I Believe You. No promotion

Speaking of Abba songs, and Carpenters, how about the song: My Love, My Life (from LP Arrival, 1976 ).
I can hear Karen and Richard doing this great song, Or, Our Last Summer (LP Super Trouper 1980).
Benny Andersson, in an interview on foreign Television, stated that he thought Karen Carpenter was underrated as
a singer and was one of his favorite vocalists. He was quite proud to be a fan of Carpenters, as was evident in the interview.
 
For a sample of a Richard take on an ABBA song, check out Veronique's "One Of Us" on the VERONIQUE album that he produced. I suppose that a decade later he had no trouble working up an ABBA song for release on an album he produced.

I suppose we're spoiled given the perfect version that ABBA produced and with Agnetha's stunning lead vocal, but I think this version is horrible. Sterile, synth-driven and very dated listening to it now. As Richard said "no one does ABBA like ABBA".
 
Agnetha is a huge fan of Carpenters, and was the guest of Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2 for a slot called "Tracks Of My Years", and chose a Carpenters song. Agnetha remarked what an incredible unique sound they have. That is something Karen would have been very proud of.
 
I suppose we're spoiled given the perfect version that ABBA produced and with Agnetha's stunning lead vocal, but I think this version is horrible. Sterile, synth-driven and very dated listening to it now. As Richard said "no one does ABBA like ABBA".

Yeah, the mid-late '80s weren't good for Richard. He's stated himself that he regrets pretty much any record where he used synths. . .well that pretty much wipes out everything on Time, Veronique, Akiko, Grimes. Thank God he got back on form with his arrangements for "Feeling" and then his work on Nowhere Man/Yesterday Behind/Dreamin'.
 
I'd have opted out of the little girl altogether. :wink:

I believe you - when you say you'll fill my body with your soul, and that together, we'll make music that will last beyond our lifetime... Baby I believe you....
 
I'm okay with the "little girl" thought and think "brown-eyed" works brilliantly. It gets the thought across and loses the awkward "freckled" nonsense. It doesn't even "meter" well so I don't know why the savvy Addrisi brothers even went down that road.

Ed
 
Ed raises a very good point, this song doesn't even "meter" well.
I am simply perplexed at its choice for a single in late 1978,
not to mention misgivings regarding the arrangement.
And, the initial vocal overdubs do not seem to 'mesh' well.....does any one else here that ??(at 30,60, 3:38 sec...then, better overdubs at 2 m and 3:23 min)
A plodding start (13 seconds of instrumentation) sets the tone.
I do really like Karen's vocals, the drums, the harp.



I believe you
When you say that you will reach into the sky
And steal a star so you can put it on my finger
I believe you
Baby, I believe you.
I believe you
When you say that every time that we make love
Will be the first time we've made love
And every act of love will please you
Baby, I believe you.

Blind faith makes me follow you
I'd live in a cave if you wanted to
Just ask me and I'll marry you
You don't have to sell me
'Cause you overwhelm me
I've made up my mind for a lifetime.

I believe you
When you swear your love will keep on growin' strong
And that forever isn't long enough to love me like you need to
Baby, I believe you
Baby, I believe you
Honey, I love you.

Blind faith makes me follow you
I'd live in a cave if you wanted to
Just ask me and I'll marry you
You don't have to sell me
'Cause you overwhelm me
I've made up my mind for a lifetime.

I believe you
When you say you'll fill my body with your soul
And love will grow into a freckled little girl
Who looks like we do
Baby, I believe you
Baby, I believe you
Honey, I love you.
 
Gary, you need to listen to "I Believe You" from the SACD - IN FULL SACD SURROUND (not the CD layer) - to hear the song in a new light. First off, those "non-meshing overdubs" you bring up are all augmented with Karen's LEAD vocal joining in on the "oooh-oooh's" making them much better.

Second, you get a taste of an alternate vocal take with slightly different lyrics.

One other point here - you've made mention of the fact that Richard has NEVER EVER remixed any tracks from MADE IN AMERICA, yet here is one example where he actually did.

Harry
 
Gary, you need to listen to "I Believe You" from the SACD - IN FULL SACD SURROUND (not the CD layer) - to hear the song in a new light. First off, those "non-meshing overdubs" you bring up are all augmented with Karen's LEAD vocal joining in on the "oooh-oooh's" making them much better.Harry
Harry, do you know if this version of I Believe You is available to listen to on the Internet? I can't seem to find these special versions but maybe I'm not searching properly.
 
Thanks very much, Harry.
Not only am I anticipating 'hearing' the SACD version of the song,
(I do have the SACD,though not the player--yet !)
but,
I also stand corrected , regarding this song as a remix
of a song taken from Made In America.
(My use of "Never " regarding remixes is never a proper choice of words !)
I have been really listening to this song , intently, lately.
And, as I intimated, Karen's vocals are lovely--no two ways about that--
it is an interesting song to digest !
And, the SACD version will most certainly 'win me over'. !
 
This song is growing on me. Of course, with that voice.....
No longer on the 'automatic skip' button....
That being said,
Man Smart, Woman Smarter and Druscilla Penny
are the only two songs remaining 'on automatic skip'.
One day, they, too, will be in good graces with my ears !
 
Here's my 2-channel downmix with more of a whole-song feel. Here you can hear the overdubs:



Harry
 
Thanks for that, Harry.
Much appreciated.
Interesting,
and, I wonder,
do alternative vocal takes exist
for all Carpenters' songs ?
And, if they do--or, not--how
would such ever be known about,
if never released or acknowledged
by Richard Carpenter ?
 
An alternate vocal take probably exists for many songs. Master tapes are filled with "Take 1" and "Take 2" and "Take 3" and more. Of course we're dealing with Karen Carpenter who often nailed a song in one take, so there AREN'T any other takes. But surely there are a bunch out there that Richard has kept in the vault.

If you've ever heard THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY discs - they're full of early demo and alternate takes of familiar songs. The problem for Beatles fans with that release is that the compilers often edited two or more takes together to come out with a cohesive song.

Harry
 
I'd have opted out of the little girl altogether. :wink:

I believe you - when you say you'll fill my body with your soul, and that together, we'll make music that will last beyond our lifetime... Baby I believe you....
I think I was drunk when I wrote this.... :) oh well...... :) :) :)
 
Here's my 2-channel downmix with more of a whole-song feel. Here you can hear the overdubs:



Harry

Here's my 2-channel downmix with more of a whole-song feel. Here you can hear the overdubs:



Harry

I like this song... Which lyrics are different?? As I have stated here and many times before and surely in the here-after, I wish that last bit about the freckled girl was out - and possibly we'd get a 'Baby, I love you" vs. the honey... but other than that, I think its a lovely song...
 
I'd love to know why so many fans seem to have a problem with the lyric "freckled little girl."

Harry
Hmmmm - Le' me think about that one.... the "ask me and I'll marry you" and the "freckled little girl" thing, to me - isolates the song... certainly more then than now - but it isolates the song to potential people who will marry and have children / and don't mind girls with freckles! :)

As a single guy / with absolutely zero aspirations to get married in the fall of 1978 - - I couldn't drive down the road in my dad's old '72 Caddy, and sing along to that line of the lyric - like I believed it....

The rest of the song, so passionate and so lovely - was an open ended love letter to anyone... until ... that is... / one starts having snotty nosed freckled little kids pulling at your apron strings! (says the guy who later happily had three boys...)

That may be extreme - but there in lies the crux of the lyric issue with yours truly...
 
Here's my 2-channel downmix with more of a whole-song feel. Here you can hear the overdubs:



Harry


I have this disc and the surround mix is really nice. It also proves what I thought: Karen's doing all the backgrounds. I don't hear Richard anywhere in the "ooh's" or anything else. As I said earlier in the thread, Paul Riser's arrangement is just fantastic. I still abhor the "freckled" line because it just "meters" funny. In fact, I dislike the whole line. "Fill my body with your soul". LOL!! Oh my. The Addrisi boys would have done well to re-think that entire line before letting it get out. Lyrically, the rest of the tune is darned good with lots of "money lines" and the melody is really nice too.

I'm also not big on Richard's decision to choose different vocal "takes" for small parts of this. The performance as originally released is excellent. Further, it feels like a complete "take". His alterations destroy that feel. The changed lyrics add nothing either - at least not to me. Worse, the "looks like we do" goes flat! What was he thinking using that "take"?

Ed
 
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Song4u,
this might be close (obviously, I can not verify):


The bass doesn't move an inch in the verses. LOL! I never noticed that. It also makes her "forever isn't long enough to love ME...like you need to" really shine. That's the best line of the tune. It's moments like that one that remind how amazing her voice really was. No female singer pitched notes like her and her phrasing is impeccable.

Ed
 
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