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Geographer said:I agree with Richard Sloat. Sometimes, I think, we tend over-think or over-listen. It's not my favorite song, but I think Karen sings it just fine and Richard's arrangement is top-notch as always. What cracks me up is that, on one hand, many here scream for Richard to put out any snippet of any song Karen may have sung and then, criticize the hell out of it once it's released.
Geographer said:It's not my favorite song, but I think Karen sings it just fine and Richard's arrangement is top-notch as always. What cracks me up is that, on one hand, many here scream for Richard to put out any snippet of any song Karen may have sung and then, criticize the hell out of it once it's released.
Chris-An Ordinary Fool said:I totally agree with you. It's almost like the fans continue to hold him to this level of perfection that followed them throughout their career. For instance the person that wrote Richard about the Rainbow Connection on the fans ask section, the person says, "“Regarding ‘The Rainbow Connection’ - My question is whether there may be a leakage of a sound where Karen sings 'dreamers and meeeeee'. I'm not sure if this is the reason why you left it out as an outtake to begin with"
They start off with this huge negative, like oh I'm gonna find this error and "show Richard" I mean come on people, the song is a work lead, be grateful we even have it and he gave it to us, we may not like the arrangement he did but Karen's vocal is flawless and amazes me how lovely she sounds on a one time reading.
-“I have recently noticed, hearing the box set ‘From the Top’, particularly the song ‘Maybe it's You’, that there's a tiny difference in Karen's vocals compared to the original version featured on the ‘Close to You’ album. Would Richard tell me if, indeed, there are two (or more) different leads of the same song?”
-Good ears!(...)
richard_sloat said:I think you are totally wrong. That attitude is the least probable coming from a fan of Karen's voice in my opinion. I will always consider it as being only an expression of curiosity and care for the making of the Carpenters recordings, something I bet Richard enjoys as having "good ears" and being attentive to their work, as he replied to the guy who noticed the vocal editing on Maybe it's you on From the top and the Close to you album.
Chris-An Ordinary Fool said:It's possible, however my point is that the song was a "work lead" it was never finished back in 1980 so for anyone to criticize how it turned out years later I just found to be in poor taste. I look at it like a "gift" from Richard he never had to finish it but he did at the fans request yet once it's here for us to listen we have to disect it and see what could possibly be wrong with it? I don't see the appreciation in that especially from a song that was only a work lead.
A&M Retro said:Keep in mind that Richard himself says Karen didn't like it. He was quoted in the 'Mook' book that "she would come down and get me if I put that out!" I'm thankful he did. I love it. You'd never know she didn't like it herself because she sung it so well and with so much feeling.
richard_sloat said:I don't quite remember the original version sung by Kermit... and I have never heard it before Karen's one, so her take sounds to me as good as any other Carpenters recording.