⭐ Official Review [Album]: "VOICE OF THE HEART" (SP-4954)

[newvillefan]

Honestly, Richard still had enough time - no less really than usual - to deliver the album. I think the "blip" is locked into the lead vocal track and there's simply nothing that could have been down with the technology available during that period to "notch" it out. Just my opinion.

It always sounded like a cheek pop to me

On the whole the Lovelines album has a richer sonic sound (and no choir) and sounds a lot more finely crafted in some ways.

The difference between VOTH and Lovelines is really noticeable. Lovelines just feels like a much warmer album. VOTH leaves me with a feeling of bleakness. Interesting to think what a difference it would have made if songs like 'Slow Dance' and 'Kiss Me' had been included. I think it would have ruined the overall mood of the album that Richard was probably going for at the time.

Thankfully on the latter album, the OK Chorale is pretty much nowhere to be seen - the focus is on some stellar KC leads.

 

[Charlie D]

Honestly, Richard still had enough time - no less really than usual - to deliver the album. I think the "blip" is locked into the lead vocal track and there's simply nothing that could have been down with the technology available during that period to "notch" it out. Just my opinion.

The glitch doesn't bother me but the technical faults/extra noises like that interest me.

 

[ullalume]

Also, what the hell was that giant burp that finishes off "I Got Music"?! It's so weird because if it was a joke it doesn't fit that song at all (Goofus, yes, but not this). Did someone jokingly sneak that in there and no one noticed? That sounds absurd, but I cant see why Richard would include that.

That burp is something that's been discussed many times on this forum and I simply don't hear it. . . it's like those 3D pictures 20 years ago. Everyone can see the dolphin except me!!!

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Are you talking about the last line, "Who could ask for anything more....*burp*
If so, yes I hear it loud and clear and I hate it, to me it sounds just like a burp, I'm not sure what it is but it ruins the song for me. I wish Richard would have removed that sound from this track.

 

[theninjarabbit]

Fresh off a listen to this album! Wow, those were some lovely songs -- hard to believe all of these span a few years in their catalog.

"Now", despite being Karen's last-ever recording, is magic; was thinking of playing it for my mom if she remarries (she also mentioned "You're the One" to me). "Sailing on the Tide" is my new favorite!! I played it twice and couldn't get enough of that "salty aiiiirrr". "Your Enough", "Prime Time Love", and "Your Baby Deosn't Love You Anymore" have a nice kick to them; I envisioned that they could chart with this type of material. "Look to Your Dreams" (and its elegantly wrenching piano finish), "Make Believe...", "Ordinary Fool" and "Two Sides" (when she goes into higher range like that one, my gosh!) are just the icing on the cake with the mellifluous Karen leads. The instrumentation was just enough; it didn't step on anything and Karen was right in front. There were even a few of those small hooks -- although I can't remember parts that stood out -- that made it so very pleasant to the ears.

"Two Lives" and "Ordinary Fool" didn't pull at my attention too much otherwise (Sorry Chris! ). I also snickered a bit when the OK Chorale came on - I seemed more drawn to the selections where Richard/Karen were singing background. I only wish I had "Lovelines" as part of my collection to compare the two, since I hear there's little chorus on it!

For a record that came out so close after her passing, "Voice of the Heart" certainly has a fighting chance against "Hush" and "Made in America".

 

[newvillefan]

Are you talking about the last line, "Who could ask for anything more....*burp*
If so, yes I hear it loud and clear and I hate it, to me it sounds just like a burp, I'm not sure what it is but it ruins the song for me. I wish Richard would have removed that sound from this track.

Yep, I hear it loud and clear and hate it too. What possessed them to allow it into the final mix? And is it an actual burp? If not what is it??

 

[Harry]

Yep, I hear it loud and clear and hate it too. What possessed them to allow it into the final mix? And is it an actual burp? If not what is it??

The "burp" has always been there, even in the soundtrack to the TV show MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC. As for why? I couldn't say.

I did once make an attempt at eliminating it, but it's simultaneous with the final flourish note.

Harry

 

[Charlie D]

Yep, I hear it loud and clear and hate it too. What possessed them to allow it into the final mix? And is it an actual burp? If not what is it??

Could it be some bizarre cacophony of instruments at the end that together sound like a loud burp? The songs not really a favorite of mine but when I do hear it the end always bugs me.

If he wanted to put in a bodily noise a loud ripping fart would have been much more amusing

 

[byline]

Honestly, I think it's just a noise that's part of the "stinger" effect of the instrumentation ... nothing more.

 

[GaryAlan]

November First, 1983, The Age Newspaper,
Carpenter Concentrates on the Good Times
Richard Carpenter:
"For that final album, Karen was sounding better than ever.
The tunes are good and I'd place Voice of The Heart in the top Four
of all our albums."
"Quite a few recording sessions were needed for the new record.
I think Karen started laying down tracks in 1981 and most of the voice work
was done last year in a few bursts."

Source:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=aZUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3088,1201757&hl=en

 

[GaryAlan]

Regarding....
Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore
Richard Carpenter:
"Our rhythm track was recorded in 1980, along with Karen's work lead,
Additional recording and mix were done in 1983."

My question(s):
Can someone tell me the lowest and highest musical notes which Karen sings in this song?
It seems to be a song strong with extremes of Lows and Highs.
Also, would the rhythm track consist merely of drums ?
That is, with all else (besides 1980 drums and Lead vocal) mixed/finished in 1983 ?

 

[Harry]

Can someone tell me the lowest and highest musical notes which Karen sings in this song?

I think the lowest is E below middle C (well down in a "bass" singer's range), and the high stretches up to about the C above middle C.

 

[newvillefan]

Also, would the rhythm track consist merely of drums ?
That is, with all else (besides 1980 drums and Lead vocal) mixed/finished in 1983 ?

The rhythm track in the case of this song would have been bass, piano (or keyboards) and drums, along with Karen's lead. Their rhythm tracks were usually either that or bass, drums and guitar (but not often I suspect).

Here's a list of all instruments used on the song:

Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Ron Tutt
Guitar: Tony Peluso
Trumpet: Chuck Findley
Percussion: Peter Limonick
Oboe: Earle Dumler

So in 1983 Richard will have added guitar, his own backing vocals, trumpet (including solo), percussion, oboe and finally orchestration to complete it.

 

[GaryAlan]

Revisiting this album, especially as it relates to the live performance given by
Karen in late 1981 of Touch Me When We're Dancing.
Particularly, Now and You're Enough, recorded in April 1982....approximately five months (?)
later than the aforementioned live performance.
I am impressed here with the manner in which Karen reaches her highs and her lows (musical notes, that is.).
You're Enough, one of my favorites, has some nice lows..."might be seeing love....in your eyes.." punctuated by
some higher notes. Drop the chorus,though.
(Did Richard forsake the "money's in the basement" mantra ?).
Unfortunately, for me, the same pattern is hardly replicated in the song Now,
which seems to lack the (full-bodied) richness of her lower register.
(Were these songs recorded on the same day ?).

 

[WYBIMLA]

Can someone explain to me the lyric, "Don't sell me stories that music's a lady" in "At the end of a song"?

 

[Mark-T]

I think but am not sure its a reference to a Sinatra song.

 

[Superstar]

I think but am not sure its a reference to a Sinatra song.

That's what I thought, but then I thought, no, that was "Luck Be a Lady"... I am sure he had a few songs comparing things to ladies, however.

 

[ScottyB]

Sadly, the first true Carpenters album I bought (aside from The Singles & Christmas Portrait). This is the album that had me "fall in love" with that voice.
For me, Now is hauntingly beautiful. Sailing On The Tide reminded me of mid-70's Carpenters (later learning it was recorded in 1977), You're Enough is a gem, however I find Make Believe It's Your First Time a bit bland. I love Two Lives. At The End Of A Song and Ordinary Fool are perfectly sequenced and segued. Both are great. While Prime Time Love is not the best song, it makes a nice bridge leading to Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore, reminiscent to their early 70's sound (notably Hurting Each Other), and Look To Your Dreams with Richard's added coda closes this set appropriately. Truly a masterpiece.

 

[Bobberman]

My Favorite songs "Ordinary Fool" and "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" are to me True Carpenters Ballads in the Grand Tradition. Even though this is not their best album. however, despite the circumstances in which it was released it does offer a variety I Think Chuck Findley's trumpet solo on the aformentioned,"Your Baby". Is Stellar. It reminds me of Herb Alpert's style of playing of that period.

 

[WYBIMLA]

I think but am not sure its a reference to a Sinatra song.

Interesting. It sticks out to me as not being very strong lyrics I hate to say.
Like when I heard Bettis point out his dissatisfaction with "No one can predict the wheel of fortune as it falls".
Idk there's certain lyrics that don't make a lot of sense. Not that it has to.
If I were to guess I think it means music won't coddle you or something to go alone with the theme of "At the end of a song".
It's an odd tune when you really think of it.
But, that's not unusual to come up with an offbeat lyric.

 

[tomswift2002]

I was just listening to this the other night, and I was looking at the liner notes, and I noticed that on "Sailing On The Tide" it mentions Karen does backing vocals. So I guess "Sailing" must've been pretty far along by the time Karen died, and if it has backing vocals, than that's not a work lead we're hearing, unless she got it on the first take.

But I also noticed with Sailing that Karen actually sings different lyrics twice than what is printed on the liner. The liner indicates that Sailing's copyright is 1983, but I that just says when the copyright was given, so I'm wonder if John Bettis and Tony Peluso changed the lyrics prior to 1983, but after Karen recorded the track, and the lyric's printed had to be the copyright lyrics even though Karen doesn't sing them that way.

 

[newvillefan]

I was just listening to this the other night, and I was looking at the liner notes, and I noticed that on "Sailing On The Tide" it mentions Karen does backing vocals. So I guess "Sailing" must've been pretty far along by the time Karen died, and if it has backing vocals, than that's not a work lead we're hearing, unless she got it on the first take.

I think the track fell into the same category as You're The One in that it was pretty much finished for 'Passage' but left off at the last minute.

 

[GaryAlan]

And, interview with Richard Carpenter, from December 1983:
"The way we ordinarily worked was Karen's Lead singing,bass,piano,drums,guitar.
Later, the two of us would harmonize to her leads.
She'd take upper harmony and I would take lower.
The only tune on the new album on which they'd done the latter was Sailing On The Tide."

Source:
The Lewiston Daily Sun - Google News Archive Search (https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19831207&id=K3ogAAAAIBAJ&sjid=p2cFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1321,1131410&hl=en)

 

[GaryAlan]

Taken from the NPR interview with Richard Carpenter:
"CARPENTER: Oh, yeah, it's a - "Now" is a piece by Roger Nichols, a melody writer who wrote "We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days And Mondays," "I Won't Last Today Without You," among others. And it's what's called a work lead - a lead that the singer would put on as the tracking musicians. In this case, the bass and drummer - the baseman and drummer could hear how it - rather than just look at a chart with chord changes and all, they could hear how the melody goes, and then it would be replaced with a master lead at - well, at a future date. But Karen sang these things so well that the scratch lead works just dandy. So originally, it was just a bass, piano and drums accompaniment and Karen's lead, and then in the coming months, I finished the chart and mixed it. And, yeah, it's a really pretty song, and Karen sings it - well, she sings it beautifully."

Source:
Richard Carpenter Weighs In On How To Craft The Perfect Pop Song »

 

[BarryT60]

At The End Of A Song was poignant for me then (1983) and still gets me now. One of Karen's finest in my opinion.

I like listening to this one as well... It's not their 100% best work as a duo - but something about "riding the wave" of her vocals here is just really really fun to do. The high highs, the low lows, and the ease in which Karen glides through the melody makes it one hell of a listen. Intimate, a haunting lyric, and a fantastic sampling of that velvet instrument. As someone said earlier about NOW, I wish we had a variation without that chorale... I can;t stand their addition at the very end. Other than that - I give this particular song an A.