"The Portrait of Karen Carpenter" (Christmas Portrait)

[1969]

Any article that calls the Carpenters' "Christmas Portrait" quite simply the greatest Christmas album ever recorded is worth a look. Part review/part social commentary, I find myself going back to re-read it every so often for fun. It first appeared in 2015, and it's still up on the web. If this convinces anyone in 2022 and beyond to buy CP over Xmas albums by Buble, Carey, etc... That's a win for RC/KC.

(From a website that describes itself as a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. Founded in 2009, Hyperallergic is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York).

The Portrait of Karen Carpenter

The Carpenters’ Christmas Portrait is, far and away, without a doubt, quite simply the greatest Christmas album ever recorded.

hyperallergic.com

 

[Mark-T]

Any article that calls the Carpenters' "Christmas Portrait" quite simply the greatest Christmas album ever recorded is worth a look. Part review/part social commentary, I find myself going back to re-read it every so often for fun. It first appeared in 2015, and it's still up on the web. If this convinces anyone in 2022 and beyond to buy CP over Xmas albums by Buble, Carey, etc... That's a win for RC/KC.

(From a website that describes itself as a forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking about art in the world today. Founded in 2009, Hyperallergic is headquartered in Brooklyn, New York).

The Portrait of Karen Carpenter

The Carpenters’ Christmas Portrait is, far and away, without a doubt, quite simply the greatest Christmas album ever recorded.

hyperallergic.com

It’s truly a brilliant article.

 

[kprather]

I don't think I ever realized there was a reissue of Christmas Portrait that was a combo of both Christmas albums. Looking at the track listing, I'm not sure I like it.

Both albums individually have a great flow of slow songs and upbeat songs. I can't imagine Ave Maria not being the finale of any album it's on.

I'd have to hear it before making a judgment call, of course.

 

[tomswift2002]

I don't think I ever realized there was a reissue of Christmas Portrait that was a combo of both Christmas albums. Looking at the track listing, I'm not sure I like it.

Both albums individually have a great flow of slow songs and upbeat songs. I can't imagine Ave Maria not being the finale of any album it's on.

I'd have to hear it before making a judgment call, of course.

Christmas Portrait: Special Edition has been out since 1984. In the digital era, this has become the de facto Christmas Portrait and the version that has peaked at #56 on Billboard. This is also the version that has become the 23rd best selling Christmas album in the Sound scan era (1991-present). The original 1978 version has not been available separately in North America since the cassette version (same with An Old-Fashioned Christmas) was discontinued in the late-90’s/early-2000’s. Before I heard the version on Christmas Collection, and even now, Christmas Portrait: Special Edition is THE Christmas Portrait. It was first released on CD, and has been released on iTunes and other digital sites.

It’s really amazing but Richard managed to make the album sound real cohesive and sound like a symphony. Quite frankly I find An Old-Fashioned Christmas to be quite jerky sounding with a lot of stops and starts. Richard could have done some more work on connecting the various songs. Whereas Christmas Portrait Special Edition is very smooth and just has a natural flow to it. When there is a stop, it sounds natural.

 

[Harry]

You'll have a hard time convincing many of us here that the Special Edition is better than the original. Most who wanted the original CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT on CD have found the West German version and are quite happy with it.

There are four for sale over on Discogs - all are from the Netherlands, though. Carpenters - Christmas Portrait (CD, Germany, 1985) For Sale | Discogs

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

It’s great to see articles that showcase Carpenters at Christmas. It’s probably the only time the public even knows about their music. Although it’s an old article, still great to see them getting attention.

The problem I have with articles like this is the writer always seems to interject their own personal beliefs into what Karen was thinking or feeling when singing.

He says
“Then, her pain comes to a head during the tortured, harrowing “Little Altar Boy.” Then, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Silent Night” end the album on an appropriately peaceful note, as if to say her pain has been resolved, only in real life she starved herself to death. How heartwarming.”

Pain? I totally disagree with him. I guess it’s his article so he can say what he wants but I don’t agree with him.

Then he says,
“Little Altar Boy,” begging the eponymous altar boy to pray for her because she envies his innocence, because she has nobody else to turn to, because she’s desperate. “I have gone astray,” she pleads, and for once that phrase sounds not like religious cliché but a genuine confession of personal failure”

Another unfounded belief, he doesn’t know what she was thinking during recording this song. It just sounds like he is trying to fit a narrative into what he believes. Unfortunately, we see too much of this today.

It’s a personal album for me, I just don’t agree with his opinions.

For me, the best version on CD is Christmas Portrait ( West German)

 

[Mark-T]

It’s truly a brilliant article.

I should have said its a brilliantly written article with a different perspective. But @Rick-An Ordinary Fool makes a great point. It's a lot of conjecture.
Personally, I enjoy all the variations of the Christmas albums for different reasons.

 

[tomswift2002]

You'll have a hard time convincing many of us here that the Special Edition is better than the original. Most who wanted the original CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT on CD have found the West German version and are quite happy with it.

There are four for sale over on Discogs - all are from the Netherlands, though. Carpenters - Christmas Portrait (CD, Germany, 1985) For Sale | Discogs

From those who grew up in the analog era, yeah. But for those of us who grew up in the digital era from the mid-1980’s to now, the Special Edition has really been the Christmas Portrait. Even to the general public, the SE is what they think of when they buy Carpenters Christmas music. Really, the SE has been out by itself for 38 years, the 78 version was only by itself for 20-21 years before the LP & cassette were discontinued, and the West German CD was a blip. And, yeah the original has been in the Christmas Collection for 26 years, however, CP78 is a footnote (iTunes doesn’t even list the separate album names, it just has track 1 to 17 and then 1 to 14, so people buying CC on iTunes have no idea why the numbers are like that, except that the CD was maybe issued that way as a double album). So Christmas Portrait Special Edition is the CLASSIC, well known version, not the 78 version.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

“Little Altar Boy,” begging the eponymous altar boy to pray for her because she envies his innocence, because she has nobody else to turn to, because she’s desperate. “I have gone astray,” she pleads, and for once that phrase sounds not like religious cliché but a genuine confession of personal failure”

Good grief, they're just song lyrics... she SANG them, she didn't WRITE them. This writer is getting Karen confused with Janis Joplin or somebody.

On both albums, the liner notes say Karen loved Christmas and Christmas music. That's good enough for me. Lots of Jewish artists have recorded Christmas albums too, even though they don't even celebrate that holiday.

In short, just because somebody sings lyrics doesn't mean they are "living" them.

 

[Timmerman]

You'll have a hard time convincing many of us here that the Special Edition is better than the original. Most who wanted the original CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT on CD have found the West German version and are quite happy with it.

There are four for sale over on Discogs - all are from the Netherlands, though. Carpenters - Christmas Portrait (CD, Germany, 1985) For Sale | Discogs

Yes, this version was sold everywhere in The Netherlands in the nineties. I used to encounter it all the time and bought it together with the tan album, in July if I remember correctly. My mother asked me "why are you buying Christmas music now?"
I didn't know about the "Special edition" until much later, thanks to this forum, but I never saw it in stores. Think I got mine from Ebay.

 

[John Tkacik]

You'll have a hard time convincing many of us here that the Special Edition is better than the original. Most who wanted the original CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT on CD have found the West German version and are quite happy with it.

There are four for sale over on Discogs - all are from the Netherlands, though. Carpenters - Christmas Portrait (CD, Germany, 1985) For Sale | Discogs

I did not purchase my 1st CD player until FROM THE TOP came out, so from 1978 through the early 90's I practically wore out my vinyl copies of CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT and AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS. I still prefer to play my newer vinyl copies over CP SPECIAL EDITION.

 

[JohnFB]

Good grief, they're just song lyrics... she SANG them, she didn't WRITE them. This writer is getting Karen confused with Janis Joplin or somebody.

On both albums, the liner notes say Karen loved Christmas and Christmas music. That's good enough for me. Lots of Jewish artists have recorded Christmas albums too, even though they don't even celebrate that holiday.

In short, just because somebody sings lyrics doesn't mean they are "living" them.

In browsing through the comments for many of the Carpenters' videos on YouTube there's a large set of well-meaning but totally misinformed people who truly believe that Karen suffered greatly from long-term chronic, debilitating depression ("Rainy Days & Mondays") or had a desperate and tragic one night stand with a Rock guitarist ("Superstar") or sadly never found lasting true love ("I Need to Be in Love") or pathetically and hopelessly never found love at all ("Goodbye to Love")... we all know very well that, according to well-informed sources, she was mostly happy and upbeat with a great sense of humor who loved to spend her free time sitting on a sofa drinking ice tea while crocheting and watching re-runs of "I Love Lucy"; found true love on several occasions with a small set of fine, upstanding gentleman (except the last one); and never had any groupie-type flings (even though Elvis tried his best)...

 

[Geographer]

Good grief, they're just song lyrics... she SANG them, she didn't WRITE them. This writer is getting Karen confused with Janis Joplin or somebody.

On both albums, the liner notes say Karen loved Christmas and Christmas music. That's good enough for me. Lots of Jewish artists have recorded Christmas albums too, even though they don't even celebrate that holiday.

In short, just because somebody sings lyrics doesn't mean they are "living" them.

Thank you! Well put! I was trying to think how to say the same thing, but nearly not as concise and "on-point!" The only thing I'd add is that the writer seemed more impressed with his own seemingly, and often unnecessarily "wordy," analysis. I absolutely hate to read litereature like this of any kind (even if it is praising our duo) that is so wrapped up in what, the author thinks, are clever observations because he can use big words and ill constructed phrases to state them.