The House of Blues picked a hell of a hometown act to open their Cleveland location in the fall of 2004: for the first time in nearly 30 years, the original line-up of power pop heroes the Raspberries reunited on stage. That magical night will now be available for all to enjoy, thanks to a new 2CD set from Omnivore Records due this August!

Pop Art Live collects the full set by Eric Carmen (vocals/guitar/piano), Wally Bryson (guitar), Dave Smalley (bass) and Jim Bonfanti (drums) as they played 28 sweet tracks, picking up effortlessly from their dissolution in 1975 and Carmen’s subsequent successes as a solo singer-songwriter. The group brings the energy on renditions of “Go All the Way,” “I Wanna Be with You,” “Let’s Pretend” and “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” plus covers of The Beatles (“Baby’s In Black,” “No Reply,” “Ticket to Ride”), The Who (“I Can’t Explain”) and even The Choir, an earlier band that featured Bryson, Smalley and Bonfanti shortly before the Raspberries formed. This well-received show opened the door for a reunion tour throughout 2005, captured in the CD/DVD set Live On Sunset Strip by Rykodisc in 2007.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNiEDetN9ik

Liner notes for the package include reflections by Cameron Crowe, music journalist James Rosen, Raspberries biographer Ken Sharp and fan Bernie Hoyga (who also provides photos and memorabilia for the package). Pop Art Live is available August 18, with a 3LP version planned by Omnivore later in the year.

Pop Art Live (Omnivore, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada (TBD) / Amazon U.K. (TBD)

Disc 1

1. I Wanna Be with You
2. Play On
3. I Can’t Explain
4. Nobody Knows
5. Let’s Pretend
6. Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye
7. Party’s Over
8. Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)
9. Might As Well
10. It Seemed So Easy
11. Baby’s In Black
12. If You Change Your Mind
13. Tonight
14. I Can Remember

Disc 2

1. Starting Over
2. Last Dance
3. I Saw the Light
4. No Reply
5. When You Were with Me
6. It’s Cold Outside
7. Should I Wait
8. Come Around and See Me
9. Makin’ It Easy
10. Ticket to Ride
11. Hard to Get Over a Heartbreak
12. Ecstasy
13. I’m a Rocker
14. Go All the Way

All tracks recorded live at The House of Blues, Cleveland, OH – 11/26/2004