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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 1, 2005 0:49:10 GMT -5
 What is your viewpoint on the song "Druscilla Penny" |
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Post by JIM on Oct 1, 2005 9:03:07 GMT -5
 Well, here is another Richard lead I would have skipped quickly when I was younger but now see it as RC's highly experimental recordings. I don't think he meant for it to be a hit but on closer inspection you can see that for a simple song it was every bit as complex and well crafted as are all of his arrangments. I will always admire A&M for allowing for personal choice of material, instead of forcing every recording into a mold. People that say all of the Carpenters songs were the same, should take the time to listen to some of the more obscure gems created by the Carpenters. I think recordings like this really show how much fun music was for the duo and even as they charted many hits, I think recordings like this, served as a way of holding on to the Spectrum days, almost as a way of saying thank you for to there former band members. Just as in Sometimes, not a hit but screams integrity in every way. I always love Karen's quote from an interview where she points out that Close To You was an overnight success but not the Carpenters. There were many years of hard work that led up to that one lucky break with a song that without there years of experimenting would have never been. Jim
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Post by Federico Cruz on Oct 1, 2005 9:40:58 GMT -5
Always LOVED this song since the first hearing!
It's a complex, classy and intrincated track for any piano player.
It was made in the same vein like Superstar and you could say Druscilla Penny is the name of the fan that Karen is singing in Superstar.
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 1, 2005 12:19:51 GMT -5
I give this one an "It's Okay". I like the song. What I like about the song is the somewhat experimental sounds of the vocal mix and the use of harpsichord. Good little ditty. |
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Post by smoothie2 on Oct 1, 2005 22:36:19 GMT -5
Really well stated Jim. I give D. Penny also an "it's Okay". It's quirky. Makes me think of it
as a Halloween song...i think because the harpsicord s makes me think of the theme song for the Addams Family show.
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Post by karen69roland on Oct 1, 2005 23:26:33 GMT -5
 Well, this one is between an *It's Okay* and a *' love it*... So? *' love it*.
I love the baroque feel to this one. [glow=red,2,300][/glow][shadow=red,left,300] [/shadow][shadow=red,left,300]Roland Chayer[/shadow][shadow=red,left,300] [/shadow] |
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Post by BethMosior on Oct 2, 2005 19:15:07 GMT -5
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Post by cam83 on Oct 3, 2005 9:19:49 GMT -5
LEAVE IT...what a waste of a song!! They should have had another gorgeous song sung by Karen...is my feeling.
Cam
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 3, 2005 19:53:50 GMT -5
LEAVE IT...what a waste of a song!! They should have had another gorgeous song sung by Karen...is my feeling. Cam Hi Cam! Eventhough I do like this song I agree they should have had another song like "Superstar" or "One Love" on the album instard of "Druscilla Penny". "Penny" and "Saturday" keep the tan album from being a 100% great album. |
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Post by enigma on Oct 3, 2005 21:45:53 GMT -5
Ok first I gave this song an its OK vote Richard has better songs he sings leads on and this one never really grew on me. Now I will put my two cents in about some things that have been said and since the last two posts pertain to this here goes. I get the feeling some people are missing some points here. I think it is obvious that Richard and/or Jack Daugherty (probably Richard) could have easily substituted a Karen lead for this or any Richard lead but thats not the point of this decision. I don't think they put this song or any lead Richard did on a Carpenter record because the ran out of songs Karen sang lead on Richards leads are there quite deliberately. Richard leads are on Carpenter record for two main reasons as far as I am concerned 1. To add variety to the albums Karen and Richard have different vocal styles dispite the fact Richard arranges songs both he and Karen sing on so he and Karen would not sing a song the same way. 2 and more importantly I feel its due to the fact that the Carpenters are a duo not a Karen Carpenter solo act and while Richard produces and arranges the songs and "pulls the strings" but on stage he would be vertually invisable if he did not have some leads to sing, Even with the leads he was still referred to as Karens piano player so without leads he would be seen by many as just another band member as opposed to a contributing part of a partnership. I think you get the picture here yes Karen is a better singer than Richard, yes people want to hear Karen sing more than Richard, but there is a big reason he had lead vocals until the Horizon album. Personally I think his leads are a different break from Karens phenominal vocals Richard vocals add variety and make him more visable as part of the DUO known as the Carpenters they give him an identity in the duo proper as opposed to the producer who is almost always an invisable part of an act unless he or she sings on some songs as well. Just something to consider when making statements like they should have substituted a Karen vocal or song for one sung by Richard.   |
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Post by cam83 on Oct 4, 2005 17:52:57 GMT -5
Yes, there is truth to those statements, but those were in the early days...and they didn't know that fans ONLY for the most part, wanted Karen to sing Lead...she was so naturally gifted at it...and yes, RC is a good singer...but I don't think they knew at that time about marketing to some degree. Basically after 1973...for the most part, it was ALL Karen, so that says something, who was singing LEAD. I do like Richard' s singing...I like to sing along to his voice...
My thoughts,
Cam
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Post by enigma on Oct 4, 2005 18:25:11 GMT -5
Yes, there is truth to those statements, but those were in the early days...and they didn't know that fans ONLY for the most part, wanted Karen to sing Lead...she was so naturally gifted at it...and yes, RC is a good singer...but I don't think they knew at that time about marketing to some degree. Basically after 1973...for the most part, it was ALL Karen, so that says something, who was singing LEAD. I do like Richard' s singing...I like to sing along to his voice... My thoughts, Cam Thats interesting Cam perhaps your right Richard admitted he sang too many leads on Offering and had no idea that Karen was more than capable of carrying and selling albums where she sang all the leads. After Offering I think they knew at least thats what Richard has said thats why Karen got the lions share of the leads from CTY on. But you know I kind of missed hearing the odd Richard lead on a Carpenters record after 1973 I could not imagine at this point where a Richard lead would fit in on those records and I am not sure why I even miss it but a small part of me does. I guess I am not used to hearing one lead on an album because mostl the bands I am a fan of have multiple lead vocalists. Its kind of funny how Agnes was so adiment that Richard was the star yet Richard made concious decisions that made Karens star shine more and put him more in the background maybe it is as John Bettis once said Richard made decisions that were best for the entire group rather than personal gain. Sorry to get off topic here. |
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 4, 2005 20:04:43 GMT -5
If "Horizon" had a Richard lead on it I think that would break up the continuity of soul and mood this album has. I don't think the album would be as effective on the whole as it has ended up being.
"Passage" maybe somewhere on that album a Richard lead could have been worked in.
"A Kind Of Hush" like "Horizon" was Karen's album and I don't think a Richard lead would fit in anywhere. |
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Post by Carps1000 on Oct 12, 2005 13:25:53 GMT -5
Drucilla was an ok song. When I first played it Me dad thought that there was a big scratch on the LP & insisted i took it back as he said it was jumpin...It took a lot of explainin that it was the song. Horizon & Hush were Def Karens albums. A song by R woulda ruined Karens soulfull reading & made it kinda Hop scotch. I do wish Hush had a sorta "closing" ending tho like Horizon & some of the other LPs. Ken
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Post by JIM on Oct 15, 2005 12:40:12 GMT -5
You know all of you make some very interesting points where Richards leads are topic. For some strange reason it almost seems as though he insisted on a very rigid approach to his leads that next to Karen were almost devoid of emotion. I don't know if that is my personal perception or was a personal choice of style by Richard. I love his backing vocals they carry so many songs in a unique way. It was not until his solo album especially Time and Calling Your name again that Richard seems to reach down and sing from his soul as Karen did. From what I have read the Carpenter family had trouble when it came to expressing emotion and its quite possible that he was not able to sing with expression until the later years. Please don't get me wrong here, there is no escaping the fact that Richard had an ear for what worked for Karen and his arrangements combinded with her transcendent voice were what sent them to the top. Jim
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I love the way the song is done 
