On November 26, 2004, members of the Raspberries, arguably one of the best bands to ever come out of Northeast Ohio, put aside their well-documented differences to play a reunion show at House of Blues. That show would launch a reunion tour.

Now, Omnivore Recordings has just announced it’ll release Pop Art Live, a 2-CD/digital set that captures the House of Blues show, on Aug. 18.

The show featured founding members Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson, David Smalley, and Jim Bonfanti, and the performance included 28 songs. Longtime Raspberries associate Tommy Allen mixed the album.

The release will include “reflections and testimonials” from Academy Award-winning filmmaker and rock scribe Cameron Crowe, pop music author James Rose, and longtime Raspberries aficionados Bernie Hogya and Ken Sharp. Hogya also contributed “a wealth of ephemera” from the concert for the liner notes.

A special three LP set will be available later in the year.

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

This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2017.

Jeff has been covering the Cleveland music scene for more than 25 years now. On a regular basis, he tries to talk to whatever big acts are coming through town. And if you're in a local band that he needs to hear, email him at jniesel@clevescene.com.