"Johnny Angel" - a Quick, light Look at Two Versions

[JohnFB]

Shelly Farbares was 16 in 1962 when she recorded this as part of the plot of an episode of "The Donna Reed Show" where she played the daughter. There's a lot of sentimentality attached to her version with many people relating their personal experiences with the song. It made it to no.1 on the charts and earned Shelly a gold record. Many people love her rendition and talk about how pretty her voice is, and even compare it favorably to Karen's medley version on NOW AND THEN...

And while Shelly herself is pretty it's really difficult to tell just how "pretty" Shelly's voice is because there is so much double-tracking going on - with lots of reverb and echoing - that her actual singing voice is buried or distorted or enhanced or disguised...
Here's her version, which is pleasant - if you like this sort of artificial technical "adjustment":



And here's Karen's version, where it's mostly just her unadulterated voice we thankfully hear notice in particular how she sings the word "concentrate"...



Footnote: during a recent interview Shelly seems to be saying that Hal Blaine (and maybe other Wrecking Crew members) played on her recording...

 

[Florian]

I do love this Song so much. I heard a German recording first, and then found out that Karen and Richard also recorded it. After that I heard the version by Georgia Lee, which I also really like!

 

[3Favorites]

I like both versions. I remember watching the episode on TV. Then my sister had my mother buy this record for her. I wasn't of the age yet that I understood that you could often buy songs you heard on the radio.

Shelley also had a few other records I liked. "Ronnie Call Me When You Get a Chance," and "Big Star."

I have two CDs of what she recorded. That's likely the bulk of it.

 

[David A]

Aside from the near-gratuitous "Karen sounds amazing", I like this song but think Karen almost sounds "too smooth", if that makes sense. Lack of emotion, guts. It may simply be that this song is difficult to sing with "passion", but in any event, that's how I hear it.

I know little about Shelly Farbares but you are right, this version is buried in tech. I have no idea if the woman can actually sing well or not.

Edit: did a little digging on Ms. Farberes and while she's cute and all, not a big fan of her vocal abilities.

 

[CarpentersToYou]

Aside from the near-gratuitous "Karen sounds amazing", I like this song but think Karen almost sounds "too smooth", if that makes sense. Lack of emotion, guts. It may simply be that this song is difficult to sing with "passion", but in any event, that's how I hear it.

I totally disagree. Karen sounds as in love as humanly possible in this song!

 

[newvillefan]

Aside from the near-gratuitous "Karen sounds amazing", I like this song but think Karen almost sounds "too smooth", if that makes sense. Lack of emotion, guts. It may simply be that this song is difficult to sing with "passion", but in any event, that's how I hear it.

Wow. I have to say, I never heard it that way. That short version Karen recorded is probably the absolute highlight of ‘Now & Then’ for me. Her vocal was never more beautiful. It captures the innocence of Karen’s own youth in the 60s as delivered by the honed, honeyed vocal she was gifted enough to possess as a grown woman. My brother, who sort of ‘tolerated’ my endless playing of their albums in our bedroom when we were kids, absolutely adored the track and talked about her singing endlessly every time it got to that part of the medley. It’s made even more special by the fact that it’s Karen alone singing every single part of the multi-layered backing vocals.

 

[Florian]

Wow. I have to say, I never heard it that way. That short version Karen recorded is probably the absolute highlight of ‘Now & Then’ for me. Her vocal was never more beautiful. It captures the innocence of Karen’s own youth in the 60s as delivered by the honed, honeyed vocal she was gifted enough to possess as a grown woman.

You speak true! It's wonderful and for me it is the absolute highlight of "Now & Then"!

 

[JohnFB]

I prefer her lovely version of "Our Day Will Come" but wish it had been longer, with a repeat of the verses sandwiched around an extended piano solo by Richard...but JA is really nice and I think sung both smoothly and with passion.

 

[CarpentersToYou]

Hear! Hear!, Stephen

 

[David A]

Well, I'm not used to being in the "crosshairs" on anything Carpenters, but all comments appreciated!

I will give this a few more listens and see if I'm just missing something. There are certainly other songs - by the Carpenters and others - that I didn't "get" at first, but came around after really _listening_.

 

[newvillefan]

Well, I'm not used to being in the "crosshairs" on anything Carpenters, but all comments appreciated!

‘Friendly fire’ maybe. ‘Cross hairs’? Never

 

[JohnFB]

...

I will give this a few more listens and see if I'm just missing something. There are certainly other songs - by the Carpenters and others - that I didn't "get" at first, but came around after really _listening_.

I've had the same experience, most recently with "Sandy" and "When It's Gone...", and I'm pretty sure others here have been through that...

 

[Randy M]

Here is a slightly longer edit with a smooth intro and outro.

 

[JohnFB]

And here's another "re-engineered" version that just showed up - this one extended by a full repeat of the chorus and last verse - and repeats of the ending - all supposedly demonstrating how the recording could have been arranged to be released as a single - the edits here are seemless and with more Karen to listen to this sounds pretty good to me...this is so appealing because it shows how effortless her singing was and how gorgeous her voice was when she was singing almost entirely within her natural, lower register...

 

[Harry]

^^ I'm the guilty one on that video. I put that up in February of 2021. Must have been bored during Covid!

 

[JohnFB]

^^ I'm the guilty one on that video. I put that up in February of 2021. Must have been bored during Covid!

This is beautifully and skillfully done Harry! I love this! They should have recorded it exactly this way back then. So, you're the "TheHGN2001" - glad you were bored

 

[JohnFB]

For those who haven't heard it yet here's the extended version of "Our Day Will Come" looped and double-looped back on itself so that it seems to have the structure: verse1 - chorus1 - verse2 - chorus1 - verse1 - chorus1 - verse2 - chorus2 (or something like that???). A surprisingly appealing song and another great "basement vocal" by Karen - all this needs is a piano solo by Richard somewhere in there...

This one was apparently edited/uploaded by someone named HeartHaven - another alias Harry?


:

 

[Harry]

Not me.

 

[JohnFB]

Not very promising lyrics for the young lady's future romantic involvement...seems her head might be in a cloud and she could be slightly delusional...but she has "high hopes".

"...but he doesn't even know I exist..."

"...other fellows call me up for a date, but I just sit and wait, I'd rather concentrate on Johnny Angel..."

Apparently he's aware of other girls more than likely, but not her - yet...

Maybe she should be taking some of those other guys up on their offers - she could be having lots of fun on those dates while still obsessed with getting together with Johnny Angel...she might even meet some guy cooler than Johnny...

And is that name -Angel - his real surname, or merely her affectionate pet name for him? We aren't told.

So, how WILL this unpromising saga end - consummation or perpetual unfullfillment? Wishing Karen had sung a sequel...

 

[David A]

*Genuflects to the forum wisdom*

After a pair of really nice old-school headphones and listening to Johnny Angel with the warmth of vinyl, I am gobsmacked that I didn't really hear what I was missing before.

Indeed, this is a very warm, touching version of the song, and whatever the reason before, I am awakened to a new appreciation for yet ANOTHER Carpenters song I will now add to my personal playlist.

 

[JohnFB]

@David A - gobsmacked? Ha! You and everyone else who ever head her sing - Karen specialized in gobsmacking...

Yes, "warm and touching" perfectly describes this rendition - and so much more of what she recorded...