Carpenters on Lee Denson (1966) Magic Lamp

Richard and Karen - especially Karen - had a really distinctive sound, even as early as 1966 and even just when doing backing vocals. I don't hear either of them anywhere on these tracks. One of the female voices on the second track sounds vaguely like Karen but it could be anybody.

Intriguingly, several sites do refer to them having been on the tracks, they could be buried in the mix with the other singers (but I'm sure my ears would pick them out) or it may be that someone found out Richard and Karen were on the same label, made the assumption it was them and it became folklore.

Grant Guerrero mentions it on his site too and makes the reasonable assumption they could be there, buried in the background:

"I can't identify either Richard or Karen's voice, but the backing vocals sound like they're being sung by several people, so it's possible Richard and Karen are in there singing".

Lee Denson a.k.a. Jesse James: The South's Gonna Rise Again (2001)

LEE DENSON

Lee Denson

popsike.com - Rockabilly Lee Denson MAGIC LAMP 45 w/ Karen Carpenter - auction details

Lee Denson - Sixteen States / Mississippi Bridge

The only way to know for sure is if Richard is able to confirm or deny it.
 
The only way to know for sure is if Richard is able to confirm or deny it.

This was the same footnote added to the Mickey Jones single that was cut on Magic Lamp. I asked Richard specifically about that a few months ago and he told me Karen definitely did not record any vocals on that one. $100 bucks it's the same story here. Not sure where the rumors started but oh well.
 
It's similar to the rumors that were going around that Karen had recorded backing vocals on Roger Nichols & The Circle Of Friends song "Snow Queen".
 
It's similar to the rumors that were going around that Karen had recorded backing vocals on Roger Nichols & The Circle Of Friends song "Snow Queen".

Didn't she just sound GREAT on that!! :rolleyes:
 
It also reminds me that back in the dark ages of the Internet, rumors of a Lani Hall appearance on an Edu Lobo album surfaced. It turned out that Lani indeed had credits on the album, but it was for scribing the English lyrics to two songs.
 
So I’ve been listening to these songs again and while at first hearing, I didn’t recognize Karen’s famous voice in it, in "Mississippi Bridge", when the “oooh”s come in, I hear a falsetto voice that (to my ears) sounds much like the one I’ve heard in early Carpenters recordings like these. (also the “opera”-sounding “ahhh”s in the same song)

(the videos should start right before the falsetto parts when you click on the links: )

- "If God only planned it to last all our days" (harmony part) in "The parting of our ways" (1966)

- Falsetto "ahhhh" during instrumental break in "Your wonderful parade" (demo version, 1968)

- "Ooooh" on left channel (flute is on right channel) in "Turn away" (1969)

- background vocals mostly on left channel in "Maybe it's you" (1970)

- "What do you get when you fall in love" (harmony part) on right channel in "I'll never fall in love again" (1970), repeated later in the song

- opera voice in "Smoke gets in your eyes" (1971)

- opening "oooh" on left channel in "I won't last a day without you" (1972)

- background "oooh" during "...but I just sit and wait - I'd rather concentrate on Johnny..." on left (and right??) channel in "Johnny Angel" (1973)


I don't think Karen used her falsetto or "opera" voice after the Now & Then album... well maybe for just a second in the 1978 Christmas special :wink:

Karen being such a vocal chameleon could do anything with her voice, from sounding like a little girl to an opera singer :D
Although she's less known for that particular voice, Richard said in a 1998 interview:

"She had the falsetto, which she kept and used later. But it wasn't until early '64 or '65 and I had written this song in G that starts in G below middle C. She started singing it there, and out came this incredible voice.
It had no vibrato then - that wouldn't come for another year. And it was rough around the edges but within a year, the natural vibrato set in - and the phrasing was always there."


So although Karen's falsetto may not be as distinct as her deeper voice we all love, I wouldn't be surprised if Richard would say that it was actually them singing background there (but my ears could be deceiving me of course 🙃 )
 
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