Paul Grein "Goldmine" article, 1991

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The Carpenters
Yesterday Once More:
A Critical Reassessment Of Their Work
by Paul Grein

Goldmine Magazine, March 8, 1991

PART ONE OF THREE

The Carpenters is a '70s issue?
Well, of course. Karen and Richard Carpenter were one of the
most successful music acts of the '70s, and were arguably the
most successful American act. Furthermore, they at once
reflected and helped shape the "cooling of America" values
that dominated pop music and society in general in the first
half of the '70s.

But the Carpenters' relationship to the decade that spawned
them was much more complex than that. For all their success
in the '70s--eight gold albums and ten gold singles between
1970 and 1978--Karen and Richard were out of step with the
music and values of much of their own generation. At a time
when "Stairway To Heaven" and "Aqualung" were being
played in college dorm rooms from coast to coast, the
Carpenters were on a Bob Hope TV special singing "We've
Only Just Begun"; Back when most young people were deeply
distrustful of the establishment, Karen and Richard were at the
White House being toasted by President Nixon as "young
America at its very best."

The Carpenters, then, both reflected their time and stood
outside of it. To be sure, the fact that the Carpenters went
against the grain is one reason that they hit so big. They filled a
void in the rock-sated music world of the 1970. In the same
month that Karen and Richard landed their first gold album,
Close To You, gold records went to albums by Neil Young,
Joe Cocker, Jethro Tull and Grand Funk Railroad.

In a 1981 interview, Richard Carpenter suggested that the
Carpenters' role in bringing back a softer music style made
them a target. "We spearheaded a return to a softer sound with
'Close To You,' so the rock critics really laid into us. Whereas
the Captain and Tennille were sort of in our bag, but didn't take
near the flak that we did."

Indeed, the Carpenters came to be regarded as "the enemy" by
many in the rock world. Tom Nolan shed light on this
phenomenon in a 1975 article on the Carpenters:

"So here are these neatly-dressed kids, a polite-seeming
brother-and-sister team, materializing like a weird hallucination
in the midst of acid-rock and offering their alternative to 'In-A-
Gadda-Da Vida,' singing, of all things, a bank commercial. The
grumbling began, and grew louder in proportion with their
success. You'd think they were an arm of the government, the
way some people reacted! What was it they thought the
Carpenters represented? Domesticity, perhaps? The nuclear
family? Saturdays spent shopping for sofas at Sears?
Capitalism itself?"

Precisely. It was the Carpenters' image, rather that their music,
that most critics and naysayers were reacting to. When Bette
Midler said of Karen, "She's so white, she's invisible," she was
mocking Karen's persona, not her talent, a distinction that at
the time was not always clear. (For the record, Midler has since
said that she regrets the jokes. " She had tremendous talent,
and I was a jerk for saying those things," Midler told Redbook
earlier this year. "I was young and stupid and crazy and
though I was doing profound and enduring stuff. But I wasn't--
I was adding to the ugliness in the world.")

The Carpenters are not blameless on the image issue. Indeed,
at times it seemed that Karen and Richard and their handlers
were doing everything they could to hurt their chances of
being taken seriously with some goody-goody publicity
materials, saccharine album covers, overly commercial,
novelty-oriented singles and tacky variety specials.

The tragedy is that the Carpenters' goody-two-shoes image
came to overshadow their music and kept them from receiving
their due for making some of the best recorded of their time.
And more to the point, it kept Karen Carpenter from receiving
widespread recognition as one of the finest singers of her
generation, a singular and enduring talent on par with Barbra
Steisan, Dionne Warwick and Linda Ronstadt.

Things might have turned differently. Karen recorded a solo
album in 1979 with Grammy-winning producer Phil Ramone,
best known for his work with Billy Joel and Paul Simon. The
album would likely have opened up a second career for Karen
that could have carried her through the '80s and beyond.
Instead, the album was shelved and she reteamed with Richard
to record an conventional Carpenters album (Made In
America) which did little to reverse their negative career
momentum. Three years later, she died of heart failure, the
result of an eight-year battle with anorexia nervosa. She was
just 32.

As marvelous as the Carpenters recorded legacy is, it is
impossible to listen to those records without feeling a sense of
loss for what might have been, if Karen had just had the
courage and self-confidence (and encouragement and backing)
to take the next step.

THE CARPENTERS: AN APPRECIATION

Karen and Richard Carpenter assembled a body of work that
rivals Dionne Warwick's string of hits with Burt Bacharach and
Hal David as the most captivation proof of the artistic potential
of non-rock pop.

The indispensable ingredient in the Carpenters' success was
Karen's extraordinary voice, which radiated humanity and
hope , warmth and wisdom. No female singer of the modern
pop era commands greater vocal control or technical skill. And
non comes close to Karen in conveying compassion or
understanding.

**PAGE 2**

The most distinctive aspect of Karen's style was her
conversational ease and intimacy. This understated approach
was evident from the opening line of the Carpenters'
breakthrough single, "Close To You." But Karen's whispery
vocal on that 1970 smash scarcely hinted at the power and
intensity that she held in reserve. Those qualities first became
evident the next year when she tore through "Rainy Days And
Mondays" and "Superstar" with a still riveting authority.

Remarkably, Karen was all of 21 when she recorded those
songs (and Richard was just 24 when he wrote the haunting
arrangements). Even now, one is amazed at how Karen
seemed to possess the wisdom of the ages when she was
barely out of her teens.

Karen's voice was best described by Tom Nolan in a 1974
Rolling Stone cover story on the Carpenters. Nolan observed
that Karen expressed "fascinating contrasts: youth with
wisdom, chilling perfection with much warmth."

While Karen was the star of the act, much of the Carpenters'
success was due to Richard's production, song writing and
arrangement skills. With long-time collaborator John Bettis,
Richard wrote six of the Carpenters' hits, including four that
reached the Top 10. Richard also proved highly successful in
finding songs by other writers, many of which have become
standards. The Carpenters helped to introduce such prized
songs as "We've Only Just Begun,""Superstar" and "I Won't
Last A Day Without You." Richard showed a special flair for
revamping oldies, reviving both famed hits like the Beatles'
"Ticket To Ride" and forgotten misses like Ruby and the
Romantics' "Hurting Each Other." Richard received five
Grammy nominations for his arrangements, including those
for "Close To You," "Superstar," "Sing" and "Calling
Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft."

Given their combined talents, it's not surprising that Karen and
Richard found a responsive audience for their music. What is
striking, even in retrospect, is that their impact was so massive-
-and instantaneous. The Carpenters didn't just hit they
exploded. "Close To You" shot to #1 in just six weeks,
becoming the first of six consecutive million-sellers for the
duo.

The Carpenters' tremendous impact was reflected in the voting
for the 13th annual Grammy Awards. Karen and Richard won
Grammys for Best New Artist (beating Elton John and Anne
Murray, among others) and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a
Duo or Group (Beating the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, the
Jackson Five and Chicago). They won the latter award the
following tear as well.

The duo's songs were also recognized by the motion picture
academy. "For All We Know" won the 1770 Academy Awards
for best original song; "Bless The Beast And Children" was
nominated for the Oscar the following year.

The Carpenters specialized in music that used to be called
"easy listening" and is now called "adult contemporary." One
problem with those terms is that they carry connotations of
background music, while classics like "Rainy Days " and
Superstar" are absolutely foreground; they demand listener
involvement. In a literal sense, though, the term "adult
contemporary" defines the Carpenters precisely. Their best
music is thoroughly adult--and also completely contemporary.

It is also utterly timeless. Perhaps because their music was
never trendy, it still sounds fresh today. That's quite a feat in
the disposable world of pop music., where last year's hit often
sounds like, well, last year's hit.

HOW NOT TO BUILD AND IMAGE IN THE MUSIC
BUSINESS:

For quick energy, Karen Carpenter sometimes ate a peanut-
butter cup, but not an amphetamine.

We know that, because it was included in a special supplement
on the Carpenters published in Billboard magazine in
November 1973. The special, which the Carpenters sanctioned,
also contained this little nugget: "Soft rock stars like the
Carpenters are proud to belong to the establishment. Their
lifestyles as well as their music reflects traditional middle-class
American values."

Virtually all of the Carpenters' early press materials included
this sort of thing. A 1973 bio noted that, "Their personal appeal
is rather that of wholesome, unaffected Boy and Girl Next
Door." And then it really started to ladle on the syrup:

"Richard and Karen know what's happening, but unlike many
of their musical peers, they don't feel the need to be negative
about it, to rebel, or to tout convention by outlandish dress,
stage manners and hairstyles. They don't put people on; they
don't put people down. They're sincere. For the Carpenters,
being 'high' means a natural, spirited buoyancy that needs not
aid from chemical preparations. And this comes through a-
plenty in their music...It takes a lot of self-knowledge and a
deeply-ingrained sense of values NOT to go Hollywood or
'play super-star' when you've made it as big as the Carpenters
have. But that's what Richard and Karen, after all, are about.
They're sincere, wholesome, unpretentious living proof that
these virtues can survive and, more important, can be lauded
and identified with by American youth. The Carpenters are the
most popular vocal duo in the country. The next time anybody
grumbles worriedly about the direction of the young
generation, just remind him of that!"


Even people who loved the Carpenters were apt to feel a little
queasy after wading through all of that. So imagine how
people felt who didn't particularly like the Carpenters.

The early press materials also seemed determined to position
the Carpenters as being anti-rock. A 1970 bio stated that the
Carpenters were creating a "counter-revolution" and that they
were "bring back the 3H's--hope, happiness, harmony--that
have been missing in this last musical decade of dissonance,
cynicism and despair disguised as 'relevance.' " the bio noted
that the Carpenters had begun to make headway a few years
earlier, " but, alas, the year was 1966, and the rumblings of the
hard-rock youth quake was pre-empting the criterion of talent
with that of trendiness."

This white-hat, black-hat positioning popped up again in
Digby by Diehl's liner notes for The Singles 1969-1973, Karen
and Richard's first greatest hits album. "Their music is
refreshing relief in our stormy age of social chaos, economic
problems and bad news, when the turbulence of the Rolling
Stones or Janis Joplin seems more in tempo with the times."

The battlelines were drawn. It was Karen and Richard against
the rock establishment. And in a rock-dominated business,
that's fighting a losing game.

The irony? The Carpenters' early records show strong rock
influences. Karen's 1966 debut single on Magic Lamp Records,
"Looking For Love" backed with "I'll Be Yours," is rhythmic,
propulsive pop-rock that is light years from easy listening And
the Carpenters' first two albums for A&M featured such pop-
rock staples as Neil Young's "Nowadays Clancy Can't Even
Sing," the Youngbllds' "Get Together," Tim Hardin's "Reason
To Believe" and the Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" and "Help."
More important, the albums include liberal use of
contemporary rock shadings and textures.


END OF PART ONE OF THREE
 
The Carpenters
Yesterday Once More:
A Critical Reassessment Of Their Work
by Paul Grein

Goldmine Magazine, March 8, 1991

PART TWO OF THREE

The Carpenters didn't write their own liner notes or press
materials-though presumably they read them and could have
ordered rewrites. But they did contribute to their vanilla image
in other ways.

Take "Beechwood 4-5789"...please! The Carpenters' cutesy-
poo remake of the Marvelettes' 1962 hit is everything the
Carpenters had always been unfairly accused of being--sugary,
soulless, plastic. Karen was 31 when she recorded the song,
the all-too-obvious successor to the Carpenters' hit remakes of
"Please Mr. Postman" and "There's A Kind Of Hush." This
time, the formula didn't work: the single peaked at #74 on the
Hot 100. But even if it had been a hit, what kind of hit is that to
have when you're in your 30s? In her 40s, would Karen have
advanced to "Sweet Talkin' Guy"?

Linda Ronstadt recorded her share of oldies, but they weren't
so poodle-skirt and malt-shopposh. And when Ronstadt did
sing a girlish oddie, like "Shoop Shoop Song," she seemed to
gently mock it, not perform it straight.

Some tacky variety specials also hurt the Carpenters'
credibility and image of class. The first special, filmed in 1976
with John Denver and Victor Borhe, was entertaining, but they
went downhill from there, with grade B guest stars (Suzannne
Somers, Charlie Callas, John Davidson) and grade F sketches
(The nadir: a high-concept piece with Richard and Harvey
Korman in a bowling alley singing "Top Hat, White Tie, And
Tails.").

**PAGE 3**

A series of Classy specials in the '60s helped to define Barbra
Streisand's image of sophistication and style. Burt Bacharrach,
Barry Manilow and Bette Midler also benefited from
distinguished TV specials. But Karen and Richard's specials
did nothing to build or burnish their image. They appear
instead to have been designed strictly as ratings-getting fodder
for ABC. The Carpenters should have demanded better scripts,
guests stars, sketch ideas and staging concepts, and if they
didn't have the power to make those demands, they should
have. Jerry Weintraub, who landed the Carpenters their deal
with ABC--and from all appearances did little else in his seven
years as their manager--should have seen to it.

And those albums covers: The worst of a bad bunch was the
1981 cover for Made In America, and airbrushed , antiseptic
rendering of the Carpenters' smiling profiles as they would
appear if they were stripped of character, sexuality, wisdom
and experience. By 1981, the Carpenters had lived and
suffered and matured like the rest of us--only more so. So why
did they seem intent on presenting themselves to the world as
airbrushed cunuchs?

At times it seemed that the Carpenters were catering to the
goody-two-shoes image--feeding it, cultivating it--and perhaps
they were., subconsciously. A former executive at A&M
Records, their label, noted that the image served as an effective
coverup--for Karen's anorexia, for Ricahrd's Quaalude
dependency, for inevitable conflicts that arose between the
two. With an image that bland and sweet, no one would probe
too deeply.

THE SINGLES:

Richard and Karen sold a ton of singles. In fact, during the first
half of the decade, the Carpenters had the best batting average
of any act in the business. Ten of their 13 single releases from
"Close To You" to "Please Mr. Postman" were certified gold
for sales of one million copies. The pace slowed after 1975, but
the Carpenters still wound up as one of the decade's top hit
making acts. Only two acts tallied more gold singles in the '70s:
the Bee Gees and Elton John, with 11 each.

The Carpenters ran up a string of 16 consecutive Top 20 hits,
form "Close To You" to "There's A Kind Of Hush," and along
the way they became understandably interested in protecting
that string. Unfortunately, that led them to record and release
several ultra-commercial, novelty-oriented singles that seemed
contrived to appeal to the singles buyer. The most obvious
example is "Sing." but other include the remakes of "Please
Mr. Postman" and "There's A Kind Of Hush." Where "Rainy
Days" and "Superstar" appealed to singles buyers just because
they were so riveting., these later singles were calculated to
appeal to singles buyers--and sounded like it.

Richard commented on the Carpenters' singles track record in
an interview in March 1975. "How many people can you
name--and I'm not on an ego trip, this is a fact--that have had
hit singles one right after another after another. Neil Diamond
would do it consistently. Top 10, and he'd put out 'Soolaimon'
and it would go to 30. Then he'd put out something that would
go Top five, then he would put out something hat would go to
14. Each record has to stand on its own...But we've been going
now for five years, with 14 consecutive Top 12 records, and I
really am proud of that."

Richard had every right to be proud of that track record, but he
was wrong to release records with an eye to protecting it. It's
far more important to release records that build the right
image. Who really knows, cares or remembers whether all of
Neil Diamond's--or Carpenters'--records reached the Top 12?

Richard may have thought his decision to release "Sing"
instead of "This Masquerade" was vindicated when "Sing"
reached #3 on the pop chart in the spring of 1973. But even if
"This Masquerade" had peaked lower than #3--or lower that
#33--it would have projected an image of maturity and class
that would have served the Carpenters better in the long run.
They could have reasserted their chart potency with
"Yesterday Once More" and perhaps one of the oldies from
the '60s medley on Now And Then.

And it's entirely possible that " this Masquerade" would have
been a smash. Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With His
Song" was #1 for five weeks that spring: Gladys Knight and
the Pips' "Neither One of Us" reached #2. This would have
been Karen's chance to show that she could compete toe-to-
toe with those classy sophisticated, grown-up records.

The decision to release "Please Mr. Postman" in late 1974 also
perpetuated the Carpenters' lightweight, juvenile image. Karen
and Richard would have been better off leading off the
Horizon album with "Only Yesterday" and following up with
Karen's richly emotional cover of the Eagles' "Desperado."
Again, even if "Desperado" had fallen short of the Top 10
which is highly doubtful at a time when the Eagles were at
their peak--it would have opened eyes and gained respect.

Another reason for the Carpenters' decline: Richard's
arrangements gradually lost their power. Ricahrd's
arrangements for "Rainy Days" and "Superstar" brought the
power and dynamics of rock to easy listening pop. But as the
decade unfolded, the Carpenters' records reflected less and less
rock influence.

The A Kind Of Hush album in 1976 contains some lovely
work, but has virtually no connection to contemporary pop
currents. Other artists, meanwhile, were scoring big hits that
had the pulse and tempo of earlier Carpenters hits. Case in
point: England Dan and John Ford Coley's "I'd Really Love To
See You Tonight." Even fans who disagree can understand
what Us magazine was driving at when it put the Carpenters
on its "Who's Out" list that year with the remarks, "They got
mellower and mellower until everybody dozed off."

Richard also started losing his ear for his singles. Early in the
Carpenters' career Richard had an uncanny knack for spotting
potential hits that others had missed, "Close To You" was a
seven-year-old song that had been buried on albums by
Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield; "Superstar" had been
sung by Rita Coolidge on Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs And
Englishmen album. But after a while, the Carpenters started to
find themselves on the other end of this equation. Karen and
Richard recorded "This Masquerade" more that three tears
before George Benson, whose 1976 verson won the Grammy
for Record of the year. The Carpenters recorded "Can't Smile
Without You" two years before Barry Manilow and cut "I just
Fall In Love Again" two years before Anne Murry. It happens
to every producer sooner or later. Unfortunately, it happened
to Richard at a time when the Carpenters could really have
used a hit.

Karen, too, started to hold back vocally. Where she tore
through the early hits with power and assurance, she gradually
started singing more softly. This may have been the result of
being underweight and physically weakened. Or she may have
been trying to project a more feminine image. For whatever
reason, the effortless power she exuded on "Rainy Days" and
"Hurting Each Other" was missing from later releases.

The Carpenters' album also started to suffer when Karen and
Richard began to spend much more time in the studio. In the
early years, there was no time for the Carpenters to labor over
their music. Their schedule was so tight that at times they
literally wrapped an album on the same day that they had to
rush to the airport to begin a tour. While that pace is
punishing--and ultimately took its toll--it kept Richard from
becoming too perfectionist, form second-guessing and
oversweeting and airbrushing all human imperfections out of
the music.

A perfectionist, Richard finds it hard to let go of his music--
even now. He continues to go back and remix and remaster
old Carpenters hits for compilations albums released in various
markets. He remixed six of the Carpenters' biggest hits for the
Only Yesterday album, which hit #1 in the UK. in 1990.
Among them: such Carpenters watersheds as "We've Only
Just Begun," "Superstar" and "Rainy Days." This would be like
Paul McCartney going back and remixing "Yesterday," "Let It
Be" and "Hey Jude" for the new Beatles compilation. This is
probably born of insecurity: the idea that they're not quite
good enough, and just a little more tinkering will bring them
up to speed. An amateur psychologist might draw a link to
Karen's constant dieting: One more pound and I'll be at my
ideal weight.

**PAGE4**

Another likely reason for the Carpenters' decline: Karen and
Richard's stiffness in concert and awkwardness on TV. Their
concert patter was written for them and they recited it word-
for-word at ever performance. This, too, was probably due to
insecurity, which may have been fueled when the career
started to slip. It must be painful for artists to see their fortunes
start to fall, and to feel that there's nothing they can do to
reverse that downward momentum. Or was there?

I CAN DREAM, CAN'T I?:

We'll never know for sure, but it does seem that the Carpenters
had come to the end of the line. Certainly, they had reached a
point of diminishing returns. In the last five years of Karen's
life, they landed just one Top 40 hit, the well-tailored but
overly timid "Touch Me When We're Dancing." In all
likelihood, while the Carpenters may have had another hit here
or there, their best years were behind them.

All acts eventually run out of gas. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana
Brass was a blockbuster act in the mid-'60s--at their peak in
1966 they were outselling even the Beatles--but by 1969 they
seemed corny and dated. Alpert had the good sense to disband
the group and has since gone on to build a creditable solo
career. He landed a #1 pop hit in 1979 with the urban/pop
instrumental smash "Rise," a breakthrough that would have
been impossible if he had stubbornly clung to the past.

Diana Ross and the Supremes were another of the most
successful acts of the '60s, but by 1969, their records were
starting to slip. The image of three slinky beauties in sequined
gowns and bouffant hairdos--so irresistible just a few years
before--was starting to seem a little quaint. Diana and Berry
Gordy saw the writing on the wall and Diana went solo.

Sonny and Cher were another popular act that went about as
far as it could go. The sketches and patter that made the team a
sensation in the '70s would have probably seemed tired in the
'80s. Cher got out, redirected her career, and became bigger
than ever.

By the same token, it appears that the Carpenters had gone as
far as they were going to go. The duo peaked commercially in
1973, and fell a little further with each subsequent studio
album. At some point, maybe after "A Kind Of Hush" in 1976,
certainly after "Passage" in 1977, it should have become clear
that it was time for Karen and Richard to try separate ventures
for a while.

For Karen, that would have meant working with other
producers--Barry Gibb, Phil Ramone, Arif Mardin, Quincy
Jones, Richard Perry, David Foster, Lionel Richie...the
possibilities are endless. She could have performed duets with
Michael McDonald, James Ingram, Willie Nelson, Ray
Charles. Sung movie songs from Flashdance, An Officer And
A Gentleman, Vision Quest. ("Crazy For You, "the Madonna
hit from the latter film, is a warm, Karenesque ballad cowritten
by John Bettis, Richard's longtime lyricist)

END OF PART TWO OF THREE
 
The Carpenters
Yesterday Once More:
A Critical Reassessment Of Their Work
by Paul Grein

Goldmine March 8, 1991

PART THREE OF THREE

Karen could. . . and moved into her own apartment. No other
great singer has been joined to the hip to one producer for life,
and neither should Karen have been. Barbra Streisand has had
the opportunity to work with a wide range of producers who
have brought out the full range of her talent. Marty paich, who
produced The Way We Were, could not have done Guilty.
Barry Gibb, who produced Guilty, could not have done The
Broadway Album. Peter Matz, who produced The Broadway
Album, could not have done Stoney End. Richard Perry, who
produced Stoney End, could not have done People. You get
the idea. If it's good enough for Barbra Streisand, it's good
enough for Karen.

Some Carpenters fans will say this is disloyal to Richard.
(Some will say it's heresy.) It isn't. Richard's work on the early
Carpenters records speaks for itself--and will outlive any of the
critics. But let's face it, for all but the most die-hard fans, the
Carpenters were an irrelevancy by 1980. And Karen was far
too gifted a singer to have such a short career. If Richard
weren't Karen's brother, no one would have thought twice
about making a switch.

It comes down to whether the Carpenters are viewed as a
lifelong duo, bound together through thick and thin, or as the
vehicle that introduced Karen to the public. Ricahrd--and
probably Karen, too--saw them as a permanent duo, joined
together come hell or high water. But the public sometimes
sees things differently, and the most successful acts are the
ones that are able to change course to accommodate changing
public perceptions. Gloria Estefan, whose vocal style has a
trace of Karen's warmth and intimacy, has risen to solo billing
because the public perceived her the star of Miami Sound
Machine. Lionel Richie emerged as the star of the
Commodores. George Michael sprang from Wham! That's
show business.

What would Richard have done in the meantime? He could
have recorded solo albums featuring guest vocalists. (Two cuts
on his 1987 solo album, Time, show that he's still got the
touch: "In Love Alone," featuring Dionne Warwick, and
"Something In My Eyes," with Dusty Springfield.) He could
have produced other acts. Scored films. Composed Broadway
musicals.

And perhaps in 1990, Karen and Richard could have re-teamed
for a 20th anniversary reunion album and tour. They'd play the
Greek. . .Westbury Music Fair--all their old haunts. They'd
open the show together doing a few Carpenters hits. Then
Richard would have his solo spot. He'd perform an
instrumental or two, a medley of his movie themes, some
excerpts from his Tony-winning score. Karen would then take
her solo turn, doing songs she had make famous. A few songs
from the Grammy-winning debut album. That duet with James
Ingram. The hit she sang on the Oscars. A song from her
upcoming film. After intermission, the Carpenters would
reunite to perform all their old hits, together with a few songs
from the new album. First encore: "For All We Know,"
Second encore:"We've Only Just Begun." the crowd stands
and cheers. Karen says, "I know. I'll sing 'em all and we'll stay
all night." The audience eats it up. No one leaves as Karen
sings., from memory, "Maybe It's You," followed by
"Sometimes." It truly is yesterday once more.
Now, for the reality.

THE SAGA OF THE SOLO ALBUM:

The most fateful element in the Carpenters story is Karen's
aborted solo album. Karen recorded the album in 1979, when
Richard took time off to battle a Quaalude dependency.
(Ricahrd's dependency was revealed in CBS-TV's The Karen
Carpenter Story, the highest-rated TV movie of the 1988-89
season.)

In a 1981 interview with this writer, Karen said that she initially
shared her brother's view about the need to take some time off.
"I was okay for a little bit, but then I was anxious to get back
to work. When you land in this business at that early age, you
really don't know too much else." And so she traveled to New
York to record an album with Phil Ramone, who won a
Grammy for producer of the year in 1981.

During the sessions, Ramone described the album as "eclectic.
They're not necessarily songs that I think the Carpenters would
have done, let's put it that way. They allow Karen to be
languid...but not quite as languid as usual."


**PAGE5**

The difference in styles between Ramone and Richard
Carpenter was dramatized in their treatments of "Make Believe
It's Your First Time." a tender ballad which was cowritten by
Bob Morrison, who has written hits for Kenny Rogers. After
the Ramone album was shelved, Karen and Richard recut the
song as the Carpenters. Their rendition appeared on the Voice
of the Heart album, which was released eight months after
Karen died.

Ramone's version of the song is spare and understated,
befitting the intimate subject matter. Richard's treatment is
bigger and more polished, but it also effective, until a large
choir intrudes and spoils the sensuous mood. Ramone's
version is a negotiation between lovers; in Richard's those
lovers have an audience. It gets awfully crowed in the
bedroom.

Four songs, from the Ramone album finally surfaced on
Lovelines, the final Carpenters album, which was released in
1989. One, "If I had You," was released as a single and became
a Top 20 adult contemporary hit, a remarkable achievement
considering that Karen had been dead for nearly seven years.
The other: the creamy pop-disco confection "Lovelines," the
warm, tender ballad "If We Try," and the liberating, rock-
edged rhythm piece "Remember When Lovin' Took All
Night."

Molly Ann-Leiken, who co-wrote the later song with John
Farrar, noted: "When I wrote that song I thought somebody
like the Slut Monkeys would record it, not Karen Carpenter. I'd
sent her absolutely all of my previous songs--most of which
were beautiful ballads--but no matter how many times I
rewrote the lyrics, they were always 'wrong' for Karen's
persona. So the release of [the] Lovelines album with my song
on it is a personal triumph for me, while at the same time
proving unequivocally that Karen certainly could have had a
successful solo career."

Could she? Would she have even wanted one? Those are just
some of the intriguing--and unanswerable--questions raised by
the solo sessions. Would that have made a difference in the
way things turned out for Karen?

The easiest question to answer is whether the album would
have been a hit. You bet. Several songs of the songs would
have make strong singles. The album also would likely have
received favorable industry and critical response. It could
easily have become a major success.

Would it have made any difference in the large picture? Who
knows? But one would think that a hit album , positive
reviews, maybe even a Grammy Award would have given
Karen a much-needed shot of confidence. Plus, she would
have been too busy promoting the album and/or doing solo
dates to have met Mr. Wrong--Tom Burris, the Southern
California businessman whose failed marriage to Karen in
1980 seems to have been the final blow that sealed her fate.

In that 1981 interview, Karen said that Richard's desire to get
back to work following his recovery took precedence over her
completing the solo project. (Though, characteristically, both
Karen and Richard used euphemisms like "vacation" and
"relaxing" rather that reveal the true reason for his needed time
off.)

"It was supposed to be done in six months, and it was well
over a year and it still wasn't finished," she said. By that time,
Richard was through relaxing and wanted to go back to work. I
couldn't see spending more time on the solo album and
holding up work on a new Carpenters album: It didn't mean
that much to me. If Richard hadn't gone on vacation, I never
would have done the solo album. It was just something to
keep me busy.

"But it was good experience. I didn't know what I was going to
run into when I was back there. I'm not real good at being
away from home by myself. Richard's like a third arm to me.
I'm used to being part of a duo. I'm used to blinking an eye and
having the engineer know what I want.

It was fun cutting it and seeing that I could do all that--sing a
different type of tune and work with different people. I was
scared to death beforehand. I basically knew one producer,
one arranger, one studio, one record company and that was it."

In a 1989 interview with this writer, Richard was candid about
Karen's desire to have a higher profile. "Karen would mention
every now and then that it would be nice to receive some
accolades as a solo singer. Of course, that made me feel badly,
because we were a duo. Lord knows, she was the star of the
duo, but that's not quite the same."

Richard was also candid about his reaction to Karen's
announcement--just after he had begun a six-week drug
rehabilitation program--that she was planning to record an
album without him. "I probably said something like, 'You're
just abandoning ship, just taking off and doing what you want
to do.' I was feeling sorry for myself. It was a combination of
feeling I was being abandoned--which was anything but the
case, looking back on it--and thinking this was a perfect time
for her to get some treatment for her disorder. So I was not
happy, and told her as much."

Richard also acknowledged that he felt threatened by Karen's
teaming up with another producer. "I'm human and it did cross
my mind that something could come out of this and just
explode, at which time I would be going through a number of
emotions. I'd be happy for Karen because I always felt that she
should have been in the Top Five. On the other hand, being
sensitive and feeling that I'd done a good job for the
Carpenters, I would have been a little bit upset."

In a separate 1989 interview, Phil Ramone discussed his and
Karen's objective on the album. "We were thinking two things.
How do we make a record that doesn't sound like the
Carpenters, and what could we say lyrically in there songs that
has a more mature attitude?"

The solo album included a bluesy version of Paul Simon's
"Still Crazy After All These Years"--though Karen, mindful of
her prim image, had Simon change the line, "4 in the
morning/crapped out/yawning" to the more demure, "crashed
out."

"Karen was frustrated by the goody-two-shoes image, but she
was torn," Ramone said. "She really wanted to try new things,
but then she'd turn around and say, 'We're going to do another
Carpenters Christmas special. I kept saying, 'The [Andy]
Williams family even got past that one.'"

Ramone still remembers the day in early 1980 when he and
Karen played the album for Richard and A&M founders Herb
Alpert and Jerry Moss. "The silence was deafening," her said.
"Ricahrd didn't say much and still hasn't. He's accepted these
songs kind of like stepchildren. Karen was always the
sweetheart of A&M , and Herb and Jerry reacted almost like it
was their teenage daughter I was messing with."

Ricahrd remembers giving Karen a mixed, but essentially
lukewarm, review of the solo project. "I probably said it was
very nice. It certainly is well-produced and well-assembled.
But some of it was disco and I'm not a disco fan, and I thought
she was singing a little bit too high on some of the songs."

And Richard applied some not-so-subtle pressure on Karen by
telling her how eager he was to begin work on the next
Carpenters album. "I was much better then and was kicking
myself for what I had done to my life. So I mentioned that
whenever she was ready, I was ready. I had all the tunes set to
go."

The deciding factor came when A&M executives asked Karen
and Ramone to go back into the studio to record a few more
songs for the solo project.

"It was up to Karen to decide if she wanted to spend more
time on it or not," Richard said. "She didn't and that was that.
I've gotten a lot of letters through the years kind of accusing
me of not releasing the solo album. It's not my doing at all. It's
Karen's wishes I'm honoring."

Ramone, on the other hand, insists that Karen was ultimately
proud of the album. Most likely, she didn't know what to make
of it. She took her cues from Richard, whom she trusted
implicitly and respected to the utmost. And when his reaction
was cool, her confidence in the project was irreparably shaken.
If his reaction had been positive and congratulatory, it seems
certain that the album would have come out.

Did Richard block the album? No. But his influence on Karen
was such that his vague disapproval was all it took. The album
was put on the shelf.

Ramone and Karen escaped to Mexico for a vacation. "I
watched this girl disintegrate in front of me, " Ramone said. "It
was hard for her to express anger, but sometimes she'd say,
'Why is this happening? What did I do wrong? Should we
listen to the tape? Is it the mix?'"

Ramone has no doubt that Karen could have made it as a solo
artist. "I truly believe that if she had made it through this, she
could have gone on to have a long career. A lot of the pop
songs and movie songs and duets of the '80s would have been
hers.

"A voice like Karen's--rich, womanly--comes along once every
20 years. Voices like that should have a chance to do a variety
of things."

#Paul Grein writes the "Chat Beat" column for Billboard.

END OF PART THREE OF THREE
 
Thanks for posting that, Murray. Fascinating read.

Harry
...taking a break from work, online...
 
Murray,

Thanks so much for posting this article. I haven't seen it in years and I've always wanted to go back and reread it. Paul is a fine writer and a huge Carpenters fan.

Cheers,

Tony
 
I met Paul Grein once at A&M Studios around 1989, and we shared lunch. He is a very nice man with a fine ear! And an intricate knowledge of things Carpenter. Wish he'd write a book...

Mark
 
Great read! But sad! I felt very sad reading it. I still think Karen could have had a successful career with her solo album. But very interesting to read this...I get more of a better idea of all things that Karen would have dealt with and the tension and conflict she knew that resulted in her doing this record.

My thoughts,
Cameron Longo
[email protected]
www.carponline.bravepages.com
 
Murray, can't thank you enough for that, don't think I ever read that before.

I especially enjoyed reading about the solo section: THE SAGA OF THE SOLO ALBUM

"Ramone described the album as "eclectic.
They're not necessarily songs that I think the Carpenters would
have done, let's put it that way. They allow Karen to be
languid...but not quite as languid as usual."

Great description by Phil, so many Carpenters fans want to compare the solo tracks to the Carpenters music.

another one I like is, "The easiest question to answer is whether the album would have been a hit. You bet"

I agree, if released at that time, things would have been differently, but released when they were was too late for the times changed in the music industry.

My last favorite from the article is, "Karen would mention
every now and then that it would be nice to receive some
accolades as a solo singer" and " Did Richard block the album? No. But his influence on Karen was such that his vague disapproval was all it took. The album was put on the shelf"

This is what I have been saying all along, It might have been A&M decision to not want the solo album released but if Richard had said yes lets do it, A&M would have agreed with Richard. His vague approval was all it took.

Wow that's hard for me to read in a way. It also confirms to me that Karen had a desire to want to achieve the sucess of a solo singer, was she imitating her best friend Olivia or after working on her solo album did it create the fire inside her to want the accolades as a solo singer? um..
 
I think Karen was finally coming to grips with the truth: She WAS one of the finest vocalists of her generation and of many before. Maybe she was displeased by the Carpenters image and wanted to "set the record straight".
Maybe, just maybe, she loved the creative freedom of working with someone new...

Mark
 
Hi All,
I think Karen loved being a part of the Carpenters, but also wanted to be known as a solo singer. She wanted a chance to do her own thing, and known than more as just part of the Carpenters. To spread her wings and fly.
The thing that always confuses me is that A&M approached Karen to record a solo album. Since Richard was taking a year off to deal with his drug dependancy. So Karen moves to New York and works with Phil Ramone, a successful producer.
So she records a selection of songs that she thinks are good. For her to sing a new type of tune. But it is far away from the Carpenters' string of classics.
Then when everyone listens to it, she is accused by Richard for stealing the Carpenters sound!! Herb Alpert says it didn't ring true. It didn't touch him the way a Carpenters record would! Well it wasn't supposed to be anything Carpenters related...it was to be a musical departure. Then she is accused of trying to sound like some black chick!
She had all these people that went against her. She was dissapointed and heartbroken. But as anorexics do, among many others, she protected herself by saying it didn't matter. She became tough in a way, and wrote a memo to say that she was ready to record with Richard again, that it didn't mean that much. It's sad. The musicians in New York loved working with Karen and it shows that they respected her.
I always agree that had it been released back in 1979 or 1980, it would have done well. Remember that A&M was talking about this album being a blockbuster, and that a campaign was being done for her solo release.
Well Richard disapproved of the whole thing. That must have been a big blow to Karen's already fragile self esteem. How sad. She needed him to just accept it as a part of her. An extenstion of herself. Her dreams, her desire...

Cameron

www.carponline.bravepages.com
 
What a great article!!! I guess that apart from Ray Colleman, Carpenters's carrer weren't never so well analysed like this before.

Paul have hit just the main topics, explaining them very well.

I agree with the Kind Of Hush album being cute, but taking them away from the respected they deserved. Also with the fact that R's arragements and K's vocals became softer and softer until it wasn't that magical anymore. I mean it was great, but you know, could be, should be better.

He also stated that doesn't know if the fact of Karen holding her back vocally was because of her physicall energy or she was trying to sound more feminine. Too shame because people fell in love, with that rich and not trained voice...

Also that we just don't want them to separate 'cause Richard is her brother, if he weren't we wouldn't care at all. It's hard but we've got to admit it!!!

And the most of all that the CARPENTERS'S MUSIC ROCKS!!! THEY ARE GREAT AND ALWAYS WILL BE!!! SPECIALLY KAREN'S VOICE - ONE OF A KIND!!!

GREAT ARTICLE!!! :D
 
Paul Grein is Knowledgeable , Good Writer -Wrote Excellent Liner Notes for Christmas Collection and Singles 1969-1981 Sets :)

I Have Met Paul at Carpenter Center Richard Concert and Clearly Has Mellowed as He Asked Richard to Perform Carpenters Classic Sometimes as Extra -Richard Obliged and This was Memorable Solo Performance for Fans :)

Goldmine Feature is Interesting, Offers Alternative Views and Offers Much to Debate -BUT THIS IS WRITTEN 8 YEARS AFTER KAREN'S PASSING AND COMMENTS ON CARPENTERS MUSIC / CAREER 10-15-20 YEARS LATER-WE CAN ALL OFFER HINDSIGHT ON PAST EVENTS -THAT IS FAR TOO EASY.

Had Any Corner Fans Been there During Carpenters Active Career and Part of Associates etc -We Would Have Different Responses to Key Events / Releases :o

As For Karen's Infamous Solo Album / Sessions ....Still Richard Has to Carry Baggage For Project Outside of His Control ....Still Wild Claims Are Made etc .....The Set is Now Released as Intended and Richard Has Provided Fans with Some Personal Remixes ....Time to Move On to Other Issues :rolleyes:

Recently I Read in Amazement Several Messages -Not Here -That Claimed Had Karen 's Solo Album -Been Released in 1980 and Had Her Marriage to Tom Burris Survived ....Karen Would Still Be Alive ..... :!: :!: :!:

Perhaps Need Separate Karen Solo Project Topic(s) ?

Peter
 
Forgive me if this doesn't work as I still haven't figured out how to "Quote" anyone yet!

Anyway, PJ states:

As For Karen's Infamous Solo Album / Sessions ....Still Richard Has to Carry Baggage For Project Outside of His Control ....Still Wild Claims Are Made etc .....The Set is Now Released as Intended and Richard Has Provided Fans with Some Personal Remixes ....Time to Move On to Other Issues

WAY TO GO PETER! I wholeheartedly agree! Richard is so often characterized as some sort of arch-villian that "killed" Karen! I have seen many posts, on other boards, thankfully, that would devote entire subjects and conversations to "Bashing" Richard for all sorts of outlandish stuff and then still claim to be a "fan" of the Carpenters. Well, how can one be a fan of the Carpenters when one villifies 50% of the group?

I feel badly for Richard, who has done a wonderful job protecting the Carpenter Legacy and continuing to give us, albeit bits and peices, of Karen's wonderful voice 20 years after she died. What would we be talking about if he released it all in 1993? Anyway, I degress....

Although I don't agree with each and every point Paul Grein made, I think he did a heck of good job with the artical. Not so sure I agree with his assessment of Karen's Solo work, as it is not my favorite. My opinion is that it sounds so dated! Solo project for Solo Project I prefer TIME. That work has that "timeless" (pardon the pun) quality that all the Carpenter albums have. I do think that, yes, had the album been released, Karen would have felt more free to do other projects apart from Richard, but truely, her "signature" and important work, history would judge, was with Richard.

Shannon[/code][/quote]
 
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