⭐ Official Review [Single]: 1. "TICKET TO RIDE"/"YOUR WONDERFUL PARADE" (1142)

Which side is your favorite?

  • Side A: "TICKET TO RIDE"

    Votes: 37 80.4%
  • Side B: "YOUR WONDERFUL PARADE"

    Votes: 9 19.6%

  • Total voters
    46
It's not just you. Karen's pitch and intonation is all over the place on the original - like she didn't really have a handle on it. The 1973 performance, while not as raw, is technically far better in every way.

Ed

By the time the vocal was re-recorded Karen was a pro and had found her way!!!
If this version could of been the one to go to radio in 1969-1970, I think it would of been their breakout hit before "Close To You." It's one of their finest recordings!
 
By the time the vocal was re-recorded Karen was a pro and had found her way!!!

She was a perfectly good singer before 1973 and recorded plenty of lead vocals between 1966 and the Offering album, all of which were of a high standard. So why was her pitch so all over the place on this one track in particular and why on earth did that take get included on the album? She is off key throughout.
 
I have a sneaking suspicion about OFFERING. I wonder how much of the album might have been recorded earlier at Joe Osborn's studio, and then those parts and pieces were enhanced and assembled once they got to A&M Studios. (?)

If that's the case, then perhaps a slight deviation in speed between tape machines might account for why Karen's pitch is slightly off. I know that the beginning of the track has a couple of different intros between the album version and the single version. That also might account for why some of the album is a bit distorted while other parts are fine.

Just my brain working to explain a mystery...
 
^^ This video is fascinating. It is amazing that the duo had to lip-sync so many television appearances when they were such great live performers to begin with.

More highlights of this video for me;

  • At the opening, Arthur Godfrey calling Richard "Ed" and then something completely different when he invites him to shake hands with Ed Sullivan.
  • Sullivan "leering" at Karen throughout the interview.
  • At one point, 0:32, Godfrey touching Karen's hands (which are in her lap) and her looking down as if to say; "what are you doing?!".
  • We get a Karen eye-roll at 0:38.
  • And of course, those close-ups of Karen behind her drum kit that just show in such high resolution what an absolute natural beauty she was.

Ed Carpenter! Never fails to make me laugh, I remember my dad catching that first. Did Karen have her teeth fixed shortly after this, do you think? Her front ones look more prominent here or something compared to the next few years.

I always remember a comment on YT from this video that said “I’ve never seen more passion in a person’s eyes”, referring to Karen as she played. This song really meant something to her I think because I also get the same feeling from her in the TTR music video - there’s a resigned sadness and sophisticated profundity (qualities of her voice as well) that she visually conveys in it that gives me chills. At she was only just 20 years old, as it was shot on her birthday.
 
She was a perfectly good singer before 1973 and recorded plenty of lead vocals between 1966 and the Offering album, all of which were of a high standard. So why was her pitch so all over the place on this one track in particular and why on earth did that take get included on the album? She is off key throughout.

Harry might have the right answer, but if that’s not the case and they couldn’t retake it right away, couldn’t they hear that she’s off and record it again at A&M later?

I would say she was still a phenomenal vocalist way before 1973, even if she wasn’t at full, technical maturity yet (emotionally speaking she always had that gift ready). The ‘69 TTR vocal is the only time where I’ve heard her sound less than perfect on record; I know that she herself and some fans on here hear her sound faulty on “Someday” but if she did have a cold I just don’t hear it or it doesn’t detract at all given how mesmerized I am by the end of it.
 
I agree with Harry. I think the reason she sounds flat throughout is due to the tape speed of the vocal track being just slightly ‘off’ from the instrumental track. They’re not in proper pitch with one another. If you try to play piano along with the record (which I’ve done plenty of times), Karen’s vocal remains about a half note off throughout the entire song. The speed of the vocal track would explain it.
 
I have a sneaking suspicion about OFFERING. I wonder how much of the album might have been recorded earlier at Joe Osborn's studio, and then those parts and pieces were enhanced and assembled once they got to A&M Studios. (?)

If that's the case, then perhaps a slight deviation in speed between tape machines might account for why Karen's pitch is slightly off. I know that the beginning of the track has a couple of different intros between the album version and the single version. That also might account for why some of the album is a bit distorted while other parts are fine.

Just my brain working to explain a mystery...
It sounds plausible to me.
Thank you Harry.
 
She was a perfectly good singer before 1973 and recorded plenty of lead vocals between 1966 and the Offering album, all of which were of a high standard.
I would say she was still a phenomenal vocalist way before 1973, even if she wasn’t at full, technical maturity yet (emotionally speaking she always had that gift ready).

Totally agree guys! She turned in dozens of sterling vocals before 1973! And maybe the "Ticket" vocal and recording from 1969 was flawed due to technical things in the studio. It's just too bad "that" recording became the single. Whether that effected it's fate, or would of it charted higher if it would of been a better recording?
 
I’m quite surprised none of the reviews of the 1969 single made any reference to what we all hear clearly now.

Maybe they were just taken by the daring change to the arrangement and her unique tone that they didn’t care so much. I haven’t read any early reviews of the single, but when the rest of Offering came out their were plenty other fantastic vocals that your attention went to.
 
This WFLA chart is quite interesting to me at the moment.
WFLA Chart 1970.jpg

First, we always hear about "Ticket To Ride" being a middle-charter, topping out at 53 on Billboard, but here was a big AM station in Tampa, playing the song and it climbing all the way to Carpenters' familiar number two slot.

Second, I've recently been digging around in some old reel-to-reel tapes, and remembering a lot of great songs by both Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck that I used to like a lot back then, and digging out some old albums for digitizing.

Third, a little side-trip away from Tom and Engelbert had me working with a Mark Lindsay album - the one after ARIZONA called SILVERBIRD.

And here they all are in the top ten!
 
This WFLA chart is quite interesting to me at the moment.
WFLA Chart 1970.jpg

First, we always hear about "Ticket To Ride" being a middle-charter, topping out at 53 on Billboard, but here was a big AM station in Tampa, playing the song and it climbing all the way to Carpenters' familiar number two slot.

Second, I've recently been digging around in some old reel-to-reel tapes, and remembering a lot of great songs by both Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck that I used to like a lot back then, and digging out some old albums for digitizing.

Third, a little side-trip away from Tom and Engelbert had me working with a Mark Lindsay album - the one after ARIZONA called SILVERBIRD.

And here they all are in the top ten!

Yay Fancy at #8 but with Bobbie's name spelt wrong!
 
This WFLA chart is quite interesting to me at the moment.
WFLA Chart 1970.jpg

First, we always hear about "Ticket To Ride" being a middle-charter, topping out at 53 on Billboard, but here was a big AM station in Tampa, playing the song and it climbing all the way to Carpenters' familiar number two slot.

Second, I've recently been digging around in some old reel-to-reel tapes, and remembering a lot of great songs by both Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck that I used to like a lot back then, and digging out some old albums for digitizing.

Third, a little side-trip away from Tom and Engelbert had me working with a Mark Lindsay album - the one after ARIZONA called SILVERBIRD.

And here they all are in the top ten!
And Mark Lindsay sang the song Silverbird (as well as Arizona) in his set, opening for Richard & Karen, while on tour with them in the Spring of 1971

Mark Lindsay setlists 1971
 
Reviewing Chris, Mike, and Richard's research in the MUSICAL LEGACY book and also looking up the Billboard 100 charts for February through May 1970, I was surprised to see the rollercoaster action of this single. I would think that it is unusual for a debut single by a group to appear on the charts, drop off, and then re-appear. The initial peak was at 66 on March 21 during the first run. After falling off the chart for the first two weeks in April, it re-appeared on April 18 at 81 and then made a 19-place jump into the mid 50's for the first week in May. It hit the peak of 54 the following week and then fell off the chart two weeks later.
I have not found any mention of a national tv appearance during the second chart run that would bring attention to the song so does anyone have any ideas as to why it behaved this way?
 
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