THE OFFICIAL REVIEW: "LOVELINES" (SP-3931)
- Thread starter Chris May
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Chris_Sydney
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I bought the 'Lovelines' album a considerable while after 'Karen Carpenter' and as such I've never really been able to think of it as a 'proper' album seeing as so many cuts come from the solo LP. I will, however, give Richard credit for crafting a posthumous album that is not only stronger than its predecessor but also boasts very impressive sequencing. Despite being a bit off-put every time I hear Karen's tracks next to bonafide Carpenters ones, this album plays really well.
I agree with others who have said this is a far less emotional listen than 'Voice Of The Heart'. I think that does have something to do with the inclusion of three of the uptempo tracks from Karen's album but the fact that 'Lovelines', unlike 'VOTH', was released some time after Karen's death would have contributed to this as well. It's also worth mentioning, as I've seemingly been sucked into comparisons here, that 'Lovelines' sounds much more like a Carpenters record than 'VOTH'. In fact even the solo cuts fit nicely amongst the Carpenters' repertoire thanks to Karen doing the background harmonies herself. With no chorale choir in sight the 'Lovelines' album feels much more authentic.
I'll start with the solo tracks to get them out of the way. It really does perturb me somewhat that Richard felt so strongly against the release of the album back in 1980 but then had the gaul to remix a couple and append two others to the release of a CARPENTERS album. Anyhow, time passes, opinions change and I've never been one for grudges. Richard chose the right songs to include on 'Lovelines'. 'If We Try' was the best ballad/midtempo on the album and the soft lilt of the chorus sounded particularly Carpenters-esque (as opposed to the starkness of, say, 'All Because Of You'). The remaining three uptempo / sort-of-disco tracks were excellent choices as they counteract the genuine Carpenters offcuts which are largely ballads and give the album more interesting dynamics. I'm sure Richard realised this too as 'Lovelines', 'Remember When Lovin' Took All Night' and 'If I Had You' are positioned so obviously at the beginning, middle and end of the album. Like I said, great sequencing!
I'm torn when it comes to the remixes. It was wise of Richard to construct his own versions of 'Lovelines' and 'If We Try' as they both sit more inconspicuously with Carpenters songs in these remixed forms. Whether the songs themselves benefitted is another question. The extended vocal play at the end of 'If I Had You' is glorious but I much prefer the lead vocal take Phil chose for the solo album than the one Richard uses. The horn stabs in the chorus are also much more exciting in Phil's mix and I think that sums up the problem I have with both of Richard's remixes. He may have made the songs sound more Carpenters-esque but in doing so the edge has been taken off both songs. 'Lovelines' suffers the most. The reverb on Karen's vocals destroys the soft grittiness (if that's not too much of an oxymoron!) that Rod Temperton's arrangement allows for in the original version. Overall I think both mixes sound too muted but I'm pleased Richard did them as they make 'Lovelines' a more worthy purchase for the hardcore collector, haha!
The other two highlights on the album are, without equivocation, the two unreleased songs used in 'The Karen Carpenter Story'. The problems I have with that movie are a whole other story but these songs and the scenes they were attached to resonate really strongly with me. 'Where Do I Go From Here' is one of the Carpenters' best songs in my opinion and Karen's interpretation is, as usual, spot on. I love the slight melody change she makes to the last chorus. 'Where do I go from he-e-ere...' Stellar. 'You're The One' is a really interesting cut because I find Karen's vocals quite forceful for such a soft intimate song. Karen really pounds some of those phrases out and it gives the song a curious quality in that she's singing about the joy of finding the love of her life, but sounds like she's desperately trying to hang on to him in spite of the inevitable. It's this element of Karen's vocal performances which I have always found alluring. The inherent emotional dimension to her voice itself often superceded and betrayed the lyric she was singing, and few singers can claim to have a voice as effective as that.
Of the remaining tracks my picks would be 'Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night' (this should have been completed for 'Made In America' as it's better than half the tracks on that LP) and 'The Uninvited Guest' for the left-of-centre lyric. I'm not a huge fan of 'Honolulu City Lights' or the two songs from 'Music, Music, Music' but they all add to the really varied sonic texture on 'Lovelines'. For this reason I'm giving it a 4/5. Richard clearly realised some of the flaws of 'Voice Of The Heart' as an album and more than compensated on this one. Good work, cowboy.
x
P.S. Am I the only one who smiles every time Karen sings 'daynce' instead of 'dance'? You can hear it on 'My Body Keeps Changing My Mind' too. Bless!
I agree with others who have said this is a far less emotional listen than 'Voice Of The Heart'. I think that does have something to do with the inclusion of three of the uptempo tracks from Karen's album but the fact that 'Lovelines', unlike 'VOTH', was released some time after Karen's death would have contributed to this as well. It's also worth mentioning, as I've seemingly been sucked into comparisons here, that 'Lovelines' sounds much more like a Carpenters record than 'VOTH'. In fact even the solo cuts fit nicely amongst the Carpenters' repertoire thanks to Karen doing the background harmonies herself. With no chorale choir in sight the 'Lovelines' album feels much more authentic.
I'll start with the solo tracks to get them out of the way. It really does perturb me somewhat that Richard felt so strongly against the release of the album back in 1980 but then had the gaul to remix a couple and append two others to the release of a CARPENTERS album. Anyhow, time passes, opinions change and I've never been one for grudges. Richard chose the right songs to include on 'Lovelines'. 'If We Try' was the best ballad/midtempo on the album and the soft lilt of the chorus sounded particularly Carpenters-esque (as opposed to the starkness of, say, 'All Because Of You'). The remaining three uptempo / sort-of-disco tracks were excellent choices as they counteract the genuine Carpenters offcuts which are largely ballads and give the album more interesting dynamics. I'm sure Richard realised this too as 'Lovelines', 'Remember When Lovin' Took All Night' and 'If I Had You' are positioned so obviously at the beginning, middle and end of the album. Like I said, great sequencing!
I'm torn when it comes to the remixes. It was wise of Richard to construct his own versions of 'Lovelines' and 'If We Try' as they both sit more inconspicuously with Carpenters songs in these remixed forms. Whether the songs themselves benefitted is another question. The extended vocal play at the end of 'If I Had You' is glorious but I much prefer the lead vocal take Phil chose for the solo album than the one Richard uses. The horn stabs in the chorus are also much more exciting in Phil's mix and I think that sums up the problem I have with both of Richard's remixes. He may have made the songs sound more Carpenters-esque but in doing so the edge has been taken off both songs. 'Lovelines' suffers the most. The reverb on Karen's vocals destroys the soft grittiness (if that's not too much of an oxymoron!) that Rod Temperton's arrangement allows for in the original version. Overall I think both mixes sound too muted but I'm pleased Richard did them as they make 'Lovelines' a more worthy purchase for the hardcore collector, haha!
The other two highlights on the album are, without equivocation, the two unreleased songs used in 'The Karen Carpenter Story'. The problems I have with that movie are a whole other story but these songs and the scenes they were attached to resonate really strongly with me. 'Where Do I Go From Here' is one of the Carpenters' best songs in my opinion and Karen's interpretation is, as usual, spot on. I love the slight melody change she makes to the last chorus. 'Where do I go from he-e-ere...' Stellar. 'You're The One' is a really interesting cut because I find Karen's vocals quite forceful for such a soft intimate song. Karen really pounds some of those phrases out and it gives the song a curious quality in that she's singing about the joy of finding the love of her life, but sounds like she's desperately trying to hang on to him in spite of the inevitable. It's this element of Karen's vocal performances which I have always found alluring. The inherent emotional dimension to her voice itself often superceded and betrayed the lyric she was singing, and few singers can claim to have a voice as effective as that.
Of the remaining tracks my picks would be 'Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night' (this should have been completed for 'Made In America' as it's better than half the tracks on that LP) and 'The Uninvited Guest' for the left-of-centre lyric. I'm not a huge fan of 'Honolulu City Lights' or the two songs from 'Music, Music, Music' but they all add to the really varied sonic texture on 'Lovelines'. For this reason I'm giving it a 4/5. Richard clearly realised some of the flaws of 'Voice Of The Heart' as an album and more than compensated on this one. Good work, cowboy.
x
P.S. Am I the only one who smiles every time Karen sings 'daynce' instead of 'dance'? You can hear it on 'My Body Keeps Changing My Mind' too. Bless!
Chris_Sydney said:
Well-written review, Chris. Thanks.
I can't speak for others, but I can relate the way I felt in 1983 and VOICE OF THE HEART. Karen had been taken away from us. A constant question in my head was, "What was to become of Richard? Would he record himself? How would he deal wih the death of his sister and partner?"
Sometime later that year, Richard appeared on one of the morning TV shows to talk about it all, and he mentioned that he had tracks that had been recorded for a new album, and that he would work diligently to finish off the album as if things were normal. My impression based on those statements were that Karen had recorded many songs for this new album and that Richard would do what he normally did, and that the next album would indeed be a new, if last, Carpenters album. That part interested me - and yet the melancholy of losing Karen had me also dreading hearing another album. I don't think I did too much Carpenters listening that year. It was too painful a reminder.
When VOICE OF THE HEART finally appeared, naturally, I grabbed a copy as soon as I could, perused the track list, read the credits, and went home and had a listen. I kept telling myself not to "wear this one out" by repeated listening, so I spaced out any listening sessions, as I needed to make this one last. That wasn't hard, since very little on VOICE OF THE HEART really grabbed me the way other Carpenters albums did in the '70s. The overdubbed vocals were supplanted with chorales, and it just didn't feel the same, nor did it feel like a unified whole. I attributed it to the fact that Karen was gone, Richard did his best, and this was all I could hope for. Still, I kept plays of that to a minimum.
When LOVELINES appeared in 1989, I was just amazed that there could possibly be more stuff out there from which to make an album. I assumed that some of the tracks might be Richard-only tracks (that proved wrong) and that the album couldn't possibly sound like a unified whole (and that was wrong too.). I hadn't heard any of the solo album at that point - and in fact wasn't even aware of its existence, not being a fan club member and this all being before the advent of the Internet. LOVELINES got me back into the Carpenters sound, and that was one album that I did play repeatedly (if still somewhat gingerly, as I didn't want to wear it out either). To date, I think I've played LOVELINES far more times than I ever have VOICE OF THE HEART.
Once I did learn much of what I know now via the Internet, I came to realize that VOICE OF THE HEART was a compilation of leftover tracks from prior albums with one actual new track ("Now") that was being recorded for a potential new album in 1983. And for me, VOICE still has the power to bring up all of those sad and bitter feelings from 1983, whereas LOVELINES evokes a happier memory of discovering something new and unanticipated.
Harry
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
For me, VOICE OF THE HEART does invoke all the sadness that I went through back in 83. That's probably what makes this album so special to me now is that each time I play it, it seems to transport me back in time, back to 83 when those feeling I had of never hearing Karen sing again. I can still remember having my turntable with my headphones on sitting on my brown plush bean bag on the floor of my bedroom in the house I grew up as a child listening to this album. The memories are still vivid for me and ones I will never forget. By the time I got to the last song, Karen was telling me to Look to my dreams, there was a need for them now, when the world has us down your so glad there around. It was as it Karen was comforting me while she looked down from heaven. Giving me hope that things would be ok, Karen has a special way of expressing a lyric to make you feel she is singing it just for you. It is a very emotional album for me and one that probably get more play from me than alot. I have the official VOTH A & M poster 24 x 24 size framed on my wall in my gallery and seeing it everyday reminds me of those bittersweet memories from long ago that still touch me deeply even today.
...who still misses Karen very much...
...who still misses Karen very much...
Chris_Sydney
Member
Chris, what emotional memories. Thank you for sharing them. I can't really imagine what it must have been like back in 1983 having always grown up knowing that Karen was no longer with us. You wrote that beautifully by the way. I think everyone has those albums that evoke really vivid memories for us. I'm sure Karen would be touched to know that her voice gave you so much comfort.
Love your avatar, by the way. I'm a huge Olivia fan as well. She's my favourite singer of all time.
x
Love your avatar, by the way. I'm a huge Olivia fan as well. She's my favourite singer of all time.
x
Roland Chayer
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