Sabar
Well-Known Member
I'm of the view that the Carpenters would have been more commercially and artistically successful post-1975 had they been better able to find quality uptempo material and an uptempo sound. Finding pretty, melancholy ballads for Karen to sing was never a problem. Finding material that lifted your spirits and made you tap your toes was a challenge.
I don't think I'm alone in this view. Richard acknowledges that he struggled to find really good songs; that good ballads were left off records because the album already had enough slow numbers; that he regrets doing the Motown covers, etc. I've also heard fans express regret that post-Horizon, Richard seemed to abandon the modest use of rock elements in songs (such as We've Only Just Begun, Road Ode, Happy).
So here's your chance to play A & R man/producer. Can you think of any uptempo songs, artists, styles, from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s that would have provided a good model for the Carpenters to emulate; something that would have been both artistically and commercially appealing?
I don't think I'm alone in this view. Richard acknowledges that he struggled to find really good songs; that good ballads were left off records because the album already had enough slow numbers; that he regrets doing the Motown covers, etc. I've also heard fans express regret that post-Horizon, Richard seemed to abandon the modest use of rock elements in songs (such as We've Only Just Begun, Road Ode, Happy).
So here's your chance to play A & R man/producer. Can you think of any uptempo songs, artists, styles, from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s that would have provided a good model for the Carpenters to emulate; something that would have been both artistically and commercially appealing?
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