Master Index of Archived Threads


All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

All By Myself

4 votes

Never Gonna Fall in Love Again

1 votes

Make Me Lose Control

1 votes

Hungry Eyes

2 votes

That's Rock & Roll

0 votes

Sunrise

2 votes

Other (name)

2 votes

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 14 2011 09:25 AM

Since Steve J. Rogers correctly pegged us as crazy about Eric Carmen around here, its about time we deternmined which of his bulging pocketful of hits you'd take along with you on a desert island mix tape. Carmen was the singer of unpopular but influential power pop pioneers the Raspberries, who blazed a trail for Cheap Trick and the Knack before he embarked on a ballad-rich solo career. Wrote hits for other stars including Sean Cassidy. Responsible for that sappy 'Almost Paradise' duet from Footloose. Also pioneered Billy Squier's hairstyle. All By Myself [youtube:3p06wh4n]OGqYjnIBZI0[/youtube:3p06wh4n] Never Gonna Fall in Love Again [youtube:3p06wh4n]nOQvUSrIrcE[/youtube:3p06wh4n] Make Me Lose Control [youtube:3p06wh4n]zajTU5h_YGM[/youtube:3p06wh4n] Hungry Eyes [youtube:3p06wh4n]rI4fzajz3Ok[/youtube:3p06wh4n] That's Rock and Roll [youtube:3p06wh4n]5Q_i9GG5wXI[/youtube:3p06wh4n] Sunrise (watch the crazy intro) [youtube:3p06wh4n]OEZZ88ZOO6Q[/youtube:3p06wh4n]

Willets Point Apr 14 2011 09:29 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

I always conflate The Raspberries and Big Star.

Edgy DC Apr 14 2011 09:34 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

I didn't know who did "That's Rock and Roll" before Shaun Cassady. That's one of the great manes in American pop music history. I saw the video still of Music Mike and panicked that it was a latter-day post-hair-loss Carmen.

TransMonk Apr 14 2011 09:39 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Responsible for that sappy 'Almost Paradise' duet from Footloose. Had no idea. Also, I always thought he was wearing a wig. Went with All By Myself.

Chad Ochoseis Apr 14 2011 09:40 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

I'm off to Eric Carmen's home town of Cleveland tomorrow morning, and have Go All The Way and Let's Pretend lined up for the MP3 player. Absolutely nothing from his solo music. But if I were on a desert island or on a 465-mile drive with absolutely nothing else to listen to but Eric Carmen all by himself, I'd go with, well, All By Myself.

Willets Point Apr 14 2011 09:41 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Eric Cartman?

Edgy DC Apr 14 2011 09:49 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

I'm leaning toward "All by Meself" too, but holding off. He's clearly a good craftsman, but he could use a band (maybe the Raspberries!) too add some bite and cleverness or some counterpoint to his earnest gauzy poet-ness. Could you imagine what Queen could do with "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again" or "Sunrise"? He even does these challenging squeaky octave leaps like Freddy did. Seriously, listen to them again with that in mind, and you'll know exactly what I mean.

metirish Apr 14 2011 10:01 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Great poll..........would never have thought of this fella to poll(which is why I stay away from it) Hungry Eyes - great song from a good movie..... they went together like strawberries and cream.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 14 2011 10:31 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

He's got a band along with every 80s production gimmick going on "Lose Control." I'm thinking maybe he's just a sucker for cheese.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 14 2011 10:45 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: He's got a band along with every 80s production gimmick going on "Lose Control." I'm thinking maybe he's just a sucker for cheese. "Good God. That's just... it's just awful. He absolutely needed more reverb on that first verse keyboard, and the main vocal line is crying for quadruple-tracking on the chorus. And no staccato tuba on the a cappella handclaps? How do you MISS something like that? I love the hair, though." -Mid-80s Lindsey Buckingham

themetfairy Apr 14 2011 11:40 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

I went with Never Gonna Fall In Love Again because I remember liking that one back in the Dark Ages when I was a teenager. All By Myself was too whiny for me even when I was a whiny teen.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 14 2011 11:45 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

I might go with the surprise pick Sunrise here. Can't imagine a song with such a lengthy instrumental intro would ever get to No. 34 on the charts today.

G-Fafif Apr 14 2011 11:56 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Kid Leo throwing darts at Scott Shannon in the video wins it for "Make Me Lose Control," no matter how derivative and pasticheful it is...even if I can't watch the video on this desert island we're continually consigned one song per artist for.

Edgy DC Apr 14 2011 11:58 AM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Watch for the coming Desert Island Vids! polls.

Willets Point Apr 14 2011 02:02 PM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

All these people saying they're voting for "All By Myself" made me think "This can't possibly be the song I think it is." It is. Some of the whiniest, overproduced, 70s dreck ever pressed to vinyl. Blecch!

Edgy DC Apr 14 2011 02:07 PM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Sounds like Willets is a "Hungry Eyes" man.

Willets Point Apr 14 2011 02:50 PM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Edgy DC wrote: Sounds like Willets is a "Hungry Eyes" man. Nobody puts me in a corner.

bmfc1 Apr 14 2011 02:51 PM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Great poll. (I'm in a fantasy league with fellow Carmen fans from ericcarmen.com -- I'm not kidding.) The answer is anything off the album "Boats Against the Current", one of my favorite albums. For one song, it would be the title song from that album. From the poll, I'd vote for "Never Gonna Fall In Love Again" but they are all great choices.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Apr 14 2011 02:55 PM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Hey! What gives with the locked votes?

Edgy DC Apr 14 2011 03:04 PM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Willets Point wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Sounds like Willets is a "Hungry Eyes" man. Nobody puts me in a corner. Well, then, bend your brain. See both sides. Throw off your mental chains. Whoo-hoo-hoo.

cooby Apr 14 2011 05:09 PM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

That Hungry Eyes broad looks like she chewed on her bottom lip too long. I liked the Raspberries but did not like Eric Carmen so much as a soloist but I voted for Sunrise

Willets Point Apr 14 2011 07:18 PM Re: All By Yourself (on a Desert Island!)

Edgy DC wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Sounds like Willets is a "Hungry Eyes" man. Nobody puts me in a corner. Well, then, bend your brain. See both sides. Throw off your mental chains. Whoo-hoo-hoo. There you go, I'm putting Howard Jones on my mix tape instead of Eric Carmen.