Karen from 1981 photo session

[350hunny]

I'd like to share these photos taken by a japanese photographer for an interview of a magazine.

I don't have a scanner so these pix are by my mobile phone camera and I'm sorry if they look blurry.
The reason I chose these two is that Karen looks so attractive.
There are other pictures of Richard and Karen looking in different ways but I thought you'd feel happy to see her smiling

http://groups.msn.com/mqbr5vb4eairchor9tmmageoc4/2002.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=118

http://groups.msn.com/mqbr5vb4eairchor9tmmageoc4/2002.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=119

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Thanks 350hunny

Is it possible to make those pics any larger? It's sorta hard to see. I wonder if these were taken when they were in Brazil?

I was looking through the other albums there & I saw a pic Cd of Akiko, called A Song for You? Is that right? Did Akiko do a cover of that famous Karen song? Man I would love to hear that. The first time I heard, Only the Angels Know, I got goosebumps, it reminded me so much of Karen. The closest to any singer since Karen passed away.

 

[350hunny]

Hi, Chris. Thanks for your post.

All of the photos were taken at A&M records. In the other pictures, Richard and Karen stand in the parking lot and talk in their office.

I wish to make them large enough to look at but, since I don't know how to do it, I wonder if somebody advises me.
I'll ask someone for a tidbit or two.

As to Akiko's latest cd, please check out her official website.

http://www.office-seto.com/akiko/

Unfortunately, her version of A Song For You has never been recorded
so the title is just there.
I also find the cd Akiko/City of Angeles quite appealing and her voice similar to Karen's here and there. This is a great collaboraton of both the producer and the singer recognizing each other's talent.

 

[Calvin R Murty]

Actually, that is an entire album of Carpenter songs, sung either in English or Japanese by Akiko and backed by orchestral arrangements.

 

[Johnny Angel]

"A Song For You" is included in a medley of Carpenter songs. This album looks interesting. Has anyone bought it yet?

http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-1002525627/did-0/code-j/section-music/

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

But I wonder whether this is Akiko singing in Japanese or is this in English? I bet that Yuko would know. Was Richard producer on this? All the songs are Carpenters songs. Indeed interesting.

 

[coolvox]

HI All. I also found the Akiko
City Of Angles album very
beautiful. The work she and
Richard did on the backing
vocals is so cool! Especially
on the Only The Angels Know!
Does anyone recall that there
were two versions of that album
one with just Akiko and one with
Richard doing backing vocals?
Although I have not heard the
Akiko only version, my freind
that told me about the album
was shocked when we were listening
to the one I ordered because his
did not have backing vocals.
Since this was back in the pre
internet era for me, I was curious
if anyone else has information
about the Akiko only version.
JIM

 

[davidgra]

Akiko's A SONG FOR YOU album is sung in both English and Japanese (sometimes both languages in the same song):

1. Medley: Ticket to Ride/We've Only Just Begun/Superstar/A Song for You/Desperado -- English
2. I Need to Be In Love -- Japanese
3. Goodbye to Love -- English
4. Somebody's Been Lyin' -- Japanese
5. Rainy Days and Mondays -- English
6. Make Believe It's Your First Time -- Japanese
7. Lovelines -- Japanese and English
8. Sing -- English
9. Honolulu City Lights -- Japanese and English
10. All You Get from Love is a Love Song -- Japanese and English
11. Close to You -- English
She sings with a very large orchestra, with no percussion, electric guitars or anything else that sounds like a rock band. Therefore, songs like "Lovelines" sound VERY different from the Carpenters' version (which is so percussion-driven).

Richard did not have any involvement in this project.

And while Akiko may have sounded eerily like Karen on her CITY OF ANGELS album, she doesn't really sound much like Karen here. Her English pronunciation on these songs is quite heavily accented, and the timbre of her voice just doesn't resemble Karen's like it did on CITY OF ANGELS.

David