As the former lead singer of the Raspberries, a group whose misadventures prevented them from ever seeing sales figures that compared equitably with their true worth, Eric Carmen had much to overcome and even more to live up to. That band's snow-white come-on and initial AM success saddled them with a lightweight image which they didn't begin to rectify until it was too late. Their advocates, on the other hand, pointed to the several superior mainstream rock & roll items in the Raspberries' catalog as evidence that Eric Carmen deserved recognition as one of America's best rock minds. His first solo album backs up that contention, though not exactly in the way its proponents might have expected.

"Looks like it's Ricky and the Tooth," he sings in "No Hard Feelings," and with that phrase offers the best explanation of this record. Constructed without the consideration of a band, this is the product of Carmen's isolated vision and a studio partnership with championship producer Jimmy "Tooth" Ienner. Where the Raspberries played rock & roll that revolved around Carmen's rhythm guitar, this is production pop geared to piano.

Original album advertising art. Click image for larger view.

Carmen's fix on pop outclasses all the standard keyboard sludge with a sense of motion that is a byproduct of his rock & roll background. The prime examples ("Sunrise," "My Girl," "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" and "Last Night") suggest an affection for the Beach Boys which looks beyond the obvious recycling currently fashionable ("Help Me, Rhonda") to the heart (Pet Sounds) for inspiration. He doesn't ape the Beach Boys stylistically; he simply recognizes the most pleasing qualities of their approach -- simple sophistication, tight control and harmonic infectiousness -- and integrates them into a unique, personal vision.

The album impresses with the latitude of that vision. "All by Myself," the seven-minute centerpiece, is a dramatic and heavily orchestrated ballad that works because it, like all Carmen's pop, delivers more passion than pretense. Along with the four numbers mentioned above, it establishes Carmen's songwriting maturity. For the first time, his songs seem bound to attract extensive coverage by other artists. "That's Rock & Roll" and "No Hard Feelings" continue the flirtation with autobiographical commentary which began with "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" and are just hard enough to hold at bay the few who'll want to attribute his new direction to a softening of the arteries.

Further reading on Super Seventies RockSite!: Album Review: Boats Against The Current Album Review: Raspberries - Fresh Album Review: Raspberries - Starting Over Eric Carmen Lyrics

Carmen plans to maintain the six-piece unit that accounts for the excellent harmonies and sympathetic playing. It's therefore safe to assume that greater familiarity will result in more band-oriented material on the next album, cancelling out the need for the pleasant but ultimately unnecessary studio exercises ("Great Expectations" and "On Broadway") that are this record's only flaw.

- Ben Edmonds, Rolling Stone, 12-18-75.

Bonus Reviews!

It was the theory of those who considered Starting Over the only good Raspberries album that the secret ingredient was new bassist Scott McCarl, who played Lennon to Carmen's McCartney. Now that the man is flying solo, you have to wonder what can be expected of one secondhand Wing. Especially one who pronounced it "rach," as in Rockmaninoff. C+

- Robert Christgau, Christgau's Record Guide, 1981.

Carmen achieved far greater success with his debut solo album than he ever had with his old group, the Raspberries. In part this was because, freed from the restrictions of leading a rock band, he could indulge his taste in big, lush ballads. That's what he did here, especially on the album's three Top 40 hits, one of which, "All by Myself," was a gold-selling #2 hit. * * *

- William Ruhlmann, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

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