A Song For You Live
- Thread starter Mark-T
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newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
No, as far as we know they didn’t.
Carpe diem
Well-Known Member
You would think that on their first TV show (or any of their TV shows, for that matter) they could've squeezed it in on the medley. I realize it wasn't one of their iconic "hits" but what a beautiful Karen performance and just a great song.
GDBY2LV
Well-Known Member
I didn’t care for Buble’s version. So many artists have covered that song, most are mediocre at best. The only versions I like are Carpenters and Leon Russell’s recording is very heart felt.
I never saw them perform it live either. Too long and too slow to play at a show filled with so many ballads anyway. It would have been a nice choice for a tv special though. I wish it had been released as a single back in 1972. Again, too long for most AM stations to play in that era.
I never saw them perform it live either. Too long and too slow to play at a show filled with so many ballads anyway. It would have been a nice choice for a tv special though. I wish it had been released as a single back in 1972. Again, too long for most AM stations to play in that era.
Buble's is a very tonally distinctive voice (nobody sounds just like him) and it's pleasant, but for me there's never any emotional depth in anything he sings. It's all very surface. He reminds me of Ella Fitzgerald in a weird way, who also had great musicality and a bright, sunny tone but incapable of using her voice to explore emotional dimension.
Another Son
Well-Known Member
Some other artists that I like have recorded ‘A Song for You’, including Lou Rawls and Willie Nelson and I like their versions, (although they are a bit long). Donny Hathaway does a great version. To me, Karen sounds as if she’s not feeling it in a few places in the verses - in a couple of places, she sounds as if she’s almost yelling to reach the high notes - but the quiet breaks with the harmonies sound beautiful. In my opinion, Richard’s arrangement is more noteworthy than Karen’s lead vocal, (she doesn’t quite nail the lowest notes, either), although she does brilliantly in some sections.
I first heard Carpenters’ version on the radio in about 1975, so it did get a little airplay, despite not being a single.
By the way, I am not one of the one in twenty-five Australians who own a copy of Michael Buble’s Christmas album, (one million copies sold in a country of 25 million). I don’t even have a recollection of what he sounds like, although I’ve seen him on TV a few times.
I first heard Carpenters’ version on the radio in about 1975, so it did get a little airplay, despite not being a single.
By the way, I am not one of the one in twenty-five Australians who own a copy of Michael Buble’s Christmas album, (one million copies sold in a country of 25 million). I don’t even have a recollection of what he sounds like, although I’ve seen him on TV a few times.
GDBY2LV
Well-Known Member
He’s a modern day crooner in the same way Sinatra and Dean Martin were in theirs. He’s very suave and can carry a tune very well. I own every cd he’s made since his first Warner Brothers release. We play him a lot for ballroom dancing too. His orchestra is top notch, if you like that kind of music.
Another Son
Well-Known Member
Having said that, Karen’s performance is still fairly wonderful. It’s still right up there, close to that ‘Superstar’ and ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’ class.
Rachel
Someone said that time would ease the pain...
The Gray Lady even inserted this complaint in her obituary from 1996:
"She was sometimes criticized for a lack of bluesiness and emotional depth. But her perfect intonation, vocal acrobatics, clear diction and endless store of melodic improvisations---all driven by powerful rhythmic undercurrents---brought her nearly universal acclaim."
We are all individuals and we hear music in our own way. I have always found emotion in her singing, but that's just me.
"But Not For Me". Just Ella and a piano, in this case, Ellis Larkins. Maybe it isn't good at all; I've been sick with the flu this week.
Murray
Well-Known Member
"But Not For Me". Just Ella and a piano, in this case, Ellis Larkins. Maybe it isn't good at all; I've been sick with the flu this week.
It isn't good.....
... it's SUBLIME!
... oh, and get well soon!
The Gray Lady even inserted this complaint in her obituary from 1996:
"She was sometimes criticized for a lack of bluesiness and emotional depth. But her perfect intonation, vocal acrobatics, clear diction and endless store of melodic improvisations---all driven by powerful rhythmic undercurrents---brought her nearly universal acclaim."
We are all individuals and we hear music in our own way. I have always found emotion in her singing, but that's just me.
"But Not For Me". Just Ella and a piano, in this case, Ellis Larkins. Maybe it isn't good at all; I've been sick with the flu this week.
I've read that quote before too. Another musician once said that he didn't listen to her for emotional depth but for her musicality, purity of tone, etc. I think for many they appreciate Ella more than love her, and that emotional remove is the reason.
I've never noticed a lack of her performance either emotionally or technically, and especially don't hear the yelling you do. It's been a while since I've heard it but I've heard it a million times and I always thought her reading was right on the money (and I'm someone who has no problem criticizing a performance of an artist even if I love them dearly. I don't like fans who can't judge or analyze specifics and instead just call everything perfect when it may not always be.)
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