Favourite Instrumental Break

[newvillefan]

I’m listening to All You Get From A Love Song on holiday in the sunshine and it struck me that this is without doubt my favourite instrumental break out of Carpenters’ entire catalogue. It has a great sax solo and percussion and those beautiful, summery backing vocals with Julia Tillman, Carlene Williams and Maxine Willard, augmented by Karen singing right up towards the top of her range in her head voice. Why the song didn’t chart higher than it did is beyond me (but that’s a different thread altogether).

Which is your favourite…and why?

 

[ullalume]

I’m listening to All You Get From A Love Song on holiday in the sunshine and it struck me that this is without doubt my favourite instrumental break out of Carpenters’ entire catalogue. It has a great sax solo and percussion and those beautiful, summery backing vocals with Julia Tillman, Carlene Williams and Maxine Willard, augmented by Karen singing right up towards the top of her range in her head voice. Why the song didn’t chart higher than it did is beyond me (but that’s a different thread altogether).

Which is your favourite…and why?

Same.....and when it finishes i have the slightly awkward but delicious background vocals of Karen singing "All You Get From Love Is a....a love song" to look forward to. I wish this song had been 10 mins long.

 

[Harry]

Love "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song", but my favorite instrumental break has to be "Another Song" - and it was so totally unexpected as the wrap-up to the first Carpenters album I ever heard. It blew me away then as it does now.

 

[Mark-T]

Great topic! I think I’d go with the piano on B’wana- the one with their vocals in the background. Those unexpected, escalating “ah”s punctuate a smoking hot piano. Can’t get enough!

 

[newvillefan]

I think I’d go with the piano on B’wana- the one with their vocals in the background. Those unexpected, escalating “ah”s punctuate a smoking hot piano. Can’t get enough!

Another favourite. Those second “ooh aaaaahs” feature the highest note Karen ever committed to tape.

 

[crescentnoon]

I hadn't realized that Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft actually charted higher than All You Get From Love Is A Love Song in the US.

 

[Jack A.]

Honestly, mine might be the guitar solo from “Something In Your Eyes.” The way it comes in with the high vocals and the double-tracking on the guitar…it’s a good break. I also really like the guitar fill between the two sections of the chorus on “Solitaire.”

 

[Mark-T]

On the ballad side of things, I might go with Ordinary Fool. But there's just so many good ones to choose from. Another testament to Richard's arrangements and production... and the wonderful musicians they used on record as well as in concert.

 

[newvillefan]

Honestly, mine might be the guitar solo from “Something In Your Eyes.” The way it comes in with the high vocals and the double-tracking on the guitar…it’s a good break. I also really like the guitar fill between the two sections of the chorus on “Solitaire.”

I really like the way Richard doubles with Dusty coming out of the instrumental on the line “something in”…and then breaks into harmony while she carried the lead. I’ve just put it on for another listen. Sublime!

On a related note, there have been comments on this forum about how a lot of her vocals on this song sound “punched in”. Well, I watched a documentary about the Pet Shop Boys the other day and they recalled working with her on their huge hit “What Have I Done To Deserve This” and said she was impossible to work with - insisting on recording and re-recording even syllables of her vocals. I can only imagine what it was like having two perfectionists like her and Richard in the studio working on this track.

 

[ullalume]

Love the synth and steel guitar break in Uninvited Guest.

 

[Nemily]

Love "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song", but my favorite instrumental break has to be "Another Song" - and it was so totally unexpected as the wrap-up to the first Carpenters album I ever heard. It blew me away then as it does now.

Great choice. This is such an overlooked song. Not only does it have a thrilling jam featuring a memorable Bob Messenger flute solo, my favorite part is Karen’s read on the rhythm. She is a drum ninja on this song.

 

[Nemily]

This is a tough one, there are so many great ones. The 1990 Remix of This Masquerade is one of my favorite instrumental breaks. Richard’s jazz piano solo is gorgeous. Bob Messenger’s flute solo was improved on the 1990 remix. The song also features Karen on drums and Joe Osborn on bass. I just love it. The background vocals are pretty smooth, too.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Bob Messenger on "A Song for You." Great sax solo. I also like Tom Scott's solo in "Ordinary Fool" and Pete Jolly gettin it on "B'wana She No Home."

Ed

 

[Brendon McMahon]

I really like the way Richard doubles with Dusty coming out of the instrumental on the line “something in”…and then breaks into harmony while she carried the lead. I’ve just put it on for another listen. Sublime!

On a related note, there have been comments on this forum about how a lot of her vocals on this song sound “punched in”. Well, I watched a documentary about the Pet Shop Boys the other day and they recalled working with her on their huge hit “What Have I Done To Deserve This” and said she was impossible to work with - insisting on recording and re-recording even syllables of her vocals. I can only imagine what it was like having two perfectionists like her and Richard in the studio working on this track.

I think their comment about that method also singles out Something has been Proved.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

I really like the way Richard doubles with Dusty coming out of the instrumental on the line “something in”…and then breaks into harmony while she carried the lead. I’ve just put it on for another listen. Sublime!

On a related note, there have been comments on this forum about how a lot of her vocals on this song sound “punched in”. Well, I watched a documentary about the Pet Shop Boys the other day and they recalled working with her on their huge hit “What Have I Done To Deserve This” and said she was impossible to work with - insisting on recording and re-recording even syllables of her vocals. I can only imagine what it was like having two perfectionists like her and Richard in the studio working on this track.

Yep. If you really listen, you can hear her going line-by-line on "Something..." I can definitely hear words being punched in too. I hope that doesn't take away from anyone's enjoyment but that kind of thing is incredibly hard for an engineer, no matter how good he/she is, to hide. To me, that's may steps too far. You lose the electricity of the performance when one micromanages it like that. The emotion is taken right out of it and while her performance here isn't bad by any means, it probably could have been amazing if she'd have just sung the song with a few punches here and there.

Ed

 

[JohnFB]

The sax on A SONG FOR YOU and the piano/flute break on THIS MASQUERADE...

Missed opportunities:

The sax solo on RAINY DAYS - the perfect instrument at the perfect place in a perfectly conceived and executed song - the missed opportunity? It could have been and should have been 3 times longer (at least on the album version)...

The flute solo on ROAD ODE - see comments for Rainy Days above...(but this song could have been a really big hit with a few other additions I've detailed elsewhere...)

A non-existent piano solo by Richard on a non-existent FULL version of OUR DAY WILL COME - this really delightful song should have been pulled out of the oldies mix and treated as a stand alone, extended recording, with vocal repeats for Karen and a lengthy solo for RC - as it stands now his piano work is in a subtle way still all over this recording...

 

[Nemily]

A non-existent piano solo by Richard on a non-existent FULL version of OUR DAY WILL COME - this really delightful song should have been pulled out of the oldies mix and treated as a stand alone, extended recording, with vocal repeats for Karen and a lengthy solo for RC - as it stands now his piano work is in a subtle way still all over this recording...

This is a really good observation. Richard is brilliant here replacing the Hammond organ in the original 1963 version with piano, changing the swag ever so slightly from Bossa nova to jazz. A nice simple arrangement showcases that Karen and Richard are magic together.

 

[JohnFB]

Great choice. This is such an overlooked song. Not only does it have a thrilling jam featuring a memorable Bob Messenger flute solo, my favorite part is Karen’s read on the rhythm. She is a drum ninja on this song.

Karen Carpenter - Super Songbird and Drum Ninja too! Yes, love it - Mind boggled!

 

[Sabar]

It's hard to pick one, but for me, the flute solo on Its Going to Take Some Time is up there. I like the way it darts around erratically, yet beautifully, like a butterfly in flight. The oohs and ahs in the background top it off.

 

[newvillefan]

It's hard to pick one, but for me, the flute solo on Its Going to Take Some Time is up there. I like the way it darts around erratically, yet beautifully, like a butterfly in flight.

That’s a great description, it reminds me of a butterfly as well!

 

[Martin Medrano]

For me it would be the instrumental break on crystal lullaby. Anyone else? Another one would be the instrumental break on reason to believe.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

The Carpenters songs have such "complete" arrangements that the instrumental break just seems to flow into the whole, so it's hard for me to pick a favorite. I suppose my favorite songs might contain my favorite breaks.

That said, I'm amazed nobody (yet) has picked the guitar solos in "Goodbye to Love."

a non-existent FULL version of OUR DAY WILL COME

They could have made a great all-oldies album, by making full versions of those medley songs, and then they could throw in Postman, Beechwood, Breaking Up, and a couple of "new" recordings. But, of course Richard decided (too late) that they should cut it out with the oldies. That era had passed.

 

[GDBY2LV]

The awesome Tony Peluso guitar solo on my favorite song of all time, Goodbye To Love. Runner up is Another Song. It’s a great ending to the Close To You Album. I had a customer tell me around 1997 when I was playing it in the Music Store , too bad they didn’t do more stuff like that, I might have liked them. Ugh.

 

[GDBY2LV]

I was writing mine as you posted Mike B. Just a few minutes late I guess.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

It's hard to pick one, but for me, the flute solo on Its Going to Take Some Time is up there. I like the way it darts around erratically, yet beautifully, like a butterfly in flight. The oohs and ahs in the background top it off.

A VERY good one. Forgot about it. Fun hearing Carpenters veer toward Jazz for a little while. It's not the only time they'd do it, but it proved they weren't afraid to do it. Love the vocal arrangement behind it too. Richard thought this should have remained an album cut and I totally disagree. It was the single it should have been IMHO.

Ed