⭐ Official Review [Single]: 10. "GOODBYE TO LOVE"/"CRYSTAL LULLABY" (1367-S)

Which side is your favorite?

  • Side A: "GOODBYE TO LOVE"

    Votes: 47 83.9%

  • Side B: "CRYSTAL LULLABY"

    Votes: 9 16.1%
  • Total voters
    56
Why is there not an official "Review" topic/thread for the
"The Singles 1969-1973" Album ? In any event, the duo's appearance on Carson's Tonight Show,
November 1973 was promoting the album (and, Carson mentions the issue of Billboard special to the duo).
The performance of Superstar/Rainy Days/Goodbye To Love is simply incredible.
Goodbye To Love (always a favorite of mine) is a far cry from "easy listening/elevator" music.
I still find it hard to believe that the song did not chart higher.
The drums and guitars give the song meat !
Truly a great performance of a great song !
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7eaxxUBLSI
 
GaryAlan said:
The performance of Superstar/Rainy Days/Goodbye To Love is simply incredible. Goodbye To Love (always a favorite of mine) is a far cry from "easy listening/elevator" music.
I still find it hard to believe that the song did not chart higher.
Click to expand...

I completely agree with you, GaryAlan. Thank you for providing this link. You may not believe this, but I had never seen this Tonight Show appearance, until today, thanks to your post. I just watched parts 1-3, including performances and interview. These performances were astounding. Even "Mr. Guder" (not one of your favorites) was given a heightened energy. Karen's voice was typically beautiful and mesmerizing; in addition, the Carpenters were ROCKING! No elevators in sight...
 
Yup, that ‘Tonight Show’ appearance from 1973 is pretty off the hook. I’m still pinching myself that I was SO LUCKY to have seen them at their zenith just 6 months prior to this taping. Strangely enough, Richard wore those exact duds to the show I attended. Makes the clip that much more ‘real’ and special.
 
They both look absolutely wiped out in that 1978 clip, especially Karen. Only five years earlier they were at their peak, healthy, full of energy and flying high on the charts. Sad what showbusiness can do to an artist.
 
GaryAlan said:
Notice the differences between what we heard in 1973 and what we heard---later--in 1978.
Same Medley. However,
1973 and 1978,where five years exhibits a rather notable difference (vocally and musically):
Click to expand...

Interesting juxtaposition, GaryAlan, as others have pointed out as well. Again, I had never seen this Tonight Show performance until today, so thank you for that! I also found the segment that occurred before the one you posted, including interview and performance of "Thank You for the Music." Here is what I saw:
  • I enjoyed the 1978 performance as well. I think we can all agree that Karen's vocals were just as exquisite.
  • John Davidson clearly likes both Richard and Karen. His introduction of them seemed heartfelt, and his rapport with them genuine.
  • I like that Karen allows Richard to sit closer to Davidson, thus taking the "second chair"; then Karen brings Elke Sommer into the conversation.
  • After the medley, Davidson singles out Cubby O'Brien, deservedly so. Karen repeats the accolades for O'Brien, considerately mentions the other band members by name, and then sheepishly, humbly says "and us." Then Karen does a little crazy dance.
  • Karen exuded such warmth, class, and humor. No wonder we are all such fans!
 
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Maybe it's the lower quality footage, but I love that Karen in 1973 did look "thicker". Others have noticed that this year in particular Karen looked like she weighed more than she had in 1972, more fleshier and it's a beautiful thing to see. By late 1974 she was already slimming too much yet still looked healthy.

It seems the worse her condition got the more broad her personality and charisma became publicly - she always had both but in the later 70s she was less low-key than she had been in the front half of the decade. Nothing wrong with it at all but you can probably now understand why maybe.
 
Nice string of posts recently submitted concerning the duo's Tonight Show appearances in 1973/1978. I watch these clips a lot and the musical performances are brilliant (not only from the duo, but the entire band). Karen's physical appearance in 1973 weight-wise is outstanding. There is nothing "wrong" with this girl as far as her weight is concerned. I don't know what she was seeing when looking in the mirror, but it wasn't what her fans were seeing. If she could've just stayed at that weight...My only complaint is the eyebrows. She took her naturally beautiful set of brows and plucked them to the point of hideousness in both instances. Her stage presence is great, especially in 1978 where she is now a seasoned pro. As bad as she got physically, she never lost that "it" factor. Charisma, likeability, sense of humor, charm, etc...she never suffered in that category.
 
Carpe diem said:
Nice string of posts recently submitted concerning the duo's Tonight Show appearances in 1973/1978. I watch these clips a lot and the musical performances are brilliant (not only from the duo, but the entire band). Karen's physical appearance in 1973 weight-wise is outstanding. There is nothing "wrong" with this girl as far as her weight is concerned. I don't know what she was seeing when looking in the mirror, but it wasn't what her fans were seeing. If she could've just stayed at that weight...My only complaint is the eyebrows. She took her naturally beautiful set of brows and plucked them to the point of hideousness in both instances. Her stage presence is great, especially in 1978 where she is now a seasoned pro. As bad as she got physically, she never lost that "it" factor. Charisma, likeability, sense of humor, charm, etc...she never suffered in that category.
Click to expand...

Karen looked amazing in 1973-74, and in much of 1980. There's no question that to us she got too thin, and got carried away to excess. She was a beautiful girl right out of the gate in 1970. It's sad to be judged on how thin or heavy you are, but it is the ugly part of being a public figure. I think I noticed how drawn she was starting to look in their second Christmas special, even though I noticed how thin she was getting in the mid 70's. She looked great before after the wedding for a time too. That's how I like to remember her, but the past came back to finish what had already been started. I really dislike making this kind of post, because I loved Karen despite how she looked. The voice and the part on the inside is what counts. She could of been here today if the public, and others would of been less critical of her appearance. Maybe she was destined to be anorexic anyway, but perhaps she would have stopped the madness sooner, before it intimately took her from us and her Richard. Who knows.
 
Did anyone else think she looked tall in that 78 clip? Maybe it was the outfit but it seems her thinness really made her look longer limbed on camera.
 
Both fantastic cuts in my opinion, although I had to pick Goodbye to Love, because it just has too much going for it. Crystal Lullaby is a terrific song, and I always get major feels at the melody line of "she's guarded by a brave tin soldier..." which is coincidentally a fine vocal performance by Richard, who always seemed to do his best in brief spurts as opposed to carrying whole songs. But GTL is part of history, with the guitar solo making it arguably one of the first power ballads and the energy that makes it re-listenable. I find myself having to be in a certain mood to listen to Crystal Lullaby and sometimes find myself skipping it in the playlist when I'm just not feeling the slower vibe.
 
Harry said:
As much as I know about music (studied piano as a child, taught myself trumpet), the one thing that has always escaped me is the guitar. It seems like magic to me that ANYONE can play a guitar, and yet many do.
Click to expand...

Stuff like this amazes me, because I'm the opposite. I can play absolutely anything with strings, but brass and winds totally elude me. Like KC, I tried playing trumpet once, but every time I'd hit it my sticks would break.:b-boogie:
 
I was re-reading my post from the thread, Only 1, part 2:
I was (and remain) convinced that We've Only Just Begun
is truly a remarkable example of Carpenters' Best.
And, yet, there is something truly remarkable regards
Goodbye To Love, an awesome recording in itself.
This is apparently the Quad mix:
 
newvillefan said:
I'm in the minority on this one but I went for the B-side. A Song For You was the first Carpenters' studio album I ever heard so it's where I was introduced to both songs, but I wasn't ever that enamoured with the A-side for some reason. It's absolutely solid as a single and groundbreaking for the guitar work but something lacks for me...too ploddy and mournful in equal measure maybe? It just doesn't jump out at me the way Superstar or Rainy Days And Mondays do. The cold opening without the breath always jarred with me as well, I always thought "why don't we hear the intake of breath the way we do on Hurting Each Other?". Of course, the box set gave us the answer to that question! I often wondered why Richard didn't just "fly in" another breath intake from a different song to solve the count-in leakage.

The B-side however I found absolutely charming and magical in its sound, feel, innocence and lyrical content. Just lovely.
Click to expand...

I absolutely understand where you're coming from here. GTL is stark, fresh, and has an innovation of sound that fans crave post 1975, yet I kind of feel the same way that it doesn't connect with me the same way those other tracks you mentioned did or the 1973 hits. Someone else on here mentioned Karen's emotionally disengaged vocal and I hear that for sure (likely due to the complex breathing required) as a reason for feeling cold here. Maybe also the arrangement just doesn't shine like Yesterday Once More, which is a golden-brown hued gem that radiated their trademark wistfulness matched with a sadness that times have changed. GTL sounds too remorse perhaps for me to get into like the other hits.

And Crystal Lullaby is Karen much more in her element - the unearthly voice drawing us into the fantasy world she describes. This is one song that benefitted from a sharp remix.
 
Still my favorite Carpenters song and all time favorite song ever recorded. There’s just something in the ending aaahhhhs that can still bring an emotional tear or two, to my eyes, with Tony’s guitar whaling away in the mix. Plus Richard and John had a hit song on the radio that they composed, at last. They had made it as song writers with many more to follow. It should have gone gold. I’m sure it came close. I know some stations were afraid to play it because of the guitar solo, but that defines the song for me. Hence my license plates and avatar here. Certainly how I felt after Karen’s untimely passing. Nothing was ever the same after that......
 
Goodbye To Love gets my vote. Crystal Lullaby is a song that I really enjoy though - mainly for Karen's vocal but there's also a lot to enjoy with the arrangement too. I do struggle a bit with the 'dancing clowns with tassels made of fur' though. Sounds like the stuff of nightmares!
 
This 1974 interview really brings it home regarding Goodbye To Love:
Richard Carpenter (begin 27:32):
"the hardest thing of all was the mixing...we did over 200 mixes, in mono and in stereo..."
Here:
 
GaryAlan said:
This 1974 interview really brings it home regarding Goodbye To Love:
Richard Carpenter (begin 27:32):
"the hardest thing of all was the mixing...we did over 200 mixes, in mono and in stereo..."
Here:
Click to expand...

Drat - it's blocked in the UK for some reason. Great photo.
 
GaryAlan said:
This 1974 interview really brings it home regarding Goodbye To Love:
Richard Carpenter (begin 27:32):
"the hardest thing of all was the mixing...we did over 200 mixes, in mono and in stereo..."
Click to expand...

When you hear stories like this, it’s not surprising that Richard only listens to their music “once every third blue moon” (his words). He’s probably heard the songs enough to last him a lifetime!
 
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