⭐ Official Review [Album]: "AS TIME GOES BY" (UICY-1060)

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THIS ALBUM?

  • ***** (BEST)

    Votes: 10 12.0%
  • ****

    Votes: 35 42.2%
  • ***

    Votes: 31 37.3%
  • **

    Votes: 5 6.0%
  • *

    Votes: 2 2.4%

  • Total voters
    83
Not being a musician in the least, I'll say the opening notes of "Baby It's You", "Only Yesterday" , "Make It Easy on Yourself (1980) "and "Ordinary Fool" have that same wow factor impact on me as "Dance".

Absolutely! And measure the similarities - For instance, John Bettis mentioned in the interview I did with him about how the opening word after in "Only Yesterday" has almost a sawtooth wave pattern for that very reason. In order to get the most out of that low E flat, it had to be written that way as this was tailored to Karen's voice. Jump up just a step-and-a-half to the opening note in "Dance In The Old-Fashioned Way" and you have virtually the same effect.
 
Daniel Levitin wrote a wonderful book about 10 years ago called This Is Your Brain On Music, combining his experiences in music, as well as neuroscience. I have not a single doubt that studying and reviewing Carpenters offerings has played a significant part in helping him realize the phenomenal power of music. I highly recommend it, as it really is a fascinating and enlightening read.

https://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Brain-Music-Obsession/dp/0452288525
 
I’ve just listened to the Carpenters/Como medley again and noticed that Richard, as well as singing the opening line of Close To You due to the audience canned laughter on the original, also sings the verse of We’ve Only Just Begun. In the liner notes of the album, there’s absolutely no explanation as to why Perry Como’s vocal wasn’t left in on that segment. I’ve checked the footage of the original 1974 special and Perry’s vocal is very much present on that segment, so it can’t have been due to audio dropout due to his microphone technique, which Richard refers to below:

In December of 1974 Karen and I were guests on Perry Como's annual Christmas special. As we were life-long fans of Perry, this was a treat for us. One of the spots was a medley, in which Perry sang some of our hits and we sang some of his. As originally arranged and performed, this track was six minutes and fifty-five seconds in duration. While the special was in post-production being edited, it was discovered that this was just too long. As a result, the first four songs hit the editing room floor and the piece was faded up on the segue into Close to You, with canned applause incorporated to make it seem smoother, hence my singing the first words of this tune in this mix.

As mentioned earlier, Perry sang live to track in the television studio and not on the multi-track. This created a couple of problems as far as this CD is concerned. Firstly, Como's performances on Magic Moments and Sing went the way of the tape on the editing room floor. Secondly, Mr. C's lead is not on its own track, but locked in with the entire arrangement, which was "flown" over to the 48-track from the 2-inch video edit-master of the Como special.

Finally, Perry was using a performing mic, not a studio one, and was holding it a little bit away from his face; good for television, but not ideal for sound quality. Of course, being Como, he still sounds terrific, but not nearly as present as he is on so many of his other recordings. On the other hand, this was not originally meant for commercial release and Perry and his management were most gracious in letting us use it. At least one bootleg CD of this medley - short version, dubious audio quality - is out there, and this complete, authorized version is far superior.
 
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I like the original version on the Perry Como Christmas Special better, but not going to complain about the cd remake either. Karen’s vocal on It's Impossible was a dream come true. I wanted a clean copy of that since I was an obsessed teen, and saw it on tv back in the 70’s. So grateful that Richard put it on this collection.
 
It is interesting to read the comment section on Youtube for the 1974 Video of this Como/Carpenters Medley.
Three comments keep re-appearing in various guises:
(1) Karen's vocals were the ultimate stand-out to the entire enterprise. She was the true focal point of the entire Medley.
(2) Why was a full-song version of It's Impossible not recorded and released ?
(3) The comments are rather negative toward Richard's vocals. His leads are simply inadequate in comparison.
Although, most commenters try to be kind when they mention that Richard's leads are unremarkable.

Here is the video I utilized:
 
I’ve just listened to the Carpenters/Como medley again and noticed that Richard, as well as singing the opening line of Close To You due to the audience canned laughter on the original, also sings the verse of We’ve Only Just Begun. In the liner notes of the album, there’s absolutely no explanation as to why Perry Como’s vocal wasn’t left in on that segment. I’ve checked the footage of the original 1974 special and Perry’s vocal is very much present on that segment, so it can’t have been due to audio dropout due to his microphone technique, which Richard refers to below:

I have a hunch it was an editorial decision.

If you listen closely Perry isn't quite on the beat in certain sections, ever so slightly mispronounces lyrics, and when he goes to harmonize with Karen he does so quietly.
Richard, being a perfectionist, has a very particular sound in mind.
So, I'm thinking this was an attempt to get the best out of it by using the best parts of Perry.

I think either or is good! But any producer will ask themselves "do I want a good or ok 3-6 minutes" or "do I want the best possible 3-6 minutes?"

What I'm not sure of is when Richard recorded his parts. :shrug:

Did he record himself doing the guest vocalist parts before every TV special? Lol
 
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What I'm not sure of is when Richard recorded his parts. :shrug:

Did he record himself doing the guest vocalist parts before every TV special? Lol

From the sound of his vocals I’d say he recorded his parts on this medley in 1999/2000 for this album.
 
From the sound of his vocals I’d say he recorded his parts on this medley in 1999/2000 for this album.

Sounds too similar to his vocals from the original date of broadcast though. Hmmm... so some of the vocals were from 1974 and the added parts 1999?
 
Sounds too similar to his vocals from the original date of broadcast though. Hmmm... so some of the vocals were from 1974 and the added parts 1999?

The vocals that Richard sings in the special are obviously from 1974, but as far as I'm aware the vocals which were not his in the original show (the opening of Close To You and that verse of We've Only Just Begun) are from 1999.
 
The vocals that Richard sings in the special are obviously from 1974, but as far as I'm aware the vocals which were not his in the original show (the opening of Close To You and that verse of We've Only Just Begun) are from 1999.

Then, I'm surprised his voice hadn't changed that much between 74-1999.

I was under the impression his vocals were from the time period as well.

You learn something new everyday.
 
Forum member Billy Rees has recently uploaded a new You Tube video of the entire 1972 Budokan concert including new live versions of AND WHEN HE SMILES, (SACRE BLEU) I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU, and the extended BACHARACH MEDLEY (including ANY DAY NOW and BABY IT'S YOU). Since they were still playing AND WHEN HE SMILES in concerts up through this time, I am surprised that they never finished off the studio version to be included on A SONG FOR YOU.
 
Forum member Billy Rees has recently uploaded a new You Tube video of the entire 1972 Budokan concert including new live versions of AND WHEN HE SMILES, (SACRE BLEU) I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU, and the extended BACHARACH MEDLEY (including ANY DAY NOW and BABY IT'S YOU). Since they were still playing AND WHEN HE SMILES in concerts up through this time, I am surprised that they never finished off the studio version to be included on A SONG FOR YOU.

Wait, they did “Smiles” more than once?! News to me!
 
(I wasn't in the conversation the first go-round.) Although it has unreleased studio material, it seems more like a compilation, not a studio album, just as the RPO album is, and I'm not complaining! Even though I wasn't there personally, It feels like a trip down memory lane! I actually love this collection with one exception. The Close Encounters/Star Wars Medley is a bit much, but everything else is quite enjoyable.

This is essential if you are a fan of "The Voice" and the productions. Who'd ever think in 2001 we would be getting a couple new productions from Richard Carpenter we never heard before? Not me. I think this really is a fitting way to wrap things up and share the last (Richard approved) material with Carpenters fans. I gave it 5 stars, because besides being good, it takes courage to revisit the vaults and share things that were never meant to be heard by us.........the critics and the fans!
 
Leave Yesterday Behind was the biggest surprise for me. I really like that song although it doesn’t get much mention. I love the line “lose your defenses, unlock your mind” it’s like she’s trying to say whatever has happened in the past is ok...leave it and let’s go forward. A song of hope!!
 
Never been much of a fan for the song, Leave Yesterday Behind.
However, Karen's work lead is far superior than the movie soundtrack:
 
As Time Goes By really feels to me like the album we were never supposed to get. Lovelines was touted as the final Carpenters album, so to discover the release of this album in Japan in 2001 was such a wonderful bonus. Yes it's patchy, but there are some absolute gems on there, including The Rainbow Connection and the stunning tracks (all five of them!) from Music, Music, Music. I first caught news of an impending release via a Carpenters radio documentary and my ears immediately detected an unfamiliar track playing quietly underneath the narrative at one point. When I finally got my hands on the Japanese import, I recognised the tune: You're Just In Love. I loved it at first hear; yes it was corny, but a very sweet and touching duet between the brother and sister and the last thing I had expected. The liner notes are typical Richard: encyclopedic, but a thoroughly enjoyable and interesting read. I wish he'd write a book chronicling the complete recording sessions as his narrative would be wonderful.
 
Yes, please, Richard! Write a book.
I can see it now... we'd all buy the softcover book on the release date (the hardcover will supposedly be released three months later, for reasons unknown) ... then someone would discover that the eBook edition contains several revisions that Richard made, after the print edition had already gone to press. So, we'd all be forced to buy the eBook as well. Oh, and the Japanese edition would contain an exclusive bonus chapter, so we'd buy that too (even though it's in Japanese and we can't read it)!

The hardcover release date keeps getting pushed back... we suspect that the samples sent to Richard aren't up to his exacting standards, but we'll never know for sure, as neither Richard, nor his publisher are forthcoming with any explanation. In the meantime, Richard continues to revise the text, adding a line here, and removing a paragraph there... these changes are available in the latest eBook edition, so we have to re-download it periodically, in order to stay up to date.

After multiple delays, the mythical "Ultimate" hardcover edition finally reaches bookstore shelves. Only a handful of copies are sold, mostly to members of this forum. Casual fans, and people interested in music in general, bought the softcover book a year ago, read it, and moved on!

Yes, please write a book Richard! I'd buy a copy multiple copies! :laugh:
 
There's a child within every adult, buried under tons of baggage. Every once in a while a song is written that propels this child to the surface, and brings a smile to that adult's face. That's what "Rainbow Connection" is for me.




NedNickerson2010: "Of all the videos I've created using Carpenters songs, this is the first one that made me cry when I viewed it for the first time after its completion. There's something about it that makes me miss her all the more - I'd like to think that she's happy wherever she is and that she's finally found her rainbow connection."
 
There's a child within every adult, buried under tons of baggage. Every once in a while a song is written that propels this child to the surface, and brings a smile to that adult's face. That's what "Rainbow Connection" is for me.




NedNickerson2010: "Of all the videos I've created using Carpenters songs, this is the first one that made me cry when I viewed it for the first time after its completion. There's something about it that makes me miss her all the more - I'd like to think that she's happy wherever she is and that she's finally found her rainbow connection."

This would be my favorite track from this album. Her vocal fry gets me all the time.
 
Never been much of a fan for the song, Leave Yesterday Behind.
However, Karen's work lead is far superior than the movie soundtrack:

It has an early 70‘s twist from the opening of the theme to the TV show Room 222. I wish Karen had sung it instead of the Janis Ian/Joan Boaz sounding voice we hear in this video clip.
 
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