| "Ecstasy" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Raspberries | ||||
| from the album Side 3 | ||||
| B-side | "Don't Want to Say Goodbye" | |||
| Released | February 1974 | |||
| Genre | Power pop | |||
| Length | 3:37 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Eric Carmen | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Ienner | |||
| Raspberries singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Ecstasy" is a song written by Eric Carmen that was first released by the Raspberries on their 1973 album Side 3 . It was also released as a single but did not chart.
Carmen said "Ecstasy" had a "Who/Small Faces feel" although on songs from Side 3 like "Ecstasy" and "Tonight" he felt that the band was able to be the Raspberries without being derivative of influences like the Who and the Beatles. [1] "Ecstasy" was drummer Jim Bonfanti's favorite Raspberries' song, particularly because he "really got to let loose and play" and guitarist Wally Bryson similarly said that it was one of the greatest things the Raspberries had done. [2]
Anderson Daily Bulletin critic Randall L. Rohn described the song as starting with "very Who-ish" drums and guitars, similar to "The Kids Are Alright." [3] Rohn said that "The band breaks into a three-part, almost syrupy-sweet chorus as the guitars and drumming churn stronger and stronger in the background. The decibel level builds until the song climaxes with a single, subdued guitar chord." [3]
Cash Box called "Ecstasy" a "melodic gem" with an "appetizing mixture of smooth harmony and driving rhythm" and a "superb lead guitar break." [4] Record World said of "Ecstasy" that "With vocal harmonies reminiscent of Beatle days and gutsy, driving guitar work, this Jimmy Jenner-produced masterpiece is a monster from the word go" and that the "tune molds vocals and instrumentals in a manner that belies its hard rock sound." [5] Rohn regarded it as the best song on Side 3. [3]
Music journalist Ken Sharp rated it the Raspberries 2nd best song, saying that "the Who are clearly the model for this perfect union of power and pop, a number one hit in a better universe." [6] Sharp also praised Wally Bryson's guitar playing on the song, as well as Jim Bonfanti's "brilliant Keith Moon-styled drum orgasim in the bridge." [6] Allmusic critic Mark Deming said that "on 'Ecstasy,' the whole band delivers a loving mash note to the Who." [7] The Guardian critic Michael Hann said that it "sounds as if [the Raspberries] had finally achieved their aim of melding the Who and the Beach Boys." [8]
Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson rated it as the Raspberries' 3rd best song, just ahead of "Tonight". [9] Swanson said that it "has the heavier riff [than 'Tonight'] and the reckless abandon bridge that gives the Who a run for their money." [9] Swanson also praised Bonfanti's Keith Moon-style drumming and Bryson's "blistering" guitar solo at the end of the song. [9]
"Ecstasy" has appeared on several Raspberries compilation albums and a live version was included on Carmen's solo compilation album The Essential Eric Carmen . [10]
The Raspberries were an American pop rock band formed in 1970 from Cleveland, Ohio. They had a run of success in the early 1970s music scene with their pop rock sound, which AllMusic later described as featuring "exquisitely crafted melodies and achingly gorgeous harmonies." The members were known for their clean-cut public image and matching suits, which brought them teenybopper attention as well as scorn from some mainstream media outlets as "uncool". The group drew influence from the British Invasion era—especially the Beatles, the Who, the Hollies, and the Small Faces—and its mod sensibility. In both the US and the UK, the Raspberries helped pioneer the power pop music style that took off after the group disbanded. They also have had a following among professional musicians such as Jack Bruce, Ringo Starr, and Courtney Love.
Eric Howard Carmen was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the lead vocalist of the Raspberries, with whom he recorded the hit "Go All the Way" and four albums. He embarked on a solo career in 1975 and had global success with "All by Myself", "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "She Did It", "Hungry Eyes", and "Make Me Lose Control". In later years, he toured with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band before reforming the Raspberries in 2004.
Raspberries is the debut album from the Raspberries, released in April 1972. It was their second highest-charting LP, reaching No. 51 on the Billboard album chart, but spent more weeks on the chart than all of their other albums combined.
Fresh is the second studio album by Raspberries, released in 1972. It contains the two top 40 singles "I Wanna Be with You" which reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 10 on Cash Box and number 7 on Record World, and "Let's Pretend" which reached number 35 on Billboard, number 18 on Cashbox, and number 14 on Record World. It was their highest-charting album, peaking at number 36 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Side 3 is the third album from the Raspberries, released in 1973. The album cover is diecut like a basket of Raspberries, with the group's name placed at the top of the LP sleeve. Three singles were released from the album: "Tonight" / "Hard to Get Over a Heartbreak", which reached number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 37 on the Cash Box chart; "I'm a Rocker", which reached number 94 on Billboard and number 75 on Cash Box; and "Ecstasy", which did not chart on Billboard but reached number 116 on Cash Box. The album itself reached number 138 on the US albums chart.
Starting Over is the fourth and final studio album by the 1970s power pop band Raspberries. It peaked at #143 on the Billboard pop album chart in 1974. Rolling Stone named it its rock record album of the year for 1974. The LP generated the #18 Billboard pop single "Overnight Sensation ", while a second single, "Cruisin' Music", did not chart. This was the first album by the Raspberries to feature songs with profanity. Those songs were "Starting Over", which featured the word "fucking" once, and the song "Party’s Over", which featured the word "shit" twice.
James Alexander Bonfanti is a rock drummer who is best known for having been a member of the band Raspberries.
The Choir was a garage rock band largely active in the greater Cleveland area from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s. Originally called The Mods, their largest commercial success came with the release of their first single "It's Cold Outside" in December 1966. The song, considered to be a classic of the garage rock era, was featured on Pebbles, Volume 2, one of the earlier garage rock compilation LPs. The flipside, "I'm Going Home" was included as a bonus track when the Pebbles album was reissued as a CD, and it can also be found on a garage rock compilation LP on Ohio bands, Highs in the Mid-Sixties, Volume 9. The Choir is well known for containing three of the four original members of Raspberries.
Wallace Carter Bryson is an American guitarist, best remembered for his time with the power-pop group Raspberries, famous for their hit "Go All The Way". After the Raspberries split in 1974, Bryson co-formed the power pop group Fotomaker and became one of the leading members of the group.
"Dream Police" is a song written by Rick Nielsen and originally released in 1979 by the American rock band Cheap Trick. It is the first track on the group's album of the same name. The single peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. Nielsen has stated that the song "is an attempt to take a heavy thought - a quick bit of REM snatched right before waking up - and put into a pop format." He also stated that "the song was about Big Brother watching you."
"Go All the Way" is a song written by Eric Carmen of American rock group the Raspberries, from their 1972 self-titled debut album. Released as a single in July 1972, the song reached the Top 5 on three principal US charts: number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 4 on Cashbox, and number 3 on Record World. The single sold more than 1.3 million copies, earning the band their only certified Gold Record. It was their second single release and their biggest US hit.
Raspberries' Best Featuring Eric Carmen, more commonly known as Raspberries' Best, is a 1976 compilation album by Raspberries. The album contained songs from each of the group's four LP's, which were recorded between 1972 and 1974. Most of the tracks on this LP were among their seven charting hits. The group had already disbanded when this compilation was released.
Raspberries Capitol Collectors Series is a 1991 compilation of 20 tracks recorded by the band between 1972 and 1974. This release was the first time that many of these songs were available on compact disc. The CD contained two unlisted bonus tracks of radio spots used to promote the albums Fresh Raspberries and Starting Over. The compilation was also available on cassette. It has been out of print for several years.
"Let's Pretend" is a song by Raspberries, released in March 1973 as the second single from their second LP, Fresh. It was written by band leader Eric Carmen, who also provided the lead vocals.
"I Wanna Be with You" is a song by Raspberries, released in November 1972 as the first single from their second LP, Fresh. It was written by band leader Eric Carmen, who also provided the lead vocals. It became their second greatest US hit.
"It's Cold Outside" is a song by the American garage rock band the Choir, written by member Dann Klawon, and first released on Canadian-American Records in September 1966. It was later re-released in 1967 on Roulette, with Dann's last name incorrectly spelled "Klawson". The song is considered a classic of the musical genre of garage rock, and became the group's only national hit. The song has since been featured on several compilation albums. At the time of the recording, the band consisted of: Wally Bryson - lead guitar, Dave Smalley - guitar/vocals, Dave Burke - bass, Jim Bonfanti - drums, and Dann Klawon - multiple instruments/vocals. The group changed members over the years, but Bryson, Smalley and Bonfanti would team up with songwriter Eric Carmen a few years later, and form the power pop group Raspberries.
"Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)" is a hit single by Raspberries, released in September 1974, on the Capitol label. It was written by band leader Eric Carmen, who also provided the lead vocals. It was the first single release from their fourth and final LP, Starting Over.
"Tonight" is a song by Raspberries, released in August 1973. It was written by band leader Eric Carmen, who also provided the lead vocals. The song was the first of three single releases from their third LP, Side 3.
"Don't Want to Say Goodbye" is a song written by Eric Carmen and Wally Bryson that was first released on the Raspberries 1972 debut album Raspberries. It was released as the first single from the album and reached No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Greatest is a 2005 compilation album by Raspberries. The album contains 20 songs, 4 to 6 from each of the group's four albums. Most of the songs on Greatest had been included on previous Raspberries' compilation albums, but the songs on Greatest were remastered using 24-bit technology, and the album included liner notes quoting three members of the band – Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson and Jim Bonfanti discussing each song.