RASPBERRIES
Raspberries (Capitol)

Raspberries have blown it. (Come on, a name like that just cries out for it doesn't it?)

It's appropriate though, because they've blown it by listening to too many English bands and not investing enough of their own culture into the music.

One can Predict what's going to happen with surprising accuracy from the first track.

It opens with hard struck chords and a smattering of soul-shouting a la Steve Marriott, moves into a medium paced mid-60's track with the lead vocals sounding like Mike Pender of the Searchers and moves into a Beatles passage (the ascending "come on come on, come on, come on" line is a dead pinch from "Please, Please Me.") However, the melodic qualities of their songs, though not quite reaching the heights of the Beatles, are catchy, hummable and pleasant.

They certainly indicate the work of a band which could develop into one which will have a pop hit or two.

They're infinitely stronger on McCartneyesque tracks like "Come Around And See Me" and "I Saw The Light." The harder "Rock And Roll Mama" is at best ordinary, and reveals that instrumentally they are somewhat limited.

Three of the four-piece Cleveland band (Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson and David Smalley) have written all the material, most of which is adequate, little of which is truly outstanding.

These guys may of course have been influenced by the second wave of British pop bands to sweep across the States such as Badfinger and Bee Gees (Australian, I know but the structure and string arrangements of "Don't Want To Say Goodbye" demands their inclusion).

"With You In My Life" is a happy song, with jangly piano and bouncing brass backing and the eight-minute long "I Can Remember" is split into a slow opening section which is boring when compared with the up-tempo second section.

As a debut album this is a reasonable effort but I'd wait for the second or third. Then we'll really see what Raspberries are made of.

Melody Maker / July 15, 1972