A stellar lineup of top-tier musicians are slated to appear on a forthcoming two-disc tribute to Raspberries. The news of the upcoming release of Play On: A Raspberries Tribute comes on a particularly notable day; today (Aug. 11, 2025) would have been Raspberries lead singer/keyboardist/guitarist Eric Carmen's 79th birthday....Robert Kinsler
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – PLAY ON: A RASPBERRIES TRIBUTE
ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAMER LOU GRAMM (FOREIGNER), RICK SPRINGFIELD, JOHN WAITE, VICKI & DEBBI PETERSON (BANGLES), MARSHALL CRENSHAW, BIRD STREETS AND THE LEMON TWIGS ARE AMONG THE ARTISTS FEATURED ON “PLAY ON: A RASPBERRIES TRIBUTE.”
"Raspberries is the sound of love at first sight."
Slated for release on September 12th, 2025, Play On: A Raspberries Tribute (Think Like A Key) is a new tribute album celebrating power pop icons, Raspberries with a blockbuster 37 tracks covering almost the entirety of the group's four-album catalog.
Assembling chart-topping legends (four of whom scored # 1 records), indie favorites, and rising stars, the 2-CD set features Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Rick Springfield, John Waite, Vicki and Debbi Peterson (Bangles), The Lemon Twigs, Marshall Crenshaw, Kasim Sulton and Willie Wilcox (Utopia), Cherie Currie (The Runaways), The Chefs (featuring Stan Lynch from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Dan Baird of Georgia Satellites,) The Hudson Brothers, Shoes, and Karla DeVito (Meat Loaf), among those paying homage to the '70s power pop heroes.
Rick Springfield headlining a night of fun-filled melodic rock at
Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA on Aug. 2, 2018.
Photo: Robert Kinsler
The project has received the blessing of the band, with Raspberries founding member Jim Bonfanti providing drums on four tracks
("I Wanna Be With You," "Tonight," "If You Change Your Mind," and "I Don't Know What I Want") and Eric Carmen who contributed the classic count-in on "Tonight."
Ken Sharp and Fernando Perdomo produced the compilation. Housed in a deluxe 6-panel digipak with a 20-page booklet featuring liner notes by renowned music journalist Howie Edelson, offering his spirited take on the band's enduring legacy, Play On: A Raspberries Tribute proves that great pop-rock is truly eternal.
Strictly limited to 200 copies, the Play On exclusive bundle—available only through the label’s website (tlak.rocks/playon)—includes:
- 2 collectible Raspberries postcards signed by band members Dave Smalley and Scott McCarl
- An exclusive 7" 45 RPM vinyl single with picture sleeve featuring “Go All The Way” by Rick Springfield b/w “Tonight” by Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Lou Gramm (Foreigner)
All profits from the 7” will benefit the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation animal rescue (www.lindablairworldheart.org).
Alongside Badfinger and Big Star, Raspberries are hailed as the architects of power pop. Tallying the smash hits "Go All The Way," "I Wanna Be With You," "Let's Pretend," and "Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)," the group's electrifying sound was a thrilling combination of Beatlesque and Beach Boys melodicism hot-wired to the slashing power chord dynamite of The Who and Small Faces in one incredible package. Unabashed fans of the band include John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Stanley (KISS), Tom Petty, Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), and Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses). Springsteen cited the band as a pivotal inspiration when writing and recording 1980's The River. Decades later, he penned the liner notes for the Raspberries Live On Sunset Strip CD/DVD, sharing his love for the band.
The 2014 film Guardians of the Galaxy spotlighted the band's biggest hit, "Go All The Way," introducing Raspberries to a new generation of music fans. 2025 saw the publication of a new super-sized 820+ page edition of Overnight Sensation: The Story of Raspberries by New York Times best-selling author Ken Sharp.
Pre-sale: 8/12 (tlak.rocks/playon)
Street date: 9/12
AUDIO TEASER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2KUH3d_ZIc
TRACKLISTING
DISC ONE
1. “Go All The Way” - Rick Springfield
2. “I Wanna Be With You” - Vicki and Debbi Peterson (The Bangles)
3. “Let’s Pretend” - The Lemon Twigs
4. “Come Around And See Me” - Katie Ferrara
5. “Goin’ Nowhere Tonight” - The Caulfields
6. “Don’t Want To Say Goodbye” - Robin Taylor Zander
7. “Might As Well” - Jesse Bryson feat. The Kennedys
8. “It Seemed So Easy” - The Spongetones
9. "I Saw The Light" - Adelaide Estep
10 “Ecstacy” - Eric Dover (Jellyfish/Imperial Drag) feat. Eric Singer of KISS on drums
11 “On The Beach” - Darian Sahanaja (Brian Wilson band)
12 “If You Change Your Mind” - Ken Sharp
13 “Nobody Knows” - Chris Price
14 “I Reach For The Light” - Bird Streets
15 “Drivin’ Around” – Popdudes
16 “Hard To Get Over A Heartbreak” - P-Hux
17 “Waiting” - Olivia Rubini
18 “I Can Remember” - Karla DeVito (Meatloaf)
DISC TWO
1. “Tonight” - Lou Gramm (Foreigner)
2. “Play On” - The Lemon Twigs
3. “I Don’t Know What I Want” - John Waite
4. “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record)” – Shoes
5. “All Through The Night” - The Hudson Brothers
6. “Should I Wait” - Marshall Crenshaw
7. “Cry” - Kasim Sulton (Utopia)
8. “Making It Easy” – Brasko
9. “Last Dance” - Evan Stanley
10 “I Can Hardly Believe You’re Mine” - John Powhida
11 “Rose Colored Glasses” - Rob Bonfiglio (Brian Wilson band)
12 “I’m A Rocker” - Ken Sharp (feat. Wally Stocker of The Babys)
13 “Party’s Over” - The Chefs (feat. Stan Lynch from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Dan Baird of Georgia Satellites)
14 “Cruisin’ Music” - Ronnie D’Addario
15 “Starting Over” - Tori Holub
16 “Hands On You” - Cherie Currie (The Runaways)
17 “Every Way I Can” - The Toms
18 “With You In My Life” - Willie Wilcox (Utopia)
19 “Please Let Me Come Back Home" - Bambi Kino (feat. members of Nada Surf and Guided by Voices)
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