V.O.T.H - You Pick The Single...
- Thread starter piloso49
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Agreed. When I first got into this album, I listened to see if there was anything with "hit radio" potential. The hooks on "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" fit that bill perfectly. The only problem in 1983 was that even with Karen gone, radio stations weren't willing to play any artists with high "negative" ratings.
Harry
Harry
Since I consider the listening public to be totally unpredictable in taste, I can only go with what I thought was the best song. There are 2 that I would vote for--"Now" and "You're Enough". I voted for "Now". Having said that, all are possibilities. It's one of my favorite albums, altho' I know many of you think it's not a "great" album.
Marilyn
Marilyn
aaflyer98
Well-Known Member
What you say is true, Dave. This album is only in a few stores (then and to this day) and did not have the sales impact, that I, for one, would have thought, being that Karen had passed away. However, it is an emotional album for many of us that have been fans prior to Karen's passing. So I'll defend it from "that point of view". It did lack single potential, but I think many of us thought it would sell because of the impact Karen and Richard had on the public through the years. It did not, but their impact has been felt since. I thought at the time of release of Voice of The Heart, that ' that was it ' . Period. No more Karen Carpenter. As an after thought, its true, RC held out some better material for "Lovelines' that would probably have made a radio impact...most notably, "Kiss me they way you did last night" but it was not to be. Still, there are some gems on Voice Of The Heart, including "Now" "Your Baby..." "At The End Of A Song".
My main problem with Voice Of The Heart VS. other post 1983 recordings are the heavy use of the choirs. That bogged down this album in a sad, almost morbid kind of way. Makes me sad to listen to it to this day. It's THE album that signals Karen is gone. I Don't like that aspect of it. So am I defending this album or not? Well, only as a timepiece for those of us that remember when and experienced THAT time and place. We looked forward to it, we mourned. In retrospect, had you not been there in 1983, it would be a less appealing album. Understandable, totally. Even today, for me, not my favoirte because of the sadness it represents, but some good gems on it anyway.
My main problem with Voice Of The Heart VS. other post 1983 recordings are the heavy use of the choirs. That bogged down this album in a sad, almost morbid kind of way. Makes me sad to listen to it to this day. It's THE album that signals Karen is gone. I Don't like that aspect of it. So am I defending this album or not? Well, only as a timepiece for those of us that remember when and experienced THAT time and place. We looked forward to it, we mourned. In retrospect, had you not been there in 1983, it would be a less appealing album. Understandable, totally. Even today, for me, not my favoirte because of the sadness it represents, but some good gems on it anyway.
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
As has already been hinted, this album has no singles. "Now" might have been were it not for the dreaded O.K. Chorale and the awful vocal arrangement that accompanies them. It's really an excellent song until they blunder in and it immediately treads dangerously close to elevator fare. The O.K. Chorale was an absolutely horrible idea on everything they were used on.
Ed
P.S.: Where's "Ordinary Fool"?
Ed
P.S.: Where's "Ordinary Fool"?
Chris_Sydney
Member
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Well, 'At The End Of A Song' and 'Make Believe It's Your First Time' are also missing, ironic since the latter was the single from it. 'Now' was also a single in the UK.
Stephen
P.S. My vote went for 'Now', which I think was the most radio friendly sounding of a poor bunch of songs. They play it occasionally on BBC Radio 2 here in the UK.
I also think "Two Lives" may have had some radio potential. I have to agree with the posters about The OK Choral, I like the songs but everytime they come into the song, It just ruins it for me. "borders on elevator music", the OK Choral MAKES it elevator music. When I 1st heard "Make Believe It's Your First Time" on the Karen Carpenter Solo, I really liked that version so much better.
I also think that Prime Time Love is a great song and might have had some radio spins if it was released.
I also think that Prime Time Love is a great song and might have had some radio spins if it was released.
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
It's not that fans hate choral music, I don't think. It's that Carpenters signature sound was drawn from the fact that they did their own overdubs, creating that wall of harmony behind them, all with their own two voices.
For me, in the later years, it seemed like a bit of a cop-out to have a generic choir in the background. It wasn't Karen and/or Rich, so it didn't belong.
Richard even proved with some of his later work that he alone could create that choral backing "wall", so it seems like he should have done for all the tunes, not just a select few. In fact, if he wants to tweak songs, he should go back and ditch the O.K. Chorale, and re-do the vocal parts himself, just to "get it right".
Harry
For me, in the later years, it seemed like a bit of a cop-out to have a generic choir in the background. It wasn't Karen and/or Rich, so it didn't belong.
Richard even proved with some of his later work that he alone could create that choral backing "wall", so it seems like he should have done for all the tunes, not just a select few. In fact, if he wants to tweak songs, he should go back and ditch the O.K. Chorale, and re-do the vocal parts himself, just to "get it right".
Harry
Harry said:
Now that you mention it, that's why those choral parts bother me a bit. Even if Richard found another good female singer and redubbed with just the two of them, I bet the tunes would sound better.
Wasn't the O.K. Chorale something that was first used on the Christmas albums? Now, some of those choral parts on the original Christmas Portrait album don't bother me at all. It could just be that the choral arranging is what bothers me about their later use.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
It wasn't billed as the "O.K. Chorale", but a chorus of singers was used on "I Can Dream, Can't I" - but there it works since it's a throwback style to the big-band era. Still that was the first record I heard without Rich and Karen doing backing vocals. I remember initially being disappointed at that aspect of it.
Harry
Harry
andywithaz
Well-Known Member
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Well from the list above I voted for Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore. I think it is very radio friendly for the time in which it would have been released for radio back then. I have a test pressing 45 of this single which is really cool.
As a side note with regard to the Ok Chorale, Harry said it best above and I agree.
"In fact, if he wants to tweak songs, he should go back and ditch the O.K. Chorale, and re-do the vocal parts himself, just to "get it right".
Yes Harry I totally agree and wouldn't that be amazing to hear. Everytime I listen to my German Pressing of Ave Maria without the choir I just love love love that track, simply all Karen, nothing drowning her out, she's right up front where she should be, I get chills when I hear that track.
I could never really understand the whole concept of the Ok Chorale, I mean I know how much it must mean to Richard to have incorporated them into their music with Richard's background and all but the overdubbing was their signature, hearing multiple Karen's and Richard's even to this day I still stand in awe of their hard work in making this sweet music. I agree too with Rudy that on the Christmas albums it is welcomed and seems to fit well.
As a side note with regard to the Ok Chorale, Harry said it best above and I agree.
"In fact, if he wants to tweak songs, he should go back and ditch the O.K. Chorale, and re-do the vocal parts himself, just to "get it right".
Yes Harry I totally agree and wouldn't that be amazing to hear. Everytime I listen to my German Pressing of Ave Maria without the choir I just love love love that track, simply all Karen, nothing drowning her out, she's right up front where she should be, I get chills when I hear that track.
I could never really understand the whole concept of the Ok Chorale, I mean I know how much it must mean to Richard to have incorporated them into their music with Richard's background and all but the overdubbing was their signature, hearing multiple Karen's and Richard's even to this day I still stand in awe of their hard work in making this sweet music. I agree too with Rudy that on the Christmas albums it is welcomed and seems to fit well.
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