Capitol Collectors Series (1991)

Depending on your age and outlook in the early '70s, the Raspberries were either the only power-pop band that mattered or kleptomaniacal Beatles/ Beach Boy fans rehashing the '60s. As summed up on this 20-track retrospective, the Cleveland quartet was a bit of both. The disc sometimes succumbs to singer Eric Carmen's sappy Paul McCartney pretensions, and it contains some outrageous swipes from the Fab Four. But the Raspberries' own ingenuity makes the best AM-radio songs here -- like ''I Wanna Be With You'' and ''Tonight'' -- pleasingly memorable. By setting pubescent desire to unshakably catchy tunes and giving the music a strong electric-guitar thrust, the Raspberries prove they were much more than just dutiful music students.

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