'Voice Of The Heart' versus 'Lovelines'

[newvillefan]

A comment about work leads released after Karen's passing led me to compare how these two albums stack up in terms of finished tracks...and the difference is quite striking. I've bolded the ones that we know are definite work leads.

Voice Of The Heart - 8 work leads

Now
Sailing On The Tide
You're Enough
Make Believe It's Your First Time
Two Lives
At The End Of The Song
Ordinary Fool
Prime Time Love
Your Baby Doesn't Love You Any More
Look To Your Dreams

Lovelines - 2 work leads

Lovelines
Where Do I Go From Here?
The Uninvited Guest
If We Try
When I Fall In Love
Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night
Remember When Lovin' Took All Night
You're The One
Honolulu City Lights
Slow Dance
If I Had You
Little Girl Blue

We know Karen's vocal leads on the solo tracks were finished so that was always going to make the tally four lower on the latter album, but there's also the following:

'Sailing On The Tide' - complete with K&R backing vocals
'Where Do I Go From Here?' - full arrangement and orchestration completed
'When I Fall In Love' - featured in a TV special
'Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night' - Richard wouldn't have added Siedah Garrett's vocals to a work lead
'You're The One' - almost released on 'Passage'
'Little Girl Blue' - featured in a TV special

That leaves just 'Look To Your Dreams' from Voice Of The Heart and 'The Uninvited Guest' from Lovelines - anyone ever read or heard a definitive statement from Richard whether these are work leads or not?

 

[A&M Retro]

A comment about work leads released after Karen's passing led me to compare how these two albums stack up in terms of finished tracks...and the difference is quite striking. I've bolded the ones that we know are definite work leads.

Voice Of The Heart - 8 work leads

Now
Sailing On The Tide
You're Enough
Make Believe It's Your First Time
Two Lives
At The End Of The Song
Ordinary Fool
Prime Time Love
Your Baby Doesn't Love You Any More
Look To Your Dreams

Lovelines - 2 work leads

Lovelines
Where Do I Go From Here?
The Uninvited Guest
If We Try
When I Fall In Love
Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night
Remember When Lovin' Took All Night
You're The One
Honolulu City Lights
Slow Dance
If I Had You
Little Girl Blue

We know Karen's vocal leads on the solo tracks were finished so that was always going to make the tally four lower on the latter album, but there's also the following:

'Sailing On The Tide' - complete with K&R backing vocals
'Where Do I Go From Here?' - full arrangement and orchestration completed
'When I Fall In Love' - featured in a TV special
'Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night' - Richard wouldn't have added Siedah Garrett's vocals to a work lead
'You're The One' - almost released on 'Passage'
'Little Girl Blue' - featured in a TV special

That leaves just 'Look To Your Dreams' from Voice Of The Heart and 'The Uninvited Guest' from Lovelines - anyone ever read or heard a definitive statement from Richard whether these are work leads or not?

Could be a question for Captain Carpenter, Chris! : )

 

[motownboy]

I don't know definitively, but I am guessing that "The Uninvited Guest" is a work lead as Richard drenched it in so much reverb in the mix. I really like the song a lot. The reverb does add to the haunting quality. The harp solo reminds me of the work Richard did with Akiko Kobayashi on the "City of Angels" album that he was working on around the time he was completing the "Lovelines" album.

 

[Simon KC1950]

The Uninvited Guest is a work lead. I've copied below a segment of a post I made a few years ago, including a lengthy quote from Richard about the song (This is interesting purely because the track is seldom discussed - but one of my favourites)

3. "The Uninvited Guest" - recorded in 1980 for "Made In America". This haunting pop/country song was an outtake from their 10th album due to a lack of space. Richard has described it as a "good vehicle for Karen". In 2019, the British radio special "Carpenters: From A-Z" on BBC Radio 2 included "The Uninvited Guest" for the "U" segment. Richard, who was pleasantly surprised, had this to say about it: "I am so happy that you've brought this track to our attention. Yeah, The Uninvited Guest, it was an outtake of "Made In America" actually, and it was a work lead - but you know Karen's work leads were like master leads - and I thought, and think, it's a great song for Karen. It's a haunting song anyway - 'the uninvited guest who lives in our house, the other woman who's on your mind' - and when it came to do the "Lovelines" album for the 20th anniversary of our signing, I finished it; I put an orchestration to it and put the singer's on it. It's a really nice track, a haunting song and a beautiful song for Karen - I have to get it out and listen to it again!"

Chris' marvellous discography from the Musical Legacy book reveals the rhythm tracks were recorded on 23 October 1980 while the orchestra was dated 14 April 1983. This suggests the track was considered for Voice of the Heart, but ultimately left aside.

 

[Simon KC1950]

While on this topic, it is interesting to note that the following outtakes/work leads were supplemented with orchestral recording work in April 1983 along with the other tracks from Voice of the Heart, but were not included on the final release:

• The Uninvited Guest
• Honolulu City Lights
• Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night
• Slow Dance (horns)

 

[JohnFB]

The Uninvited Guest is a work lead.

...

Richard, who was pleasantly surprised, had this to say about it: "I am so happy that you've brought this track to our attention. Yeah, The Uninvited Guest, it was an outtake of "Made In America" actually, and it was a work lead - but you know Karen's work leads were like master leads - and I thought, and think, it's a great song for Karen. It's a haunting song anyway - 'the uninvited guest who lives in our house, the other woman who's on your mind' -

[additional bolding mine] What we've all known about Karen's "work leads" - once the singing started she was just naturally too professional to sing nonchalantly or half-heartedly - to not give her best effort. Apparently, it was the only way she knew.

But, maybe more than a haunting song it's a very sad song, a heartbreaking song, as in

And I'm running second best
To the uninvited guest
And it's breaking my heart.

...

We know Karen's vocal leads on the solo tracks were finished so that was always going to make the tally four lower on the latter album, but there's also the following:


'Where Do I Go From Here?' - full arrangement and orchestration completed
'
'You're The One' - almost released on 'Passage'

If these two had been work leads I would be absolutely gobsmacked and flabbergasted and discombobulated!

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

It’s quite amazing that over 1/2 the tracks on VOTH were work leads. I still feel like the tracks on Lovelines just flow better as a whole album. I wonder why VOTH couldn’t have flowed just as well as Lovelines. Was it because of so many work leads or did her solo tracks help Lovelines become a better album?

 

[newvillefan]

While on this topic, it is interesting to note that the following outtakes/work leads were supplemented with orchestral recording work in April 1983 along with the other tracks from Voice of the Heart, but were not included on the final release

'The Uninvited Guest' and 'Honolulu' would have worked well on VOTH - I can't imagine 'Slow Dance' and 'Kiss Me' on the album. They're much warmer, more positively romantic songs that would have jarred with the bleak feel of the rest of the album.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I always thought Sailing on the Tide was a demo or maybe it was just an unfinished track. I have it on a CD of other unfinished tracks mostly from ATGB. Sailing sounds a bit different to me than what ultimately was mixed for the album. That’s what made me think it was a demo.

 

[newvillefan]

I always thought Sailing on the Tide was a demo or maybe it was just an unfinished track. I have it on a CD of other unfinished tracks mostly from ATGB. Sailing sounds a bit different to me than what ultimately was mixed for the album. That’s what made me think it was a demo.

I've heard the version you're talking about. It was in an unmixed state when Richard dusted it off for VOTH, but it was complete. I remember reading that it was very tricky completing it due to the structure of the song.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I've heard the version you're talking about. It was in an unmixed state when Richard dusted it off for VOTH, but it was complete. I remember reading that it was very tricky completing it due to the structure of the song.

Yeah it’s unmixed and it sounds like it came from a tape because it’s kinda sped up too.

 

[Bartog739]

It’s quite amazing that over 1/2 the tracks on VOTH were work leads. I still feel like the tracks on Lovelines just flow better as a whole album. I wonder why VOTH couldn’t have flowed just as well as Lovelines. Was it because of so many work leads or did her solo tracks help Lovelines become a better album?

I think the solo tracks definitely help it. They're up-tempo and simply a bit different, and in my opinion up-tempo is what Carpenters needed a little bit more of in their later work. Things were softening up overall maybe a little too much...although I love it all.

 

[newvillefan]

Little known fact - this was the original tracklist for the album:

Side A:

Lovelines
Where Do I Go From Here?
The Uninvited Guest
If We Try
When I Fall In Love
Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night

Side B:

My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
You're The One
Honolulu City Lights
Slow Dance
If I Had You
Little Girl Blue

 

[Bartog739]

Little known fact - this was the original tracklist for the album:

Side A:

Lovelines
Where Do I Go From Here?
The Uninvited Guest
If We Try
When I Fall In Love
Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night

Side B:

My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
You're The One
Honolulu City Lights
Slow Dance
If I Had You
Little Girl Blue

Remember When Lovin' Took All Night fits a Carpenters album better IMHO. MBKCMM is too much of an anomaly. Glad we got it on the box set with Richard's arrangement but belongs more with the rarities than on Lovelines.

 

[newvillefan]

Remember When Lovin' Took All Night fits a Carpenters album better IMHO. MBKCMM is too much of an anomaly. Glad we got it on the box set with Richard's arrangement but belongs more with the rarities than on Lovelines.

Agreed.

 

[John Adam]

It’s quite amazing that over 1/2 the tracks on VOTH were work leads. I still feel like the tracks on Lovelines just flow better as a whole album. I wonder why VOTH couldn’t have flowed just as well as Lovelines. Was it because of so many work leads or did her solo tracks help Lovelines become a better album?

I think it's obvious that some change of heart had occurred about the solo tracks.....or some desperation about getting enough tracks to make an album in the wake of "The Karen Carpenter Story." (???)

But IMHO, the solo tracks helped Lovelines to become a better album, definitely.

 

[Bartog739]

Little known fact - this was the original tracklist for the album:

Side A:

Lovelines
Where Do I Go From Here?
The Uninvited Guest
If We Try
When I Fall In Love
Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night

Side B:

My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
You're The One
Honolulu City Lights
Slow Dance
If I Had You
Little Girl Blue

Where did you read this by the way?

 

[newvillefan]

Where did you read this by the way?

I'm trying to recall now, it was a credible source I remember though. Could have been thorough Chris May or someone else connected with Richard or A&M. I'll try and find out. I remember being surprised because it wouldn't have sat right at all alongside the rest of the material on the album. We got the right track in the end.

 

[Chris May]

I don't know definitively, but I am guessing that "The Uninvited Guest" is a work lead as Richard drenched it in so much reverb in the mix. I really like the song a lot. The reverb does add to the haunting quality. The harp solo reminds me of the work Richard did with Akiko Kobayashi on the "City of Angels" album that he was working on around the time he was completing the "Lovelines" album.

Definitely a work lead. And, for reference, the amount of reverb applied to the vocal track has little-to-nothing to do with whether Karen laid down the master vs. work lead. Typically if a heavier reverb plate is used on other tracks within a particular package or album, there is a consistency throughout for the sake of cohesiveness.

 

[Chris May]

I'm trying to recall now, it was a credible source I remember though. Could have been thorough Chris May or someone else connected with Richard or A&M. I'll try and find out. I remember being surprised because it wouldn't have sat right at all alongside the rest of the material on the album. We got the right track in the end.

This is all correct, Stephen.

 

[Late2theParty]

I just want to say that threads like this is why this forum is so valuable. Thanks to all!

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Definitely a work lead. And, for reference, the amount of reverb applied to the vocal track has little-to-nothing to do with whether Karen laid down the master vs. work lead. Typically if a heavier reverb plate is used on other tracks within a particular package or album, there is a consistency throughout for the sake of cohesiveness.

That's what's weird. The other tracks on the album don't drown in reverb the way "Uninvited Guest" does. It's just too much and it bears the stamp of a lot of his remixes. I know he was talked into adding copious amounts of reverb but it was so the wrong move. Thankfully, he dried things out on Phil.

Ed

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I agree that The Uninvited Guest does have a lot of reverb, more than any of the other tracks. I always thought it was because of the song itself. I correlated it to Karen being in an empty house and the outline of this person is everywhere. It gives the listener a feeling that the love in this huge home is gone because of this Uninvited Guest. It’s an empty feeling. I think the reverb works with the lyrics and the mood of the track.

 

[Chris May]

That's what's weird. The other tracks on the album don't drown in reverb the way "Uninvited Guest" does. It's just too much and it bears the stamp of a lot of his remixes. I know he was talked into adding copious amounts of reverb but it was so the wrong move. Thankfully, he dried things out on Phil.

Ed

You’re definitely right about that one. I wasn’t implying that every lead on an album has a prefixed amount of reverb that must be adhered to throughout. But there is a cohesiveness that helps pull everything together.

“Uninvited” is certainly a bit more saturated, but has nothing to do with an inferior lead vocal. That’s more or less what I was trying to get across.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

The Lovelines album always made me feel like a grown up Carpenters album. It had more adult subject matter and it show show they matured as artists. It makes me think of a new direction for Carpenters and what was yet to come.

It’s amazing to think how cohesive this album remains and how Richard was able to invoke that feeling I get when I listen when in reality it’s just a bunch of tracks from different periods of time thrown together and not a standard studio album they traditionally made while Karen was alive. It flows perfectly in my opinion.