If I Had You (solo album version)

[ullalume]

I also found this (on a&m corner) from an article by Paul Grein written in 1991.

"It was supposed to be done in six months, and it was well over a year and it still wasn't finished," she said. By that time, Richard was through relaxing and wanted to go back to work. I couldn't see spending more time on the solo album and holding up work on a new Carpenters album: It didn't mean
that much to me. If Richard hadn't gone on vacation, I never would have done the solo album. It was just something to keep me busy.

"But it was good experience. I didn't know what I was going to run into when I was back there. I'm not real good at being away from home by myself. Richard's like a third arm to me. I'm used to being part of a duo. I'm used to blinking an eye and having the engineer know what I want.

It was fun cutting it and seeing that I could do all that--sing a different type of tune and work with different people. I was scared to death beforehand. I basically knew one producer, one arranger, one studio, one record company and that was it."

Obviously she was following the company line, coz we know how much the rejection of the album shattered her.

 

[Mark-T]

And look at the end result: It's a striking piece of work! Moral of the story- sometimes working beyond fear produces many great things.

 

[Chris]

While in the car today, listening to the solo album, I was thinking of this thread. This album was recorded 30 years ago, yet for us it is something that remains current in our minds and hearts. It's a great testament to how much we love Karen and her talent. I'm glad there is a place like this where we can all connect and relate through our affection and sometimes downright obsession of the Carpenters.

I'm probably repeating myself, but there were so many great things on that solo album that it's a shame that it wasn't stronger overall. With excellent tracks like "If I Had You", "If We Try", "Make Believe", "Making Love in the Afternoon", etc.. I wish there were some other knockouts on it. She deserved to have it released at the time. It just needed a few more strong tracks than it had. What was there was far too good to keep locked up. It makes me wish she really had recorded "Rock With You" and "Off the Wall" instead of "Lovelines" and "My Body". Those ultimately went to Michael Jackson after she turned them down, but I could hear her singing those very easily. Her background harmonies would have been especially sublime. Ahh, well. I continue to dream.

 

[newvillefan]

It makes me wish she really had recorded "Rock With You" and "Off the Wall" instead of "Lovelines" and "My Body". Those ultimately went to Michael Jackson after she turned them down, but I could hear her singing those very easily. Her background harmonies would have been especially sublime.

I can definitely hear in my mind Karen's vocals on a track like 'Rock With You'. Imagine the same breathy kind of vocals that you can hear on the track Lovelines, but sang on the lines in parentheses below:

"I'm gonna rock with you/
(All night)
Dance you into day
(Sunlight)"

It would have worked so well given the way that Rod Temperton had styled her backing vocals on the other tracks.

 

[Chris]

I can definitely hear in my mind Karen's vocals on a track like 'Rock With You'. Imagine the same breathy kind of vocals that you can hear on the track Lovelines, but sang on the lines in parentheses below:

"I'm gonna rock with you/
(All night)
Dance you into day
(Sunlight)"

Exactly, Stephen! They were tailor-made for her! How could this have happened?? Maybe in some parallel universe she recorded those songs for the album and had a huge hit record!

 

[Mark-T]

I think Off the Wall lyrics are better suited to her than Rock with You. "Leave the nine to five on the shelf and just enjoy yourself..."
As a side note, Off the Wall is my favorite MJ album. Always was.

 

[Actorman]

It makes me wish she really had recorded "Rock With You" and "Off the Wall" instead of "Lovelines" and "My Body". Those ultimately went to Michael Jackson after she turned them down...

Do we know for a fact that she was offered those songs prior to Michael? Recording sessions for Off The Wall (the album) began in late 1978 and the album was released in August of 1979. Karen didn't start work on the solo album until (I believe) April or May of 1979 by which time, Off The Wall would have already been nearly completed. The timing just doesn't seem to work for that to have been possible.

 

[newvillefan]

I'm pretty sure this is not just an urban legend...it's been reported in a few places that she was offered these tracks and even that she thought they were too funky for her own style, which is why she rejected them. If they were among the last laid down for Off The Wall and among the first Karen listened to from the 500 she did in April or May, then I think it's quite possible they were both sent them around the same time and he took them while she turned them down.

 

[A&M Retro]

It's documented in "Little Girl Blue". Rod Temperton was living with Karen at the Ramone home for a period to work exclusively on Karen's album, so she most definitely heard those two songs in their most embryonic stages. He offered them to her, but the books states they were just under construction and really mainly 'grooves', and not complete songs. Karen thought they were a bit too funky, so passed on them. Obviously, she would likely have felt differently had she heard them in more complete form.

 

[newvillefan]

Obviously, she would likely have felt differently had she heard them in more complete form.

I wonder how she did feel about them when the finished versions surfaced on Off The Wall!

 

[Chris]

I wonder how she did feel about them when the finished versions surfaced on Off The Wall!

I was wondering the same thing, Stephen. It would be wonderful to have had more interviews from Karen around that time, especially something about her solo album experience. Wouldn't it be fascinating if we had an interview with Karen where she didn't hold back? We've heard from many people who were close to her, but we've never heard a candid interview from her regarding these things.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

Last night I saw a documentary about the group Heatwave from a series called "Unsung", a "Behind The Music" type show dedicated to R&B acts that aren't getting the recognition they deserve. (I'm a junkie for these shows - this one is on TV One, an offshoot of BET, and the network has all the shows available online.) Anyway, Rod Temperton got his start as a member of Heatwave, which you probably know - it wouldn't surprise me if he pitched those tunes to Karen, as he also pitched "Rock With You" to Heatwave. And THEY turned it down! (Maybe it wasn't a great demo - cause it sure is a great song....)

Had Karen cut more tunes like that (and "Last One Singing The Blues", which I think is a great song) - and finished the album earlier, before disco started dying - perhaps everything would have been very very different.....