''The Definitive Collection'' is a 1997

greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

album of all the singles released by Cleveland, Ohio singer-songwriter

Eric Carmen Eric Howard Carmen (born August 11, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist. He was first known as the lead vocalist of the Raspberries. He had numerous hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s, first as a member of the Rasp ...

. It features five hits by the

Raspberries The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus ''Rubus'' of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus '' Idaeobatus''. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with ...

, a

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...

group which he led in the early 1970s. It also contains his versions of two major hits which he wrote for

Shaun Cassidy Shaun Paul Cassidy (born September 27, 1958) is an American singer, actor, writer, and producer. He has created and/or produced a number of television series including ''American Gothic'', '' Roar'' and ''Invasion''. Cassidy currently serves as ...

, two popular songs from the movie ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman ...

'', and his greatest hit, "

All By Myself "All by Myself" is a song by American singer-songwriter Eric Carmen released in 1975. The verse is based on the second movement (''Adagio sostenuto'') of Sergei Rachmaninoff's circa 1900–1901 '' Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor'', Opus 18. The ...

", which peaked at No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on March 5, 1976.

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

writes, "''The Definitive Collection'' lives up to its title. Over the course of a single disc, the compilation features all of Eric Carmen's best-known songs and biggest hits"

Track listing

Musicians

– Bass, Drums, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Harpsichord, Mellotron, Percussion, Piano, Electric Piano, Synthesizer, Tack Piano, Vocals, Background Vocals * Jim Bonfanti – Drums, Vocals *

Mike Botts Michael Gene Botts (December 8, 1944 – December 9, 2005) was an American drummer, best known for his work with 1970s soft rock band Bread, and as a session musician. During his career, he recorded with Linda Ronstadt, Karla Bonoff, Andrew G ...

– Drums * Ollie E. Brown – Percussion *Wally Bryson – Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals *

Charles Calello Charles Calello (born August 24, 1938) is an American arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, and singer born in Newark, New Jersey. Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. His track ...

– Horn Arrangements * Tony Camillo – Horn Arrangements * Burton Cummings – Piano * – Percussion *

Jimmie Haskell Jimmie Haskell (born Sheridan Pearlman, November 7, 1926 – February 4, 2016) was an American composer and arranger for motion pictures and a wide variety of popular artists, including Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Steely ...

– Horn Arrangements * James Newton Howard – Synthesizer *Dan Hrdlicka – Guitar, Background Vocals *

Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...

– Background Vocals *Steve Knill – Bass, Background Vocals *

Danny Kortchmar Daniel "Danny Kootch" Kortchmar (born April 6, 1946) is an American guitarist, session musician, producer and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Carole King, David Cassidy, Gr ...

– Acoustic Guitar *D. Dwight Krueger – Drums, Percussion, Background Vocals *Michael McBride – Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Background Vocals *Scott McCarl – Bass, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals * Tommy Morgan – Harmonica *

Nigel Olsson Nigel Olsson (born 10 February 1949) is an English rock drummer and singer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton J ...

– Drums, Background Vocals * Joe Porcaro – Drums, Percussion *Richard Reising – Guitar, Electric Guitar, Harpsichord, Synthesizer, Background Vocals *

Valerie Carter Valerie Gail Zakian Carter (February 5, 1953 – March 4, 2017) was an American singer. Biography Carter began her career singing in coffeehouses as a teenager, and eventually became one-third of the country-folk band Howdy Moon. Though they de ...

– Background Vocals *

Joe Chemay Joe Chemay is an American bassist and background singer, known for his recording session work. Biography Chemay started out working as a session and touring support musician in Los Angeles, but moved to Nashville in 1989. Chemay has worked wi ...

– Background Vocals * Curt Becher – Background Vocals * Brenda Russell – Background Vocals *Brian Russell – Background Vocals *

Samantha Sang Cheryl Lau Sang (born 5 August 1951), known professionally as Samantha Sang, is an Australian singer. She had an earlier career as a teenage singer under the stage name Cheryl Gray, before adopting the stage name she is more widely known as in 1 ...

– Background Vocals *George Sipl – Organ, Synthesizer, Background Vocals *

Dave Smalley Dave Smalley is an American musician, best known as the lead singer for the hardcore punk bands DYS, Dag Nasty, and All and as lead singer/guitarist with Down by Law. He is known for his influence on pop punk music and his early contribution ...

– Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals *Jai Winding – Piano, Electric Piano *

Dave Wintour David M. Wintour (1 September 1944 – 12 July 2022) was a British bass guitarist and session musician. Wintour was born on 1 September 1944 in Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire and died on 12 July 2022 in Drumnacross, Kilraine. Dave Wintour is be ...

– Bass *

Richie Zito Richie Zito (born August 21, 1952) is an American songwriter, composer and record producer from Los Angeles. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Zito has experienced success as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of ...

– Electric Guitar

Production

– Arranger, Producer *

Bob Irwin Robert Eric Irwin (born 8 June 1939) is an Australian naturalist, animal conservationist, former zookeeper, and a herpetologist known for his conservation and husbandry work with apex predators and reptiles. He is the founder of the Queenslan ...

– Compilation Producer, Mastering, Producer * Bob Gaudio – Producer *

Jimmy Ienner Jimmy Ienner ( ; born ) is an American music producer, best known for producing albums for such artists as Bay City Rollers, The Raspberries and Three Dog Night. Biography He went to Stamford (Connecticut) High School and graduated in 1963. He ...

– Executive Producer, Producer *Tom Rabstenek – Mastering *

George Marino George Marino (April 15, 1947 – June 4, 2012) was an American mastering engineer known for working on albums by rock bands starting in the late 1960s. Biography Marino was born on April 15, 1947, in the New York City borough The Bronx. He at ...

– Mastering *

Greg Calbi Gregory Calbi (born April 3, 1949) is an American mastering engineer at Sterling Sound, New Jersey. Biography Greg Calbi was born on April 3, 1949, in Yonkers, New York, and raised in Bayside, Queens, New York. He graduated in 1966 from Bishop ...

– Mastering *

Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charl ...

– Mastering *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

– Mastering *Mark Howlett – Engineer *Tim Kramer – Engineer *Jim Bell – Engineer * Kevin Beamish – Engineer *Arnei Rosenberg – Engineer *

Shelly Yakus Sheldon Gershon "Shelly" Yakus (born November 1945) is an American music engineer and mixer. Formerly chief engineer and vice president of A&M Records, he was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. Yakus is referenced ...

– Engineer *Howard Steele – Engineer *

Thom Wilson Thom Wilson (died February 8, 2015) was an American punk rock record producer and engineer. Career Wilson began his musical career in the mid-1970s, engineering recordings by soft rock artists Burton Cummings and Seals & Crofts. He began working ...

– Engineer *Jack Sherdel – Engineer *Dennis Kirk – Engineer *David Henson – Engineer *

Don Gehman Don Gehman is an American record producer, engineer, and executive, best known for his work with John Mellencamp and Hootie & the Blowfish. He was one of "the most successful producers of the 1980s and 1990s." As a sound engineer, he also helped ...

– Engineer *Larry Emerine – Engineer *Tony d'Amico – Engineer *Jim DeMain – Engineer, Remixing *Val Garay – Mixing *Joe Barbaria – Assistant Engineer *Rod O'Brien – Assistant Engineer *George Ybara – Assistant Engineer *Corky Stasiak – Assistant Engineer *David Thoener – Assistant Engineer *Kevin Herron – Assistant Engineer *Dennis Ferrante – Assistant Engineer *George Sipl – Remixing *Rita Karidis – Art Direction Track information and credits adapted from

and the album's liner notes.

References

External links

Eric Carmen Official SiteRaspberries Official SiteArista Records Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Definitive Collection, The 1997 greatest hits albums Eric Carmen albums Arista Records compilation albums de:Gene Estes