The Essential Eric Carmen / Complete Track Listing

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Bruce, Feb 12, 2014.

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  1. Bruce

    Bruce Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Florida
    Disc: 1
    1. Get The Message (w/ The Cyrus Erie)
    2. Go All the Way (w/ Raspberries)
    3. I Wanna Be With You (w/ Raspberries)
    4. Let's Pretend (w/ Raspberries)
    5. Tonight (w/ Raspberries)
    6. Overnight Sensation (Hit Record) (w/ Raspberries)
    7. Sunrise
    8. My Girl
    9. All By Myself
    10. Never Gonna Fall in Love Again
    11. Last Night
    12. Starting Over (Live 1976)
    13. That's Rock N Roll (Live 1976)
    14. Run Away
    15. Love Is All That Matters
    Disc: 2
    1. Boats Against the Current
    2. Marathon Man
    3. She Did It
    4. Nowhere To Hide
    5. Change of Heart
    6. Hey Deanie
    7. Desperate Fools
    8. Someday
    9. It Hurts Too Much
    10. Tonight You re Mine
    11. The Way We Used To Be
    12. Hungry Eyes
    13. Make Me Lose Control
    14. Ecstasy (Live 2005) (w/ Raspberries)
    15. Brand New Year

    What do you all think??
     
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  2. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    First off, I'd toss the Raspberries tracks entirely. Yes, they're great. But we all have them. Many times over. And since they're stopped this collection at 30 tracks (even though more would fit), I don't want to waste 5 positions on them. These are also the same 5 songs as on the Definitive collection (where they also took up too much space).

    OK. Of the rest, the following are new (not on the single CD Definitive Collection):

    1. Get The Message (w/ The Cyrus Erie)

    8. My Girl

    11. Last Night
    12. Starting Over (Live 1976)
    13. That's Rock N Roll (Live 1976)
    14. Run Away
    15. Love Is All That Matters
    Disc: 2

    2. Marathon Man

    4. Nowhere To Hide

    8. Someday
    9. It Hurts Too Much
    10. Tonight You re Mine

    14. Ecstasy (Live 2005) (w/ Raspberries)
    15. Brand New Year

    General comments: The two additional tracks from the first album are both good songs, good additions. The live tracks are collector bait, I think--and 2/3 of them are additional Raspberries tracks. There are four additional tracks from the Boats album (joining the title track and She Did It on Definitive). This is his most ambitious album, and I can't argue with any of these additions. It's nice to see two tracks from Tonight You're Mine, as well, although I'm not sure I'd have picked Tonight You're Mine as the second of the two.

    Brand New Year is a good song, and Eric engaged. Good to see that.

    Too bad there's nothing from the Rhino album--although it wasn't a particularly great album.

    Overall, not bad. Wish it were more generous.

    I REALLY hope they use the album version of All By Myself, which is way better than the single edit that seems to get used most of the time. I also hope they're using Eric's version of Boats Against the Current, and not Clive Davis' girlie backup singer version that seems to be the default on most comps.

    If the sound is as amazingly better as Eric has promised (and I'm not holding my breath), this is, of course, a must buy. If not, then I already have everything except the two earlier live tracks and Brand New Year. I can probably wait.
     
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  3. troggy

    troggy Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow

    Location:
    Benton, Illinois
    I think I'll pass.
     
  4. howlinrock

    howlinrock Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Here is more from EC.com I'll buy this one for all these tracks in one spot .... Interesting read on his take on how this compilation came about. Go to: http://www.ericcarmen.com/news-2014-02-12.html

    The Essential Eric Carmen

    Arista/Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, has announced the release of The Essential Eric Carmen, a 30-track retrospective of the legendary singer/songwriter's four-and-a-half decade career. The two-disc set arrives in stores on March 25th and is available now for pre-order on iTUNES. By pre-ordering you will receive the new track "Brand New Year" instantly.

    Remastered carefully from the original analog recordings by Grammy Award®-winning engineer Mark Wilder at New York City's Battery Studios, The Essential Eric Carmen reaches back to the Cleveland-based artist's first recordings out of the teenage garage and then travels through his unforgettable catalogue of hits, both with power pop icons Raspberries ("Go All The Way," "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)," "I Wanna Be With You") and as chart-dominating solo superstar ("All By Myself," "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again," "She Did It," "Hungry Eyes," "Make Me Lose Control").

    The Essential Eric Carmen also includes the sonically inspired and lyrically optimistic "Brand New Year," Carmen's first new recording in more than 15 years. The track, which has received over 35K plays to date since its initial offering as a free download this past Christmas Eve, is streaming now at Legacy Recordings' official SOUNDCLOUD.

    "It would be a mistake to think of this release as just another compilation," Carmen recently noted. "I can tell you that you have never really heard most of these songs until you've heard them on this package. It is the closest to what I envisioned for most of these 30 tracks that I have ever experienced."

    The Essential Eric Carmen contemplates and highlights, for the first time in an engaging musically linear narrative, Carmen's entire recorded anthology, all marked by his oft-lauded pop craftsmanship as well as an instantly identifiable voice, equally capable of intimate crooning and raw-throated power. The collection gets off to an electrifying start with 1969's "Get The Message," making its very first digital debut in 45 years, one of the original three sides cut by Carmen's first signed band, Cyrus Erie, for Epic Records. Raspberries came together soon thereafter and immediately made an indelible and undoubtedly influential mark on rock 'n' roll. With Carmen at the helm, the band virtually invented the quintessentially American brand of power pop – big melodies, bounteous harmonies, and riff-driven crunch, all played with the amps turned up as far as they can go. The Essential Eric Carmen gathers some of the band's finest moments, from their million-selling debut, "Go All The Way," to a stellar take on "Ecstasy," recorded live at Los Angeles' House of Blues during 2005's sold out Raspberries Reunion Tour.

    Carmen set off on his solo course upon Raspberries' 1975 demise, releasing Eric Carmen the same year to both critical acclaim and massive popular success. Highlighted by the chart-topping "All By Myself," the album bore witness to the scope of the classically-trained Carmen's talent, showcasing his gift for sophisticated ballads, literary lyricism, and immense vocal arrangements. Each record that followed—1977's self-produced and intensely autobiographical Boats Against The Current, 1978's Change of Heart, 1980's Tonight You're Mine—offered new facets, touching on soul, classical, and the great American songbook. Melancholic and romantic, songs like "Nowhere To Hide" and "Desperate Fools" lay the foundation for the only now fully appreciated genre of soft rock.

    Though his symphonic ballads define mid-70's pop, Carmen remained, at his core, a true rocker through and through. This fact is clearly demonstrated here by such high-energy tracks as "It Hurts Too Much," "Hey Deanie," and "Tonight You're Mine." This collection also features two previously unreleased, electric readings of "That's Rock N' Roll" and Raspberries' "Starting Over," recorded in 1976 with his touring band at New York City's world-renowned Bottom Line.

    Carmen continued to sculpt his ambitious pop-rock well into the next decade. 1984's second self-titled solo collection saw him team with Bob Gaudio, best known as the genius singer/songwriter/producer behind Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, while his recording of "Hungry Eyes"—featured on 1987's Dirty Dancing soundtrack—returned Carmen to his rightful place on the charts, reaching the top 5 on Billboard's "Hot 100," while helping propel the album to sales currently in excess of 32 million, one of the 10 biggest selling albums of all time.

    Having spent much of the past two decades out of the spotlight, opting instead to comfortably 'retire' and focus on raising his children, Eric Carmen's musical return is perhaps most remarkable for its timelessness. "Brand New Year" ranks among the singer/songwriter's optimistic and insightful best, backed by longtime Beach Boys guitarist Jeffrey Foskett and members of the revered L.A. pop combo, The Wondermints.

    Indeed, Carmen has surrounded himself with brilliant collaborators throughout his career, notably a long, prolific association with Raspberries producer Jimmy Ienner that continued through 1988's top 3 smash, "Make Me Lose Control." As solo singer/songwriter, Carmen was backed by a veritable who's-who of the era's premium players, including guitarists Andrew Gold, Danny Kortchmar, Richie Zito, Steve Lukather, Davey Johnstone; bassists Leland Sklar, Bob Glaub, and Dave Wintour, drummers Jeff Porcaro, Carmine Appice, Nigel Olsson, and Russ Kunkel; keyboardists Craig Doerge and Jai Winding, saxophonists Tom Scott and Bobby Keys, percussionist Paulinho diCosta; and the legendary conductor/arranger Paul Buckminster, not to mention harmonies and backing vocals from such friends as Burton Cummings, Curt Boettcher, and The Beach Boys' Bruce Johnston.

    The Essential Eric Carmen compilation was produced by Legacy Recordings' Timothy J. Smith and overseen and advised by Eric Carmen, who also contributed original liner notes.

    Legacy Recordings' critically acclaimed and globally successful Essential Series has set a worldwide standard with its vast catalog of career-spanning, chronologically sequenced, fully annotated collections, available as double-CD packages or digital downloads.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2014
  5. jricc

    jricc Senior Member

    Location:
    Jersey Shore
    I think I have to get this, even though I have almost all of it. Really hoping for the much better sound. I agree 100% with Kwadguy, it's too bad they "wasted 5 spaces" on great Raspberries tracks, but 5 great tracks that have been released over and over.
     
  6. Pizza

    Pizza With extra pepperoni

    Location:
    USA
    Eh. I would have liked to have seen All for Love on there instead of Tonight You're Mine. Also a few more rare tracks. Agree on the Raspberries tracks being repetitive.
     
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  7. broccolid

    broccolid Trickologist

    Location:
    Austin, TX
    I'll just chime in to say that I'm pleasantly surprised that something like this is even coming out.
     
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  8. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    All for Love would probably have been my choice, too, in place of Tonight You're Mine, for a second track from the TYM album. I'd take Sleep With Me over TYM as well...
     
  9. RickA

    RickA Love you forever Luke, we will be together again

    Location:
    Tampa, FL
    I'm in! I thought Vic. A would do this though. Oh well....

    Rick A.
     
  10. Charlie990

    Charlie990 Senior Member

    Location:
    Perrysburg Ohio
    I would like to see something said along the lines " the Raspberries tracks have been remixed for the first time ever for this release from the original multi tracks " just to be able hear the studio tunes at least one time before the compression and other effects were added.
     
  11. RickA

    RickA Love you forever Luke, we will be together again

    Location:
    Tampa, FL

    Yeah, that would be cool. The mixes were great for AM radio but limiting on today's stereo equipment.

    Rick A.
     
  12. Peachy

    Peachy Forum Resident

    Surprised it's coming out, disappointed in the lack of rarities or unreleased stuff, but that is not what the essential series is about. I'll buy, but i'm a Carmen crazy.
     
    JimC likes this.
  13. apple-richard

    apple-richard *Overnight Sensation*

    I bought the MOFI Raspberries Best and I still like the way Go All The Way sucks the air right out of the room. This is a must buy for me.

    It should have contained I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips from the S/T Geffen album from 1985.
     
  14. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA

    I think Eric is (rightly) embarrassed by that weak track, and it appears he's trying to make a certain statement for his art here. But I can understand the suggestion...
     
  15. apple-richard

    apple-richard *Overnight Sensation*

    I got the album, 12 inch and CD. It was a minor hit but then so was half the stuff on this comp. :wtf:
     
  16. howlinrock

    howlinrock Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    You beat me to it.... A great track that will be sadly missed here. I don't think it's a weak one either and the 12 inch version is a great listen.
     
    Peachy likes this.
  17. music4life

    music4life Senior Member

    Location:
    South Elgin, IL
    Disappointed there are no real rarities here, as he has so much unreleased material in the vault that are even better than what ended up on the albums. Even "The Rock Stops Here" wouldve been a nice addition.
    I wouldve kept "No Hard Feelings" which was on the Definitive Collection instead of "Last Night". It wouldve also been nice to include "Reason to Try" and "My Heart Stops" just to have them both in one collection.
    I too would like to have seen something from "Winter Dreams". His version of "Caroline, No" (left of the Rhino release) is stellar and couldve been a nice addition for the US.
    As pizza said above, "All for Love" shouldve been in place of "Tonight You're Mine".
     
  18. easyge

    easyge Senior Member

    Location:
    Sioux Falls, SD
    He said on his forum that the album version is on this comp.
     
  19. Twangy

    Twangy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    i was a surprised as most were to see this was even MOOTED last year on Eric's forum page, which i rarely visit……when I was working on the Raspberries book with Ken Sharp back in the 90's, we went out to Cleveland the day after Christmas to present the final book to the guys, and at one point, we were at drummer Jim Bonfanti's house with his family, a warm great guy to be sure, and he and his wife brought out these boxes of clippings and photos and cassettes going back to the Choir days…needless to say, were going crazy with all the cool unseen photos and stuff, which we swiftly photocopied….anyway, Jim let us borrow the tapes, of Choir demos and cover songs and more, maybe overnight or so, and i found someplace to buy cassettes, and copy them quickly…one of the things i've never heard ANYONE ever talk about or ever even KNOW about, was a spec radio spot the 1970 Raspberries, I believe, did for Clairol shampoo called "Lemon Go Lightly"….it's not a rocking song, more ballad, even kind of Left Banke/Bread-ish….THAT woulda been SO cool to hear on this new set….but it will be nice for fans who've never hear Cyrus Erie to finally hear "Get The Message", tho The Quick 45 would've been even better!!!
     
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  20. MCE1965

    MCE1965 Senior Member

    Location:
    St. Louis
    Unfortunately, the Cyrus Erie song on Essential will apparently be "enhanced"... remixed, added instrumentation... boo... but hopefully the version of "Get The Message" that may eventually appear on the proposed "Early Years" compilation will be left alone (along with its wonderful flipside "Sparrow"). Not holding my breath, however.
     
  21. SHARPK

    SHARPK Forum Resident

    Location:
    ENCINO, CA, USA
    Not sure where you heard this info but you are incorrect. I worked on this collection and can report "Get The Message" is not enhanced with added instrumentation.

    And the good news...IMO none of this material--Cyrus Erie, Raspberries and solo--has ever sounded better...
     
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  22. Twangy

    Twangy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    and you BETTER believe Ken, he's the king of words! Nice to see you my friend!! Jim H.
     
  23. MCE1965

    MCE1965 Senior Member

    Location:
    St. Louis
    To quote Eric himself from the Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 16, 2014: http://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/index.ssf/2014/01/eric_carmens_brand_new_year_ma.html

    But for the Legacy recording, all the analog recordings were carefully transferred to digital, including “Get the Message.” Producer Tim Smith and engineer Mark Wilder, whom Carmen described as a scientist with an oscilloscope, were able to salvage the bones of a pretty good song.
    “Mark worked his magic for 15 or 20 minutes, and suddenly, the song got much better,’’ Carmen said. A little bass drum, a little added bass guitar, some doctoring to the vocals, and Presto! A good song.
    “Not only was I not embarrassed, but it’s actually really cool,’’ Carmen said. “It sounds the way it should’ve sounded in 1968.’’
     
  24. SHARPK

    SHARPK Forum Resident

    Location:
    ENCINO, CA, USA
    I can see why you gathered this info but what Eric meant was remastering engineer Mark Wilder added EQ which brought out more bass guitar, bass drum, pulled out the vocals, etc. No new recording was done, trust me on this one...This was all done in a remastering session.
     
    MLutthans likes this.
  25. DrAftershave

    DrAftershave A Wizard, A True Star

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    That song IS essential. It's a great song and it was a hit for Eric, along with being the bridge between his 70s hits and his "Dirty Dancing" period.
     
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