Another Time, Another Place...

[newvillefan]

Personally, I think that 'This Masquerade', 'Solitaire' and 'I Believe You' are all brilliant and in another time and place with better support and different circumstances, could all have been smashes.

Here's a thought.

Imagine if Karen had lived beyond 1983.

What if Richard hadn't remixed any of their earlier songs from the heyday because their career had moved on and he hadn't needed to?

Imagine that Voice Of The Heart and Lovelines didn't exist. Which of those songs do you think would have rippled to the surface on box sets or for the 50th Anniversary that we're about to celebrate?

How would Karen have felt about her solo tracks all these years later and would she have released any of the songs as bonus tracks on subsequent albums?

What do you think they'd be doing now?

 

[WYBIMLA]

In an alternate universe...

For sure Now would've made it.
Maybe Your Baby or another outtake might have made it as a MIA bonus track. Possibly Honolulu would be a bonus on a compilation because I think of how Karen said at the end of the unsweetened version, "That was good!"
So few and far in between, imo.

There'd have been singles like: Something in your eyes, Only the Angels Know, All those years ago, and The Reply.
Wonderfully directed, produced music videos.
Maybe they'd have made a short film with one of them.

Karen would have musical films to her name. Viral Grammy and Oscar performances by now.
Probably made appearances on documentaries, talk shows or select reality shows as herself.

I'm not sure if she'd have tried out a solo album again... there'd be so much other opportunities for her.
Maybe she would feel differently about needing that recognition. There's a good chance she would have though.
Or perhaps taking up offered to be a featured artist.

I think for the 50th they'd be doing what Richard's working on today! If they hadn't already jumped on an orchestral album. Every ten years there'd have been a new album or two and they would have made bone chilling recordings.

Karen would be a living Icon/Legend. Highly respected.
Likely, a champion for women's rights and mental health awareness.

She would be a powerhouse. Not known as the "sad little girl." She'd tell her story in her own words.
Had she lived, I bet both of them would still struggle with image problems, but I think she'd do everything she could to combat those judgements. As time and attitudes change, I think there'd still be many young people who would gravitate to towards her style and influence.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I've always thought a country album would have served them well... a number of '70s artists had a nice "second career" in country music.

I think if they'd continued to make albums, none of those songs from Lovelines and beyond would have ever seen the light of day, except maybe a few would have shown up on an anniversary box set -- for the simple reason that Richard originally didn't plan to release those songs and, in his ideal world, would probably have preferred they stay in the vault.

It's kind of strange to think that if Karen had lived, we'd have gotten more new recordings, but there are probably also songs we might never have heard!

 

[AM Matt]

The rock group Fever Tree had an album from 1969 called "Another Time, Another Place". In the Dire Straits song "Lady Writer" (from 1979 "Communique") the lyric also went "Another time, another place". Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[newvillefan]

It's kind of strange to think that if Karen had lived, we'd have gotten more new recordings, but there are probably also songs we might never have heard!

This very thought is one of the things that spurred me on to create this thread. That’s the sad trade off when an artist is lost. We get to hear things they’d never planned to release but then at the same time are robbed of any future possible treasures. I still find it hard to believe Richard wishes he hadn’t released Ordinary Fool.

 

[Simon KC1950]

I think Richard said they'd be up to their 4th Christmas album at least by now.

Recently another favourite artist of mine, Shawn Mendes, appeared as a week long guest on the Late Late Show with James Cordon to promote his new album. He did performances, interviews and comedy sketches for the week. I couldn't help but think that if Karen lived, she'd be doing sketches, interviews ect in her 60's !

 

[ullalume]

Interesting, Stephen. I think they both would have played out their identity issues in the 80s. Maybe even split completely and do their own stuff for 5 years. I then think they would have come back stronger in the mid90s and continued steadily but quietly. Individually they were good. Together....I get interested.

 

[WYBIMLA]

I couldn't help but think that if Karen lived, she'd be doing sketches, interviews ect in her 60's !

I know eh? I can't help but think along those lines too.
She would be a mainstay at some talk show. Morning, Daytime or Late night.
Producers and Hosts would love her. Audiences would love her.
Throughout the decades I could see that happen and how the wiser she got, the better her humour would be too.

Sky was the limit for those two. It's crazy how, to this day, it's hard to believe KC's no longer with us.
In the late 90s or early 2000s, Richard was getting letters asking "when are the Carpenters going to tour?"
...New listeners didn't realize she was gone.

That says something about her though. She's so lively on those records. As if she's sitting right next to you.
What a gift!

 

[cam89]

Another artist who was influenced by Karen was 5-time Grammy winning artist Sandi Patty. She had an album around 1990 or 1991 called Another Time, Another Place and in that album she had a song called I'll give you Peace which had some beautiful overdubs which reminded me a bit of If I Had You, although I'll Give You Peace is a very slow, gentle song....Sandi even sang JESUS LOVES ME the way she thought Karen would have sung it...in her 1983 Live Recording MORE THAN WONDERFUL...when I met Sandi in concert in 2004...I asked her afterwards about Karen Carpenter, and she said she used to drive by the house on Newville Ave but was to shy to knock on the door....in the recording she says, "I was so sad to learn that earlier this year one of my favorite singers died. But when I was in 10th Grade she was it for me! I not only just wanted to be like Karen Carpenter, I wanted to sing like Karen Carpenter..."

 

[tomswift2002]

Sandi Patti, I’ve got a few of her albums—-ones a children’s tape that my grandparents gave me for Christmas one year. I wonder what Karen would’ve done had she done a children’s album? The Sandi Patti one I have has a story that goes through the entire tape with Patti narrating and different songs, some sung by her and others by the characters.