Capitol
1974
Starting Over (Import)
About This Album
Internal strife caused Raspberries vocalist Eric Carmen and guitarist Wally Bryson to part ways with bassist Dave Smalley and drummer Jim Bonfanti after the tour following the release of 1973's Side 3, and with the group's fourth LP, 1974's appropriately named Starting Over, Carmen and Bryson were breaking in a new rhythm section (Scott McCarl on bass and Michael McBride on drums) while pursuing a more ambitious direction in the studio. Starting Over's lead track, "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)," may be Carmen's most impressive creation, an epic-scale production number about the thrill of hearing your song on the radio (when Carmen sings "I know it sounds funny/But I'm not in it for the money," he sounds so heartfelt you almost believe the guy), and while it's the most polished piece of work on Starting Over, the album does represent a switch from the straightforward rock sound of Side 3. Starting Over does feature some potent rock & roll, especially "Party's Over" (Bryson's rollicking elegy for the band's first lineup), the superb Who pastiche "I Don't Know What I Want" and the strutting "Play On," but the production and texture are a good bit smoother and glossier than the relatively gritty Side 3, and both "Cruisin' Music" and "All Through the Night" suggest Carmen had been listening to a lot of early Beach Boys sides.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,5,6,8,9 and 10)

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