GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
Came across this independent analysis of the solo album:
An abridged synopsis , with apologies to the original author--
details here: http://juliethejarhead.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/karen-carpenter-her-solo-album/
Karen Carpenter (Her solo album)
Posted on April 11, 2013
“I hope you don’t mind if I curse. I still love our fucking record.”
In the autumn of 1979, Karen Carpenter stood at a crossroads. Her brother Richard had just checked himself into a rehab center to get un-hooked from sleeping pills. Their music career was, to put it kindly, on the descent – their records weren’t the hits they used to be.....
Whether one believes the A&M Records execs, or whether one believes Karen herself, someone made the decision to get the “LA lady” to the east coast, and into the capable hands of legendary record producer Phil Ramone.
Phil Ramone was one of the biggest and most respected names in the recording industry. He’s produced gobs of major artists, chief among them Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel and Paul Simon. (The musicians on KAREN CARPENTER are mostly from Billy Joel’s band.)
Ramone surrounded Karen with a stellar group of musicians. On guitar were David Brown, Russell Javors, Eric Johns-Rasmussen, and David Williams. Doug Stegmeyer and Louis Johnson provided the bass, while Bob James, Greg Phillinganes, Rob Mounsey, and Richard Tee played keyboards.
The percussionists included Liberty DeVitto, John Robinson, Steve Gadd.
Ramone didn’t depart entirely from the Carpenters signature sound. On a couple of songs, he incorporates the smooth overdubbing that Richard himself had borrowed from Les Paul and Mary Ford.
Ramone also knew that, for most Carpenter fans, Karen was a low alto. He used this strength effectively, and her melancholy low tones can be heard on such notables as the cover of the Paul Simon hit “Still Crazy After All These Years” and the big band-ish “If We Try.”
Two notable differences between KAREN CARPENTER and the Carpenters’ other works. For one, the song selection is much more eclectic. The pieces even include the (heaven forbid!) disco rhythms of “Lovelines” and “My Body Keeps Changing My Mind.” But not for nothing, these songs differ not only in the mechanics – range, rhythm – but, more importantly, in subject matter. Gone are the squeaky clean inferences – here we hear a mature woman who knows what she wants.
Richard Tee’s keyboards are more subtle than those of Richard Carpenter. Understandably, Richard Carpenter wanted to put his own signature on the Carpenters’ sound. In KAREN CARPENTER, the keyboards are simply another instrument.
“MAKE BELIEVE IT’S YOUR FIRST TIME”
While Richard Carpenter felt the song selection to be poor, that didn’t stop him from covering a couple of tracks. Both “Lovelines” and “Make Believe It’s Your First Time,” were released after Karen’s death, though the latter was recorded on their last album, VOICE OF THE HEART.
Fortunately, “Make Believe It’s Your First Time” gives the listener the opportunity to hear the differences in the two styles. While the Carpenters’ arrangement is all stringy and chorus-y, the Ramone version is more intimate. Let’s face it, if you’re going to “make believe it’s your first time,” you don’t want a full orchestra and choir in the room!
ALL BECAUSE OF YOU
The gem of this album is a bluesy country ballad written for Karen by Russell Javors. It’s as bare-bones as they come, and takes full advantage of Karen’s range. Just when you think she’s going to hold a note, she goes on to the next one. Just when you think she’s going to stay in one range, she nails it an octave higher. And just when you think the song may become too light-hearted, Karen digs deep into her tortured soul for that note no one but she can sing.
A tone-deaf public relations wonk (in the A&M press release) labeled “All Because of You” a “failure,” Jean Rosenbluth.
The implication that this album was Karen’s quest for independence is probably why this album drives such a wedge between two “factions” of Carpenters fans.
This album, more than anything Karen’s recorded before or since, stands as a testament to her personal struggles, her immense talent, and her attempt to validate her own life and career. “All Because of You” … demonstrate(s) the singer’s underutilized versatility.”
An abridged synopsis , with apologies to the original author--
details here: http://juliethejarhead.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/karen-carpenter-her-solo-album/
Karen Carpenter (Her solo album)
Posted on April 11, 2013
“I hope you don’t mind if I curse. I still love our fucking record.”
In the autumn of 1979, Karen Carpenter stood at a crossroads. Her brother Richard had just checked himself into a rehab center to get un-hooked from sleeping pills. Their music career was, to put it kindly, on the descent – their records weren’t the hits they used to be.....
Whether one believes the A&M Records execs, or whether one believes Karen herself, someone made the decision to get the “LA lady” to the east coast, and into the capable hands of legendary record producer Phil Ramone.
Phil Ramone was one of the biggest and most respected names in the recording industry. He’s produced gobs of major artists, chief among them Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel and Paul Simon. (The musicians on KAREN CARPENTER are mostly from Billy Joel’s band.)
Ramone surrounded Karen with a stellar group of musicians. On guitar were David Brown, Russell Javors, Eric Johns-Rasmussen, and David Williams. Doug Stegmeyer and Louis Johnson provided the bass, while Bob James, Greg Phillinganes, Rob Mounsey, and Richard Tee played keyboards.
The percussionists included Liberty DeVitto, John Robinson, Steve Gadd.
Ramone didn’t depart entirely from the Carpenters signature sound. On a couple of songs, he incorporates the smooth overdubbing that Richard himself had borrowed from Les Paul and Mary Ford.
Ramone also knew that, for most Carpenter fans, Karen was a low alto. He used this strength effectively, and her melancholy low tones can be heard on such notables as the cover of the Paul Simon hit “Still Crazy After All These Years” and the big band-ish “If We Try.”
Two notable differences between KAREN CARPENTER and the Carpenters’ other works. For one, the song selection is much more eclectic. The pieces even include the (heaven forbid!) disco rhythms of “Lovelines” and “My Body Keeps Changing My Mind.” But not for nothing, these songs differ not only in the mechanics – range, rhythm – but, more importantly, in subject matter. Gone are the squeaky clean inferences – here we hear a mature woman who knows what she wants.
Richard Tee’s keyboards are more subtle than those of Richard Carpenter. Understandably, Richard Carpenter wanted to put his own signature on the Carpenters’ sound. In KAREN CARPENTER, the keyboards are simply another instrument.
“MAKE BELIEVE IT’S YOUR FIRST TIME”
While Richard Carpenter felt the song selection to be poor, that didn’t stop him from covering a couple of tracks. Both “Lovelines” and “Make Believe It’s Your First Time,” were released after Karen’s death, though the latter was recorded on their last album, VOICE OF THE HEART.
Fortunately, “Make Believe It’s Your First Time” gives the listener the opportunity to hear the differences in the two styles. While the Carpenters’ arrangement is all stringy and chorus-y, the Ramone version is more intimate. Let’s face it, if you’re going to “make believe it’s your first time,” you don’t want a full orchestra and choir in the room!
ALL BECAUSE OF YOU
The gem of this album is a bluesy country ballad written for Karen by Russell Javors. It’s as bare-bones as they come, and takes full advantage of Karen’s range. Just when you think she’s going to hold a note, she goes on to the next one. Just when you think she’s going to stay in one range, she nails it an octave higher. And just when you think the song may become too light-hearted, Karen digs deep into her tortured soul for that note no one but she can sing.
A tone-deaf public relations wonk (in the A&M press release) labeled “All Because of You” a “failure,” Jean Rosenbluth.
The implication that this album was Karen’s quest for independence is probably why this album drives such a wedge between two “factions” of Carpenters fans.
This album, more than anything Karen’s recorded before or since, stands as a testament to her personal struggles, her immense talent, and her attempt to validate her own life and career. “All Because of You” … demonstrate(s) the singer’s underutilized versatility.”