|
|
Post by Rick Henry on Jan 28, 2006 11:47:12 GMT -5
 Carpenters / Karen (solo) have remade many great tunes. What are some of your favorite cover tunes?
Just a note eventhough several of us consider "Can't Smile Without You" and "Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again" remakes - they actually were recorded by Carpenters before Barry Manilow did. Carpenters also recorded "I Just Fall In Love Again" before Anne Murray did - so this one is also not a remake. But that still leave many great remakes like "Please Mr. Postman", "Desperado", "There's A Kind Of Hush", "Jimmy Mack", "Still Crazy After All These Years", "Get Together", "Beechwood 4-5789", "Jambalaya" "Goofus", "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Ticket To Ride", "Nowhere Man", "Help", "Dancing In The Sreet", "I Got Rhythm" the songs in the oldeis medley, the Bacharach/David medley and several others. |
|
|
|
Post by enigma on Jan 28, 2006 12:17:32 GMT -5
I will start this thing off with the three that come to mind at the moment. There are many remakes that I love the Carpenters treatment of as they had a knack of making songs their own even those that were previously released by other artists and or were hits, The three are as follows: Baby Its You: this song was done many times before the Carpenters did it and many times since but none can compare to the Carpenters version, I am a Beatlemaniac and love their version of this song but Karens vocal on this song simply cannot be surpassed its strong and near flawless even after all this time I am blown away when I hear Karen sing the Carpenters version of this song. I can't say enough about this remake its among my favorites. Superstar: Again I am blown away by Karen's vocal performance here; no one can touch Karen on this one. This song is #1 or #2 on my all time favorite Carpenters songs pure pop perfection and done in only one take ...Wow! Nowhere Man: Got simular treatment to the Ticket To Ride song but in my opinion a much better song. This is neck and neck with the Beatles version and is a tie as to which I like better. Young Karens voice is so beautiful and mature well beyond her 16 years (I believe she was 16 when she recorded this one) truely a sign of things to come I love the song! There are so many more but I will stop there and maybe add some as the thread progresses.   |
|
|
|
Post by makapip on Jan 28, 2006 14:40:10 GMT -5
I like the remake of Superstar, Karen sings with so much feeling and her voice is awesome.  |
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Jan 28, 2006 15:29:39 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Rick Henry on Jan 30, 2006 3:11:22 GMT -5
A few words on some the choices already mentioned.
Enigma - At first I wasn't too hot on Carpenters' recording of "Nowhere Man". Maybe it's the harmonica or something like it I didn't like. But the more I listen to it the more I like it. It's becoming one of my favorites on "As Time Goes By".
Tim - Wow! How could I have not thought of "I Can Dream Can't?" How bizarre considering how much I love "Horizon". Anyway ICDCI is an outstanding track one of the Carpenters' best. Billy Mays' orchestration is sublimely beautiful. Pure magic. This is easily amongst the Carpenters' very best of the best. Karen voice is so perfectly suited to the genre. If she were to have been around in the forties I'm certain Karen would have been a huge success even then. If she were a new artist on today's scene she'd be huge now too.
One I really like is "Dancing In The Street". I know the song can be somewhat trite and it's fairly short. But I really like this upbeat no brainer fun song. Karen was also perfectly suited for this type sunshiny feel good song.
I will come back with a few other remakes I like. |
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Jan 30, 2006 7:49:47 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by makapip on Jan 31, 2006 0:10:30 GMT -5
California Dreamin is one of many great remake. It has a faster tempo than most Carpenter songs and I like the "early Karen voice." |
|
|
|
Post by Moe on Feb 1, 2006 2:07:35 GMT -5
"I can Dream Can't I" is probably my favorite remake, not counting the Christmas songs (if they are included as remakes). I love the lyrics and melodies of the big band era. I don't think finer songs were ever written. Most of them get to me each time I hear them again and again. Like all songs she sings, Karen sounds like she was made for them. Timeless, just like Karen...
honorable mention...Desperado
|
|
|
|
Post by Ming on Feb 6, 2006 11:07:24 GMT -5
It is Please Mr Postman. I think it is the best version.
|
|
|
|
Post by smoothie2 on Feb 7, 2006 0:47:31 GMT -5
I guess my fave would be Please Mr. Postman.....what's not to like about that one...it's upbeat and the performance Karen presents is fun and a real gem.
Yes, I love ...LOVE "I Can Dream Can't I"...
I love those old re-makes of such songs.
It always reminds me also of a recording J. Denver did of an old song...of the same nature..."Polka Dots and Moon Beams"....which the C's could also have done a superb job of...
I don't really care for the re-makes (not that the C's don't do a great job in performance) but Nowhere Man
Califor. Dreamin....don't do much for me.
I do love also "Help!"
|
|
|
|
Post by Rick Henry on Feb 7, 2006 1:15:25 GMT -5
I love "Please Mr. Postman". It's right up there in my favorite remakes category. As a matter of fact it's one of my most listened to Carpenters songs. I play this one quite a bit.
"There's A Kind Of Hush" is also a great remeake. I usually will play "Postman" and "Hush" back to back. These songs compliment each other quite well. |
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Feb 7, 2006 6:55:54 GMT -5
Listened to A Kind Of Hush just yesterday, and it is a great remake. Crisp and clean, and fun. This version was included with the Readers Digest collection - if you don't have that one, it's excellent, and a great addition to your collection, that's for sure. I'm also a big, big fan of the remake of "Help." I think they do a really excellent job of this tune, and it's consistently been a favorite listen for me. Kathy, you mentioned Bill Evans' "Polkadots and Moonbeams" and though I had not thought about Carpenters performing this one before, it would surely rank right up there with "I Can Dream, Can't I?" PD and MB is such a beautiful, soft, yet gutsy ballad - I can hear in my mind Karen singing this one beautifully, and could only imagine what Richard could have done with a whole lot of stacked vocals added. Great choice for one they SHOULD have remade. Tim 
|
|
|
|
Post by smoothie2 on Feb 8, 2006 0:46:22 GMT -5
yes, my thots also Tim....J. Denver's vocal talents much like the C's, was so right on the mark,
and cuz of that, he easily could sing all types of songs.
I guess that's the great advantage to such talent is that the voice fits new or old songs.
The C's versions of so many of their re-makes....are so familiar to me that I at times forget
how the original by another artist sounds such as A Ticket to Ride or G. to Love.
|
|
