconds is like it says.  A tease.  Got a thrill mis-reading your title.  We'll see.  His voice is still in very great shape.

Thanks for the info anyway.  I don't really check his site much,  but I have all his music.  Except Winter Dreams/I Was Born to Love You

He has so many wonderful songs, it would be easier to pick albums.  All The Raspberries stuff, even the reunion Live record.  Still waiting for them to release that on DVD for something under a hundred bucks.  The fist three solo long-players are classics.

EDIT:    Okay, I bit, and went to his site.  I'll buy Cyrus Erie and any early tracks he wants to toss us.  But, I've never heard an "Essential" release that sounded good.  In his "letter to the fans" from back in July he says, "This new re-mastering is 300% better."  right.  Sony is making it to market to 20/30 year olds, not for the 50/60 oldsters...oops.  Of course he knows we already have it.  I'll close out with:  do yourself a favor if you like The Raspberries - to get the power of what they were doing, you have to get it on vinyl.   

[Andrew G. Doe]

The whole song:

https://soundcloud.com/legacyrecordings/eric-carmen-brand-new-year/s-bUov9

[feelsflow]

Very nice.  On first listen I'd say more like XTC in Beach Boys mode, maybe Apple Venus era, than one of the real Beach Boys knock-offs he did back in the mid- late 70's.  She Did It and Hey Deanie sound like something that could have been written by Brian with Mike or Carl.  Crusin' Music, even more so, the Boys should have covered that.

I'd have to hear what this re-mastering sounded like before buying what Sony did just back in 2007 (Boats Against The Current/Change of Heart - two-fer), and Rhino did a fine job with his 1975 First (re-mastered by the oh-so-good Bill Inglot and Ken Perry).  For the rest, I have the vinyl -good enough.  I can't see how much more punchy they could make them.  I do buy Beach Boys over and over, but they are always worth it.  I'd suggest to anyone who didn't buy at least Sunflower 2012 re-master to get it.  It's unique, they had the masters in hand to do what they did with that.  Surf's Up too.  Mark is, as we know, doing a great job with the catalog.

On my statement about the Raspberries on vinyl, though I stand by it -  if you don't have a turn-table, the 2004 RPM/CherryRed.co.uk releases sound really good.  Beach Boys/early Nick Lowe fans will find much to enjoy.  Along with The Records and mid-late period XTC - they put the Power in POP.

[doc smiley]

like it, but don't love it... wish Eric had worked the verses a bit more.. its a little more ragged then I had hoped after hearing the chorus and that hurts the song.

 

[Mikie]

Have always really liked Eric Carmen, especially his vocal work. This song above is worthy of a good demo or maybe an album cut.

And this song is his all time best:

Never gonna fall in love again
I don't wanna start with someone new
'cause I couldn't bear to see it end
Just like me and you
No, I never wanna feel the pain
Of remembering how it used to be
Never gonna fall in love again
Just like you and me

[Pretty Funky]

Some key changes not unlike 'Warmth Of The Sun" in style to these ears. Very nice!

[Gregg]

Some key changes not unlike 'Warmth Of The Sun" in style to these ears. Very nice!

That's exactly what I thought the first time I heard it! He just repeats the same classic chordal sequence (I-vi --modulation-- I-vi) over and over. Just a different modulation than Brian used. I believe I actually hear an augmented chord thrown in there too!

It makes for some interesting harmonic changes, but not as seemingly effortless and smooth as WOTS.

[Alex]

Go All the Way is great, but All By Myself is some of the worst sentimental drivel I've ever heard.

[feelsflow]

Go All the Way is great, but All By Myself is some of the worst sentimental drivel I've ever heard.

Not if you were in love with someone at Christmas 1975, who didn't want you.

Never Gonna Fall in Love Again was phase two.

.

All By Myself and Never Gonna Fall In Love Again share something in common.  Both are based on the music of one of my very favorite composers - Rachmaninoff.  He was great at love themes, both happy and sad. 

To bring another Christmas feel to all this, and I do now think this thread was a good idea - thanks astroray, I'll mention my very favorite piece by Sergi.  Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.  Recorded by Rachmaninoff on piano, with Leopold Stokowski Conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra on Christmas Eve 1934 at Trinity Church Studio in Camden, New Jersey.

One of my other favorite composers, John Barry, used the 18th variation of this piece for the soundtrack to Somewhere In Time.  Not a very good movie, but a great score.

[Mikie]

Yeah, but didn't Bruce sing background on "She Did It"?  And is Brian on "Hey Deanie" or no.

Carmen's "That's Rock & Roll" is a good one too. I remember Shaun Cassidy did a good version too.

[feelsflow]

Yeah, but didn't Bruce sing background on "She Did It"?  And is Brian on "Hey Deanie" or no.

Carmen's "That's Rock & Roll" is a good one too. I remember Shaun Cassidy did a good version too.

She Did It:  Bruce Johnston (him and Eric arranged the vocals), +Eric, Richard Reising, Curt Becher, Nigel Olsson and Joe Chemay.  Not listed on vocals, but Andrew Gold played the guitar solo - so maybe.  Bruce arranged vocals (alone) for I Think I Found Myself and Love Is All That Matters - with the same bunch of singers.  Burton Cummings does the backing vocal on Marathon Man.

The same group of vocalists did Hey Deanie and Someday on the Change of Heart album.  Brian is not listed in the credits.

.

And, Hey Mikie,  Didn't see you around here on Christmas...guess some of us have a life away from the board. Hope the Holidays are going well.

[Mikie]

Hey Feelsflow, what's goin' down?  Yeah, I was playing Little St. Nick on Christmas and am kinda maintaining a low profile thru the holidaze.  Hope you're doing well too!

I remember reading in one of the fanzines way back when that Brian had sung on Eric's "Boats Against The Current" album and specifically on "She Did It". But it was so bad they didn't use it or it was mixed down in the track. Maybe the same with "Hey Deanie", not sure.

[feelsflow]

I gave a fresh listen to Eric's boats... and Change of Heart this week.  Can now confirm that the Sony two-fer mastering is excellent.

.

Eric doesn't sing like any Beach Boy, he gets the songs to sound like them with arrangement and backing vocals.  On She Did It, and Hey Deanie, the many singers create a "Mike" blend.  Bruce doesn't stand out, he's just part of the blend.  As Mikie pointed out Hey Deanie does sound a bit different, with the same bunch of singers.  Maybe Brian is in there somewhere.  Wouldn't be the first time his late 70's vocals were pushed to the back.

[SloopJohnnyB]

I was able to buy a CD version of the Eric Carmen produced 'Euclid Beach Band' at a record/cd convention in back in the 80's. Japanese import. I think it was only released here in the states on vinyl.

Nice record. Remains a favorite. Totally Beach Boys influenced including the obvious 'There's No Surf In Cleveland'. The b-side of that single was a surf instrumental called 'Laugh in the Dark' I believe. Really cool record. Anyone know if that title ever made it to CD?

That album and the B-side (and possible out takes) really deserve a new CD release.

I've also followed Eric through his career. Always looking forward to anything new.

[mtaber]

"Overnight Sensation" is his best work. 

[TimeToGetAlone]

Bringing this one back up because I recently came across the Eric Carmen song "Someday".  If that's not the closest I've ever heard a song to meeting the spirit of Love You-era Beach Boys, I don't know what is.  She Did It, meanwhile, seem to have an early 70's Beach Boys-vibe on the chorus.