|
|
Post by GoodOldDreams on Oct 18, 2006 0:08:32 GMT -5
Here's is a video clip of Richard singing "Together at Christmas Again" on the Japanese documentary "Carpenters Forever." I think it is one of his best vocals, and can imagine Karen singing it as well! youtube.com/watch?v=qxeJvBknisc |
|
|
|
Post by wisejester7 on Oct 18, 2006 7:43:21 GMT -5
Thank you for posting this link.
Richard does sound really good!
It's a given that Karen would have sounded marvelous.
|
|
|
|
Post by enigma on Oct 18, 2006 8:52:01 GMT -5
Yes I saw this one when I first got the Carpenters Forever documentary a few years ago and I immediately loved it and if Karen sang it wow we can dream can't we? wish a completed version of this song would show up somewhere a nice song.
|
|
|
|
Post by BethMosior on Oct 19, 2006 0:49:57 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 19, 2006 9:31:09 GMT -5
Yes, I'd found this one some time ago on YouTube, as well - what a nice video this is. Any ideas "when" it was done? Richard is in good, natural sounding voice, here. What a beautiful song. I'm going to have to learn this one! Thanks for the link, Dreams. Tim  |
|
|
|
Post by wisejester7 on Oct 19, 2006 10:11:02 GMT -5
Yes, I'd found this one some time ago on YouTube, as well - what a nice video this is. Any ideas "when" it was done? Richard is in good, natural sounding voice, here. What a beautiful song. I'm going to have to learn this one! Thanks for the link, Dreams. Tim What range do you sing in? Are you a tenor? |
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 19, 2006 10:29:04 GMT -5
Yes, I'd found this one some time ago on YouTube, as well - what a nice video this is. Any ideas "when" it was done? Richard is in good, natural sounding voice, here. What a beautiful song. I'm going to have to learn this one! Thanks for the link, Dreams. Tim What range do you sing in? Are you a tenor?  WJ7 - more like a Baritone, but I can sing tenor when required.  Tim |
|
|
|
Post by GoodOldDreams on Oct 19, 2006 12:38:02 GMT -5
Yes, I'd found this one some time ago on YouTube, as well - what a nice video this is. Any ideas "when" it was done? Richard is in good, natural sounding voice, here. What a beautiful song. I'm going to have to learn this one! Thanks for the link, Dreams. Tim Hi Tim, I am glad to do it, especially for a still relatively undiscovered gem like this one. At this point all I know is that this clip is from the Japanese documentary "Carpenters Forever" (which has to be made at least a few years ago, if not much longer) and this song had not been released in its final form yet. (enigma, do you know exactly when the documentary was made?) According to a question-and-answer posed on the official Carpenters site some time ago (which may not still be current now that Becky is leaving and will not be available to update on behalf of Richard) — [yellow]Q: [/yellow]Fans are dying to know if Richard plans on releasing his Christmas album, the one that includes 'Together at Christmas' Again." [yellow]A: [/yellow]Yes, hopefully in 2005, but I am taking my sweet time to make certain that the album is something I will be very happy with at its conclusion. I do apologize for taking so long. BTW, Tim, we would enjoy hearing your version of this song for the holidays! |
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 20, 2006 9:28:16 GMT -5
 Hi Dreams - I just listened to it again - and it's not a tough song to do, (chord) change-wise - some very nice chords used here - very jazz oriented chord changes, like the chromatics he uses - standard stuff, but nicely voiced piano chords..... and it's nice that the video actually has the lyrics printed at the bottom. A couple of questions for anyone who can answer them. Did Richard write this? Of course, it sounds as if he did write it, about he and Karen. The lyrics are quite touching, especially in that regard. I have never heard Richard use such a natural sounding, sort of "lounge-y" type of voice - as if he were playing / singing in a piano bar setting. It's a nice sound considering he's usually so polished and structured. This "unplugged" sound suits him well. Perhaps it's just the immeise emotion he obviously sings this song with - but he really does a great job. I do remember reading that clip in Fans Ask on his site about a new Christmas Album. I wonder, since we haven't heard anything yet, if this album will be released for THIS Christmas. I know he said he wanted to take his time with it - but I would sure like to hear the full-length CD. If all his tunes are as fine as this one, this will be a definite shining star in my Christmas Collection. Just some Friday morning thoughts! Tim
|
|
|
|
Post by Rick Henry on Oct 20, 2006 12:22:42 GMT -5
Richard hasn't made mention about this project in about a year now. I wonder if it's still in progress.
At one point I heard mention that Petula Clark would be lending her lead vocal to one of the songs.
It was also mentioned at one point that there would be a previously unreleased track from the "Christmas Portrait" sessions with Karen on lead - that alone would be worth it's weight in GOLD. |
|
|
|
Post by wisejester7 on Oct 20, 2006 13:52:10 GMT -5
I know that Richard is known for his perfection and he likes to bide his time, but I fear (and in light of Becky leaving the official web pages) that Richard might be spending his energies in a different direction.
|
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 20, 2006 14:16:12 GMT -5
 WJ7 I share that fear. In order to see who wrote this, I did a google search - cannot find anything that tells me who composed it - so I'm guessing, then that it is, for sure, Rich. The lyrics too closely resemble his relationship with either Karen or his parents for this NOT to be his lyrics, but I'm thinking perhaps he worked with Bettis, or Pamela Oland Phillips when writing it. He has worked with both, successfully. I can't find a thing to give us a bit more insight, however. Maybe someone else will be luckier than I. I fear that Becky's leaving will put a halt to a lot of things - the one I fear the most is the website. I wish he'd let me do it from long distance, but I doubt seriously if that idea would fly. Plus, I don't have the wherewithall to do the actual programming stuff. It would be fun to be able to work so closely on this ONE THING with him, though. Maybe.....  He had requested the snapshots I'd taken both of their 1971 visit to Missouri and their 1973 visit, and I had sent them to Becky, who had printed them off and had them in a folder to organize and give Richard...however, he never got to see them at her hand, as he had her too busy doing other things. Therefore....I wonder, will he ever get to see them, and will he have a clue what he's looking at if he does? Hmmm.... Tim PS - I decided to just write Richard via his website to A) See if he was going to keep it alive and B) to see if he would ANSWER me, and C) to find out if he did, indeed, compose this song. So, I guess we'll see if he even reads his mail, yes? I also gave him the URL to the page with his card on it, in case he wanted to look at it "online." Just an FYI. tsp
|
|
|
|
Post by GoodOldDreams on Oct 20, 2006 15:04:42 GMT -5
Okay, here's the scoop from my research:
The video credits R. Carpenter / P. P. Oland at the beginning of the clip. Hence, Pamela Phillips Oland must have been the lyricist for this song. According to her own website, Pamela co-wrote a total of eight Christmas songs with Richard for his forthcoming holiday album, as well as the song "All Those Years Ago" performed by Petula Clark. An instrumental version of "All Those Years Ago" is featured on Richard's 1998 CD "Richard Carpenter: Pianist-Arranger-Composer-Conductor."
|
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 20, 2006 15:30:03 GMT -5
Well thanks, Dreams. Even though I got her name backwards, I thought Pamela might have had a hand in it.
|
|
|
|
Post by wisejester7 on Oct 23, 2006 13:51:53 GMT -5
TOGETHER AT CHRISTMAS AGAIN
R. CARPENTER / P. P. OLAND
Traces of summer have long departed
Ribbons of autumn at an end
My winter's reverie returns to you and me
Together at Christmas again
Where did the year go It's late December
And I've been missing you my friend
There's catching up to do we're more than over due
Together at Christmas again
It seems like yesterday that we were kids at play
Sharing every dream that we owned
There's still a part of you that's with me everyday
This friendship that we've known will never slip away
So...
If I don't call you don't ever worry
I always hold you in my heart
Days turn into weeks the months turn into years
But still somehow we've been Together at Christmas again
Days turn into weeks
The months turn into years
But still somehow we've been
Together at Christmas again
|
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 23, 2006 14:09:04 GMT -5
Wow, that was a nice thing, WJ7, to post the lyrics. The more I hear this song, the more I like it. I tried it yesterday - as soon as I'm comfortable with the lyrics, I'll give it a go recording it. Very nice, indeed. Dave tells me he got an email from Richard, as apparently Dave sent Richard a birthday greeting directly to the Morriscove address on the website. Richard responded personally to Dave, thanking him for the greeting. So, since he appears to be reading the web mail, perhaps he will respond to me, as well. Time will tell. It would be nice if I could post something from him about his birthday card, I think. Best to all, Tim
|
|
|
|
Post by wisejester7 on Oct 23, 2006 16:44:41 GMT -5
Wow, that was a nice thing, WJ7, to post the lyrics. The more I hear this song, the more I like it. I tried it yesterday - as soon as I'm comfortable with the lyrics, I'll give it a go recording it. Very nice, indeed. Dave tells me he got an email from Richard, as apparently Dave sent Richard a birthday greeting directly to the Morriscove address on the website. Richard responded personally to Dave, thanking him for the greeting. So, since he appears to be reading the web mail, perhaps he will respond to me, as well. Time will tell. It would be nice if I could post something from him about his birthday card, I think. Best to all, Tim T-man . . . Do you sound out the music or did you find it written out somewhere? Perhaps you just got it from watching Richard play it on YouTube!? |
|
|
|
Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Oct 23, 2006 20:48:02 GMT -5
|
|
it 
may be a Christmas present yes we can dream can't we 
