Mike Cidoni Lennox
Well-Known Member
A quick heads-up to let you know the flood of media on the book has begun. Great jobs by both AP and Reuters!
Here comes the flood
- Thread starter Mike Cidoni Lennox
- Start date
ullalume
Well-Known Member
Enjoy the ride, guys.
Mike Cidoni Lennox
Well-Known Member
Thanks, man!
Kyle Thomas
Well-Known Member
Congratulations, guys. Looking forward to reading this from cover to cover when it arrives!
JohnFB
She was born to belong to the lines of a song...
Really nice to see the book and it's authors getting some well-deserved publicity - let's just hope it is the start of a "flood" - one line in the article especially stood out for me: "And he knew a song was useless if it didn’t match his sister’s stunning alto voice." It's always great to see someone other than us highly biased and impassioned devotees here describe Karen's voice this way - stunning is a near perfect adjective because it has always appeared to have that effect on new listeners especially, stopping them in their tracks while capturing their fullest attention - fifty+ years later she still does that to me! - I wonder if he has a list of such "useless" songs (that he otherwise liked)?
I might venture a guess that one of those might be "Just An Old-Fashioned Love Song". The song was written with Carpenters in mind and offered to them by Paul Williams, but they turned him down and Three Dog Night did it. I don't know if it was a range problem, or if Richard or Karen just didn't like the song.
JohnFB
She was born to belong to the lines of a song...
Yes, that's one that I was thinking of especially since I remember reading about that rejection - surprising because it is (was) a delightful song - I'm wondering what they could have done with the the lyrics about "coming down in three part harmony" - might have ended up as 12 part harminy...
I never cared for the song after TDN did it, and can't for the life of me figure out what Paul was thinking when he gave it to the Carpenters. Richard definitely didn't hear any potential for him and Karen with the tune—primarily with regard to the song's arrangement and chord progression.
Doesn't make it a bad song—I simply meant that I never understood why Paul heard "Carpenters" in his head when he wrote it, that's all.
This is my feeling as well. Sometimes you can listen to a song and "hear" Karen singing it. Other times not. This is one of those "not" songs. I remember being really surprised at the story of Paul writing it with Karen in mind.
I agree... 100%.
Geographer
Well-Known Member
There was also a Roberta Flack song, either Killing Me Softly or The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, that Richard was offered and rejected, too. Just can't remember which one as I can hear Karen singing both, but more the former than the latter.
JohnFB
She was born to belong to the lines of a song...
"Just An Old-Fashioned Fashioned Love Song" was certainly not the gem that "Rainy Days and Mondays" was by any means, but it was definitely good enough to be an album cut on any of their albums , more so than a number of tracks they actually did include , and more so even than several cuts they released as singles (not to mention any titles here and start a spat) - after all, they were lucky that the 5th Dimension turned down RD & M and they got a Crack at it - they should have smiled and recorded it if only to keep Paul happy and to motivate him to keep the songs coming - not a good strategy at all to refuse a song from him at that point in his career or theirs...
Walkinat9
Well-Known Member
I also like how they were toying around with this song in that medley... and now I can't get it out of my head anymore
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
I seem to recall that Paul Williams stating that Richard had not even listened to the song--
An Old Fashioned Love Song---all the way through before deciding against recording it.
Here we are:
With "Old Fashioned Love Song," Three Dog Night is the band of the planet at the time ... How did the song get to them ?
PW: "You know, I wrote the song thinking it was perfect for The Carpenters. It was money in the bank with them, I thought.
A nice fit, kind of a throwback song with a rinky-dink sound to it and all. Richard Carpenter, I don't think made it through the first verse before he picked up the needle off of the (acetate). Richard didn't love it."
Source:
An Old Fashioned Love Song---all the way through before deciding against recording it.
Here we are:
With "Old Fashioned Love Song," Three Dog Night is the band of the planet at the time ... How did the song get to them ?
PW: "You know, I wrote the song thinking it was perfect for The Carpenters. It was money in the bank with them, I thought.
A nice fit, kind of a throwback song with a rinky-dink sound to it and all. Richard Carpenter, I don't think made it through the first verse before he picked up the needle off of the (acetate). Richard didn't love it."
Source:
Story Behind the Song: 'An Old Fashioned Love Song'
At the start of the 1970s, Paul Williams was really on a roll.
www.tennessean.com
Geographer
Well-Known Member
It may have been that one. I just can't remember! But Richard mentioned it on one of the Larry King live interviews he did (and I think he did two).
Geographer
Well-Known Member
Excellent! Your memory is better than mine!
