⭐ Official Review [Album]: "OFFERING"/"TICKET TO RIDE" (SP-4205)

[newvillefan]

how did the girl who sang a rough TTR and a hard EVE all of a sudden become the girl who could sing those clear, powerful, gorgeously rich opening verses of WOJB?

This is a really, really great question and one that I’ve thought about for a long time. There is a world of difference between ‘Someday’ and ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’.

Consider the timeline:

- ‘Offering’ was released in April 1969, meaning that the tracks were recorded around January-March 1969.
- The track for ‘Begun’ was laid down (I believe) in early 1970.

The difference in those 12 months is astounding. Nobody has ever documented - or been able to explain - why that happened. Not even Richard. In 1969, Karen still sounded very tomboy-ish and ‘rough around the edges’ on a lot of ‘Offering’. By early 1971, they were beating the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and collecting Grammy Awards.

Answers on a postcard please…

 

[Nemily]

The difference in those 12 months is astounding. Nobody has ever documented - or been able to explain - why that happened. Not even Richard. In 1969, Karen still sounded very tomboy-ish and ‘rough around the edges’ on a lot of ‘Offering’. By early 1971, they were beating the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and collecting Grammy Awards.

Answers on a postcard please…

Exactly on the timeline. Someday was recorded 6/19/69 and WOJB was laid down June-July 1970. Here is my postcard answer. “Offering was an album of its time and the time was 1967” (quoting Richard). Between Offering and CTY, Karen learned how to serve their music to its new genre.

 

[JohnFB]

...

The difference in those 12 months is astounding. Nobody has ever documented - or been able to explain - why that happened. Not even Richard.

I would be fascinated to hear Richard give his detailed and knowledgeable opinion now about this very amazing transformation during that critical time period back then - would he agree with our assessment?

This was the 2nd great transformation in the "maturation" of her voice - in some documentary (which one ???) he talked about the sudden emergence of her deep voice - the contralto voice - when they were working on a new song he had composed ("Looking for Love" I think, and not "All of My Life" as the KC movie portrays) and they didn't like the sound of her voice, and he changed the key of the song lowering it, and as Karen was quoted as saying "out popped this new voice", the one we all know and love - all it took was a key change - so what did it take for the 2nd even more astounding transformation to take place? Late maturation of physical factors, the accumulated effect of basically more singing with the stenthening of her vocal chords, informal advice from a professional vocal coach (Frank Pooler?)? All of the above? Would love to get some ideas from an expert (Chris May ?) on exactly what could have happened...

I've listened again to the CTY album and I hear no "rough edges" in any of the songs - one would think if they were still there they would have shown up on songs that required her to open up vocally and sing forcefully, like "Baby, It's You" or "Another Song"...but they're not there...

 

[newvillefan]

I've listened again to the CTY album and I hear no "rough edges" in any of the songs - one would think if they were still there they would have shown up on songs that required her to open up vocally and sing forcefully, like "Baby, It's You" or "Another Song"...but they're not there...

This was the point I was trying to make and you made it better. All the rough edges from ‘Offering’ are gone completely on that second album.

 

[Harry]

If OFFERING is described as having rough edges, then I'll take those rough edges. I fell in love with that album back in December 1970, and it's still among my very favorites.

 

[Mark-T]

Even though it's not my personal favorite, I can't deny it sounds fresh and vibrant!

 

[newvillefan]

If OFFERING is described as having rough edges, then I'll take those rough edges. I fell in love with that album back in December 1970, and it's still among my very favorites.

Me too Harry. It wasn’t a criticism, it’s one of the reasons I love it as well. It brims full of innocence and youth.

 

[JohnFB]

In "Carpenters: The Musical Legacy" and speaking about "Offering" Richard says:

"Karen wasn't happy with her lead vocal on the recording ["Eve"]. A lot of her leads from '69 were just too husky for her. And there was one note that's a little out of tune. It's one of the ones [songs] that Karen and I were going to redo, you know."

And then:

"It saddens me greatly that, for the short time Karen was with us, we didn't make a far better album for our debut. It has lovely vocals and all of that, but Karen was only nineteen at the time."

Furthermore:

"Certainly, other than INVOCATION, BENEDICTION, YOUR WONDERFUL PARADE and, of course, TICKET, nothing else should be on that album."

And finally:

"And we should have used a studio drummer, letting Karen focus on singing, handing off duties to a veteran with chops, like Hal Blaine."

Now, he calls her voice "husky" which it seems to be a little at certain points - I wonder if she used the same term...if she wasn't happy with it she more than likely did something active to correct the "problem", but exactly what? Whatever it was it was done before the recording of CTY...

I wonder which note on EVE Richard ( and maybe Karen too) thought was out of tune...I don't hear any, but his ear is far more finely tuned than mine.

In listing only 4 songs that he thought should have been on OFFERING he's speaking from years of experience in the future, and judging by those present day standards - the songs on that album were the ones young Richard chose and arranged and sang, and they all belong there at that moment in time...

And as far as Karen's drumming goes, she was certainly good enough for the music on OFFERING and even more - she was good enough for anything and everything they ever recorded - yes, her chops were maybe a little less "muscular" but they far more than adequate for the music they played - she had the skills and she had her own style - and the joy she found behind that kit really showed up in her playing - not taking anything away from the great Hal Blaine but he really wasn't needed - she had it covered nicely...if she had played on every record no one would have said "hey, the Carpenter's would really be great - if they just had a better drummer". There are some who have said that since she was getting all the attention as the singer he just simply didn't want her to get any more credit, especially as the groups driving force behind the kit - I'm not ready to buy into that trip into professional jealousy, but some believe it...

 

[newvillefan]

"Certainly, other than INVOCATION, BENEDICTION, YOUR WONDERFUL PARADE and, of course, TICKET, nothing else should be on that album."

"It saddens me greatly that, for the short time Karen was with us, we didn't make a far better album for our debut. It has lovely vocals and all of that, but Karen was only nineteen at the time."

And there was one note that's a little out of tune. It's one of the ones [songs] that Karen and I were going to redo, you know."

This really is where I feel Richard became unstuck and why, IMHO, he never became a successful outside producer after she passed away and why other mainstream artists may have probably given him a wide berth. Even at the age of 22, without any experience of a recording studio in a major record label that was giving him carte blanche to do whatever he wished, it still wasn’t enough.

 

[Song4uman]

It is not one of my favorite albums, but it does have an energy that we never hear again.
It sounds “real”, as in not polished.

 

[Nemily]

I'm on the island, but I wonder about TTR in particular. It's been documented by a few accounts, that Karen had a bit of a nasty head cold when they signed 4/29/69 and then TTR was done the same week of the signing. The difference I hear on the 69 and the 73 TTR is that the 69 vocal is a little bit closed maybe because of residual effects of the cold where in 73 her vocal has a wider open sound to me. I don't prefer one version over the other, it's just a difference I noticed.

 

[JohnFB]

TTR with RPO - and animation - Karen way up front, with no cold, and with a flawless vocal...

 

[Chris May]

I think a lot of the pitch issues to which people refer are mostly related to the way Karen attacked a note in certain places on that album.

There was a rawness that she’d learned to overcome in the studio in her marriage with the microphone by 1970. With that said, just listen to the studio recording of “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and then listen to a live performance of her singing the same song, same year. It’s like she went back in time a year with a much huskier sounding lead on the live version. Not that she still doesn’t sound great, but there IS a difference.

She was learning to master her craft on the leads by 1970, however still could sound more noticeably “unpolished” at certain times when she sang live in the early days.

 

[JohnFB]

I think a lot of the pitch issues to which people refer are mostly related to the way Karen attacked a note in certain places on that album.

There was a rawness that she’d learned to overcome in the studio in her marriage with the microphone by 1970.

"Marriage with the microphone" - Ha! What a torrid and passionate love affair that was! And it was mutual...

 

[Geographer]

I think a lot of the pitch issues to which people refer are mostly related to the way Karen attacked a note in certain places on that album.

There was a rawness that she’d learned to overcome in the studio in her marriage with the microphone by 1970. With that said, just listen to the studio recording of “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and then listen to a live performance of her singing the same song, same year. It’s like she went back in time a year with a much huskier sounding lead on the live version. Not that she still doesn’t sound great, but there IS a difference.

She was learning to master her craft on the leads by 1970, however still could sound more noticeably “unpolished” at certain times when she sang live in the early days.

Exactly this. They were learning and took what worked and rejected what didn't (vocally). Also, I believed that Karen learned to emote better with the lyrics of the songs on CTY vs. Offering and that's where the magic "clicked."

 

[Another Son]

I'm one who prefers the original version of 'Ticket to Ride'. It sounds more authentic.

I'm glad that Richard didn't leave out all the extra tracks on the album, other than the four he mentioned. The album is great, as it is.

 

[Another Son]

If OFFERING is described as having rough edges, then I'll take those rough edges. I fell in love with that album back in December 1970, and it's still among my very favorites.

I agree. I reckon Karen sounds great on all those early recordings, including the ones on Magic Lamp and with the Cal State Choir.

 

[3Favorites]

Have to update my stated view of this album. This has always been my least favorite album. It still is. However, I've been listening to it recently and it has been growing on me. After all these years, I find it listenable and even have begun to appreciate it. I use to think it sounded muddy, but I no longer think that. And I even hear the future Karen here and there on some of the tracks. Especially on Don't Be Afraid.

But I wonder...did Richard like the original cover? I think the cover on Close to You looks better than the photo on Offering.

I bought Ticket to Ride when it was a single. And then I found the album when it was released. I picked it up with the intent to buy it. But then I looked at the cover. I thought "Are they like the Osmonds? Religious or something. But what religion are they? It really didn't matter. I mean, I bought the Osmonds records. But the cover just didn't make me want to buy it, so I put it back. Since I became a solid Carpenters fan after the first few singles and it is a rare offering, I regret not buying it.

And I still think the re-imaged versions on From the Top better. So there!

 

[JohnFB]

Have to update my stated view of this album. This has always been my least favorite album. It still is. However, I've been listening to it recently and it has been growing on me. After all these years, I find it listenable and even have begun to appreciate it. I use to think it sounded muddy, but I no longer think that. And I even hear the future Karen here and there on some of the tracks. Especially on Don't Be Afraid.

...

It took me awhile too, but I've come to realize what a remarkable achievement it was for a first album. But, we have to remember that this was not a "cold" recording by an inexperienced group. There was a history here already consisting of some years of live shows and garage recordings.

There's a lot of good stuff in there. Much of it, of course, the early and slightly "rough" vocals by Karen. And also several of the songs sung by Richard - on top of his amazingly good arrangements on all of the songs.

The only thing I would have changed was to substitute Karen's "Your Navy Presents" version of GET TOGETHER for the inexplicable assault on one's hearing that Richard recorded. This is a serious and appealing song that was crying out for her uniquely compelling voice.

In addition to the 3 songs I mentioned before that should have been the singles released from the album, another hidden gem on here is CLANCY..., Richard's most creative arrangement on the album, and a decent vocal by him...but also featuring some great background harmony from Karen, and some top notch drumming by her. I wouldn't have minded at all if this song had been longer with more instrumental work from both of them...

 

[newvillefan]

In addition to the 3 songs I mentioned before that should have been the singles released from the album, another hidden gem on here is CLANCY

This song was performed live in their very early shows before they had more than the one big hit. A lot of veteran acts perform hidden gems from their back catalogue in their live shows these days (Elton John is a good example). Can you imagine if Richard and Karen were still together as an act and still touring, they’d have probably 30-40 albums under their belts by now. What a treat it would have been to hear them resurrect tracks like this in their live shows, just for the fans.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I bought Ticket to Ride when it was a single. And then I found the album when it was released. I picked it up with the intent to buy it. But then I looked at the cover. I thought "Are they like the Osmonds? Religious or something. But what religion are they? It really didn't matter. I mean, I bought the Osmonds records. But the cover just didn't make me want to buy it, so I put it back.

I could see why a person might think they were "religious" on the Offering cover. First, the title itself. Then song titles "Benediction," "Invocation," "Eve," "Don't Be Afraid" and maybe a couple of others sound like they could be religious. They were trying (or the art department was, at least) to put them over as a cool hippie type act, but with that cover photo, they also got a bit of the flower children/Jesus freaks vibe in there.

Hence the re-design and re-promotion of the album as Ticket to Ride after their popularity skyrocketed. I have always been a bit surprised that they didn't remove "Invocation" and "Benediction" from the album when they redesigned it, or at least make them "hidden" songs by leaving them off of the cover listing.

 

[Harry]

I have always been a bit surprised that they didn't remove "Invocation" and "Benediction" from the album when they redesigned it, or at least make them "hidden" songs by leaving them off of the cover listing.

Well, MFP in the UK got rid of "Invocation" and "Benediction" when they reconfigured TICKET TO RIDE by adding both We've Only Just Begun" and "Close To You".

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I just got curious about "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing." I'd never heard any other version except the Carpenters one, so I looked it up on Youtube. The original single by Buffalo Springfield is really good, not all that different from Carpenters really, except guitar-based rather than piano-based, and male vocals of course. It's one of the most unique songs, you just don't hear 3/4 time on a rock song very often.

 

[newvillefan]

Well, MFP in the UK got rid of "Invocation" and "Benediction" when they reconfigured TICKET TO RIDE by adding both We've Only Just Begun" and "Close To You"

The only drawback is that it wasn’t released until 1978. Great collection though, I have one somewhere. It even features the full Singles Overture version of ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’, so ends up effectively as a bookend album, with ‘Close To You’ as the closing track on side B. I wish this was available on CD.

 

[JohnFB]

The only drawback is that it wasn’t released until 1978. Great collection though, I have one somewhere. It even features the full Singles Overture version of ‘We’ve Only Just Begun'...

I never thought that opening the Singles album with a brief snippet of CLOSE TO YOU and then transitioning into WE'VE ONLY...was an inspired idea. It should have opened with the full version of CLOSE... and closed with their "signature song" WE'VE ONLY...

The RPO album does close with WE'VE ONLY...and is transitioned to nicely by a lovely choral/orchestral intro...