Woah! Most interesting question....I will have to admit to you all that I have not heard most of these by the original artists. Yes, I have heard the Manilow tunes and Paul Simon's Still Crazy - but even as much of a Michael Franks fan as I am, I have not heard his version of B'wanna, She No Home....so ~ having said that, I take it by your question you wish to have a bit of a response on each? "What's your take on these songs...."
Ticket To ride/Nowhere Man/Help - all were expertly done by the Beatles in their own style, and for that time in our lives. I loved the way they did them. However, I am the minority in my house because I also think Richard's conception of these tunes and the way he "re-arranged" them is wonderful. I would rank them in this order, however, insofar as my favorite arrangements of these three - Help, Ticket then Nowhere. I like Karen's reading of this song, but it's not my all time fave.
Nowdays - I can't speak to it's original artist, but I love what Richard did with his vocal, the arrangement, in general, and his and Karen's vocals on this one.
Hurting Each Other is just a great song. I think of it as a "girl" tune, and don't really think a guy would have pulled this one off better, for sure.
A Song For You/Masquerade - I'm a big fan of the WRITING of Leon Russell, but give me Karen on the lead vocal and a Richard Carpenter arrangement of these tunes any day, rather than Leon, himself. Karen sang her heart out on BOTH of these.
Jambalaya - Karen does an outstanding job on this song. I love Carpenter's take on it. Much better than the original version, which I have actually heard.
Desperado - I like it by the Eagles, but Karen and Richard's version is, by far, the better of the two. Karen has given this song a much more "personal" read than did the Eagles.
Solitaire - Again, though I like the WRITING of Neil Sedaka, I DON'T like to hear him sing. Carpenter's made this song their own, and I think they "own" this one.
Kind Of Hush - I loved Herman Hermit's version of this song.....used to sing it all the time. HH's didn't have the depth of musicality, however, that Carpenters gave this great tune.
Goofus - THIS VERSION ROCKS. I'm not a fan of the original version - but I love what was done with it by Carpenters. Heart and Soul good song.
Breakin' Up is Hard To Do - This is one of my favorite covers Carpenters did. It's hard driving, it's crisp, it's clear, it's clever and I love it. The harmonies are perfect, and the guitar and drums work in tandem to bring this gem to life. Excellent job by Carpenters.
B'wanna She No Home - I'm sure Michael Franks did a fine job with this - I know of nothing he's done that wasn't expertly recorded - but having not heard his version, I have no basis of comparison - I do like Carpenter's version of this song - it's just not one of my all round favorites, though.
Man Smart - again - this is a fun listen - I've heard this one done by other folks, and in my estimation, Carpenters kicked with this cover.
Calling Occupants - not one of my all time faves - and I've never heard Klattau do it. I like what Carpenters did with it - just not my favorite listen...
Touch Me When We're Dancing - I had no clue this was done by someone else. I like this song a lot, and love to listen to it by Karen and Richard. I'll give this one to them definitely.
When I fall in Love - There were standards that I felt the arrangement of was better than this one was for Karen. I think it had too much "fluff" in it. Karen sang it expertly, and I would always prefer to hear her do a ballad of this sort rather than Nat Cole - but I was never as crazy about this arrangement as I was, say, I Can Dream, Can't I?
Where do I go From Here - DEFINITELY Carpenters version of this one. What a lovely, heart wrenching song. I love it.
Honolulu city Lights.....Maybe because of who these songs were written for (males) but this list has contained several that are not at the top of my "love em" stack insofar as Carpenters ( or any other artist, really) are concerned. I think this is an okay song - couldn't begin to say who did it better - haven't heard the original version.
Make Believe It's Your First Time - Bobby Vinton, eh? Well, isn't' that interesting. I love his version of "There, I said it again" and always wished Carpenters would have recorded that little gem. However, I much prefer Carpenters version of this than Bobby's version.
Still Crazy - Loved it when I first heard Karen singing it. Karen gets this one hands down.
Rainbow Connection - now really, is there any comparison. Karen Carpenter.....or a FROG? Okay, Karen wins.
Now, for which one is my all time favorite? Even though This Masquerade is my favorite tune in the Carpenter collection, insofar as covers are concerned, I give this one to A Song for You.
Great stuff, Rick. I don't know how you think of these questions, but I think you should probably be a reporter - your mind works like an investigative reporter. I'm sure you'd do quite well in that arena. Thanks for this fun thread.
Tim