"Autumn days ..."

[Without A Song]

Those are the first two words Karen sings on "Where Do I Go From Here," my favorite song from the album "Lovelines. It's impossible for me not to think of it when I hear or read news about autumn's impending arrival.

Such a great tune from beginning to end. I wish it had been released as a single when Karen and Richard first recorded it. Love Tony Peluso's guitar solo!

One small quibble. The drumbeats seem just a bit off when they come in at the end of the second verse, slightly interrupting the flow of the song. Anyone else think that, too?

Still a great song, though, one I love to listen to, especially this time of year!

 

[Nemily]

Totally agree @Without A Song . This is great timing for this thread and this autumn treat.

About the drumming on this track, I listened to this and tried to hear it as a soft ballad with a less emphasized rhythm. Then I compared it to the England Dan and John Ford Coley version recorded a year before Carpenters did their recording.

England Dan and John Ford Coley used the drum kit throughout the song where Carpenters version adds dynamics with drums and guitar in the second part of the song, only to return to back to the soft rhythm. If there were no dynamics there, I don’t think I would have appreciated the decrescendo at the end. I wonder what the songwriter Parker McGee had in mind.

About it not being commercially released in 1978, it never had a home. The WDIGFH track was recorded summer of 1978 and according to the summer Newsletter it was intended to be part of a 10th anniversary album in 1979 that never happened. And that is how it ended up in the vault, surfacing much later on the movie, and then on Lovelines. And by the time 1989 came around, I Just Fall in Love was released on the B Side of Honolulu City Lights. They always went with percentages on the ballads.

I agree it’s too bad this track was never released because IMO Karen owned Where Do I go from Here. One a close listen, say through a headset, I hear Where Do I go from Here, When I Fall in Love, Christmas Portrait and really anything that was recorded in 1978 as a time when Karen was in prime command of her vocals and a high bar that remains unparalleled to this day.

 

[goodjeans]

Totally agree @Without A Song . This is great timing for this thread and this autumn treat.

About the drumming on this track, I listened to this and tried to hear it as a soft ballad with a less emphasized rhythm. Then I compared it to the England Dan and John Ford Coley version recorded a year before Carpenters did their recording.

England Dan and John Ford Coley used the drum kit throughout the song where Carpenters version adds dynamics with drums and guitar in the second part of the song, only to return to back to the soft rhythm. If there were no dynamics there, I don’t think I would have appreciated the decrescendo at the end. I wonder what the songwriter Parker McGee had in mind.

About it not being commercially released in 1978, it never had a home. The WDIGFH track was recorded summer of 1978 and according to the summer Newsletter it was intended to be part of a 10th anniversary album in 1979 that never happened. And that is how it ended up in the vault, surfacing much later on the movie, and then on Lovelines. And by the time 1989 came around, I Just Fall in Love was released on the B Side of Honolulu City Lights. They always went with percentages on the ballads.

I agree it’s too bad this track was never released because IMO Karen owned Where Do I go from Here. One a close listen, say through a headset, I hear Where Do I go from Here, When I Fall in Love, Christmas Portrait and really anything that was recorded in 1978 as a time when Karen was in prime command of her vocals and a high bar that remains unparalleled to this day.

Great post.

 

[newvillefan]

One a close listen, say through a headset, I hear Where Do I go from Here, When I Fall in Love, Christmas Portrait and really anything that was recorded in 1978 as a time when Karen was in prime command of her vocals and a high bar that remains unparalleled to this day.

Totally agree - I’d say the quality of Karen’s vocals on those 1978 tracks - especially ‘You’re The One’ - surpasses anything they did in their heyday. She sounds richer, and technically more stunning, than ever.

 

[ullalume]

Totally agree @Without A Song . This is great timing for this thread and this autumn treat.

About the drumming on this track, I listened to this and tried to hear it as a soft ballad with a less emphasized rhythm. Then I compared it to the England Dan and John Ford Coley version recorded a year before Carpenters did their recording.

England Dan and John Ford Coley used the drum kit throughout the song where Carpenters version adds dynamics with drums and guitar in the second part of the song, only to return to back to the soft rhythm. If there were no dynamics there, I don’t think I would have appreciated the decrescendo at the end. I wonder what the songwriter Parker McGee had in mind.

About it not being commercially released in 1978, it never had a home. The WDIGFH track was recorded summer of 1978 and according to the summer Newsletter it was intended to be part of a 10th anniversary album in 1979 that never happened. And that is how it ended up in the vault, surfacing much later on the movie, and then on Lovelines. And by the time 1989 came around, I Just Fall in Love was released on the B Side of Honolulu City Lights. They always went with percentages on the ballads.

I agree it’s too bad this track was never released because IMO Karen owned Where Do I go from Here. One a close listen, say through a headset, I hear Where Do I go from Here, When I Fall in Love, Christmas Portrait and really anything that was recorded in 1978 as a time when Karen was in prime command of her vocals and a high bar that remains unparalleled to this day.

Yup. '78 she was scarily good.

 

[newvillefan]

Totally agree - I’d say the quality of Karen’s vocals on those 1978 tracks - especially ‘You’re The One’ - surpasses anything they did in their heyday. She sounds richer, and technically more stunning, than ever.

Quick after-post to say I know 'You're The One' was 1977 but hey, same ballpark . I always categorise it in my mind as 1978 because it's right before two 1978 tracks in sequence on the Lovelines album.

 

[JohnFB]

Those are the first two words Karen sings on "Where Do I Go From Here,"...

Such a great tune from beginning to end. I wish it had been released as a single when Karen and Richard first recorded it. Love Tony Peluso's guitar solo!

One small quibble. The drumbeats seem just a bit off when they come in at the end of the second verse, ...

...

Wonderful song & recording, one of the few ("like ,"Rainy Days and Mondays") that I can find absolutely no fault with - a perfect recording actually - even the large, forceful orchestral arrangement is entirely appropriate (something that can't be said for some other songs in their repertoire) - this is a "power ballad" in the class of "Goodbye to Love" (and maybe a better overall song) - and yes, as much as any other song it deserved to be released as a single, and one couldn't even make up a good reason why it wasn't...

Sorry though, don't hear any problem with the drumbeat - one wouldn't on a perfect recording...

 

[JohnFB]

...

I agree it’s too bad this track was never released because IMO Karen owned Where Do I go from Here. One a close listen, say through a headset, I hear Where Do I go from Here, When I Fall in Love, Christmas Portrait and really anything that was recorded in 1978 as a time when Karen was in prime command of her vocals and a high bar that remains unparalleled to this day.

Fully agree! And I am very tempted to say that Karen not only owned this sadly beautiful song but every song she ever sung - cases in point: SUPERSTAR, A SONG FOR YOU, TICKET TO RIDE, THIS MASQUERADE, HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, ETC.

As far as command of her vocals goes, it was still here just like it had been from 69-73 - maybe better...

 

[JohnFB]

Totally agree - I’d say the quality of Karen’s vocals on those 1978 tracks - especially ‘You’re The One’ - surpasses anything they did in their heyday. She sounds richer, and technically more stunning, than ever.

Exactly! Her vocal performance on YTO equaled that of WDIGFH and RD&M (which may be as good as it ever got) - and wasn't this the time that she re-recorded MCD and INTBIL for the Bruce Forsythe show in England, which were in some ways better than the original recordings?

 

[JohnFB]

Perhaps the best feature of WDIGFH is - as I've mentioned before - the string of those iconic low notes she sings in the verses - there is nothing more stunning in her vocals than the rich, resonant tone of her voice when she sings at the end of the 2nd verse:

And I need you now,
I need to feel you in the night,
I need your smile so warm and bright,
I wish my mind could let you go.

F**king Awesome!

 

[Without A Song]

The mistimed drumbeat (in my opinion) comes right after Tony Peluso's electrifying guitar solo: "Where do I go (drumbeat) from here?" It's colliding with rather than supporting Karen's beautiful voice.

 

[JohnFB]

The mistimed drumbeat (in my opinion) comes right after Tony Peluso's electrifying guitar solo: "Where do I go (drumbeat) from here?" It's colliding with rather than supporting Karen's beautiful voice.

Well, throughout their recordings there are many things - mostly deliberate - that "collide with rather than support Karen's beautiful voice", and believe me I notice (and bitch about) them all - but in the many times I've listened to this recording I've never noticed any "collision" where you say (or anywhere for that matter) - I listened again 3 times and...nothing...hope it doesn't effect your pleasure too much. It truly is one of their finest recordings!

 

[newvillefan]

The mistimed drumbeat (in my opinion) comes right after Tony Peluso's electrifying guitar solo: "Where do I go (drumbeat) from here?" It's colliding with rather than supporting Karen's beautiful voice.

It’s not a mis-timed drum beat, it’s the drummer using the snare drum and cymbals between Karen’s vocal to accentuate the tension and drama in the song. It’s a brilliant moment, right before the song pares all the way back to just Karen’s doleful last line.

 

[Harry]

Not mis-timed at all. That little syncopated kick-drum adds emphasis to the line. It's also virtually a repeat of the same line earlier in the song before the guitar solo. But the second time, Karen holds back a beat on "where do I go from here", adding even more emphasis.

The only thing that bothers me about this recording is that from around 2:30 on, the whole drum track sounds to me like it's out of phase, especially with headphones on.

 

[JohnFB]

...

The only thing that bothers me about this recording is that from around 2:30 on, the whole drum track sounds to me like it's out of phase, especially with headphones on.

Listened again a couple of times - don't hear that at all - but I thank everyone for giving me as excuse (as if I need one) to listen to this flawless recording multiple times!

 

[Nemily]

Fully agree! And I am very tempted to say that Karen not only owned this sadly beautiful song but every song she ever sung - cases in point: SUPERSTAR, A SONG FOR YOU, TICKET TO RIDE, THIS MASQUERADE, HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS, ETC.

As far as command of her vocals goes, it was still here just like it had been from 69-73 - maybe better...

Nicely said @JohnFB

Carpenters songs that are pre-Close to You, are actually my favorite vocal performances by Karen. They are from a time, of course, on the advent of her vocal techniques forever changing. These raw performances capture a couple of kids having the time of their lives. It puts a smile on my face when performers can convey this through music.

From post Close to You through 1974, Karen’s singing milestone came about from developing a more controlled technique and transitioning from live stage performance to studio microphone work. Richard’s song selections of course set the table. Karen’s natural range would roam up and down the octaves in her instantly familial, relaxed intonation, never entering into a strain or an airy falsetto, or at least never seemed to.

Leap to 1978. As @newvillefan points out, after their heyday, is when I notice a matured vocal that solidifies Karen’s place among the greatest ever. A quality on an astounding level. This is not to diminish preceding and subsequent recordings.

 

[John Adam]

Leap to 1978. As @newvillefan points out, after their heyday, is when I notice a matured vocal that solidifies Karen’s place among the greatest ever. A quality on an astounding level. This is not to diminish preceding and subsequent recordings.

I agree with this statement. The "voice" was always present from the beginning, but by this time she knew totally what she could do with it.

 

[Without A Song]

One of the things I love about this forum is the wide variety of perspectives on the Carpenters' music. I learn so much from people here who are schooled in the intricacies of Karen's voice and Richard's arrangements. It adds another layer of enjoyment for me when I listen to their songs!

 

[Florian]

It is really a wonderful Song! Karen's voice gives it so much warmth!

 

[Mark-T]

This thread made me think they should haver recorded Nat King Cole's "Tenderly".

 

[CarpentersToYou]

This thread made me think they should haver recorded Nat King Cole's "Tenderly".

They should have done so many standards! Thank the gods they did those TV specials. We got some gems out of them.

 

[JohnFB]

One of the things I love about this forum is the wide variety of perspectives on the Carpenters' music. I learn so much from people here who are schooled in the intricacies of Karen's voice and Richard's arrangements. It adds another layer of enjoyment for me when I listen to their songs!

Very nicely said - I think probably everyone here feels that way...