Heard Carpenters

I didn't see this on here yet, so I thought I'd post. TJ Lubinsky did a brief interview of Richard that he posted to Facebook....

I, too, really enjoyed this interview. Here's what I find interesting: in other threads, we have discussed countless songs we wished we could hear Karen sing (or we wished had been recorded by Carpenters). And yet, Richard's choice ("But Beautiful") is a song unfamiliar to me. Of course, I have learned that it is a "standard," and I realize my music knowledge pales in comparison to that of Richard (and many others here, for that matter). But Richard clearly knew which songs were tailor-made for Karen, and we are the beneficiaries of that wisdom...
 
^^A good point to raise, James.
However, consider that very few "standards" were actually "cut" and "released"
during Karen's lifetime by Carpenters (or, during the "A&M Years").
Excepting for the songs for the TV Special Music, Music, Music
there seems to have been a dis-concern for "cutting" standards during Karen's lifetime.
Obviously, this was due to the desire to "get the next pop hit."
1983, strangely enough, saw Linda ronstadt release her successful "standards" album.
There seems No evidence that anyone, in Carpenters' camp,
was willing to record more of that type of sound at that time.
I remember thinking to myself---when What's New--was new,
why Carpenters had not gone down that road previously (with an entire album).
Obviously, no one believed an album of "standards" would be profitable financially.
 
1983, strangely enough, saw Linda ronstadt release her successful "standards" album. There seems No evidence that anyone, in Carpenters' camp, was willing to record more of that type of sound at that time.

I would bet any money that this is one of Richard’s biggest regrets. Concentrating on forgettable tunes like Beechwood, At The End Of The Song and Prime Time Love when they should have been focused on putting out jazz and pop standards as Linda Ronstadt was doing.
 
Once again, in TJL's interview (above)...nothing "new" will ever be released. So, I am led to ask....again and again...why the song: Something's Missing is not good enough for a future release ? Richard Carpenter could create a fantastic arrangement (if he desired to do so). Why doesn't someone ask him this question in an interview ? That is, specifically ask why this particular song has never seen a release, and, apparently, never will.

If he turns up at our bash in April, and if I get the chance, I will ask him this question :)
 
Once again, in TJL's interview (above)...nothing "new" will ever be released.
So, I am led to ask....again and again...why the song:
Something's Missing is not good enough for a future release ?
Richard Carpenter could create a fantastic arrangement (if he desired to do so).
Why doesn't someone ask him this question in an interview ?
That is, specifically ask why this particular song has never seen a release,
and, apparently, never will.
Or how about “Love Making Love To You” And “Don’t Try To Win Me Back” which are fully finished and which Karen apparently approved of prior to whatever decision caused their removal from the album track list.

Or one song I’m surprised he hasn’t finished is “Last One Singing The Blues”.

But with Karen’s unreleased tracks, it’s surprising that he hasn’t finished them or released a double CD featuring them on disc 2, considering that Richard apparently put out the Como medley to combat the bootleg versions.
 
Once again, in TJL's interview (above)...nothing "new" will ever be released.
So, I am led to ask....again and again...why the song:
Something's Missing is not good enough for a future release ?
Richard Carpenter could create a fantastic arrangement (if he desired to do so).
Why doesn't someone ask him this question in an interview ?
That is, specifically ask why this particular song has never seen a release,
and, apparently, never will.

I was listening to Something’s Missing earlier this week and thought exactly the same. It’s a lovely song that Karen sings wonderfully, and I’m sure Richard could do something great with it.
 
But with Karen’s unreleased tracks, it’s surprising that he hasn’t finished them or released a double CD featuring them on disc 2, considering that Richard apparently put out the Como medley to combat the bootleg versions.

I was listening to Something’s Missing earlier this week and thought exactly the same. It’s a lovely song that Karen sings wonderfully, and I’m sure Richard could do something great with it.

I think the whole solo album episode brings back bad memories for Richard (Karen breaking away, his quaalude episode etc) and as such he probably has no desire to go back and start tinkering with the outtakes. Remixing them for a Carpenters album is one thing, but finishing them off as solo tracks is another. If the finished album was deemed unsuitable for release, what hope do the other tracks have?
 
^^I tend to agree with your observation. It still pains me that the outstanding album
Lovelines is such an unknown album 'to the general public.'
On the other hand, Richard showed his arranging flair with
If I Had You, and the song was reasonably well-accepted (at the time) for radio.
Even so, that great album never got the push it needed,
and, I always wondered if it (the neglect) was due to the solo-songs appearing on it.
 
I always wondered if it (the neglect) was due to the solo-songs appearing on it.

In the scant interviews I’ve heard with Richard to promote the album’s release, the interviewers focused on how good the solo tracks, in particular If I Had You. That can’t have gone down well with him. It’s almost a latter day vindication that the album was worthy of release after all.
 
^^I had to re-watch that 1989 Television advertisement for the LP Lovelines.
To a viewer--at that time--with the exception of If I Had You playing throughout the commercial,
you would never know that the songs on the album were anything but "classic Carpenters."
That is, that commercial could have been a lot more informative regards content.
 
Carpenters will make an appearance this Friday on The Decades Network (The Best of Ed Sullivan). Starting at 7:30am EST and repeats throughout the day.

Sorry, I tried to post Friday's schedule but it wouldn't post the right date.

I know they show this continually in their rotation, but I love Karen's youthful look and her sweet sweet smile at the end of their performance! :love:
 
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I was on a bus yesterday, coming home from work around midnight. To my surprise I Won't Last A Day Without You started playing on the bus drivers radio, I think it was coming from YLE Radio Suomi (equivalent of BBC here on Finland). I guess there was a reason I had forgotten my earbuds at home. I even had to sing a long a bit really quiet (there was no one expect me and the driver in the bus at that time. Later on there was some jolly German girls on the bus among other people, so it's great the song was playing at that time I was alone because later I wouldn't have heard anything.)
 
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According to my radio/tv guide Richard was supposed to be a guest on todays Graham Norton show on radio 2.I didn't hear it but he doesn't seem to have been.Maybe a London visit is imminent?
 
According to my radio/tv guide Richard was supposed to be a guest on todays Graham Norton show on radio 2.I didn't hear it but he doesn't seem to have been.Maybe a London visit is imminent?

I didn’t hear it either, but my mum says she listened to part of the show and Richard wasn’t mentioned, so it seems unlikely he appeared. Fingers crossed for a London visit!
 
Here in Israel, one of the national radio stations, Reshet Bet (Network B) has a program from Sunday to Thursday at 3-4 PM called Rig'ey Kesem (Magic Moments), on which they play "golden oldies".

I don't usually get to hear the program, but today I was in the car as the program started. It opened with Goodbye to Love! After the song, the host said that it was in honor of Karen Carpenter's birthday, which was yesterday (the program was not broadcast yesterday), and she would have been 69 today. He then said that she died tragically at age 30. He also mentioned that she was a wonderful drummer as well as a great singer. Finally, he played Yesterday Once More also.

I imagine that there were also such tributes to Karen elsewhere around the world on her birthday.
 
If he turns up at our bash in April, and if I get the chance, I will ask him this question :)
I seem to remember an interview where Richard said that one of the unreleased tracks on Karen’s solo project was very carpenters’isque, and that given the chance he would like to do an arrangement for it. I assumed that he meant “something is missing”. Does anyone else remember this comment from Richard ?
 
I seem to remember an interview where Richard said that one of the unreleased tracks on Karen’s solo project was very carpenters’isque, and that given the chance he would like to do an arrangement for it. I assumed that he meant “something is missing”. Does anyone else remember this comment from Richard ?

Yes I do, but I can't remember for the life of me where I read it.
 
The singer Gabrielle has been this week’s guest on Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years in the U.K. and she chose Top of the World as one of her choices this morning. I was pleased to discover she’s a Carpenters fan :)
 
Paul Williams on BBC radio 2 in the early hours of this morning.
“He’s Only Just Begun”

Plenty of Carpenters tracks played. It’s available to download.
 
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