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Oh thank you! Yes it was Victor Borge, I remember now. I have never seen anything but the odd snippets of the TV Specials as I haven't seeked out to watch them. It is just what I occasionally catch on a thumbnail. I am so appreciative to you for helping with the info as it was so funny and brilliant this segment and I so enjoyed watching it .Pianist was Victor Borge ( boar-geh).
Dance number, Doing The Cut-a-way
Fun special.
I wish some lyrics could’ve been written for Heather, would’ve been another performance worth cherishing.I loved Heather for being such a departure to have such a beautiful instrumental. I loved Richards track Time, with the backing vocals adding that extra magic to the song. Karen's Theme, Another Song, I loved these tracks that had large instrumental parts or just music. I think of Warsaw Concerto on the Live at the Palladium....what a song! From This Moment On, another track with a melodic melody and perfect vocal delivery or Sometimes from the Tan Album. This is why the instrumentals on As Time Goes By, really we're welcome. What I loved about Karen and Richard is that they went for what they liked. I watched on YouTube on the first Carpenters TV Special, Richard play a piano duet, I cannot remember the pianist name. Oh I was in stitches at how brilliantly performed this piece was, the natural comedy and it was brilliant....how is your mother? Richard always gave credit to Karen for the TV shows but he is one funny guy. I loved the duet between Karen and John Denver with Good Vibrations intermixed. Wow Karens vocal and the natural comedy between the pair when they're ballroom dancing, where he kept thrashing her shoulder into her face....I was laughing so much. Never seen any of this before. Yet I heard many of the tracks from ATGB. Richard and Karen really did have something magic that even the TV specials highlights. There is probably many magical gems from these TV specials that aren't on any album but some of them really deserved to be. Karen singing parts of Good Vibrations really sounded amazing. I know Richard was a big fan of The Beach Boys and I would of loved to hear what they could of done with as a cover, just for fun....May be one exists on a private collection. Karen just sounded so good on this song. I know Richard would of too
As far as I am aware, it’s only seen digital releases like CD and download.Was this only released on CD? Was it released on cassette?
This sounds like someone on this forum might have written it….I came across this review today on all review.com, some of which is a bit harsh...but I get the writer's point particularly in respect to 'Nowhere Man'.
The only problem with the outtakes and rarities here are that Carpenter felt the need to go in and fix, sweeten, or totally refurnish the songs. Perhaps he just has too much free time, perhaps he is an obsessive tinkerer. Whatever the excuse, the archival value of the songs has been tampered with and that makes the songs less valuable somehow.
If indeed this set is designed with Carpenters diehards in mind, wouldn't they have liked to hear the original version of "Nowhere Man," the one-track mono version? Richard proudly boasts that he transferred the acetate disc to a 48-track, leaving him "47 tracks with which to play." Fine and dandy, but why not put the original on the disc and then follow it with the new version for comparison's sake? Or just listen to your new version at home and let the fans get a chance to hear an extremely rare and no doubt very interesting piece of Carpenters history?
As for the tracks like "The Rainbow Connection" and the "Superstar/Rainy Days and Mondays" medley, Richard drenches his sister's vocals with strings and background singers when he should have left them alone. Maybe he just doesn't understand that people don't really care about his arrangements. What they care most about are his sister's vocals. As it is, he has done Karen and Carpenters fans a big disservice by tampering with artifacts that could have made for a very interesting disc. It still might be worthwhile to have for the material from the television specials and to hear Karen's voice again, however.
As Time Goes By - Carpenters | Album | AllMusic
As Time Goes By by Carpenters released in 2001. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.www.allmusic.com
I have never had a complaint about this disk. To this day, I enjoy it. I will agree with Newvillefan for I recently came across the original on YouTube and I thought it was breathtaking, more intimate in arrangement, which boosts Karen’s emotions, but I still like the one on the CD.This sounds like someone on this forum might have written it….
I came across this review today on all review.com, some of which is a bit harsh...but I get the writer's point particularly in respect to 'Nowhere Man'.
The only problem with the outtakes and rarities here are that Carpenter felt the need to go in and fix, sweeten, or totally refurnish the songs. Perhaps he just has too much free time, perhaps he is an obsessive tinkerer. Whatever the excuse, the archival value of the songs has been tampered with and that makes the songs less valuable somehow.
If indeed this set is designed with Carpenters diehards in mind, wouldn't they have liked to hear the original version of "Nowhere Man," the one-track mono version? Richard proudly boasts that he transferred the acetate disc to a 48-track, leaving him "47 tracks with which to play." Fine and dandy, but why not put the original on the disc and then follow it with the new version for comparison's sake? Or just listen to your new version at home and let the fans get a chance to hear an extremely rare and no doubt very interesting piece of Carpenters history?
As for the tracks like "The Rainbow Connection" and the "Superstar/Rainy Days and Mondays" medley, Richard drenches his sister's vocals with strings and background singers when he should have left them alone. Maybe he just doesn't understand that people don't really care about his arrangements. What they care most about are his sister's vocals. As it is, he has done Karen and Carpenters fans a big disservice by tampering with artifacts that could have made for a very interesting disc. It still might be worthwhile to have for the material from the television specials and to hear Karen's voice again, however.
As Time Goes By - Carpenters | Album | AllMusic
As Time Goes By by Carpenters released in 2001. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.www.allmusic.com
"Rainbow Connection" should have stayed on the cutting room floor as neither of them had a clue what to do with it. She totally phones in her vocal and it feels like nothing. She did very little of this but she does it here and it's awful. The beauty of her voice can't save her clear dislike for the tune.
The reviewer was also right that the majority of people don't care about Richard's arrangements. Harsh to say but it's dead on. Karen was and will always be the calling card of Carpenters. She made the whole thing work. If Richard had used another singer, the act would have sunk without a trace and we wouldn't even know who he is.
You are right with this! For example: Look at "Close to you" and you can see how much Richard's arrangement adds to the Song.but if the arrangements weren't there, I think they would be missed. In other words, his contribution was important to the overall sound but most people don't understand why.
I came across this review today on all review.com, some of which is a bit harsh...but I get the writer's point particularly in respect to 'Nowhere Man'.
The only problem with the outtakes and rarities here are that Carpenter felt the need to go in and fix, sweeten, or totally refurnish the songs. Perhaps he just has too much free time, perhaps he is an obsessive tinkerer. Whatever the excuse, the archival value of the songs has been tampered with and that makes the songs less valuable somehow.
If indeed this set is designed with Carpenters diehards in mind, wouldn't they have liked to hear the original version of "Nowhere Man," the one-track mono version? Richard proudly boasts that he transferred the acetate disc to a 48-track, leaving him "47 tracks with which to play." Fine and dandy, but why not put the original on the disc and then follow it with the new version for comparison's sake? Or just listen to your new version at home and let the fans get a chance to hear an extremely rare and no doubt very interesting piece of Carpenters history?
As for the tracks like "The Rainbow Connection" and the "Superstar/Rainy Days and Mondays" medley, Richard drenches his sister's vocals with strings and background singers when he should have left them alone. Maybe he just doesn't understand that people don't really care about his arrangements. What they care most about are his sister's vocals. As it is, he has done Karen and Carpenters fans a big disservice by tampering with artifacts that could have made for a very interesting disc. It still might be worthwhile to have for the material from the television specials and to hear Karen's voice again, however.
As Time Goes By - Carpenters | Album | AllMusic
As Time Goes By by Carpenters released in 2001. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.www.allmusic.com
I think people do care about the arrangements, but they don't realize it! With those people, if you asked them what they liked best about Carpenters records, they'd say "Oh, Karen's wonderful voice, of course!" But then if you took the same vocal and put it with some other arranger and asked what they thought, they'd probably say it wasn't nearly as good.
I think people do care about the arrangements, but they don't realize it! With those people, if you asked them what they liked best about Carpenters records, they'd say "Oh, Karen's wonderful voice, of course!" But then if you took the same vocal and put it with some other arranger and asked what they thought, they'd probably say it wasn't nearly as good.
And yet, right under your avatar is a textual caricature of he singing one of her songs on her solo album:Beyond that, Karen was never less than wonderful.
Right…like if Karen sang while I banged on trash can lids with one hand and played an 80’s Casio keyboard with the other, they’d probably say it sucked!I think people do care about the arrangements, but they don't realize it! With those people, if you asked them what they liked best about Carpenters records, they'd say "Oh, Karen's wonderful voice, of course!" But then if you took the same vocal and put it with some other arranger and asked what they thought, they'd probably say it wasn't nearly as good.
And yet, right under your avatar is a textual caricature of he singing one of her songs on her solo album:
"Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo"
That sort of indicates that you are somewhat critical of her vocal pronunciation - perhaps "less than wonderful."
Respectfully disagree - totally. Can't let you get away with this......
"Rainbow Connection" should have stayed on the cutting room floor as neither of them had a clue what to do with it. She totally phones in her vocal and it feels like nothing. She did very little of this but she does it here and it's awful. The beauty of her voice can't save her clear dislike for the tune. Richard, on the other hand, gives in to all his worst impulses and the result is a total mess. Neither Karen nor Richard understood the tune and they should have stayed far away from it...
Ed
^^ Yes, this 100%Plus, Richard knew exactly how to craft arrangements that complimented his sister's voice. Any other arranger - even one who was trying to achieve a similar to feel to his - would have produced a different sound, one that most people would not like as well. Richard knew what would work rhythmically/melodically with Karen's voice to create a successful record. So, I agree with the point that some people might not realize that they do care about the arrangements.
They had that sibling closeness which worked to their advantage. I'd be bold enough to say that either Carpenter's talent without the other would not have worked well. They were both excellent in their own ways, but both needed the other's talent to blend and create the sound we all know and love.
Edit to add: AFTER their fame and heyday, Karen would likely have had a better chance at a solo career, but only because the foundation was laid for her vocals as part of Carpenters first.
True, however my supposition was based upon a healthy Karen who "got better" and had a lot longer time to explore her solo opportunities.I think it could be argued that she did try launching a solo career after their heyday, and the resulting album still didn't get released.