Aired on Treasure Island Oldies –Jan 11, 2026
In 1970, the power pop group the Raspberries, formed in Cleveland, Ohio. Its original lineup featured Eric Carmen (vocals, guitar, bass, piano), Wally Bryson (lead guitar, vocals), Jim Bonfanti (drums, backing vocals), and initially John Aleksic on bass. When Dave Smalley (rhythm guitar, vocals) joined, this solidified the group’s classic lineup with singer/songwriter Carmen moving to bass.
However, prior to this, Wally Bryson, Jim Bonfanti, and Dave Smalley were part of a mid-60s garage band that had regional success in Cleveland and even made it onto the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967.
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The garage band gained prominence in Cleveland initially as the Mods, covering a wide variety of material penned by British Invasion-based groups such as the Who, the Rolling Stones, and the Beatles.
The band appeared on several local TV shows and its members evolved into competent songwriters. In September 1966 they, under a new name, released one of their compositions on the Canadian-American Records label.
The song was later re-released in 1967 on Roulette Records and received national airplay. Even though it only reached the #68 on the pop charts, the song would go on to be featured on several garage rock compilation albums.
Music historian Richie Unterberger, writing for the Allmusic website, proposes the tune would have been better suited for “the innocent times of 1964 than for the complicated culture and music scene of 1967.” This makes some sense given the soothing vocal harmonies and fast-paced rhythm guitar instrumentals, both reminiscent of early Beatles and Who compositions.
The song’s lyrics depict a dejected recounting of a failed love affair, though the vocal delivery is conducted in a sunny manner as if the band, now known as the Choir, were preaching to us that “It’s Cold Outside,” this week’s Tom Locke moment in time.
YouTube listing of the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNTSk8EsoAM
This “Moments In Time” story is yet another example of a “golden oldie” or forgotten favorite that earned its place in the evolution of Rock & Roll.
