"I Need To Be In Love" [1978]

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Chris May

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After much urging from a fellow Carpenters acquaintance, I thought it might be nice to put up this little treat for those here who will appreciate it. Karen, beautifully singing her absolute most favorite Carpenters song on Bruce Forsyth's Big Night in December, 1978. Enjoy!




 
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This is one of Karen's finest performances and live vocal interpretations. I really like the slower tempo they added to the song which enables her to increase the intensity of the lyrics. :love:

Thanks Chris
 
Thanks Chris for sharing that clip (and to your acquaintance for their "urging")! :) It is her finest performance of what is my favourite Carpenters song, and it was an absolute thrill to see and hear it in such pristine quality! :love:
 
One of my favorite live performances. I was flashing back to seeing her perform it in 1976 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. Beautiful...
 
Definitely the best TV performance Karen ever made, it even beats the Perry Como Christmas Show performance. Karen has total control of her voice, you can see her going into another zone as she prepares to sing, and snaps out of it at the end and gives us that great smile..... perfection.
 
This performance brings out the emotion of the song stronger than any other! She was perfect upfront! She was a perfect interpreter of song. Only Luther Vandross compares.
 
Couldn't agree more with what has been said here about Karen's performance.

Actually overall, the entire program - which features Please Mr. Postman, Merry Christmas Darling, I Need To Be In Love and Winter Wonderland/White Christmas medley is sensational. Karen sounds most like the Karen we know on all of the records here, sticking to her natural voice and not trying to overemphasize vowels with the elongating and twang heard on much of the other live performances. Her diction and tone is the very best of anything I've ever heard live. Such a treat to have. :)
 
This is one of Karen's finest performances and live vocal interpretations. I really like the slower tempo they added to the song which enables her to increase the intensity of the lyrics. :love:

Thanks Chris

The ironic thing is that the tempo is identical to the record. Much of the studio instrumentation (flute, English horn, strings etc.) is present here, as the live band is playing to a meter or "click", with the recorded orchestration as accompaniment. It really shows you the mastery of Karen's craft in her phrasing, taking her time in a much more relaxed interpretation. Another slight note, is the drums are playing 'side stick' a.k.a. rim shot at the first chorus, which gives a more laid-back feel. Whereas on the record, the drums move to snare by the first chorus. :)
 
As Richard wasn't present during this visit to the UK, would Peter Knight have stepped in to ensure that musically everything was up to standard? I think I remember reading that the band rehearsed their performance in LA before flying to the UK. If I'm correct, would Richard have had some input when deciding the selection of songs? The quality of the sound track is amazing, it sounds better than the original studio recording. Must down to Karen's vocal.
 
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The ironic thing is that the tempo is identical to the record. Much of the studio instrumentation (flute, English horn, strings etc.) is present here, as the live band is playing to a meter or "click", with the recorded orchestration as accompaniment. It really shows you the mastery of Karen's craft in her phrasing, taking her time in a much more relaxed interpretation. Another slight note, is the drums are playing 'side stick' a.k.a. rim shot at the first chorus, which gives a more laid-back feel. Whereas on the record, the drums move to snare by the first chorus. :)

Really? Wow, I always thought the album version just felt speed up to me, like Karen was rushing through the lyrics. It's amazing that the tempo is the song on this live take is the same tempo as the album version, I would never have thought that, how was Karen able to make it sound slower with her phrasing yet keep the same tempo? Did she have a ear piece in her ears to keep time or was she listening to the live band with her ears with no ear pieces? She just makes it sound so relaxing in her delivery. It's intoxicating to watch her do this especially live.
 
As Richard wasn't present during this visit to the UK, would Peter Knight have stepped in to ensure that musically everything was up to standard? I think I remember reading that the band rehearsed their performance in LA before flying to the UK. If I'm correct, would Richard have had some input when deciding the selection of songs? The quality of the sound track is amazing, it sounds better than the original studio recording. Must down to Karen's vocal.
The band did rehearse in North Hollywood before going to the UK. Richard was practically bedridden and did not turn up for rehearsals. I think it's unlikely that Richard was able to offer any assistance with selecting the songs. Peter Knight and Jeff Wesley gave musical support during the show which went off without a hitch. Karen's delivery of "I Need To Be In Love" is described on page 187 of Little Girl Blue as, "perhaps the most tender and intimate reading of the song ever"
 
Had Richard Carpenter accompanied Karen on this UK trip,
would this live rendition be a carbon-copy of the concert versions (1976) extant ?
This performance, as being one of the absolute best of Karen's career,
again, raises questions to my mind.
Did she have any input on modality, from Richard, regarding this 1978 performance ?
(As we know she did on the Concert performances, to wit, the assertions from Coleman's Biography
regarding screaming matches when she would hold a note too long, or deviate from the recordings.)
 
I thought I logged in correctly to watch this again, but it errors out as Private Video. Can you repost it?
 
I thought I logged in correctly to watch this again, but it errors out as Private Video. Can you repost it?

I pulled the video (again) because it seems that John Deblaere over at Carpenters To You on Facebook has a habit of ripping and reposting everything we put up here. I try to offer this stuff once in a while as a special treat for folks here to enjoy, but I guess that's just not safe anymore. Should have known better... :)
 
Music is to share, not rip, right! Thanks for all your efforts. Everything you share is valuable and heartfelt!
 
It's just frustrating when you secure licenses for things and rather than a fellow appreciator of music simply directing people over here to watch the source video, they take it upon themselves to try and dub second generation copies and re-post as if it was their own. This isn't the first time. Precisely why YouTube is full of the crap that it is unfortunately .
 
I agree. I am sure you run across a lot you desire to share. I am sure that you feel gifted to see and hear what you come across and wish to share that gift with everyone while protecting the rights of others. I appreciate everything you share. If there is ever such a thing as a Chris May Download app, I would pay to watch whatever you post. It could help offset the cost of those licenses to post and protect and I would feel confident that what is shared by you is legal and with permission. I enjoy the clarity of an original post too much (for audio authentication and video sharpness) to support any site that offers second and third generation copies. (I once belonged to a few facebook sites but withdrew sometime last year. This is now the only site I visit.) When I was young, before the days of computers and the internet, I would rush to a record store to get a new Billboard magazine to see if anything Carpenters was printed. That was about the only way to find anything factual. Information here is a treasure find. Thanks again for all you share.
 
The band did rehearse in North Hollywood before going to the UK. Richard was practically bedridden and did not turn up for rehearsals. I think it's unlikely that Richard was able to offer any assistance with selecting the songs. Peter Knight and Jeff Wesley gave musical support during the show which went off without a hitch. Karen's delivery of "I Need To Be In Love" is described on page 187 of Little Girl Blue as, "perhaps the most tender and intimate reading of the song ever"
After a bit of research this weekend when I had some spare time I was able to clarify the questions that lingered in my brain. Still do not understand how it was possible to achieve a clearer sounding vocal track for the show, than what was achieved in the studio during the recording of the album. There's a slight reverb used in the TV performance which compliments Karen's voice. Richard also used reverb when he remixed the studio recording, it's the reverb quality that gives an extra dimension to Karen's vocal technique. When I come to think of it, the remix of "Our Day Will Come" is another great example of when reverb showcased Karen's vocal.
 
After much urging from a fellow Carpenters acquaintance, I thought it might be nice to put up this little treat for those here who will appreciate it. Karen, beautifully singing her absolute most favorite Carpenters song on Bruce Forsyth's Big Night in December, 1978. Enjoy!





We did enjoy......thanks again!
 
It's always disappointing when someone does that without permission. Sorry, Chris. :sad:
On the plus side, while it was still there it made my unhappy day turn out much better! :agree:
 
I pulled the video (again) because it seems that John Deblaere over at Carpenters To You on Facebook has a habit of ripping and reposting everything we put up here. I try to offer this stuff once in a while as a special treat for folks here to enjoy, but I guess that's just not safe anymore. Should have known better... :)

Holy Cow! His page is a total ripoff of everything we've posted here. All of those rare pictures just reposted. The man is a thief, plain and simple.

It's sad that people like that have to ruin stuff for everyone.

See anything familiar here?
Deblaere facebook.jpg
 
Looks like I missed the boat on this one too!

The freedom of the internet works against us at times judging by the guy on Facebook mentioned previously.
 
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