JBee
Active Member
The discussion of the C's playing Beatles songs on the "Your Navy Presents" show on another thread has gotten me thinking. The Carpenters first single was a ballad version of "Ticket to Ride" (which is one of the best things they ever did and I even prefer it to the original). They included "Help" on the Close To You album. Karen recorded a soulful "Nowhere Man" demo (which is fantastic) in Joe Osborne's garage that never saw the light of day till As Time Goes By. Both RC and KC cited the Beatles throughout their career as one of their major influences (one of the famous "Three B's": Bacharach, Beach Boys and Beatles, and then later a 4th B was sometimes cited: The Bee Gees).
Yet, after "Help" there were no Beatles or Lennon/McCartney songs on their albums. I'm sure it was part of their earlier pre-A&M repertoire (they even did a snippet of "Good Day Sunshine" in the so-called Zodiac medley in MYOKOM) and I really wonder what other Lennon/McCartney songs RC could have changed up and re-arranged ala "Ticket to Ride". A heavily Carpenter-esque overdubbed version of "The Long and Winding Road" or "Hey Jude", or a ballad of "Day Tripper" perhaps? Even that early "Nowhere Man" sounds like it could have made some album, with Karen at top voice (even at 18-19). Imagine if they had recorded a studio version of NM with full orchestration at their height?
I ask because its often mentioned that Richard couldn't find songs to fill albums (thus relying on medleys as in Now and Then, putting out no album as in the year 1974, going with some mediocre tracks in AKOH and only putting out a Passage LP with 8 tracks, and half of one of those said 8 tracks was the entirely instrumental "On the Balcony of Casa Rosada") and yet used zero Lennon/McCartney songs he was clearly familiar with (and had played with) post-1970. Which I think is a shame...and given what he was able to do with "Ticket to Ride", a missed opportunity.
Yet, after "Help" there were no Beatles or Lennon/McCartney songs on their albums. I'm sure it was part of their earlier pre-A&M repertoire (they even did a snippet of "Good Day Sunshine" in the so-called Zodiac medley in MYOKOM) and I really wonder what other Lennon/McCartney songs RC could have changed up and re-arranged ala "Ticket to Ride". A heavily Carpenter-esque overdubbed version of "The Long and Winding Road" or "Hey Jude", or a ballad of "Day Tripper" perhaps? Even that early "Nowhere Man" sounds like it could have made some album, with Karen at top voice (even at 18-19). Imagine if they had recorded a studio version of NM with full orchestration at their height?
I ask because its often mentioned that Richard couldn't find songs to fill albums (thus relying on medleys as in Now and Then, putting out no album as in the year 1974, going with some mediocre tracks in AKOH and only putting out a Passage LP with 8 tracks, and half of one of those said 8 tracks was the entirely instrumental "On the Balcony of Casa Rosada") and yet used zero Lennon/McCartney songs he was clearly familiar with (and had played with) post-1970. Which I think is a shame...and given what he was able to do with "Ticket to Ride", a missed opportunity.