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Post by cam83 on Aug 4, 2005 16:37:40 GMT -5
I was listening to SOLITAIRE...I still believe that song to be the TOP GEM that Karen EVER sang. Just a gorgeous, raw, emotive song...coming from somewhere in her life experiences...It's so funny that I used to dislike this song so much...but now, I know it to be HER finest performances...Here is another Karen compilation...Of these songs...12 have to make it onto FINEST PERFORMANCES collection...of these, which 12 should be on it, and explain why, for each song...
FINEST PERFORMANCES...
Solitaire.
When I Fall In Love
You're The One
Maybe It's You
Crescent Noon
Eve
Someday
Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Somebody's Been Lyin
Ave Maria
Look To Your Dreams
Ordinary Fool
Trying To Get The Feeling Again
When It's Gone
One More Time
From This Moment On
Bless The Beasts and the Children
Another Song
This Masquerade
I Just Fall In Love Again
I Can't Make Music
Now
Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore
Boat To Sail
Sailing on the Tide
My thoughts,
Cam
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Post by Rob813 on Aug 4, 2005 17:25:18 GMT -5
Wow Cam, such a great list of songs. To narrow it down to twelve - let's see.
1. You're The One I believe this is Karen's greatest vocal performance.
2. This Masquerade / I've always loved this song; it's pure jazz and a great rendition.
3. Now / Karen's last recording - her voice is beyond wonderful. I always thought this would have been a great single.
4. Ordinary Fool / Another Paul Williams song that Karen doesn't just sing, she inhabits it. Her subtlely humming at the end is pure heaven.
5. When I Fall In Love. The greatest love song ever written, sung by the greatest singer who ever lived.
6. Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore / Why this song wasn't released before Karen's death is a pure mystery to me. The combination of great lyrics and great singer make this a chill factor song.
7. I Just Fall In Love Again / The combination of Karen's voice and Richard's angelic arrangement really send me to heaven every time I hear it.
8. I Can't Make Music / I've always thought this song was quite autobiographical for Karen. It's a simple, yet powerful expression of the anguish of love lost.
9. Look To Your Dreams / This song is pure, unadulterated Carpenters from the first note to the last. I've always felt Karen was singing this directly from heaven to us stuck here on earth.
10. Ave Maria / Karen sings this very difficult song in latin no less with the ease afforded only the greatest artists.
11. Solitaire / The richness of Karen's silky slightly husky alto is here in all it's glory. This song makes all those altos out there glad they're not sopranos! Arguably among the finest performances of Karen's career. And to think how much she disliked this gem.
12. Maybe It's You / A very early indication of what the Carpenter sound really was. A simple arrangement and the voice of a young singer who is blossoming before our very ears!
These are my choices from Cam's list. I have other favorites but I'm working within this framework.
Of course these are just my humble opinions.
Rob
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Post by cam83 on Aug 4, 2005 22:51:01 GMT -5
For me, it would...
SOLITAIRE...a gem if there ever was one...Love that long note she holds and it is so rich in deepness....she creates such a wonderful mood with that song...
TRYING TO GET THE FEELING AGAIN...wonderful work lead...captivating...full of emotion....
NOW...wonderful work lead as well...beautiful mood and she conveys sincerity and hope in this performance...
I CAN'T MAKE MUSIC...innocence and worldliness...just darkness...such a dark image...
CRESCENT NOON...another song filled with darkness...but with such imagery...
SOMEDAY....another gorgeous song...very underrated...but she is so skilled even at the young age of 19...
WHEN IT'S GONE...another dark song...but she calls this her own. Ending phrase, "It's gone...it's just gone....when it's gonnnnnneeeeee...." just chills you to the bone.
YOUR BABY DOESN'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE...another gorgeous, emotion evoked song...another gem that is so tarnished it needs to be cleaned for the brilliance to outshine anything she has done...
AVE MARIA....another wonderful song. She just sings the heck out of this extremely difficult song...the phrasing, the latin...all make for a glorious tune...
ANOTHER SONG...a beautiful song. Simple but structured and showing Karen's drumming skills...
and ending song...
LOOK TO YOUR DREAMS...befitting song. Self explantory.
My thoughts,
Cam
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Post by Rick Henry on Aug 5, 2005 9:20:17 GMT -5
 This is working with in Cam's frame list. As Rob states I have others I feel are Karen's finest performances - which I will list after the one from Cam's list.
Karen's best vocal performances from Cam's List:
Solitaire.
Maybe It's You
Crescent Noon
Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Ave Maria
Ordinary Fool
Trying To Get The Feeling Again
Bless The Beasts and the Children
This Masquerade
I Just Fall In Love Again
I Can't Make Music
Now if we open it up to all songs Karen ever sang the list would be as follows.
I Can't Make Music - Karen's vocal performance here is pristine and has a certain shine.
Despearado - This is easily one of Karen's most poerful and emotional performances of her entire career.
Love Me For What I Am - Another near perfect performance by Karen. Featuring her entire vocal range.
Solitaire - Same reasons as the above two songs. Karen was at her peak of vocal ability on the album "Horizon". Her voice was it's strongest and most intensely emotional.
This Masquerade - I'd say this is her weakest of her finest performance. Yes this is one of her finest performances but there are parts in the song where she sounds somewhat nasal.
A Song For You - This is a truly amazing vocal by Karen. It's rich, deep and soulfully dark.
Road Ode - Same as "A Song For You"
Rainy Days And Mondays - Same as "A Song For You"
Superstar - Same as "A Song For You"
Ordinary Fool - Karen's voice is wonderfully layered and prefectly pristine.
If I Had You - What is outstanding here in her vocals is the creative and unusual arrangement at the end. This really showcases other sides of Karen's voice we generally don't get to hear.
Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again - Genrally I do not chose work leads as Karen's finest vocal performances only because many of the work leads have flaws in them such as "Now" which is a wonderful song - but Karen is off-key and out of her range in several places on "Now", same with "Look To Your Dreams". But in "Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again" Karen got it perfect. Her vocal tones are rich and dark. Her pitch is pleasingly pleasant. She sings completely on key and 100% with in her range on this one. And it's a very bold and powerful vocal. This is truly Karen's very best vocal performance of all the work leads which have been released.
just my thoughts.
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Post by Rick Henry on Aug 5, 2005 22:07:18 GMT -5
Now I have a little more time so I'd like to expand on the songs from Cam's list which I have chosen. Solitaire - See my previous post Maybe It's You - This is a beautiful song with a lovely vocal interpretation by Karen. Her voice is smooth, sophisticated and soulful. Crescent Noon - One of Karen's darkest readings. This is one of the earliest recordings where she makes excellent use of her deep dark vocal style. Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Several others have recorded this song. But Karen Carpenter's recording of this song is the finest vocal of any version done. She has a wordly and commanding presence in her vocal. Her voice is exquisite and perfectly rich and smooth. This is Karen's finest vocal performance from the album "Passage". Ave Maria - An exquisite vocal by Karen. Ordinary Fool - See my previous post Trying To Get The Feeling Again - Outstanding! See my previous post Bless The Beasts and the Children - This is the song that got me hooked on Karen. Her voice is shimmering and beautiful on this track. This Masquerade - See my previous post I Just Fall In Love Again - An excellent vocal. I Can't Make Music - See my previous post[/b] |
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Post by Moe on Aug 7, 2005 23:11:00 GMT -5
 The finest perfmances...in no particular order 1) You're the One- total vocal control. from loud to soft and lengthy phrasing, without missing a note or a bit of emotion. 2) Solitaire-Brings shivers every time. Something very different about this song for me. Karen's range and power and emotion come through loud and clear. 3) I Just Fall in Love Again-probably my favorite post 1975 Carpenters' songs. Karen just floats through this song like she is living every word. 4) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas-The Carpenters introduced me to this song and it is forever a Carpenters' classic. I love the way she sings "bow" and "now" in this song. a definite chill factor song. 5) The Christmas Song-The Carpenters introduced me to this song, too. When Karen sings, "chestnuts roasting on an open fire..." This is Christmas! 6) Ave Maria-The range of this song is beyond words. Karen's performance is perfect. 7) One More Time-A very different performance for Karen. Soft and vulnerable and dreamy. I want to slip away to Baton Rouge and close my eyes and have a drink with Karen.... 8) From this Moment On- (live version)-Karen singing in a different key than Richard is playing and never missing a note or a beat. This is technical vocal perfection! 9) Rainy Days and Mondays-The introspection, the feeling and emotion, the vulnerability, ...the heart that is in this song is more than I can say. 10) I Need to Be in Love-I am so impressed to hear Karen hit the notes from "the hardest" and "so here" in the second verse, without scooping them. My Mom called this skipping a ninth (9 notes I presume). Just amazing vocally, and of course, the emotion and loneliness of the song speaks for itself. 11) Don't Cry for Me Argentina-The definitive version of this song. The power and control should have taken Karen into musical theater. 12) Goodbye to Love-The phrasing of this song is impossible. The emotion is on her sleeve. The lyrics echoed her life and makes this song a masterpiece! (Tony's solo is awesome, too!)
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Post by cam83 on Aug 7, 2005 23:35:09 GMT -5
Hi Moe,
Can you do another FINEST PERFORMANCES but use this list...choose some songs from the BELOW list...Thank you!!! (but great songs you chose!!)
FINEST PERFORMANCES...
Solitaire.
When I Fall In Love
You're The One
Maybe It's You
Crescent Noon
Eve
Someday
Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Somebody's Been Lyin
Ave Maria
Look To Your Dreams
Ordinary Fool
Trying To Get The Feeling Again
When It's Gone
One More Time
From This Moment On
Bless The Beasts and the Children
Another Song
This Masquerade
I Just Fall In Love Again
I Can't Make Music
Now
Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore
Boat To Sail
Sailing on the Tide
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Post by Moe on Aug 8, 2005 3:15:09 GMT -5
 Sorry, Cam- I mis-read your first post.
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Post by Moe on Aug 8, 2005 3:29:57 GMT -5
Finest Performances...part 2
these were listed in the earlier post:
Solitaire
Ave Maria
I Just Fall in Love Again
One More Time
From this Moment On
Don't Cry for Me Argentina
You're the One
8) Sailing On the Tide-Karen takes me away with her into the blue yonder. Nice and peaceful, relaxed.
9) This Masquerade-dark and haunting look at love, Karen captures it perfectly
10) I Can't Make Music-Karen was a master at capturing an introspective mood.
11) Now-I love Karen's lower register. The first word in this song gives me chills. I still remember the first time I heard it and Karen's full voice filled my headphones and gave me chills. What a beautiful song of love and hope and fulfillment.
12) Look to Your Dreams-Another song that requires power, range, emotion, and sensitivity. Perfect for the stage, where Karen belonged!
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Post by Rick Henry on Aug 8, 2005 9:17:50 GMT -5
Finest Performances...part 2 10) I Can't Make Music-Karen was a master at capturing an introspective mood. Yes Karen was truly a master at capturing that introspective mood. Her deep rich dark tones lend themselves well to a song like "I Can't Make Music". 12) Goodbye to Love-The phrasing of this song is impossible. The emotion is on her sleeve. The lyrics echoed her life and makes this song a masterpiece! (Tony's solo is awesome, too!) I really like your personal choices Moe. I'm surprised you didn't include "I Can Dream Can't I" in there. On "Goodbye To Love" Richard once commented that it was a very hard song to sing but Karen did it flawlessly. |
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Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Aug 9, 2005 18:40:19 GMT -5
Both of these are tough ones. I'll have to take some time to consider them before posting a reply, but wanted you to know I AM giving this and thread #2 on this subject pause so as to answer them somewhat intelligently! Tim
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Post by Rick Henry on Aug 9, 2005 22:31:22 GMT -5
Both of these are tough ones. I'll have to take some time to consider them before posting a reply, but wanted you to know I AM giving this and thread #2 on this subject pause so as to answer them somewhat intelligently! Tim Can hardly wait to read your responses Tim.
Here's a few additional comments on "Crescent Noon". Karen's vocal on this one is truly amazing. and she was only 20 years old when she sang this very deep, dark and soulful song. Not many twenty year olds have such a refined and mature voice as Karen did. |
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Post by smoothie2 on Aug 11, 2005 0:11:55 GMT -5
;Dstill trying to get my thoughts together!
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