Carmen’s only solo album of the 1980s, reissued with bonuses
For those who grew up with the transcendent guitar-pop that Eric Carmen made with the Raspberries in the 1970s, this 1984 solo album may be a bit of a surprise. The transition from power pop to power ballads was seeded on his earlier Arista solo albums, but this Bob Gaudio-produced set dials down the charging guitars in favor of keyboards, strings and slick studio drums. Carmen was still singing beautifully and writing catchy songs, but Gaudio draped them in sounds that have become dated. Whether that’s good or bad probably depends on how much you like the commercial sounds of the ‘80s, and whether you’re looking to spark a nostalgic memory.
“You Took Me All the Way†reaches back to the Raspberries’ “Go All the Way,†but its guitar is undercut by the modern rock production. “Maybe My Baby†opens with a great a cappella passage, but the synths sap the song’s charms. Only “As American as Apple Pie†provides the unalloyed guitar rock Carmen had wanted to deliver in the first place. The latter was produced by Don Gehman after Carmen and Gaudio fell out over the album’s direction. Carmen’s one and only album for Geffen spun off the hit “I Want to Hear It From Your Lips†and the lesser-charting followup, “I’m Through With Love,†both of which also found success on the adult contemporary chart.
Varese’s reissue, the first in more than twenty years, includes full-panel cover art and lengthy liner notes by Larry Watts that detail Carmen’s history before and after the Raspberries. Sure to find favor with fans are the bonus tracks that include the single mix and the Jellybean Benitez remixed 12†of “I Want to Hear It From Your Lips.†Carmen would strike chart gold with 1987’s “Hungry Eyes†and 1988’s “Make Me Lose Control,†but wouldn’t drop another full album until 1997’s Winter Dreams (and its 2000 reissue I Was Born To Love You). This 1984 tug-of-war with Bob Gaudio has many charms, and its reissue will be welcomed by Carmen’s fans. [©2016 Hyperbolium] 