Favorite Duet Partner

Of all the folks who sang a duet with Karen, who was your favorite?

  • Perry Como

    Votes: 13 29.5%
  • Ella Fitzgerald

    Votes: 12 27.3%
  • Andy Williams

    Votes: 3 6.8%
  • Carol Burnett

    Votes: 5 11.4%
  • John Denver

    Votes: 5 11.4%
  • Suzanne Summers

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • John Davidson

    Votes: 3 6.8%
  • Kristy McNichol

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Georgia Engel

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bruce Forsythe

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Doug Strawn

    Votes: 3 6.8%

  • Total voters
    44

Mark-T

Well-Known Member
Of all the folks who sang a duet with Karen, who was your favorite? (Sorry for the type on Carol!)
 
It would probably be a tie for me between Carol Burnett and Perry Como, leaning toward Ms. Burnett. Carol's vocals were quite seamlessly integrated into the Carpenters sound. Perry had that smooth style like Karen, but somehow, the blending wasn't quite perfect.
 
It would probably be a tie for me between Carol Burnett and Perry Como, leaning toward Ms. Burnett. Carol's vocals were quite seamlessly integrated into the Carpenters sound. Perry had that smooth style like Karen, but somehow, the blending wasn't quite perfect.
I totally agree! I was indecisive between Carol, Perry Como and Ella Fitzgerald. Ended up going with Carol Burnett because they all seemed like they were having so much fun, it looked so natural and Karen looked so happy!
 
You forgot Herb Alpert from the 20/20 clip. Remember Herb threw in a "babyeee" while Karen was singing Superstar?! But seriously, the Ella duet is great, even if Karen lip-synced during the special. It recorded well. That gets my vote. A close #2 is her duet with Como. Karen is so beautiful!
 
I went with como...I just love the whole special....she sounded so good in '74, and "sleep well" always gives me a thrill.

For an anyone duet I'd pick Harry Nilsson. They were both at their height at the same time so it was a feasible notion.
 
^^Gotta agree with you !
As with the over-use of Medleys, so the duets seemed over-used to me. None of the "duets" sat particularly well with me.
However, that 1974 Como Christmas Special I have re-watched many, many times.
Visually and Sonically everything "fit."
 
I do like the Como and Fitzgerald medleys, but they don't seem to sing together all that often. (But they are my favorites!) As far as working together and harmonizing, I actually like The Old Fashioned Way with John Davidson the best.

Thanks for fixing the list, Harry, and I'm sorry I forgot her other duet partners.
 
I do like the Como and Fitzgerald medleys, but they don't seem to sing together all that often. (But they are my favorites!) As far as working together and harmonizing, I actually like The Old Fashioned Way with John Davidson the best.
Youch...I don’t think I have watched these TV specials since I was in my teens. It’s amazing how I remember the audio but watching the video really makes me cringe. Especially watching Richard dance. They all look so uncomfortable at the end of the dancing segment.
 
Great question!

For me the choice is between Andy Williams and Perry Como, and I'm going with Como. I actually just watched that vid on youtube the other night. Karen looks and sounds amazing, such a beautiful smile and still such life and energy in her eyes. The chemistry between her and Como works for me.
 
By the way, one definition of "duet" reads:
"A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece."
So, how do we quantify that ? "equal importance"
 
What an obvious choice! And a song that I listen to more than any of the others on this list! Good one!
 
How interesting that a dozen posts in, and no-one has mentioned Peter Cetera.

Finally someone mentions him we know he was in a duet for the song making love in the afternoon which he wrote. To me he seems to be buried in the mix of the song. One of my favorites from her solo album.
 
Personally I find the Cetera track lacking. First off, he is a bit buried in the mix. Second, he and Karen do not blend well at all. And third, the recording just lays there.
 
The Perry Como duet in Sleep Well Little Children is beautiful and the duet with Ella is equally beautiful. When Perry and Karen sang together in the medley it was at a pinnacle In their career and a notable way to celebrate 1974. It is really difficult to choose between them but the harmony in the Como Christmas duet wins for me.
 
Youch...I don’t think I have watched these TV specials since I was in my teens. It’s amazing how I remember the audio but watching the video really makes me cringe. Especially watching Richard dance. They all look so uncomfortable at the end of the dancing segment.
Maybe I didn't say it well. The Ella and Como duets are amazing! But when I think of both artists singing at the same time in a song, it doesn't happen all that often with Ella or Perry.
 
Personally I find the Cetera track lacking. First off, he is a bit buried in the mix. Second, he and Karen do not blend well at all. And third, the recording just lays there.
I’ve always liked how his voice was buried in the mix. It’s amazing how fast the Carpenter catalog is and how we are all drawn to such different songs.
 
Personally I find the Cetera track lacking. First off, he is a bit buried in the mix. Second, he and Karen do not blend well at all. And third, the recording just lays there.

I agree with every syllable of this and I'll also add that the lyric is well beneath Karen too.

Ed
 
Here is more info than anyone cares to know:
In arriving at my choice, I confess that I really ignored the duets which
paired Karen with another female vocalist. So, that eliminated five from consideration.
When we come to male singers, there are few in the list which elicit any reaction from me:
Perry Como and John Denver were the only two that I enjoyed. (I never liked Andy Williams' voice, so he was out of the running).
So, it came down to Perry and John--tough decision. Ultimately, Karen's 1974 vocals won the day for me.
But, I do like Karen and John Denver blending their voices together.
This 1976 clip also pairs Richard Carpenter with John Denver--Hee Haw anyone ?:
 
Ella here, no contest really.
Agree with the comment regarding Harry Nilsson. There's a track on his last RCA album (the song "Lean On Me") which is somewhat Carpenter-esque and falls in the sweet spot of Karen's range. She'd have sounded great on that.
Kind of interesting that Richard isn't on the list, let alone Cetera, for consideration as an equal vocal duet partner. Add him for consideration ("You're Just in Love" and a few others) and my vote goes to....Ella...
 
The medley that I find best epitomizes Karen's gift is the one with Ella. She was able sing anything. Doing the classics from the American Songbook showed that she was in the same league as those singers. It's the medley I listen to the most and the one that most often makes we go "Wow!"
 
^^ I always felt Karen was beyond the "same league" as "those singers." !
However, another reason I discounted the 1980 Karen-Ella Medley as my favorite duet,
is that Karen's portion begins with the already-recorded 1973 vocals (and instrumental intro)
of This Masquerade, that does not sit well with my ears (as I have detailed elsewhere).
 
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