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I loved his backing vocals in "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore." I thought those were some of his best in support of Karen's singing.
(1) Interestingly enough, as late as 2009 Richard Carpenter said,
regarding Offering:
"There were so many things about that first album that I would have changed."
I've never had a problem with Ringo Starr's songs-- they are among my favorite in the entire Beatles catalog! You could argue that maybe he isn't the male singer of a generation, but his voice is a delightful addition to any of their albums. To refer back to the main point, I have never had a problem with Richard's leads either. Although Karen IS the voice of a generation, if he wanted to sing on a song or two, or throw in an original composition, he could have. The group is called Carpenters, after all. I would miss "I Kept On Loving You", "Saturday", and about half of the "Offering" album very much if he wasn't on there.
I’d agree with that. For once, just his backing vocals alone added much gravitas and drama to the finished track (I’m thinking especially of the line “give it up!”, before the solo).
I would have to disagree to some extent. Yes, Karen's voice was awesome but I think they needed each other.Sorry, but I disagree. Whether Richard can sing a little or not is irrelevant. Karen is the best female pop singer music has ever known, IMHO. Richard never had any business singing on albums with Karen. Karen should have sung absolutely everything and the tunes featuring his lead vocals should have been excised. She was always the main draw and he should have been aware of that. Did the albums become more serious? Yeah but that was mostly due to Richard's increasingly serious production style. He was looser on the first four albums. By the time we got to "Horizon", his perfection began to be more precise and, yes, more serious.
Ed
I would have to disagree to some extent. Yes, Karen's voice was awesome but I think they needed each other.
I don't think either one of their solo albums were better then when they sang together. (I admit I'm a sucker for their harmonies) It was the Carpenters not Karen Carpenter and Richard. Yes, she had a stronger voice and nothing can take away her greatness, but I always felt Richard should have had a lead song on most of the later albums. Let's be honest but there's at least one song on every album that could have been cut or even added, so why not have Richard sing lead.
Karen Carpenter's voice was not just awesome--it was once in a lifetime (or, many lifetimes).
No way do I feel comparing Richard and Karen's lead vocals as anything but
comparing "apples to oranges." His leads were passable, okay and listenable.
But, as Ed stated, and I agree--once everyone realized--understood-- that Karen's Voice was IT,
absolutely no reason was needed to invoke Richard's leads on any later albums.
I'll never take away Richard's brilliance in arranging and production, background harmony, too.
But, Richard's lead vocals absolutely not needed. Fun, yes. Simply not needed.
This is not an indictment against Richard-- Carpenters are Karen and Richard.
There simply is no "wow" factor in his lead vocals (imho).
I know what Richard has said, but really, we have 3-Richard leads on the album (1 vocal on Emmanuel, and 2 instrumental: Overture/Carol Of The Bells)) and one track where Richard and Karen share lead duties (Jingle Bells). Richard is really forefront on Jingle Bells during the last-half of the track while Karen moves to the back to provide harmony and backing vocals.^^As is well-documented, there is no absolute sense in which the Christmas Portrait LP, 1978,
is indicative of a 'true' Carpenters- group' album As Richard Carpenter, also, writes,
the Christmas Portrait LP was Karen Carpenter.
"What I should have realized then, although I don’t know if A&M would have gone for it,
is that “Christmas Portrait” is Karen’s album, and should have been titled accordingly,
not Carpenters. (I did oversee the mixes, of course, but that falls under production.)"....Richard Carpenter.
Source:
Carpenters: Christmas Portrait album, 1978
I would have to disagree to some extent. Yes, Karen's voice was awesome but I think they needed each other.
I don't think either one of their solo albums were better then when they sang together. (I admit I'm a sucker for their harmonies) It was the Carpenters not Karen Carpenter and Richard. Yes, she had a stronger voice and nothing can take away her greatness, but I always felt Richard should have had a lead song on most of the later albums. Let's be honest but there's at least one song on every album that could have been cut or even added, so why not have Richard sing lead.
That’s a lot more than what he did on Horizon, Hush, Passage & MIA. Those four albums could’ve easily have been promoted as Karen-solo albums as they just featured Karen—-Richard was only there as a background vocalist and keyboardist. Compared to earlier albums like “Now & Then” or even “Live In Japan”, we weren’t hearing the brother & sister!
^^As is well-documented, there is no absolute sense in which the Christmas Portrait LP, 1978,
is indicative of a 'true' Carpenters- group' album As Richard Carpenter, also, writes,
the Christmas Portrait LP was Karen Carpenter.
"What I should have realized then, although I don’t know if A&M would have gone for it,
is that “Christmas Portrait” is Karen’s album, and should have been titled accordingly,
not Carpenters. (I did oversee the mixes, of course, but that falls under production.)"....Richard Carpenter.
Source:
Carpenters: Christmas Portrait album, 1978
I've always thought this was a rather strange comment from Richard. Granted, he wasn't in great shape at the time of making the album and so needed some help with the arrangements, but the feel of the album clearly bears his stamp - it's not a solo album by any stretch of the imagination, either in terms of what role everyone played or in the overall musical sense. The producer has a significant input into how things end up sounding, so that's a big role in itself.
^^Reading the back cover of LP Christmas Portrait,
Richard Carpenter arranged only: Merry Christmas Darling and O Come,O Come Immanual.
(Also, his orchestrations only on these two songs).
Most arrangements and Orchestrations--again, reading back cover--
were by Peter Knight and Billy May.
^^Reading the back cover of LP Christmas Portrait,
Richard Carpenter arranged only: Merry Christmas Darling and O Come,O Come Immanual.
(Also, his orchestrations only on these two songs).
Most arrangements and Orchestrations--again, reading back cover--
were by Peter Knight and Billy May.
I've always thought this was a rather strange comment from Richard. Granted, he wasn't in great shape at the time of making the album and so needed some help with the arrangements, but the feel of the album clearly bears his stamp - it's not a solo album by any stretch of the imagination, either in terms of what role everyone played or in the overall musical sense. The producer has a significant input into how things end up sounding, so that's a big role in itself.
All this discussion does make me wonder whether the intention at the start of their career was that there would be more sharing of the leads though - look at the number of Richard lead vocals on Offering. And wasn't there some debate about whether 'Close to You' or 'I Kept on Loving You' was going to be the A side of the single (bizarre in hindsight, but there you go)? Perhaps it was only with the passing of time and the fact that they were hitting big with trademark Karen performances that meant it became clear that Karen had to take the lead on pretty much everything.