Originally published in The
Aquarian Weekly
The
Raspberries/Live On Sunset Strip/
Rykodisc
For people who grew
up in
the early ’70s, when
radio was
still king, The
Raspberries ruled
the airwaves. They were
the
prime architects of power
pop,
and they have been a
strong
influence on popular music
since
then. This new CD,
nicely
recorded by Mark Linett,
captures the magic of their
2005
reunion.
All of the hits are
here,
including “I Wanna Be With You,”
“Let’s Pretend,” “Overnight
Sensation” and “Go
All the Way.”
The set is fleshed
out with fan
favorites and well chosen
covers
such as “I Can’t Explain”
and
“Needles And Pins.”
In his liner notes,
Bruce
Springsteen says of The
Raspberries, “Dismissed
at the
time of their chart
dominance
for having ‘hits’
(Fools!), they
are the great
underrated power
pop masters.” The set
also
includes a five song bonus
DVD.
In A Word: Timeless
Grade: B+
—by Ken Shane