Chris Mills
That was funny....like the dark vomited up
Nice tribute:
That recording is crystal clear, the high frequencies haven't dissipated. Just beautiful to listen to. Perfect recording.
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Nice tribute:
!!!A Kind Of Mush?
Randy Edelman's 1976/1977 You (the arrangement sounds familiar):
I agree that Karen's vocal on "I Need to Be In Love" is exquisite. But, listening to 'American Top 40' as a pre-teen as this song was climbing the charts, I had the impression that it wasn't really for me. A bit too slow, lacking a zappy, catchy hook and with a 'mature' theme that I couldn't relate to. Even at that young age, I wasn't surprised when it didn't peak very high.INTBIL Single Review
Great points Craig. I wish that Richard could have somehow got the rights to the live recording of INTBIL from the Bruce Forsyth show and released it on a compilation. I wonder if Richard has even watched it or heard this live recording since Karen passed away. They recorded so much during their career but he wasn’t really involved in this live track so does he even remember it exists? He’s obtained rights to use recordings from Ella, maybe the cost is too high to get rights to a U.K. broadcast of releasing a live recording on a future Carpenters compilation.Please Mr. Postman has a lot going on in it and is an extremely fun song that can't help put a smile on anyone's face. Just try to recreate it, and it is a difficult task to create something simple, well! I Need To Be In Love had the choir. The obvious harp was already a topic of elimination for pop radio and the choir did the rest. The song is so beautiful that it did not need all of that in a single. The album version could have stayed as is, but it needed more voice to ear for radio in 1976. It was also a summer single and more voice and signature Carpenter harmony with only Carpenter voices would have helped it. Karen had a quality that was appealing in vocal overdubs that Please Mr. Postman had plenty of. I'll never understand why she was not utilized more front and center, with less instruments surrounding her, as in the golden hits, as she was the star with the one of kind voice that held the attraction for radio play. Again, it was great for projects, but singles needed more one on one time using instruments that contemporary listeners could pick up and play with a handy instrument for recreation. The version that she sang on the Bruce Forseyth Show was simply tantilizing and would have soared better against Disco for its emotional value. It was more voice to listener. Plus, their live shows were focused on more previous hits and little showcasing current songs. Their albums Horizon and Hush had plenty of material that could have been utilized. That should have been the eye opener! They were still great concerts, but commercially they did little to promote current or forthcoming projects. The biggest drawback, that Harry once pointed out, was that there was not a recorded live version of this song.
I wish that Richard could have somehow got the rights to the live recording of INTBIL from the Bruce Forsyth show and released it on a compilation. I wonder if Richard has even watched it or heard this live recording since Karen passed away. They recorded so much during their career but he wasn’t really involved in this live track so does he even remember it exists? He’s obtained rights to use recordings from Ella, maybe the cost is too high to get rights to a U.K. broadcast of releasing a live recording on a future Carpenters compilation.
I think Karen is thin, but her energy and song still has looking good. She carried the Carpenters well, as Richard just just cancelled the last tour and no one actually knew what was to become of the Carpenters. She headlined with brilliance!I agree that it would be great to have the performances from 'The Bruce Forsythe Show' released, Rick. I've got a properly licensed and authorised video and laserdisc, released in the UK around 1990, with 'Please Mr. Postman' from the Bruce Forsythe Show on it. I presume that Richard had to give permission to have that released. He seems to have a good hold on the reigns.
Then again, maybe not. John Bettis said in a recent interview that if the record company wanted to release whatever, they would, no matter what the artist thought. And, as you suggest, maybe he doesn't have the same control in regions outside the USA.
Having said that, Richard, I believe, was involved in production of a DVD set of the three BBC concerts that was to be released in Japan around 2006. This set even got close enough to production that it was up for pre-order on Amazon.com. However, it got pulled at the last minute. A spokesperson from the company releasing it said he presumed the artist, (Richard), had become dissatisfied with the product.
I mention all this because I reckon that Richard is probably well aware of all the TV footage and recordings produced in the UK. I can see him releasing the audio from The Bruce Forsythe Show, because it's so good, but I can't imagine him releasing the visual footage, simply because Karen looks so ill - thinner than we've ever seen her. She looks like she's well and truly down to the 'old 75 pounds', as she termed her lowest weight - or lower. But, still, she sounds terrific.
^^ "She headlined with brilliance!" Absolutely agree. At that point in time she was a seasoned "pro" at the front of any stage and in complete control.
What irritates me the most about the song - and I've seen this mentioned already - is the "oscillation" of they keyboard sound that permeates the entire song. It's worse listening through headphones. The sound vibrates back and forth between your left and right ears and what's worse is that it's not even in time with the rhythm of the song.