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But when was the solo album finally shelved? For some reason I’m thinking that it’s been reported that the final decision was in April 1980, and if that was the case, could MBIYFT have been even considered in pre-production as possible being in MMM, to promote the album, and maybe recorded at the end of the sessions for MMM/beginning of MIA, but then when the solo album was not going to come out it was bunched in with the MIA sessions.Now that Tom points that out, I can see where it might have overlapped. But I would think once the solo project was shelved, Karen would have moved on.
We know that 1980 saw a lot of recording for both MMM & MIA, so could he have been misremembering which project it was started for? Or it was recorded when there was an overlap for both?
But when was the solo album finally shelved? For some reason I’m thinking that it’s been reported that the final decision was in April 1980
Late January | Recording sessions wrap on Karen's solo album |
February | Tracking and orchestration sessions for the TV special material (Karen on recording sessions for drums) |
Late February/early March | Vocal recording sessions for TV special - "On Sunday, March 2, 1980, her 30th birthday, Karen recorded her selections in Studio D, A&M Studios" - Richard |
February-March? | "By early 1980 we were underway on “Made In America” |
7/8/9 March | Taping of the TV special |
5 May | Karen officially shelves solo album |
16 May | TV special airs on US television |
Also, the TV special had already aired long before Karen decided to shelve her album.
This is one reason we need an official autobiography / discography (with recording details and such) from Richard!
What a GREAT read that would be!
This is one reason we need an official autobiography / discography (with recording details and such) from Richard!
What a GREAT read that would be!
Will it ever materialize?! Richard seems to be averse about creating anything in print. His astonishing attention to recall/detail would be amazing in such a book. This may seem a bit selfish on my part, but he is 73 yrs old and our memories do get compromised as we age. If he's going to do it, he should do it now. Now, where did I leave my coffee cup again?
Stephen, your chart impresses me...LOL I wish we had more timelines like this.
It's also interesting that Olivia's ABC Hollywood Nights aired in April (before the Carpenters tv special and before her solo album shelved)
It may not be like the Ella music, however, what we got in VOTH (3 years later) had been reorchestrated and even had a new bridge added, so it’s not like they were thinking of just issuing the solo version for MMM or MIA. But on music specials, there were times where the artists current or “New” single would be slightly rearranged: maybe they would be singing it as a duet, but the single was a solo or it was in a medley.Let's look at some timelines regarding recording sessions for both the TV special and Made In America:
Late January Recording sessions wrap on Karen's solo album February Tracking and orchestration sessions for the TV special material (Karen on recording sessions for drums) Late February/early March Vocal recording sessions for TV special - "On Sunday, March 2, 1980, her 30th birthday, Karen recorded her selections in Studio D, A&M Studios" - Richard February-March? "By early 1980 we were underway on “Made In America” 7/8/9 March Taping of the TV special 5 May Karen officially shelves solo album 16 May TV special airs on US television
So, theoretically it is quite possible recording sessions for the TV special and the album overlapped in late February and early March, as they did in 1978 when they recorded a few non Christmas tracks amongst the sessions for Christmas Portrait. All that said, Richard has never, ever mentioned that Make Believe was a TV special outtake and it's highly unlikely that it was, because it's not in the same vein as all the TV special music i.e. standards from the Ella Fitzgerald era. Also, the TV special had already aired long before Karen decided to shelve her album.
I have the original TV guide. The inside article says the ABC special aired on Monday April 14, 1980 at 8:00 p.m. It included a nice promo ad with Special Appearance by Karen
I still wonder to this day if Karen performed anything from her new album on this show as a tester, but then had it cut from the final edit after the playback at A&M.
I think that's precisely what happened.
I thought it was determined, from another thread here somewhere, and by a timeline someone provided, that this did not (or could not have) happened. I don't have a dog in this fight; it's just that I think this has been gone over before? Anyone can chime in and correct me if I am wrong.
I still wonder to this day if Karen performed anything frofm her new album on this show as a tester, but then had it cut from the final edit after the playback at A&M.
I think onj was briefly on the first tv special in 1976. Correct me please if I am wrong, since it’s been ages.A yardstick that might be used is the fact that Karen is billed as "Special Appearances By" along with Dick Clark and Tina Turner in the TV Guide ad provided by Rick. How much total screen time was given between the 3 celebrities? If it is relatively the same, I would guess that Karen did not sing a tune from her album. Did Tina turner sing a vocal number by herself? If yes, more likely Karen performed something. It was 1980, the duo had not released a pop album in 3 years, had not had a top ten hit since Only Yesterday in 1975. My gut feeling is what we saw of Karen in this special was all the screen time there was of her.
That being said; 2 compelling questions arise in me concerning this; How do you have the greatest female pop vocalist of her generation (if not all time) on your TV special and not have her sing lead or even duet on a song; Olivia? AND How does the duo fail to secure ONJ on any of their TV specials when she was "hotter than a pistol", a close friend of Karen's, and would have blown-up their ratings and maybe have given their floundering music careers a much-needed "jump start"; Mr Weintraub?
I think onj was briefly on the first tv special in 1976. Correct me please if I am wrong, since it’s been ages.
A yardstick that might be used is the fact that Karen is billed as "Special Appearances By" along with Dick Clark and Tina Turner in the TV Guide ad provided by Rick. How much total screen time was given between the 3 celebrities? If it is relatively the same, I would guess that Karen did not sing a tune from her album. Did Tina turner sing a vocal number by herself? If yes, more likely Karen performed something. It was 1980, the duo had not released a pop album in 3 years, had not had a top ten hit since Only Yesterday in 1975. My gut feeling is what we saw of Karen in this special was all the screen time there was of her.
That being said; 2 compelling questions arise in me concerning this; How do you have the greatest female pop vocalist of her generation (if not all time) on your TV special and not have her sing lead or even duet on a song; Olivia? AND How does the duo fail to secure ONJ on any of their TV specials when she was "hotter than a pistol", a close friend of Karen's, and would have blown-up their ratings and maybe have given their floundering music careers a much-needed "jump start"; Mr Weintraub?