Karen's Solo album

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I understand if Richard upset, annoyed or whatever when leaks of unreleased traks occur. HOWEVER, I get very happy when we get bootlegs or leaks or stripped down versions of Carpenters or Karen's solo recordings and hope we eventually get EVERYTHING Karen ever sang, completed or not!
 
...hope we eventually get EVERYTHING Karen ever sang, completed or not!...
Agreed. I need to hear everything. And have it available on cd. Preferably with previously unseen photos. I am never and always satisfied when it comes to Karen.
 
"TRULY YOU" was written by Russell Javors. Javors is part of Billy Joel's backing band with Liberty DeVitto, David Brown and Doug Stegmeyer, all of whom performed on Karen's solo album. Javors also wrote and produced the songs "All Because Of You" and "Still In Love With You" which were included on Karen's solo album. He also wrote a song "Room At The Top" which was commissioned for Karen to record. It's rumored that she recorded the song but it has not shown up anywhere.
Does anyone have more information regarding "Room At The Top"? That Rick Henry should write a book... :D
 
Does anyone have a copy of the Billboard snippet in the 'Dance' section whern they comment on 'My Body Keeps Changing My Mind'? Thanks.
 
Nice interview with Karen regarding her solo album y'got there...

And it's great to read what a lot of the musicians who have played on it think, and can bring out from behind the scenes...

We can only muse about what a double-album effort, maybe after this one might'a been like...

--Thanks...!



Dave
 
This topic is so exciting for me....I remember when the solo album was supposed to come out...and didn't. Watching the reports from those who were there is cool. BUT...just like when I watch any Carpenters documentary, I always hope deep down inside that the end result will be different, even though I know the reality and the final outcome. Still, for a brief few moments I long for a different and happier ending for Karen, the Carpenters, and Karen's solo album.
 
10. Singles 1969-1973

9. Singles 1969- 1981

8. Japanese Single Box

7. A Song For You

6. Carpenters

5. Ultimate Collection

4. Christmas Portrait

3. Close To You

2. Karen Carpenter (Solo)

1. Horizon

This Top Ten list is compiled from sales made through the following Carpenters web sites:
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=76941320&blogID=481150883

I thought this might be interesting to see Karen's solo as the second best selling CD and I attached the link if anyone wanted to further investigate.
 
From the retail world, the best selling Carpenters titles according to our supplier:

10. 20th Century Masters (Millenium Collection)
9. As Time Goes By
8. Essential Collection (box set)
7. Close To You
6. Interpretations
5. Love Songs
4. Christmas Collection
3. Singles 1969-1981
2. Gold
1. Christmas Portrait

I have no idea why the Christmas music is still in the top 10, but this listing is based on orders, so it's possible there could be retailers "restocking" their Christsmas music for next season.
 
Arguably, her best ever performance is a song on the album by Paul Jabara and Jay Asher, called "Something's Missing (In My Life)." Many who have heard the work-lead feel it truly relates to Karen's personal struggles and depth of her feelings. The song remains unmixed and without strings.

I copied this quote from the internet. Has anyone heard this track and if so do you agree with the author? Also,does anyone know the name of the photographer who took Karen's solo session pictures?
 
"Something's Missing" was floating around the internet with several other outtakes from the solo album.
I know we are not supposed to promote unreleased material, and at the risk and consent of being deleted, I'll say it's a great track. Her best ever work? Certainly up there in the top 10. I believe Richard had said once that he really wanted to finish a certain unreleased track from her solo album. He didn't say which one, but I've always hoped that this was the track and hope that maybe he'll one day orchestrate and mix it. Of course, the odds of that happening now are probably very slim. How and why the track was never completed by Karen & Phil Ramone for inclusion on the album is unknown.
The song was recorded as a duet between Paul Jabara and Donna Summer (on Paul's album, Greatest Hits and Misses. Donna's performance is quite amazing.). There is much more info on this song if you search the internet. The song itself has had quite a rough history.
 
We may certainly discuss the unreleased tracks - most of us have heard them, please, just avoid giving out any links to download them. The tracks themselves are worthy of discussion.

The unreleased songs that most of us have heard are:

Love Making Love To You (Richard Germinaro, Evie Sands, Ben Weisman)
Midnight (Never Lets Me Down) (Rod Temperton)
Jimmy Mack (Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland)
Don't Try To Win Me Back Again (Gordon Grody, Carlotta McKee)
Something's Missing (Jay Asher, Paul Jabara)
Keep My Lovelight Burning (Evie Sands, Benjamin Weisman)
I Do It For Your Love (Paul Simon)
Truly You (?)
It's Really You (Tom Snow, Trevor Spencer, Alan Tarney) (?)

The order above is the order in which I found them originally. Composer information speculation comes from a "Dan" who used to post at Ran's old RoadOde Carpenters Forum.

Harry
 
The unreleased tracks could almost fit on a single CD, although I'm not quite sure what Karen was thinking in even demo-ing Jimmy Mack, yikes I mean of all the songs she could have demo'd I guess it's fun to hear but not worthy of a 2nd go around. :laugh:

I really love the song-Truly You, the drum beat is good and I like the pause breaks. I also like the lyric when she sings, "and if your looking for a fight" What so different about these tracks is Karen is just singing straight forward, it's unsual to hear her like this without all those overdubbing and backing vocals, here it's just Karen and the instruments, the listener gets a feel of what it really was like sitting in the recording studio as Karen put down these demo songs. For me it's quite special in that regard.
 
The Paul Simon song, "I Do It For Your Love" is one of my favorites by him... Would love to hear Karen do this gem...

As for "Jimmy Mack", I think she'd do well at it, too... (Ah, but Lani Hall, the way she covered it, was just as good...)



Dave
 
Of all of them, 'Love Making Love To You' is my favourite. I can't really understand why that and 'Something's Missing' did not make the album, they're far stronger than some of the tracks on there, e.g. 'All Because Of You'.

To me, 'Love Making Love To You' sounds like it's a finished track that narrowly missed the final cut. Karen's backing vocals are all there present and correct, and even the smaller nuances like brass and percussion are there too, so it must have reached fairly advanced stages of recording and production. The only thing that sounds like it could be added is strings.
 
newvillefan said:
...Of all of them, "Love Making Love To You" is my favourite...



Hey, I forgot that one... (Maybe because I've got its composer, Evie Sands' version...) In addition to Ms. Sands, it was done by a number of other artists like James Jolis & Kevin DiSimone and even Dionne Warwick...

Well, Karen Carpenter covering it...--that would be a "must hear"...!



Dave
 
Harry said:
The unreleased songs that most of us have heard are:

Love Making Love To You (Richard Germinaro, Evie Sands, Ben Weisman)
Midnight (Never Lets Me Down) (Rod Temperton)
Jimmy Mack (Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland)
Don't Try To Win Me Back Again (Gordon Grody, Carlotta McKee)
Something's Missing (Jay Asher, Paul Jabara)
Keep My Lovelight Burning (Evie Sands, Benjamin Weisman)
I Do It For Your Love (Paul Simon)
Truly You (?)
It's Really You (Tom Snow, Trevor Spencer, Alan Tarney) (?)

Harry

I love "Love Making Love to you"
don't care for "Midnight"
"Jimmy Mack" is crap
"Don't try to win me back" is ok....the backing vocals sound like Olivia Newton-John..to me
"It's Really You" and "Truly You"....don't really like either
"Something's Missing" I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE ORIGINAL ALBUM!!!!!
the other two are ok.....
 
Of all of them, 'Love Making Love To You' is my favourite
I tend to like the Evie Sands version the best -- but possibly because it's the one I'm used to. Although her album (ESTATE OF MIND) has another song, "One Thing On My Mind," that puts it in the dirt, hit-single-wise.
 
Mike Blakesley said:
"One Thing On My Mind"; that puts it in the dirt, hit single-wise.


Well, if that's a bad thing, then I like that song... An aggressive and more up-front approach in Evie's more normally intimate canon (well, there's also "You Brought The Woman Out In Me" and "A Woman's Work Is Never Done") on Estate Of Mind...

Karen and Evie anyone?

Or how 'bout Kar' with David Cassidy...? (--Or Shawn...???)



Dave
 
"Something's Missing" was floating around the Internet with several other outtakes from the solo album.

It certainly is aaflyer98 and thank you. It doesn't sound 'commercial' to me but neither did 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas'. After years and *cough* years 'Have Yourself...' has become my favorite Karen vocal. We shall see if "Something's Missing" will stand my test of time. I sure wish that it was available commercially.
 
Karen and Evie anyone?

Well Dave. I sought Evie Sands' version and it is late 70's awesome. I don't think that I can give an honest critique because I am so biased Karenward. Karen sounds so 'liberated' vocally and it is a sheer pleasure to listen. Perhaps THAT song could have been a duet. Tongues would have wagged and eyes would have popped perhaps...but sounds good to me. :D
 
goodjeans said:
Karen and Evie anyone?

I sought Evie Sands' version and it is late-70's awesome. Karen sounds so 'liberated' vocally and it is a sheer pleasure to listen. Perhaps THAT song could have been a duet. Tongues would have wagged and eyes would have popped perhaps...but sounds good to me. :D


To me, too! :nut:



Dave
 
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