Why wasn't 'Voice Of The Heart' a Bigger Success?
I know this question probably doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things, however, I was just wondering if anyone here has any theories/explanations as to why 'Voice Of The Heart' wasn't a bigger success (mind you, the album did eventually get certified GOLD by the RIAA in the late 90's).
Maybe this is just a new phenomenon, but recent history has shown that acts which pass away prematurely enjoy an immediate resurgence (Aaliyah, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, and Selena all scored #1 albums after their unfortunate deaths and more recently, Luther Vandross scored his first #1 album after suffering a very serious stroke which he has thankfully recovered from.)
From what I recall, 'Voice Of The Heart' performed similarily to 'Made In America' - it was a Top 50 album yet it didn't receive the widespread success of their earlier work. One would think that the world would have stood up and taken notice that one of the greatest female singer's of all time was gone and shown their sorrow/appreciation by purchasing what remaining material there was. It just boggles my mind that 'Voice Of The Heart' didn't receive the recognition it deserved - it certainly featured many great Carpenters tunes ("Make Believe It's Your First Time", "Now", "Look To Your Dreams", "Ordinary Fool", and "At The End Of A Song") and was a solid effort which Richard devoted much of energy towards after Karen's passing..
Was radio and the public's taste that much out of sync with the Carpenters' easy listening sound at the time?
I guess the commercial success of 1985's 'Yesterday Once More' (and all the other eventual compilations) truly represents the indelible impact that Carpenters made during their tenure, however, it still miffs me a little that even after Karen passed on, the general public still didn't welcome the Carpenters back with open arms.
Am I just overly analyzing/speculating or does anyone else feel the same way?
I know this question probably doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things, however, I was just wondering if anyone here has any theories/explanations as to why 'Voice Of The Heart' wasn't a bigger success (mind you, the album did eventually get certified GOLD by the RIAA in the late 90's).
Maybe this is just a new phenomenon, but recent history has shown that acts which pass away prematurely enjoy an immediate resurgence (Aaliyah, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, and Selena all scored #1 albums after their unfortunate deaths and more recently, Luther Vandross scored his first #1 album after suffering a very serious stroke which he has thankfully recovered from.)
From what I recall, 'Voice Of The Heart' performed similarily to 'Made In America' - it was a Top 50 album yet it didn't receive the widespread success of their earlier work. One would think that the world would have stood up and taken notice that one of the greatest female singer's of all time was gone and shown their sorrow/appreciation by purchasing what remaining material there was. It just boggles my mind that 'Voice Of The Heart' didn't receive the recognition it deserved - it certainly featured many great Carpenters tunes ("Make Believe It's Your First Time", "Now", "Look To Your Dreams", "Ordinary Fool", and "At The End Of A Song") and was a solid effort which Richard devoted much of energy towards after Karen's passing..
Was radio and the public's taste that much out of sync with the Carpenters' easy listening sound at the time?
I guess the commercial success of 1985's 'Yesterday Once More' (and all the other eventual compilations) truly represents the indelible impact that Carpenters made during their tenure, however, it still miffs me a little that even after Karen passed on, the general public still didn't welcome the Carpenters back with open arms.
Am I just overly analyzing/speculating or does anyone else feel the same way?