Looks like John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band are, finally, getting their first legitimate greatest hits compilation, including tracks from the "Eddie & The Cruisers" soundtrack and songs from their very respectable follow-up album, "Tough All Over." A great bar band that also happened to make it pretty big on the charts, if only for a short time. No idea what the sound quality will be like... It's a CD release, but it would be cool to see this make an appearance on vinyl. The CD's release date is Sept. 30, 2022. Here's the track list: 1 On the Dark Side 2 Voice of America's Sons 3 Runnin' Thru the Fire 4 Wild Summer Nights 5 Open Road 6 Just a Matter of Time 7 Tough All Over 8 Tender Years 9 Small Town Girl 10 C-I-T-Y 11 Hearts on Fire 12 Victory Dance 13 Boardwalk Angel 14 Some Like It Hot 15 Song & Dance 16 Pride & Passion
Just noticed that this CD is listed as mastered by Vic Anesini, and is on the Iconoclassic label that is responsible for the Guess Who deluxe reissues.
I used to love their hits on the US chart, that we'd hear on a Saturday afternoon courtesy of Radio 1. I also liked the track they did for Rocky IV. I've got an "Eddie & The Cruisers" budget type CD. EG.
This is the CD I have: Didn't realise it's actually Tough All Over with a different sleeve. But that's a good thing. EG.
Decent band. A little too much sax for my personal taste but apart from that, good stuff. Strangely enough, I've never heard the Eddie & The Cruisers album but I quite like Tough All Over & Roadhouse.
Glad to see this band get some recognition — and a comprehensive greatest hits compilation like this makes a lot of sense. Hope there’s more Cafferty titles under consideration.
I have the two Eddie and the Cruisers soundtracks, including the Audio Fidelity. I'd be interested to know what this release sounds like, being mastered by Vic Anesini.
They're still out there playing live now and then. I saw them open for Southside Johnny in April in Lynn MA and they sounded pretty good!
That version of "Tough All Over" sparked litigation between Cafferty and his old record label, Scotti Brothers. In the 1990s, the label repackaged Cafferty's post-"Eddie" albums to imply the albums were not previously released albums by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band but new albums by a real-life band called Eddie & The Cruisers -- a fact that always galled me when I saw the CDs in shops. There was no connection at all between those albums and the movie or its sequel. On top of that, the label took a concert recording by Cafferty and his band and released it as "Eddie & The Cruisers Live And In Concert," although Cafferty had expressly refused to consent to that album's release. And if that wasn't bad enough, Scotti had, for whatever reason, refused to pay Cafferty royalties on his other albums until he sued -- at which point the label coughed up a considerable amount of money, but not, Cafferty claimed, all that was owed. I know the music business can be ugly, but the way Cafferty was allegedly treated is horrific -- especially with regard to his later albums being sold under the name of Eddie & The Cruisers. The federal judge in the case, in upholding Cafferty's claims on that point, wrote: "The "Eddie: Live," "Eddie: Tough All Over," and "Eddie: Roadhouse" albums ... were packaged and marketed to appear as if they contained the music of Eddie and the Cruisers. Scotti argues that because Eddie and the Cruisers was a fictitious band, the public and particularly those fans most likely to buy these albums -- i.e., those who saw the movies -- could not have been misled into believing that the music on the albums was actually the music of the fictitious band. Moreover, Scotti points out that on the covers of both the "Eddie: Tough All Over" and "Eddie: Roadhouse" albums, the name "John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band" is prominently displayed, and the liner notes to the "Eddie: Live" album prominently disclose that the songs were written by Cafferty and performed by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band. "Scotti's arguments are rejected, for questions of fact exist as to whether the public was or will be misled. Although unlikely, it may be that some purchasers of the albums actually believed that a band entitled Eddie and the Cruisers existed. More likely, some fans might have been led into believing that the albums featured music actually related to the Cruisers I and Cruisers II movies. Certainly, some fans might not have realized that they were purchasing non-original or recycled music, music that had been released years earlier that was being re-released and re-packaged as something that it was not music connected to the movies. "Moreover, Cafferty surely has standing to complain. In essence, he found himself competing against himself. At the same time that he was continuing to try to establish himself as a songwriter and performing artist in his own right, his songs and recordings that had nothing to do with Eddie and the Cruisers were being sold as the music of Eddie and the Cruisers. "Scotti argues that Cafferty cannot recover damages without proof of actual confusion on the part of consumers, and points to the purported absence in the record of any evidence of actual confusion. While Scott's statement of the law is correct as a general proposition, a plaintiff in a Lanham Act case may prove actual confusion indirectly, i.e., by proving intentional deception. In addition, a plaintiff need only prove likelihood of confusion to obtain equitable relief. Genuine issues of fact exist as to the existence and likelihood of actual confusion and whether defendants intended to deceive the public."
Except for IMHO grating EQ and dynamic range suprresion. The original CBS-Scotti CD can be difficult to find but if you will accept onen with a faded spine they are out there.
Pre-ordered. I've always thought that he was woefully and unfairly hit with the `Bruce rip-off' tag. I love his stuff and have a 2-CD `live at the Bottom Line' boot that I enjoy very much. Same with Arlyn Gayle (sic?) - that was a great album. Did he even really exist?
I saw them in 1985 at a community college gym. Despite the atrocious sonics, they were a GREAT live band. I went in a little skeptical because of the Bruce comparison, but was very impressed with their performance. I’ll check this out.
I've been waiting for weeks for this. As IconoclassicRecs has mentioned in the company's publicity about this release, it's actually about three decades overdue. A few more days of patience won't hurt, especially if the whole package sounds and looks as good as I suspect it will. The cover photo is an outtake from the Roadhouse cover session, right?
Not sure about that but I was wondering what the deal is with the full-calf rubber boots. Were they cleaning out John’s flooded basement when they posed for that shot? Getting ready for a shift at the local fire department? I can’t imagine they were making a fashion statement.
I saw them twice. Once at the Heart of Illinois Fair near Peoria in 1986 or so, and once in the mid-90s at, of all things, a Rhode Island zoo where they played for attendees of the Investigative Reporters and Editors’ annual conference. Both times they burned down the house. The ‘86 show was probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a concert. They were really, really good.
Is your copy of the Bottom Line show the 2-CD set from Klondike Records? I just purchased it and they somehow messed up the transfer so that underneath several songs you can quite clearly hear other songs from the set. It renders those parts of the set completely unlistenable. It's like being in a room where two radios are tuned to different stations. It's too bad because I think the mix of the original broadcast is decent and the source tapes seem to be pretty good.
Man, this is a hard CD to get. I have it pre-ordered from Amazon but still have no info on when it will ship. I am looking forward to it though.
I was in for this as soon as it was announced, even though I already have every previous release from John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown band. I have several Iconoclassic releases, and they are all quality, so I wouldn’t expect this one to be any different. My copy hasn’t arrived yet, but I’m looking forward to hearing it.
