⭐ Official Review [Album] "KAREN CARPENTER" (SP-4804/CD-0588)

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THIS ALBUM?

  • ***** (BEST)

    Votes: 9 17.3%
  • ****

    Votes: 13 25.0%
  • ***

    Votes: 19 36.5%
  • **

    Votes: 9 17.3%
  • *

    Votes: 2 3.8%

  • Total voters
    52
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Let's not forget my original question... Which songs would Karen have earmarked for single release...

I think we have an interview in the making! :)
 
I want to hear an interview with Itchie every bit as much as I did those with John Bettis and Richard. Each of them offered a unique perspective of their time with Karen and I'm 110% sure Itchie would do the same, whilst being respectful of the memory of her best friend.

I've ended the program as far as the radio broadcast side is concerned, but I am currently working on securing an interview with Itchie and will keep you posted :)
 
Okey dokey Barry howza bout ALL BECAUSE OF YOU? Lead single,reading, intimacy deeper than Rainy Days and sonically mesmorized at the ease of delivery, style and ummm sh** the whole thang!!!

Jeff, I can't think of any other song from the album I'd least want to hear as a single. It would have died a death on radio and Karen's take on it sounds forced and too pronounced..."I keep singing my love song! In my m-i-i-n-d I sing a song for yew". This is not the Karen I'd want to hear promoting her new solo venture. (There's the Perry Como 'yew' again that Richard criticised her for ten years earlier).

She sounds like Dolly Parton gone wrong. :hide:
 
I had forgotten this, as quoted from Richard Carpenter, by Paul Grein, 1991:
" I probably said it was very nice. It certainly is well-produced and well-assembled.
But, some of it was disco and I'm not a disco fan, and I thought she was singing a little bit too
high on some of the songs.
"
 
Um ya. The whole idea of her doing a solo album was to sound different than Karen-of-the-Carpenters right? We all know that Karen's draw as a singer tended to hinge on her rich lower register - but if she sang the same style in the same range as on a Carpenters album, why do a solo album with a very different band backing her?

That being said, I'm not impressed with most of the songs chosen - she didn't need to sing explicit lyrics when she could have chosen more tasteful songs that would have been more believable coming from her. I do however think her heartfelt reading of "Make Believe" and the amazing vocal layering on "If I Had You" were right on the mark. The first run through we hear of "Last One Singin' the Blues" was very promising too. Those songs contained elements that were her strong suits as a singer - emotional delivery, lush harmonies, and wow did she have great facility with a blues style of song.

As I've said before, if she could have taken a chance and done an actual duet with Pete Cetera, added a duet with Paul Simon, and maybe one with Olivia Newton John or Dionne Warwick, I think it would have been a more appealing album. But I'm sure with Richard already feeling threatened that Karen was 'jumping ship', he would have been livid had she recorded duets with other artists.

Just my humble musings . . . :whistle:
 
I'm very excited to hear of possible interview with Itchie. Itchie has always spoke her mind in her interviews and tells it like it is so this should be very interesting to hear. I hope she agrees and Chris May can set it up soon.

Regarding Karens solo album, I've never considered her album explicit...for me that's the wrong word to use, some of the lyric are mature but not explicit.
 
So, Richard Carpenter was no fan of Disco music.
But, who--or,what--compelled him to partake in the
robot dance Disco Medley in 1978 Space Encounters?
(Go to 5:20):
 
Amusing to note, in
CFCN#47 February 1976:
"Q:What is their opinion of the new Disco Music sound?
A: As in all other types of music, some they like and some they don't.
Richard likes Hustle, Get Down Tonight and Fly Robin Fly."
(There is nothing listed for Karen's tastes in Disco)
 
I haven't seen this clip since the thing aired so long ago.... Could you see me squirming in my chair?! :)
BTW - Had forgotten Karen sang these other numbers with Suzanne and with John... Thanks for posting!
 
I'm very excited to hear of possible interview with Itchie. Itchie has always spoke her mind in her interviews and tells it like it is so this should be very interesting to hear. I hope she agrees and Chris May can set it up soon.

Regarding Karens solo album, I've never considered her album explicit...for me that's the wrong word to use, some of the lyric are mature but not explicit.
It might be considered "mature" by today's standards,but things were still fairly conservative in 1980-and several tracks
would've been deemed sexually explicit back then(this is a no-brainer-listen to those lyrics carefully).

.
 
It might be considered "mature" by today's standards,but things were still fairly conservative in 1980-and several tracks
would've been deemed sexually explicit back then(this is a no-brainer-listen to those lyrics carefully).

.
Suggestive, yes. But she wasn't singing "More, More, More" or "Love to Love You, Baby." No moanin' and groanin.'
 
Is this part two of the Richard Carpenter Interview thread?

I think the fascination with Karen's album(among some people) has more to do with the politics of the album-rather than the music itself. Some people like the idea of Karen being on her own-independent of Richard.And,they like the idea of Karen receiving complete recognition for her work-rather than having to acknowledge Richard's vast contributions.



I remember how big "Physical" was back in 1982-it turned out to be the biggest hit single of all time.Ironicly,within two years,that song completely disappeared from radio airplay.(By 1984,that punk-rock sound was totally gone.)By the end of the 80's,"Physical" was a source of ridicule in the music industry and among radio programmers.

Olivia had her fifteen minutes of fame with Physical-she got her big hit-single.But,what good is that today? That songs is now a faded memory-a dated product of it's time,and totally forgotten by top-40 radio.Her Physical album has been out-of-print for twenty years.Today,Olivia's music career is over.

Karen,by contrast,is a legend in the music industry today-regarded as one of the world's greatest vocalists.Many of her albums are classics today-and perennial bestsellers.

This is why the decision to shelve Karen's album was best for everyone involved.What if Karen turned out like Olivia?

This makes perfect sense!
 
So, Richard Carpenter was no fan of Disco music.
But, who--or,what--compelled him to partake in the
robot dance Disco Medley in 1978 Space Encounters?
(Go to 5:20):


This only served to remind me what utter drivel most of these specials were. Dreadful. Richard looks as stiff as a board.
 
This only served to remind me what utter drivel most of these specials were. Dreadful. Richard looks as stiff as a board.
Agreed. I know some fans are keen to see the specials given an official release, but by and large I think they do Karen and Richard absolutely no favours. Richard rarely looks comfortable performing in them and I'm sure that's why he has no desire to see them released. The disco medley is so bad it's almost compelling to watch in a strange way.

The only plus point is that they do show that Karen had a certain talent for performing (kind of surprising given how awkward she looked performing out front in the early days), which could perhaps have been put to better use if she'd been given the right opportunities.
 
The disco medley is so bad it's almost compelling to watch in a strange way.

I think that's why I watched the above clip all the way through :laugh:

During the conception (and subsequent) filming of such segments, I can't believe no one around them had the guts to just say "guys, look this is terrible. Let's start over". Charlie Callas grates on me so much with his stupid inane grins, he added nothing to this special.
 
By the way, I would imagine many of Olivia's fans would categorize her as a musical "legend",
and one song ('Physical') does not , as a matter of course, define an artists' oeuvre'.
(And, for the record, I have never listened to an album of Olivia' music).
Just as this one solo album, Karen Carpenter, does not delete the fine musical work which preceded it,
I would, also, not base the Carpenters' career as defined by their last single (in Karen's lifetime):
BEechwood 4-5789, or last album.
And, stepping back into 1983: Provide me with a Newspaper Article that described Karen Carpenter--then--
as a "Legend".....that came much later. (1983: "They put romance back into pop music...").

And, even this from Olivia Newton-John (April 2010, NY Daily News):
Newton-John thought the footage, shot for her album of the same name, would ruin her reputation.
“I told my manager, ‘Let's not put it out,’ ” she said, "but he said it was too late; it had already gone to radio and was 10 weeks at No. 1.”
The producers agreed to set the scene in a gym to steer viewers away from the song’s sexual overtones.
"I didn't want it to go the other way, and yet it worked more in its favor," Newton-John told the newspaper.
Everything I did against it seemed to help it."
Despite her best efforts, "Physical" was censored and banned by several radio stations. MTV cut the ending because,
in a twist, the beefcakes surrounding Newton-John turned out to be gay.
Billboard magazine ranked “Physical” one of the “Top 50 Sexiest Songs” of all time.
It became the biggest singles of the decade and the most popular of Newton-John’s career.

Impossible to ascertain--- at this juncture--- what this album would have accomplished had it been released in 1980.
What is more certain....1981's Made In America.....was a relative disaster..... the status quo was going nowhere--at the time.
"...best for everyone involved...".....only if Karen Carpenter, herself, is excluded from that phraseology.
Karen's album is always placed within a context which pits Karen against Richard, and this detracts from the real issue:
As, again, Paul Grein astutely observed, and wrote:
Are these two artists inseparable as a duo ?
Are they not allowed separate musical existence?
Are they one musical entity for all time?
No Richard, no Karen? No Karen, no Richard?
Within the context and confines in which the solo project was conceived and evolved.....
the album achieved its goals.
Why such resistance to "spreading her wings" ?
The album takes nothing away from the greatness, the Legacy, of "Carpenters", Richard and Karen.
It does add dimension to the legacy.
Karen's persona is no longer one-dimensional; it is a 'portrait' painted with more color and personality.
She becomes a multifaceted human being.

Paul Grein A&M Press Release 1996,
Karen Carpenter (1981) : " I'm sure there would have been people who would have been shocked and a lot of
people would have loved it."

Richard Carpenter (1991) : " I'm human, and it did cross my mind that something could come out of this and just explode, at
which time I would be going through a number of emotions."









 
I had forgotten this, as quoted from Richard Carpenter, by Paul Grein, 1991:
" I probably said it was very nice. It certainly is well-produced and well-assembled.
But, some of it was disco and I'm not a disco fan, and I thought she was singing a little bit too
high on some of the songs.
"
:laughup: When Richard told Karen (to her face) that her album was "nice", I wish she would have kicked the "nice" out of him!
 
Newton-John thought the footage, shot for her album of the same name, would ruin her reputation.
“I told my manager, ‘Let's not put it out,’ ” she said, "but he said it was too late; it had already gone to radio and was 10 weeks at No. 1.”

What is more certain....1981's Made In America.....was a relative disaster..... the status quo was going nowhere--at the time.

What's sad is that the Carpenters were on the Merv Griffin Show in 1981, with Karen looking terrible and promoting a single that would bomb (as had most of their others since 1976), yet there was Olivia, one of her staunchest friends and at the height of her game commercially, whooping with applause at the end of their performance in support of her friend. I always thought there was great juxtaposition in that scene.
 
And, wasn't Those Good Old Dreams edited out of the entire
Merv Griffin (syndicated?) program?
Of course, after a lengthy hiatus, brother looked quite fit.
If memory serves, this was an Olivia Newton-John invitation,
as Merv Griffin had her invite any guests she wanted for the episode.
In other words, this performance did not occur simply because
Made In America was being 'plugged'---Olivia Newton-John was being
touted on the program and invited the duo to be there.
Please correct me if I am misinformed on this issue.
 
And, wasn't Those Good Old Dreams edited out of the entire
Merv Griffin (syndicated?) program?
Of course, after a lengthy hiatus, brother looked quite fit.
If memory serves, this was an Olivia Newton-John invitation,
as Merv Griffin had her invite any guests she wanted for the episode.
In other words, this performance did not occur simply because
Made In America was being 'plugged'---Olivia Newton-John was being
touted on the program and invited the duo to be there.
Please correct me if I am misinformed on this issue.
That is my understanding also. I think someone with access to the fan club newsletters can verify that. And no, Those Good Old Dreams did not air.
 
If memory serves, this was an Olivia Newton-John invitation,
as Merv Griffin had her invite any guests she wanted for the episode.
In other words, this performance did not occur simply because
Made In America was being 'plugged'---Olivia Newton-John was being
touted on the program and invited the duo to be there.

The Olivia special was recorded on September 1, 1981 (since Karen made reference to her first wedding anniversary the day before) and the Carpenters' single '(Want You) Back In My Life Again' was released on August 28, 1981. So whilst it was up to Olivia who she invited as guests, the Carpenters had good reason to perform this song, since it had just been released as their latest single. 'Those Good Old Dreams' (recorded for - but dropped from - the special) wasn't pulled as a single until November 5, 1981.

Here's an interesting link I found about the Merv Griffin special on Olivia: http://www.onlyolivia.com/visual/tv/80/81/merv/index.html
 
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