So it’s too late, here in fall 2007, for a celebratory 30th-anniversary Boats Against the Current boxed set. Besides, the recent “two-fer” issue of Boats paired with Change of Heart at least gets this Eric Carmen classic on an American CD release. Even so, Boats deserves a full-scale production as a multi-disc boxed set — and soon, before the CD-buying public goes away, converting full-time to MP3s, iPods, and downloaded music.
So if I were the All-Powerful Caretaker of Boats Against the Current, here’s how I’d put it together.
DISC 1: Boats Against the Current as we know it, but remastered to be the best-sounding version available.
DISC 2: Boats in its original order — which was in reverse of the sequence as we know it. In an EricCarmen.com thread called “Desperate Fools," Eric casually revealed that his original vision had the album starting with "Run Away" and progressing backwards all the way to his original closer, the song "Boats Against the Current." The lost gem "Temporary Hero" was to fit between "Nowhere to Hide" and "Marathon Man."
Eric's “oh, by-the-way...” comment might have seemed innocuous to him, but it sent Boats-ologists (if I may coin a term) scurrying back to the album to re-consider its message and theme and atmosphere.
DISC 3: Outtakes, demos, and covers. Which ones? Well, let’s see. At EricCarmen.com, we've have heard beautiful demos of “She Did It,” “Run Away,” and “Temporary Hero.” These would all be musts for Disc 3. And there must be more where those came from: I’m certain the 46 boxes of Boats session tapes that Eric has mentioned would yield all kinds of gems. Imagine piano-only versions of “Boats” and “Nowhere to Hide” and “Love Is All That Matters.” And perhaps a demo of “Someday” is available, since Eric wrote that song during the Boats period. And how about procuring a few covers for Disc 3: Yvonne Elliman’s “Nowhere to Hide” and Frankie Valli’s and Olivia Newton-John’s versions of “Boats Against the Current” come to mind. And how about Eric’s performance of “Boats” at the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame a few years ago, and/or Eric’s version of “Boats” from the Ringo Starr tour from 2001? A more contemporary reading of the title song by the songwriter would make the package complete….
(If we’re really doing some blue-sky thinking, we might ask for a fourth disc that would contain, say, a new live performance by Eric, with band, playing the whole album.)
I’d have the Boats box issued in an LP-sized package with a lithograph of that original piece of interior artwork and a thick, handsome booklet of text.
The handsome booklet I'm envisioning would include an Eric Carmen essay on the album's creation, commentary from the musicians who played on it, and, of course, the lyrics and music. Most important, I'd complement these elements with essays by fans who truly connected with this album so many years ago. It would be enlightening to hear others put into words what Boats Against the Current means to them, and why.
What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
I think that fourth disc might be perfect for Eric with band and orchestra in a live performance at a concert hall...or at an maybe an outdoor venue close to a major body of water.
I think all Eric Carmen fans would be thrilled to hear the 'lost tapes' that Gus did with Eric and the band. I bet there is a lot of really good stuff there - just waiting to be discovered by a person who has the time to listen to it all. (Pick me, Pick me!)
A re-release of some of that material, along with the original album (digitally remastered and in the correct order) would be a huge seller. Coming on the heels of the massive success of the recent Raspberries release - there is a revived interest in all things Raspberries and Eric Carmen.
There's a proven desire for Eric's music (as seen by the speed of the sales of Live on the Sunset Strip) - so don't waste the opportunity while it's here.
In addition - it's still the 30th anniversary of the original release, even if it's not to the exact day. Don't make us wait until the 40th anniversary.
It's good to see you remain an Eric Carmen fan and enjoy his music 25 years later!
Well...a box set would be an amazing!! The album is wonderfull!! My favorite track is "Love is all that matters"...can´t get enough listens!!
We love you Eric!!
Curious. I've not heard "Boats" since the 1980s when I still had a vinyl collection. The work was out of my consciousness.
Or so I thought. Then in 2010, in a pique of nostalgia, I happen to buy "Marathon Man" starring Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider and Sir Laurence Olivier and I cannot get the Eric Carmen song of the same name out of my brain. I remember loving the work but I hadn't bought a Carmen record since "Change of Heart" and a Raspberries "Greatest Hits" collection way back when.
Still, as I've read the song titles here, the lyrics of each "Boats" song come crashing back in familiar, indelible waves. I can think of no other testament to the enduring quality of this record than that.
And so the $300,000-plus to produce was a bargain after all. I remember no less an authority than Casey Kasem recounting that "Boats" was the most expensive album of the rock era to date, perhaps the most expensively produced music of any kind.
But what a gem. I'll be setting out tomorrow to catch a new copy of this classic.
I am going to have to check this out.
I really like the content of your post. .. thanks a lot for showing it to me....keep it up .. love it..
wellhead compression
Post a Comment