Karen Carpenter Solo Sessions - Continued
- Thread starter leadmister
- Start date
leadmister
Well-Known Member
I was wondering where they went. Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification.
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
I do like the cross fading of Midnight and Love Making Love To You, great job and I like the artwork you created, it's eye catching. I really don't have anything of value to add, mostly because I don't use playlist myself...I probably have 2 or 3 in my iTunes but don't really use it. I basically keep everything on random in my car unless I want to specially listen to an album as a whole then I'll search for it. I don't stream any of my music either. But I think it's a great idea here.
I also wanted to mention without getting off target if I may...we've had so many past threads on her solo album and it still saddens me to know that most of them are closed. I wish they were not because Karen's solo album is apart of the catalog and deserves to be talked about but I fully understand why they were closed. I think some of the intense discussion surrounding her solo album only confirms the love we have for what she created and that's something I feel proud to be apart of even though we can't discuss it. I hope that made some kind of sense.
I also wanted to mention without getting off target if I may...we've had so many past threads on her solo album and it still saddens me to know that most of them are closed. I wish they were not because Karen's solo album is apart of the catalog and deserves to be talked about but I fully understand why they were closed. I think some of the intense discussion surrounding her solo album only confirms the love we have for what she created and that's something I feel proud to be apart of even though we can't discuss it. I hope that made some kind of sense.
Carpe diem
Well-Known Member
"While she sounds great, I don't believe a word she sings."
Completely agree with your statement. Very well put. I'll leave it at that.
leadmister
Well-Known Member
I do like the cross fading of Midnight and Love Making Love To You, great job and I like the artwork you created, it's eye catching. I really don't have anything of value to add, mostly because I don't use playlist myself...I probably have 2 or 3 in my iTunes but don't really use it. I basically keep everything on random in my car unless I want to specially listen to an album as a whole then I'll search for it. I don't stream any of my music either. But I think it's a great idea here.
I also wanted to mention without getting off target if I may...we've had so many past threads on her solo album and it still saddens me to know that most of them are closed. I wish they were not because Karen's solo album is apart of the catalog and deserves to be talked about but I fully understand why they were closed. I think some of the intense discussion surrounding her solo album only confirms the love we have for what she created and that's something I feel proud to be apart of even though we can't discuss it. I hope that made some kind of sense.
Thanks for your input about the cross fading and your other kind words. You have taste being a Carpenters fan, so therefore your opinions have value. I get it about the discussion aspects of this. I've been a member of a few Facebook groups back when I was still into social media and people would get downright mean whenever the subject came up. Always split down the middle between those who loved it and would defend it to the death and those who hated it and believe the remaining stuff should never officially see the light of day, and even the stuff that has isn't up to par. One guy (I won't mention names but a few of you will probably infer) who scours the internet for criticizers of the solo works so he can tell them that they are full of crap, wrong and just fans with no authority to have an opinion.
With the introduction of something like this as a thought experiment, a lot of the emotion is removed, because things are more fluid and not set in stone. Plus I am a diplomat who tends to steer discussions away from nastiness whenever possible and I was hoping that I could help reopen discussion of this subject in a new light, in a way that is more peaceful and harmonious. The bottom line is that no one's opinion is wrong, and they all have value. Each and every word that has been written in response, even though some of them have ignored my requests and just launched into more general feelings, have been appreciated. The whole point of this is to get people to step out of the box a little bit in a non threatening way.
leadmister
Well-Known Member
I don't believe there is genuine feeling there either, and this is where I believe things start to run aground when it comes to this solo stuff. Carpenters fans are so used to the personalized treatment Karen delivered to songs and a lot of them tend to not appreciate departures from that in the solo cuts. But where do we draw the line? If her intention was to just sing songs she thought were cool, have some fun, then is that really a bad thing? I have asked myself many times over the years what her intentions were here, and based on what we know about the situation, she seemed to want to do something different with these recordings. Maybe part of that "something different" was being more tongue-in-cheek and not being so serious about certain things.
But there's other moments that add to the confusion, such as her saying, "Now I have to get into a serious mood" at the beginning of Make Believe It's Your First Time. That's something she connected with and she obviously felt a duty to get into the feeling of it. But maybe she couldn't get into the feeling of the more promiscuous songs because she was honestly too naive. Maybe it was a joke, a tease. Sadly with Mr. Ramone being gone, he won't be able to shed any light on it, but if Ichi is still around, I wonder what she knows about it.
My point is that, if we make sense of this stuff, not only do we find a way to make a release of everything more palatable, but maybe we can learn something about why this was done, why certain songs were chosen, and so much more. In doing so, maybe we learn more about Karen Carpenter along the journey. I don't see how that could be a bad thing, even if there is the slightest possibility.
John Adam
"A House Is Not A Home"
CARPENTERS-COLLECTOR
Well-Known Member
what`s all that about Harry? I`m assuming it was my post, because it`s gone and given it was from Richards instagram a/c, I`m a little confused!!
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
I went looking for that post and I don't see it on his account anywhere. Not on his main page or on the tagged posts. I think you got duped.
Ed
CARPENTERS-COLLECTOR
Well-Known Member
I`ve had a look at it again and I can see the mistake I made. it is still there, but I thought it was a reply from Richard and it wasn't and I said it was, so it was rightly removed.
my apologies Harry, I`ll double check stuff before-hand in the future
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
I`ve had a look at it again and I can see the mistake I made. it is still there, but I thought it was a reply from Richard and it wasn't and I said it was, so it was rightly removed.
my apologies Harry, I`ll double check stuff before-hand in the future
Ah. I only looked at his posts. I didn't check the responses. No wonder I couldn't find it. Oh well. Confusion happens. All better now..
Ed
CarpentersToYou
Somehow you brought the gambler out in me...
I totally and respectfully disagree here. I love this song and think it is one of Karen's best on the solo album.
I find it odd that fans can't handle the more sexual songs on the album, or it makes them ill at ease. She was in her late 20s, folks. Just because she wore a white dress at her wedding doesn't mean she didn't enjoy her life. I feel people think Karen was much more sheltered than she was. Some people take the goody two-shoes image too far.
leadmister
Well-Known Member
There's a difference between liking the song and thinking she was serious when singing it. I adore the song, but just don't consider it to be as genuine of a performance as Karen's other stuff. But that's OK. Taste in music doesn't have to be all or nothing, and if you like something, you don't have to like everything about it. It depends on what the individual is looking for. Fans are torn on the solo album issue because there is that camp who doesn't want to deal with Karen being outside of her box. Others think she needed liberation and expansion of her horizons, and honor her attempts at it.
The question remains though: Should something she loved so much be put out there or should that light be hidden under a basket? I believe it should be out there, all of it, and all it would take to accomplish that is for it to make some thematic sense like the rest of the stuff she did with Carpenters. For those who don't want to see anything else released, they have the official solo album, or if they're not into that, then the rest of the Carpenters repertoire.
We all agree that we all love Karen's singing. We all have our preferences as to which songs are our favorites, and all of our preferences should be respected. We are not the gatekeepers of her work. Richard is. So we shouldn't white knight any of it.
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
It has nothing to do with what we can't handle; it's more about what she can't handle. She couldn't handle sensual lyric. When she tries to go there, it sounds fake to my ears any time she does it.
Ed
Agreed. Karen's voice had a gentle, soothing, pure quality to it. She just wasn't cut out to belt out stuff like a Pat Benatar or a Blondie. It just didn't suit her. I can readily understand why Paul Simon asked why she was singing those songs. They didn't suit her.
That said, I can still listen to and enjoy her work on the solo album. Some of it is absolutely sublime like "Make Believe It's Your First Time". Some others just don't sound right to me - not because of anything Karen did or didn't do in her life. That means nothing to me. It's all about the material not being suitable to the voice.
That said, I can still listen to and enjoy her work on the solo album. Some of it is absolutely sublime like "Make Believe It's Your First Time". Some others just don't sound right to me - not because of anything Karen did or didn't do in her life. That means nothing to me. It's all about the material not being suitable to the voice.
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
"Keep My Lovelight Burnin'", one of the outtakes, is the poster child for what we're talking about. When she sings it, she's just having fun with it; it doesn't register with her. I know it's only a "scratch" but she laughs her way through it and I'm glad it was just left. It's all wrong for her. "Still in Love with You" was too. I just didn't believe her. My only concern is whether or not the singer singing the song is feeling it and in those two cases (along with "Love Makin'...", I doubt she was.
Ed
Bobberman
Well-Known Member
Agreed Sometimes the material doesn't fit or line up well with the artist and you can tell just by listening
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
I suppose I am in the minority (what's new ?):
I love Karen's interpretation of
Still In Love With You.
It is a masterpiece of interpretation and arrangement.
Karen took a song (not her life) and gave us her VOCAL interpretation.
She showed me what she was vocally capable of performing; she was not asking me to embrace
whether (or not) she was "living it." Richard Carpenter has many times reminded the listener
that Karen's interpretations are not a biographical reflection of her life at the time.
That Karen even attempted the song, and sang it so vocally nuanced, is enough for my ears.
Love the arrangement, too.
I love Karen's interpretation of
Still In Love With You.
It is a masterpiece of interpretation and arrangement.
Karen took a song (not her life) and gave us her VOCAL interpretation.
She showed me what she was vocally capable of performing; she was not asking me to embrace
whether (or not) she was "living it." Richard Carpenter has many times reminded the listener
that Karen's interpretations are not a biographical reflection of her life at the time.
That Karen even attempted the song, and sang it so vocally nuanced, is enough for my ears.
Love the arrangement, too.
AnnaSock
Active Member
I'm with you on this one. I was listening to it in the car only this morning and I really love her interpretation.
Bobberman
Well-Known Member
Agreed and by the way Welcome to The forum AnnaSock.
AnnaSock
Active Member
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
See I totally disagree on this
If only Phil hadn’t talked about this in an interview I wonder if people would still feel the same. Since he did it seems the fans take what Phil said and try to generalize it across her whole album.
For me she is believable...one of the reasons I love her recordings off the solo album is the same reasons I love Olivia’s recorded work especially the albums Physical, Totally Hot, The Rumour and Hotel Sessions. Just because Olivia did Grease doesn’t make her more believable on racier tunes. Both of them have their own unique style of recording and sounding sexy.
I feel that Karen’s solo recordings have been what I have craved from her as an artist all along. It’s like Olivia started with wholesome songs and progressed to Physical and it works for me, Karen did the same and I get the same attachment from her as an artist as Olivia. I’m not trying to sway people to my side, I’m just saying Karen has that sexy side and it comes across to me in those songs she picked.
byline
Well-Known Member
I agree with Ed. I hadn't read a single review or interview about this album prior to listening to it. I felt that Karen was trying to be someone she wasn't, and it just didn't ring true for me.See I totally disagree on this
If only Phil hadn’t talked about this in an interview I wonder if people would still feel the same. Since he did it seems the fans take what Phil said and try to generalize it across her whole album.
For me she is believable...one of the reasons I love her recordings off the solo album is the same reasons I love Olivia’s recorded work especially the albums Physical, Totally Hot, The Rumour and Hotel Sessions. Just because Olivia did Grease doesn’t make her more believable on racier tunes. Both of them have their own unique style of recording and sounding sexy.
I feel that Karen’s solo recordings have been what I have craved from her as an artist all along. It’s like Olivia started with wholesome songs and progressed to Physical and it works for me, Karen did the same and I get the same attachment from her as an artist as Olivia. I’m not trying to sway people to my side, I’m just saying Karen has that sexy side and it comes across to me in those songs she picked.
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
There it is. I didn't see anything Phil Ramone said until years after I had the album. I was making judgments based on my ears. Ditto even after I saw what Phil said.
Ed
AnnaSock
Active Member
What was it that Phil said? I haven’t seen anything - I haven’t gone looking to be honest - but I am intrigued.
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