Solo Album and Single Success

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Once I heard, Love Makin Love To You, I fell in love with it. I wish it had made it on the album and had been the first single. It would have been great to have heard it on the tv special she did with Olivia, Tina Turner, et all!

That track is one of my favourites from the solo sessions, along with If I Had You. Its arrangement and style would have fitted perfectly on “Hollywood Nights”.
 
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From BILLBOARD's Readers' Poll 10 Worst Songs of the 70s:

2. Starland Vocal Band - 'Afternoon Delight'
It's hard to hate on a song about the joys of mid-day sex, but the Starland Vocal Band make it easy. The group was composed of two real-life couples that probably enjoyed some afternoon delights around the time of the song's release in 1976, though both couples have long-since divorced. The song hit Number One in the summer of 1976 and actually got the group a brief variety series on CBS the next year. They also won a Grammy for Best New Artist – as opposed to, say, the Ramones or Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers or the many other great bands that started that year. The song got renewed attention when it was featured on Glee recently with guest star John Stamos.
This song's forever etched in both mind and heart because I worked as an usher when Good Will Hunting came out and this song closes that film. I'd be sweeping popcorn 3 times a day in that cinema and singing along with my fellow ushers. Even made me buy the song back in "97.
 
Rupert Holmes last charted Billboard Adult Contemporary song was indeed "The End" in 1982.

But doesn't Holmes write for other artists? I know he wrote for Broadway (The Mystery of Edwin Drood). I always considered him to be a clever writer -- I'm influenced by the humor in Answering Machine, Escape, and In You I Trust. I kind of group him and Randy Newman together as fun songwriters.
 
But doesn't Holmes write for other artists? I know he wrote for Broadway (The Mystery of Edwin Drood). I always considered him to be a clever writer -- I'm influenced by the humor in Answering Machine, Escape, and In You I Trust. I kind of group him and Randy Newman together as fun songwriters.

Stranger still, he wrote this tune for The Jets:



I think this is his only R&B chart hit.

Ed

P.S.: Yes, the video is pure Cheez Whiz but I love it anyway...darn it...LOL!
 
Rupert wrote "Echo Valley 2 - 6809" for The Partridge Family (from 1971 "Sound Magazine"). Wayne Newton also covered that song (flip 45 B side single of "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast") in 1972.
 
Since the subject of truly crindgeworthy songs has come up, I know I have mentioned this previously on some other thread in this forum (forgive me Harry) but The Wind Beneath My Wings by The (not so) Divine Miss M...It is awful beyond belief! I would rather be stuck on a deserted island with a lone copy of Disco Duck than that awful song from that corny/sappy movie (whatever it was called)!! Now, BRING IT!!!
 
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From BILLBOARD's Readers' Poll 10 Worst Songs of the 70s:

2. Starland Vocal Band - 'Afternoon Delight'
It's hard to hate on a song about the joys of mid-day sex, but the Starland Vocal Band make it easy. The group was composed of two real-life couples that probably enjoyed some afternoon delights around the time of the song's release in 1976, though both couples have long-since divorced. The song hit Number One in the summer of 1976 and actually got the group a brief variety series on CBS the next year. They also won a Grammy for Best New Artist – as opposed to, say, the Ramones or Tom Petty and the Hearbreakers or the many other great bands that started that year. The song got renewed attention when it was featured on Glee recently with guest star John Stamos.

Actually, two observations on this "Reader's Poll." 1) Not a Carpenters' song on the list; and 2) I only agree that three songs contend as "the worst;" Billy Don't Be a Hero," "Disco Duck," and "Feelings." And I"d argue that both "Feelings" and "Disco Duck" should be tied for No. 1. The other songs on the list are just fine, in my humble opinion and many of them I actually like a lot. But it's a "Reader's poll" so the masses have spoken.
 
The last swan song for The Starland Vocal Band was "Loving You With My Eyes" (from 1980 "4 X 4") & then disbanded because of poor record sales.
 
FYI:

"Karen Carpenter" entered the Japanese charts 24 years ago today. It charted for 6 weeks and peaked at #19. I have Japan sales at 54,000. (It also spent 1 week in the UK top 200 at #174)


That and the US Adult Contemporary chart placing of #18 for "If I Had You" is the only solo album and single success we have to talk about other than hypotheticals. Very little promotion on these but it would have done better in 1980 if A&M were behind it. I personally feel they it was owed to Karen that A&M released it in 1980. She was paying their bills.
 
After just hearing Dionne Warwick's version of Our Day Will Come, produced by Barry Gibb, I am sure the combination of Karen and Barry would have been magic!

Barry Gibb is a genius in his own right. The more I think about the music he has composed and orchestrated, the more I am impressed. He WAS the driving force behind the BeeGees and he launched the career of his younger brother Andy. I hope his work will somehow be respected and acknowledged in the future...And yes, a Karen/Barry duet would've been awesome beyond belief!
 
Barry Gibb is a genius in his own right. The more I think about the music he has composed and orchestrated, the more I am impressed. He WAS the driving force behind the BeeGees and he launched the career of his younger brother Andy. I hope his work will somehow be respected and acknowledged in the future...And yes, a Karen/Barry duet would've been awesome beyond belief!
I have a picture on my phone that I would like to share in response to this. Does anyone know how to do that here on this forum?
 
That and the US Adult Contemporary chart placing of #18 for "If I Had You" is the only solo album and single success we have to talk about other than hypotheticals. Very little promotion on these but it would have done better in 1980 if A&M were behind it. I personally feel they it was owed to Karen that A&M released it in 1980. She was paying their bills.
In the U.K. the only bit of promotion that I can remember when the solo album was finally released, came from DJ Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2. Ken chose the album as his Album of the Week and played a different track each day during his Monday to Friday show.
 
In the U.K. the only bit of promotion that I can remember when the solo album was finally released, came from DJ Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2. Ken chose the album as his Album of the Week and played a different track each day during his Monday to Friday show.

Wow! I didn't know that and wish I'd heard it at the time.
 
Barry Gibb is a genius in his own right. The more I think about the music he has composed and orchestrated, the more I am impressed. He WAS the driving force behind the BeeGees and he launched the career of his younger brother Andy. I hope his work will somehow be respected and acknowledged in the future...And yes, a Karen/Barry duet would've been awesome beyond belief!
A Barry produced Karen Solo album would have been amazing.
 
A Barry produced Karen Solo album would have been amazing.

He's an incredible talent. Gibb did so well for Streisand, it would've been interesting to hear what he would have done with Karen. I suppose if he would have produced her solo, he would have been perceived as stepping on Richard in a sense or taking his place since Barry was such a big music star in his own right and not known mainly as a producer as Phil was. It sure would've been a special moment in history though. I'm sorry that Karen didn't at least get to duet with her some of her contemporaries as some of you have mentioned.. David Gates, Barry Manilow, the Bee Gees, etc.
 
Phil Ramone discusses Karen's Solo album several times in this article.
Billboard April 19, 1980
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