tomswift2002
Well-Known Member
On TV, they might’ve used a teleprompter for the words.
40th anniversary of "Music, Music, Music"
- Thread starter Without A Song
- Start date
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
The whole thing was recorded as one compacted medley, so there aren’t any separate, complete versions of each of the songs they sang. The only track Richard “flew in” was This Masquerade, complete with 1973 vocal, which was faded into My Funny Valentine, where the 1980 Karen picks up with her vocal parts.
Another Son
Well-Known Member
A few things - I think Ella recorded so many songs that it might have been difficult to always remember their lyrics, especially during the whirlwind years when she may not have had time to rehearse properly before a performance. Also, fans of an artist listen to their music all the time whereas some artists probably almost never listen to the lesser known tracks again after recording them, so the fans know the words really well but the artists are likely to forget them. (As for 'Mack the Knife'.... maybe she just had a 'block' or something).
The way I see it, Ella was from an era where it was very common for artists to perform live on television whereas it wasn't common for Karen and Richard to actually perform live on TV. A quick summing up in my head comes up with the thought that they definitely mimed a lot more often than not. I think it's evidence of Ella's professionalism and integrity that she insisted on singing live on the special.
I also think Karen looks so ill on 'Music, Music, Music' that she possibly wouldn't have been able to carry the live vocals off. Also, Ella's vocals are still quite strong whereas Karen sings very lightly on the recordings - you can tell on some of the songs that her voice really is not much more than a whisper - especially on some of the 'hits' medley. I wonder whether it would have been difficult to record two vocalists with such different styles on the same take and make the performance blend.
CarpentersToYou
Somehow you brought the gambler out in me...
Funny how different opinions can be. To me she looks great. The last time we saw her with such pep and looking reasonably healthy. Then came the poodle haircut.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
I think she looks terrible. Skeletal. The outfit is glamorous but it only accentuates her thinness and that haircut is awful. The fringe (bangs) reminds me of their dreadful 1971 cheesy haircuts, just shorter in her case. They obviously filmed the opening “A Song For You” segment on a different day because her hair on that clip is softer and better.
Carpe diem
Well-Known Member
^^ I concur. She looks terrible. There is no make-up or nice hair style that can change this fact. Same with her wedding, she is as beautiful as she can be, but there is something a little "off" about her appearance. She is in a "terminal" condition at this point. Poor thing, what a tragedy.
masqueraded
Well-Known Member
I wish they could've released a soundtrack to this. Richard should release an ep at least with the ASFY intro, his 2 instrumentals, and his version of youll never know. Those seem to be the only things missing from being released from the show.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
With a little tinkering/shortening, that intro could make a really nice overture on a new collection. The instrumental bit after Karen’s vocal, where they introduce the special, is actually beautiful if you ignore the dialogue.
masqueraded
Well-Known Member
Itd be a nice treat during this pandemic. Mainly a Richard release. Maybe even add All My Life as a bonus track to the EP.
1. A Song For You (1980 Intro with instrumental end)
2. You'll Never Know (Richard Vocal)
3. Slaughter On 10th Avenue
4. All My Life (Karen)
1. A Song For You (1980 Intro with instrumental end)
2. You'll Never Know (Richard Vocal)
3. Slaughter On 10th Avenue
4. All My Life (Karen)
Mark-T
Well-Known Member
Never heard of All My Life. Tell me about this song.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
It’s a 1980 outtake from the Made In America sessions, apparently with a complete vocal by Karen.
masqueraded
Well-Known Member
From the buried treasure list. Richard has stated he'd like to release it one day. Its also around the same time period as the MMM tracks, so makes sense.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Nope. It’s a bona fide 1980 track. The only place I can recall Richard talking about it is in the Mook interview where he confirmed its existence.
David A
Well-Known Member
So there's still something out there we may one day hear, something Richard apparently considers possibly good enough for release, new to us. Dang. Nice to have that "maybe someday" hopeful sense.
There’s way more than just ‘All My Life’. There’s also one called ‘Why Don’t They Understand’ from 1974, I believe. I think there’s also an existing recording of ‘Sweet Talkin’ Guy’ from 1980. Plus, there’s ‘Thank You For The Music’ from 1978 and two tracks dating back to 1971 called ‘Sebastian’ and I Believe In You’.
David A
Well-Known Member
Are these tracks things that Richard has expressed an interest in releasing? That's what struck me about the "All My Life" possibility.
masqueraded
Well-Known Member
I heard he hates the 71 tracks 
masqueraded
Well-Known Member
1. A Song For You (1980 Intro)
2. Sweet Talking Guy
3. Why Don't They Understand
4. Play A Simple Melody
5. All My Life
6. You'll Never Know
7. Sebastian
8. Slaughter On 10th Avenue
9. Dance In The Old Fashioned Way (Richard instead of John)
10. Make Me Laugh
11. I Believe In You
12. Coming Thru The Rye/Good Vibrations
13. These Are The Jokes Folks
14. Dancing In The Street (Alternate)
15. Thank You For The Music
16. We've Only Just Begun (1976 Intro)
Honestly, id like to see this released. We need some Carpenters music in these times. It takes care of the missing MMN tracks and other TV tracks as well. Im sure Richard has these finished now. Perfect As Time Goes By 2
2. Sweet Talking Guy
3. Why Don't They Understand
4. Play A Simple Melody
5. All My Life
6. You'll Never Know
7. Sebastian
8. Slaughter On 10th Avenue
9. Dance In The Old Fashioned Way (Richard instead of John)
10. Make Me Laugh
11. I Believe In You
12. Coming Thru The Rye/Good Vibrations
13. These Are The Jokes Folks
14. Dancing In The Street (Alternate)
15. Thank You For The Music
16. We've Only Just Begun (1976 Intro)
Honestly, id like to see this released. We need some Carpenters music in these times. It takes care of the missing MMN tracks and other TV tracks as well. Im sure Richard has these finished now. Perfect As Time Goes By 2
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
^^ Slaughter On 10th Avenue is an instrumental-only track but I suppose would be a nice to have.
Without A Song
Well-Known Member
And I'd still like to see "Fool Me" "Love as Old as the Heart" and "Some Guys Have All the Luck" with Richard on lead vocals (hopefully with vocal and/or instrumental support from Karen), rumored to have been recorded in the early 1980s, released as well.
CraigGA
Well-Known Member
I’m sure there is a lot to putting things together that we don’t even see. I’m sure there is a lot of ‘live’ that isn’t necessarily exclusively live. For example, I think there are a lot of edits and I would think things were prerecorded when possible so they had more editing control. I don’t think it’s an issue of live not being up to par. There is just a different atmosphere with attendees hearing it live than hearing what was prerecorded. I’ve been to live concerts where the artist’s recording did not sound like what was heard as perfect in person. I think it’s the capture of the atmosphere that’s lacking in a live recording vs listening back to a tape. So, for the listener of recordings, there are different expectations that are difficult to capture live where a studio process can fix those issues. When Karen snd Richard perform From This Moment On with only voice and piano to capture this song it actually sounds better than perfect in the live recordings vs. the Studio. But some of the others capture differently for different issues arise when there are more instruments and people involved. Recording is not a simple art. With live is only one opportunity for getting it all, until the edits, that are sometimes possible.
Carpe diem
Well-Known Member
"Some Guys Have All the Luck" with Richard on lead vocals (hopefully with vocal and/or instrumental support from Karen), rumored to have been recorded in the early 1980s, released as well.
For Real?!!
That would be worth its weight in gold!
I just got a strange visual of Richard in a white suit and red shoes with spikey hair dancing around while lip-syncing this song
