THE OFFICIAL REVIEW: "VOICE OF THE HEART" SP-4954

[Chris May]

“VOICE OF THE HEART”​

Catalogue Number: A&M SP-4954
Date of Release: 10/17/83
Chart Position: U.S.: #46; U.K.: #6; JAPAN: #41
Album Singles: "Make Believe It's Your First Time"/"Look To Your Dreams"
"Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore"/"Sailing On The Tide"
Medium: Vinyl/Cassette/CD​

Track Listing:

1.) Now 3:46 (Nichols/Pitchford)
2.) Sailing On The Tide 4:21 (Peluso/Bettis)
3.) You're Enough 3:46 (Carpenter/Bettis)
4.) Make Believe It's Your First Time 4:07 (Morrison/Wilson)
5.) Two Lives 4:32 (Jordan)
6.) At The End Of A Song 3:42 (Carpenter/Bettis)
7.) Ordinary Fool 3:40 (Williams)
8.) Prime Time Love 3:10 (Unobsky/Ironstone)
9.) Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore 3:51 (Weiss)
10.) Look To Your Dreams 4:28 (Carpenter/Bettis)

Album Credits:

Produced and Arranged by Richard Carpenter
Lead vocals: Karen Carpenter
Recorded at A&M Recording Studios
Engineered by: Roger "Mingo" Young
Assistant Engineer: Robert De La Garza
Mixed at A&M Recording Studios, Capitol Recording Studios and The Village Recorder
Mix-down Engineer: Roger Young
Assistants: Robert De La Garza, David Cole, Robin Laine
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Recording Studios
Look To Your Dreams arranged by Peter Knight
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff
Contractor: Jules Chaikin
The O.K. Chorale - under the direction of Ron Hicklin
Conducted by Dick Bolk
Special thanks to Ron Gorow, John Bettis, Roger Young, Don Hahn, Mimi Thomas, all the guys in the shop: Ken Gary, Bill, Karl; Werner Wolfen, Herb, Jerry and the entire A&M family.
Art Direction: Chuck Beeson
Photography:
Front Cover: Claude Mougin
Back Cover: Larry Williams
Innersleeve: Annie Leibovitz
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dedication:

February 4, 1983. On that day I lost my sister, a dear friend, and my professional partner. The world lost a beautiful spirit. Karen had not only a voice that was heaven-sent, but a personality that warmed the lives of everyone who had met and known her. She was with us only 32 years. Though my family and I will never get over losing her at such an early age, we can take comfort in the marvelous legacy she left us all. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss gave us the opportunity to record and due to that opportunity Karen's voice touched and will continue to touch the lives of millions. That was a privilege she was very proud of... as I am proud of her. She is greatly missed. - Richard Carpenter

 

[Harry]

This was a tough album to evaluate - back then, and even now. I think we all recall the feelings we had in 1983 when the announcement of Karen's passing hit us. And I remember an interview with Richard on TV, as he outlined that he was working on putting together a final album of material that had been recorded earlier, and due out in the fall of the year.

I had mixed feelings about that album. On the one hand, I wanted to hear something new from Karen & Richard. On the other hand, I didn't want it all to end, and this felt like a final album. Once I got it, I even hesitated to listen to it, knowing that with each track, once heard, there might never be anything "new" to look forward to.

But I perservered, got through the album, with a bit of wistful sadness, and then didn't do too much further exploration for quite awhile. Over the next year or so, I probably didn't listen to this album more than two or three times. It was an effort to preserve that "unworn" feeling that listening to a new album can give you. By spacing out my listening, I wasn't "wearing out" the tracks too quickly.

To this day, it's probably my least listened-to Carpenters album. The singles, again, have crept their way into familiarity through repeated hearings on compilations and radio.

It's interesting to me that a totally unexpected album, LOVELINES, came out years later, and that one I played quite constantly. As a result, I'm more familiar with the LOVELINES songs than I am with some of the VOICE OF THE HEART tracks.

I think maybe it's time to give this one a few repeated spins, huh?

Harry
...still saving this one from "wearing out", online...

 

[aaflyer98]

Harry...I agree with your comments. This album, for me, has a lot of sad feelings attached to it. In 1983, I really wanted to hear it, but had reservations because we had lost Karen. With the heavy choir backing vocals on many of the songs, it had a finality to it, that I did not want to hear, although it was reality.
Over the years, "At The End Of A Song" has become one of my all-time favorite Carpenters songs. Some of the other songs, like "Make Believe It's Your First Time" and "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" have also become favorites. I have never really liked "Prime Time Love", and I'm not sure why. I guess this album will always have a sense of sadness for me.

 

[Dave]

Eh, "leftovers", but still great tunes! "Ordinary Fool", the long-overdue Paul Williams song is my fav'...! Next to--I think, LARRY--Weiss' "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore"... "Two Lives", may have been by Mark Jordan, of "Marina Del Rey" fame... A good, but still, Sentimentally-Posthumous effort...!


Dave

"...tHIS iS tHE lAST, bE gLAD wE hAVE iT!"

 

[Chris May]

Honestly for me, with the exception of "Ordinary Fool" & "Sailing On The Tide", this album still doesn't sound "complete" to me, as if the majority of the cuts here were obviously left-overs that were in some ways only "half" completed for sake of necessity.

You hear the choir on some cuts (a sound I didn't much care for where the "commercial" sound of the Carpenters was concerned), and then you have Richard filling out the backing vocals on just about everything else. Even Karen's doubled sound is manufactured (with the exception of "Sailing").

Karen's vocal on "Now" is beautiful, however her lower register doesn't possess that same warmth that you hear on all of her earlier master leads, and even a few work leads. Richard completely discounts the idea that Karen sounded different vocally toward the end, but my ears don't lie, as there are many who stand in agreement with me.

I will say this however, the album *does* set a general mood, which I like. I would give this one a "3". -Chris

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

I always thought this was a nice record. Inconsistent, but nice. "Now" was a hard one for me because, as a late-comer to this album, I didn't hear it until the TV movie came out. I agree with the assertion that Karen sounded slightly different on it than on the others. To my ears, her vocals were somewhat less assertive than they had been previously. No less engaging though.

"Sailing On The Tide" is cute and, were it not for the hooky vocal arrangement and Karen's insanely melodic lead, I could easily dismiss it.

I think the reason "Prime Time Love" hits some people funny is that, clearly, the song began as an R&B tune that Richard fitted to their sound. The vocal arrangement, as usual, is quite good but Karen ain't got the sass for this one - sorry. The song is ill-suited to the Carpenters and I think that's why it doesn't work.

By far, the best thing on the record is "Ordinary Fool". The arrangement is simply chill-inducing and Karen's vocal is just frighteningly good. I'm a sucker for a good ending and this song sports just about the best I've ever heard. How this song didn't come out the moment it was recorded is entirely beyond me. Songs this good should never be made to wait.

"Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" is another good one. I could do without the oboe (I can quite often do without the oboe, really) but musically, it's pretty darn good. The vocal arrangement, though, really saves it. Richard sang the fool out of those backgrounds. Great sound! I actually can't imagine the backgrounds any other way. He absolutely was the man for that job. Karen's backgrounds would only have gotten in the way.

Those are the ones that stuck out to me. Overall, this album was a nice addition to the catalogue and I'm glad Richard decided to put it together. I, too, give it a solid 3.

Ed

 

[Mark-T]

Some wonderful material on this album.
This is a sentmental favorite for the obvious reasons.

"Ordinary Fool" is just the classiest thing K&R ever recorded. No exceptions.

Love "Now" and "Your Baby" and "Look to Your Dreams" as well.
"Make Believe" wasn't the greatest choice for a single, and the choir brings an unnecessary MOR sound to an otherwise warm recording- but a lovely song nonetheless... I enjoy "At the End of A Song' and "You're Enough" quite a lot.

The rest of the songs are good but nothing extra special by any stretch.
The cover photo just draws me in- and the back photo of Richard makes me sad just to look at it.

Overall a fitting tribute in many respects. 4 stars.

 

[Dave60640]

**** 4 stars ****
The very first Carpenters LP (cassette actually) that I purchased for myself.
I NEVER tire of this album, save perhaps Prime Time Love
As a lead vocal, I think Now is amazing! It's an extremely deep and emotional song that we all know KC would've given it even more depth and feeling would she have cut a final lead track. As a once through from the top though, it still knocks my sock off.
Almost all the other tracks though show me again and again why I fell in love with Karen and Richard's musical talents.
An album that helped me through the worst years of my life, it will always be special and (dare I say it) Close To Me.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

I also have to agree with the consensus about the O.K. Chorale. I frankly wish they'd never been on a Carpenters album. As Mark and others have stated, that choir gave the Carpenters sound a very MOR sheen that's anathema to Pop radio. I also don't agree with the choice of "Make Believe..." as a single. First of all, the definitive version of it had already been done...by Karen on her solo album. Bob James knew what was best for this song. He kept it simple and let Karen's voice do the work. The decision was also made to excise the bridge, a bridge which I feel gets in the way. In stark contrast, Richard blew it for a change. He made entirely too much of a production out of it. He threw in everything and it all added up to nothing - at least to my ears. The choir breaks the back of an already too-full production. Perhaps he was just trying so hard to make it different from Karen's solo version that he just went too far in the other direction. Having said all of that, Richard's arrangement and production decisions are usually first-class so he's allowed to blow one...LOL!

Ed

 

[Murray]

This may sound strange, but I've always been drawn to melancholic music, and this album has it in abundance. "At The End Of A Song", "Two Lives", and "Ordinary Fool" are as depressing as it gets from a lyrical standpoint. Even the songs that aren't meant to be sad come off sounding that way... take "Sailing On The Tide" for instance - the lyrics "after I'm gone life will go on, someone's gonna take my place running in the human race" - given that Karen died only months earlier gives this lyric a meaning that was never intended. "Now" was written as a love song I'm sure, but I can't listen to it without imagining that Karen is singing it from heaven (the choir adds to that feeling). When this album was new, "Look To Your Dreams" made me very sad, because at the time I thought that it would be the last "new" Karen song that I would ever hear - her "swan song". The fading piano solo at the end - representing Richard left all alone - and the picture of him on the back cover (his comments read like a eulogy) - left me feeling as badly for him as I felt for myself.

When I first bought this album in October 1983, I remember playing it while sitting in the dark (it seemed somehow appropriate, and also, that way no one could see me crying). Even after all these years, I can't play it very often - for me, VOTH will be forever linked to Karen's passing, and the way I felt at that time. Oddly, the other postumous release "Lovelines", doesn't make me feel sad at all, and I play it all the time - I guess since it was released 6 years later, the sadness had lessened a lot by then, allowing me to enjoy the music for what it was.

I don't think that any other album has ever had such an emotional effect on me as VOTH, and I also love Karen's vocals throughout the album ("Ordinary Fool" is her best vocal EVER!). Even though it can make me feel sad, it's never left me feeling cold. I give it the full 5 stars.

 

[Roland Chayer]

I gave it a 4..., 'cause for me, like "Made In America", it's about a 3.5.

"Voice Of The Heart" is my all-time favorite cover art.

There are 4 songs on it that I don't really like, but those others that I like are just awesome..., those are... :

In order of preference... :

- Look To Your Dreams
- Make Believe It's Your First Time
- Ordinary Fools
- Now
- You're Enough
- Sailing On The Tide

The ending of "Look To Your Dreams" brings tears to my eyes everytime I listen to it. Richard playing that main vocal melody on the piano is so emotional for me. It's like he's saying to the world : "From now on, they only way I can reach Karen is by playing, on the piano, the melodies she used to sing... That's what I'll do for the rest of my life".

 

[Dave]

A lot of Voice Of The Heart seems to be almost a Made In America, Part II--really makes me wonder what kind of a closer follow-up to Passage may have been like...

(Gave this album ***, but really meant 3-and-a-1/2...)


Dave

 

[Mark-T]

Responding to Murray here: I wonder if it is the presence of all the choir background vocals that make this album feel sad in addition to it being released after Karen's death. "Lovelines" has very few- if any- songs with the choir on it.
I think the fact there is a choir highlights the absence of Karen even moreso.

"Even though it can make me feel sad, it's never left me feeling cold."- well said!

 

[no1kandrfan]

3 stars for this one, and many of my sentiments have been stated above. Overall a good album, with some great songs, but the 'addition' of the choir was just a bit too much for me - still is; especially since I've had the opportunity to hear Karen's solo version of "Make Believe..." - beautiful. My overall favorite track is "Ordinary Fool" - I wish she'd had the opportunity to do some of the great blues-type standards - "Cry Me A River" and "Black Coffee" come to mind.

Mike

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Well, it's not often that I will ditto someone elses words. Murray said it exactly how I feel, exactly.

This album will be forever Karen's album for me and I love it.


...a tidbit of history, did you know that Karen gave Itchie Ramone a signed cover of this album cover shot before she passed away, it says: Dear Itchy Love To You, Karen. So I truly believe this was the cover pic Karen was going to choose for her solo album, had it been released. Just my thoughts...

 

[Rumbahbah]

Hi guys. I’ve been reading this website for a few years now and have to congratulate it on having been an excellent mine of info on the Carpenters and their music, with many very interesting discussions and pieces of information. Having sat on the sidelines for so long, I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and take part too.

It’s a bit odd that my first message should be a review of one of the last Carpenters albums, but in a way this was my introduction to their music. In the UK in 1990, when their profile had been raised after the Karen Carpenter Story was shown on TV (incidentally, although I know Richard says he regrets being involved with this, I think it was this that was the key factor in bringing the Carpenters back into the public eye and allowing their long-overdue critical reappraisal), my Dad had bought the Only Yesterday compilation that was at that time doing very well, but he mentioned another song that he’d remembered hearing on the radio and really liking called Make Believe It’s Your First Time, which wasn’t included, so when the back catalogue was re-released later in the year, he bought the cassette of Voice of the Heart, which was played in the car on many occasions. Although I’d heard the Only Yesterday compilation and had really liked it, this was the first studio album I’d heard, so it holds a certain sentimental value to me.

Although it doesn’t feel too cohesive as an album (not surprising given the tracks were recorded at different times) and the mood is quite up and down (some very upbeat songs and some really melancholy songs), I still really enjoy it and rate it as being better than Made in America – in fact, given Karen’s untimely death earlier before the album’s release, some of the songs (Now, Look to Your Dreams, Make Believe It’s Your First Time) sound oddly prophetic and seem suited to a “goodbye” album. There are a few songs that are pleasant but uneventful, like At The End of a Song and Prime Time Love (which is a bad song title, although I don’t mind the song as much as some others seem to) but the darker songs on the album are superb and, in my opinion, stand up with the best of any of their material. Top of the pile for me is Ordinary Fool – as many others have said, a superb reading by Karen of a lovely song, in a style which they perhaps should have tried more often: dark, with a touch of jazz – probably one my top 10 favourite Carpenters songs. Although some of the instrumentation sounds a little “sweet” for such a sad song, it’s still a masterpiece, and one wonders why it was held off “A Kind of Hush” as I would say it’s better than anything on that album (although I guess its tone is in a similar vein to One More Time, which is my favourite from that album, which may explain its omission). I’m very fond of Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore too; I think it would have sounded better without the doubling of vocals in the chorus, but it still packs a punch anyway. Given my Dad’s fondness for it, I still really enjoy Make Believe It’s Your First Time – I agree that the choral backing does bog it down, but I think Karen’s vocal on this, although a bit more confident than her solo album reading, is still very well done. Now is another great song; I don’t rate it as high as some fans do, but considering it’s Karen’s last recording, it’s a lovely track and one which carries some special meaning as a result. Look to Your Dreams is also gorgeous and a perfect bookend to go with the opener Now – the closing bars of the piano playing solo are a genius touch. Two Lives is the best of the rest – like Prime Time Love it feels like an attempt at a more “contemporary” song but is definitely more successful at pulling it off.

So, all in all, I’d give it 4/5. It’s not their best or their most cohesive album, but given the terrible circumstances which must have surrounded its compiling, it’s pretty well selected and includes some outstanding tracks. It just goes to show how high Richard’s quality control was that a lot of these songs were initially considered “outtakes” (although I suppose you could argue on the other hand that it was slightly dodgy judgement made as to which songs made the album at the time – a number of outtakes from this and on subsequent albums are stronger in my opinion than songs which made the grade during Karen’s lifetime).

Phew - sorry for going on so - didn't realise my first message would turn into a thesis!

 

[magiclampnormski]

I visited this site once a long time ago and then proceeded to forget all about it (my bad!) until Randy recently reminded me of it. Thanks Randy!

Voice of the Heart. Wow. This one brings out so many emotions in me, mostly because it was the first after Karen's death. I remember that day like it was yesterday. I had taken a fall and hit my head right around the time of her death and went home and laid down with a massive headache. I didn't fall asleep in case of a concussion, but I left the tv and radio off, as I needed quiet. Well, around 9pm that night I was feeling better and turned the tv on. One of the first things I saw was a news brief where her picture popped up. Before they even said anything I gasped - it was almost always bad news when they did that - and sure enough. I burst into tears and couldn't stop crying. I was a wreck for days and felt like a zombie for weeks.

It was months before I could listen to their music again. When the album came out, I was right there to buy it, but I just looked at it for a day or two before I could listen to it. It was the first album I didn't listen to over and over and over again right away. I listened to a couple of times and then put it away. It was too hard.

Some time after that just missed it too much and had to start listening to the best music in the world again. I missed that voice. So out came VOTH first.

Now. I was knocked out by it. I think it's that lower register opening that really grabbed me.

Sailing On The Tide. A fun song! Karen sounded really happy singing it. Pretty, catchy melody.

You're Enough. I love Karen's vocal. Melody wise, it's not one of my favorites, but it's a good song.

Make Believe It's Your First Time. I love the melody and the added bridge and of course Karen's vocal. I do NOT love the overpowering chorus. BLEECH! I have never liked the chorus and never will. I think he should have done the background vocals himself, perhaps with the boys in the band. They did a great job live, why not in the studio now that Karen wasn't there to do it?

Two Lives. Love it. Nobody does this kind of ballad better than Karen. Fortunately the chorus is kept more low key and her voice is right in front.

At The End Of A Song. Lovely. I love the marimba in the arrangement. The guitar too. the chorus swells a bit, but not too bad. Another beautiful vocal. (but aren't they ALL??!! lol!

Ordinary Fool. the best of the best. period. Karen's vocal gives me chills and breaks my heart at the same time. The nuances, all the little things she does with her voice, amazing. She could teach all these singers of today who think belting out a song with the power of a nuclear reactor is the way to a "great" vocal, a thing or two in subtley ripping your heart from your chest.

Prime Time Love. Another "fun" song. Not spectacular however. Anyone else notice the glob of spit in Karen's throat during one of the "lookin' in the face of..."? LOL!

You're Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore. I LOVE the verses. However this is one of the songs that the chorus doesn't knock me out. You hear ache in the verses, the nuances too, not in the chorus, which isn't melodic enough for me. It's like Hurting Each Other for me - I love the verses in that, but the chorus not as much.

Look To Your Dreams. Lovely vocal. Hopeful lyric that still makes me sad because she's gone from my dream... sigh... Richard's piano at the end makes me want to cry. I hurt for him. I feel his loss.

So there you have it. My take on it. I give it a 4 out of 5 as well.

Norma

 

[Harry]

Welcome back Norma!

Nice to see you here. I'm Harry, and we met up in Boston at The Corrs concert sound check. During that concert you were about five or six seats away from me.

It seems to me you were also a member of Ran's old Carpenters board, if I recall correctly.

You'll find a few Corrs fans around here as well.

Harry

 

[magiclampnormski]

Hi Harry!

Of course I remember you. In fact it was you that suggested I visit this site. I just never remembered to!

Yeah, I was on Ran's site - he's to blame for the Corrwhore I've become! LOL!!

Norma

 

[Harry]

We haven't heard from Grainne in ages. I guess she's busy being a young red-headed lass from Ireland!

In fact it was you that suggested I visit this site. I just never remembered to!

Well, it's only been over a year and a half since that concert! Welcome back.

Harry

 

[PJ]

"Voice" is one of my favourite Carpenters albums ....more so given that had Karen lived on & Carpenters had completed NEW 1983 studio set -VOTH would not have been issued at all & perhaps only a few tracks been finally released in the 1990's on a Rarities release or Box set

Great original songs , some of Karen's best ever vocals , superb Richard arrangements & production

Peter

 

[Chris_Sydney]

Hi guys,

I'm a new poster here. My name is Chris and I'm a 20 year old fan from Sydney, Australia (hence the gutbustingly original username). Richard and Karen have been in my life for about as long as I can remember. I still recall spending lazy Sunday afternoons with my Dad when I was seven sprawled out in front of the stereo playing the 'Now & Then' LP. I've since become the resident Carpenters fanatic in the family and am in the process of procuring all their studio albums on CD. Trust me to jump on board just as a bunch of the Remastered Classics editions have been deleted!

Anyway, 'Voice Of The Heart'. I'm still not entirely sure where I stand on this album and I sort of wish, in a morbid way, that I had been around in 1983 to experience Karen's death. I think witih 'VOTH' being released only months later, as some other posters here have indicated, it would have been a really different experience. As it stands, I tend to agree with Richard's stance on the album nowadays... it's a collection of outtakes and as such just doesn't hold up to, say, the quality of 'Horizon'. I am glad it was released though as there are some gems within the album's 10 tracks and it seems to say something quite interesting about Karen as an intended swan song.

The dynamics of the album's lyrics strike me as really interesting. I had half expected it to be a lot sadder than it turned out to be. The lyrics to the first three songs see Karen sounding so comfortable, the voice of someone who had finally found the love and contentment they'd been searching for. I guess the reality couldn't have been further from this but that's a testament to Karen's ability to interpret songs better than anyone else. I've never been a big fan of 'Now' (I know, I know, flame me now!) and I think 'Prime Time Love' is loads of fun. It should have been on 'Made In America' to offset some of the schlocky stuff that made it to the final cut.

The standout is, unquestionably, 'Ordinary Fool'. The soft, lilting accompaniment to Karen's voice is sublime, and there's a sort of resignation in her vocal that suits the pathos of the lyric so perfectly. It rates amongst my Top 10 Karen performances, easily. 'Two Lives' is my other favourite. A nice contemporary midtempo that should have been the direction Karen and Richard went for on the 'Made In America' record instead of making an album that, I imagine, sounded dated upon release. 'At The End Of A Song' is probably the best of the rest in my opinion. I love the way Karen's voice rises up for the chorus parts. I think I would have liked it better if there was no choir backing her up. It's almost as if Richard was too scared to let Karen's work vocals stand on their own. It would have made the album far more powerful than it ended up being. 'Make Believe It's Your First Time' is the worst offender. Although I love the bridge, I have to agree that Richard overdid it with the orchestration and the choral thing. It's such a fantastic intimate song on Karen's solo disc, a comforting offer from lover to lover. On 'VOTH' it is a bombastic mess and takes away from the impact of the song.

The cover is beautiful, and that's probably the most heartbreaking thing about the album. She rarely looked more breathtaking. 3/5 for me.


x

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

As I mentioned above, I totally agree with you, Chris. "Make Believe..." should have been left alone. For once, he actually didn't seem to know what was best for this one. He also had that "bridge" added later in what I imagine was an attempt to make it different from Karen's version. As you've also said, I can't stand the OK Chorale. It brings them far too close to Muzak territory than they ever should have gone. It also immediately dates the recording. No one aiming for radio adds that kind of thing. It's likely that he did it because Karen wasn't around to do the backgrounds with him but I absolutely love hearing the "wall of Richard" approach. I wonder what that might have sounded like on this recording.

By the way, welcome, Chris...

Ed

 

[Chris_Sydney]

Thanks heaps Ed! Happy to be here. I agree that Richard should have just multitracked his own backing vocals. Tracks like 'Prime Time Love' really benefit from that, and I can't help but think how many others would have as well. I think that would have helped the record sound more like an authentic Carpenters album as well, something already in jeaopardy considering Karen had passed away and the songs were merely outtakes...


x