"Rainy Days and Mondays" RPO

[Jack A.]

Has anyone else noticed that Karen's backing vocals seem to be missing from the RPO version of this song (or at least very buried in the mix)? I love RDAM and it's long remained my favorite Carpenters song. I think Richard did a great job with this one for the RPO album. However, on "the one who loooooves meeeee" as well as "only thing to do" it sounds like it's just Richard overdubbed. When I turn the volume way up I feel like I can almost hear Karen in there, but my ears could be playing tricks on me.

Is anyone else hearing what I'm hearing? Wonder what made Richard decide to change that. To me, the backing vocals sound a little empty without both K&R to "round out" the sound. It's part of what gave the C's their trademark sound.

 

[JohnFB]

@Jack A. - I've been listening to the RPO album a lot lately in the car, which has a really good  sound system, and the major difference I've heard in all of the songs is twofold: (1) Karen's vocals have been made much more prominent, that is, brought more strongly and clearly to the forefront, so that her awesome voice stands out gorgeously, as it always should have on every recording they ever made. Richard has stated that this was one of his main objectives with the RPO recordings and the mixes that would result from them. (2) the RPO is a big orchestra with lots of varied instruments, and Richard wanted to work as many of them as possible into the songs on the album - and he pretty well succeeded in doing this.

So, with more prominent lead vocals and more orchestral instrumentation something had to give, or be slightly sacrificed, or placed a little more in the background. And, apparently as far as what you're hearing - or not hearing - this has been the multi-layered background vocals, or more specifically, Karen's part of them.

I must tell you that with RDAM being one of my favorites I repeat it often, and while noticing the additional strings for instance, I haven't noticed anything lacking in the accompanying background vocals - they sound the same to me. But then, I'm such a fanatic about Karen’s voice and hang on every beautiful note so much, with everything else being pushed slightly aside when I listen, that I might not be a good judge here on the change, if any, in the background vocals.

RDAM is one of the great musical achievements in their career, and as far as I'm concerned it was a perfect blending of creative songwriting, outstanding orchestral arrangement by Richard, and absolute killer vocal performance by Karen - and that if there was any song of theirs that DIDN'T need any kind of "enhancement" (RPO or anything else) it was this, in its original form.

 

[1969]

Has anyone else noticed that Karen's backing vocals seem to be missing from the RPO version of this song (or at least very buried in the mix)? I love RDAM and it's long remained my favorite Carpenters song. I think Richard did a great job with this one for the RPO album. However, on "the one who loooooves meeeee" as well as "only thing to do" it sounds like it's just Richard overdubbed. When I turn the volume way up I feel like I can almost hear Karen in there, but my ears could be playing tricks on me.

Is anyone else hearing what I'm hearing? Wonder what made Richard decide to change that. To me, the backing vocals sound a little empty without both K&R to "round out" the sound. It's part of what gave the C's their trademark sound.

I have to admit the RPO mixes are not to my liking (too much added new strings, changes in the drumming), so I rarely listen to them. But I gave RPO RDAM a listen out of curiosity. She's in there in the backing vocals, but maybe Richard blended the vocals a little differently? I listen to the original single mixes, because that's what I heard when they were climbing the charts. Those recordings are perfection to me.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

I have to admit the RPO mixes are not to my liking (too much added new strings, changes in the drumming), so I rarely listen to them. But I gave RPO RDAM a listen out of curiosity. She's in there in the backing vocals, but maybe Richard blended the vocals a little differently? I listen to the original single mixes, because that's what I heard when they were climbing the charts. Those recordings are perfection to me.

Agreed. They do sound really good but they're really just more "Richard tinkering." The originals have always been my "go to"s. These basically ended up as a curiosity for me - like every other remix Richard has ever done. The original versions of things are definitive for me in most cases. I certainly feel that way about "Rainy Days and Mondays."

Ed

 

[newvillefan]

They do sound really good but they're really just more "Richard tinkering."

Spot on again! Thought the same earlier when reading the comments about Karen sounding quieter than usual on backing vocals during the instrumental section. It gets to the point where you think “who actually cares?”

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Spot on again! Thought the same earlier when reading the comments about Karen sounding quieter than usual on backing vocals during the instrumental section. It gets to the point where you think “who actually cares?”

I honestly don’t care if the piano and the drums are in stereo. There’s a magic to the originals. The original mixes are the way Karen heard them and they’re what she actually sang to. As such, I’ve always preferred them.

Ed

 

[Jack A.]

Thanks for all your thoughts, everyone. While we're on the topic of the RPO album overall, I think my personal favorite remix on this album might actually be "Ticket To Ride," because Richard used some of the new elements from the 1973 remix (such as Tony Peluso's guitar work), but he also brought back the harp sweep going into the bridge, which was removed for that version. The drums were obviously rerecorded – some of the snare/tom fills that were added sound great.

I would have preferred if Karen's 1969 lead was used instead of the 1973 one, however.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I wish we could get all the original albums remastered on CD the way he did on the RPO album except don’t add any new instruments or change any of the original recordings, just bring Karen’s vocal up front more and use the processing they did on the RPO to accomplish that.

I never thought Karen could sound any better but when I heard Touch Me When Were Dancing from RPO I was blown away and it made me enjoy the song even more. Nothing needs this more than the Passage album, all the remasters on Cd have not sounded as clean and bright and have a muddy sound to me.

 

[Martin Medrano]

For me if horizon was to be given this treatment it would be great. I know horizon already is great sonically. It would be nice to hear the song i can dream can't i with the rpo treatment.