Post by Rick Henry on Feb 1, 2008 21:55:14 GMT -5
As February 4th approaches I felt it appropriate to discuss Karen's solo album. This was a work which was very near and dear to her (and a work that I feel is outstanding).
The night before her passing she had been speaking with Phil Ramone and mentioned how great of a record she thought her solo album was. To her very last day she was still talking about her album.
Occasionally I like bringing some of what's happening on The Carpenters Online to the Avenue... and vice versa.
Here's an article I posted on the blog at MySpace. This article actually first appeared on the original Carpenters Online web site about 2 years ago.
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Karen Carpenter worked on her solo album in 1979 and 1980. the proposed release date was for mid 1980. Though, due to unclear reasons, this fantastic jazz influenced album was not released until 1996.
Karen Carpenter loved this album. This was a highlight in her life. She thought the album was great.
The following are comments on Karen Carpenter's solo album from dedicated fans.
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Cameron Longo says:
Karen Carpenter really took on this album as a labor of love. She put so much work into it, even denying herself a visit to the famous Studio 54. Imagine if she had gone to Studio 54 and how she would have been recieved and all the stories...it would have made headline news.
I love the lavish, sexy photos of her. She looked hip and attractive. People would have been HUH upon seeing photos of her. People that were used to her bland image as The Carpenters, would have taken notice of this really attractive vibrant woman. They would have seen her in a new light.
The songs of the 9 Unreleased songs that should have been released would be Don't Try To Win Me Back Again...Love Making Love to You...and the attractive MIDNIGHT song.
Karen really did some very intricite, highly stylish vocal overdubs. Listening to them, showcases how much work and effort she contributed to this project. Way more attractive than what the Carpenters sound was, and they had a beautiful sound.
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Wisejester7 says:
Karen's solo album gave her the opportunity to work as an artist of equal status with other musicians. She didn't really have to take a second seat to anyone.
Her steps of independence provides us with a glimpse of what types of music and where Karen was heading musically at the time. Quite interesting!
*That said, I don't think Karen was even close to thinking about breaking up the Carpenters. She just saw an opportunity and took it. Who can blame a person for that?
**Karen DID dedicate the album to Richard, after all.
I very much like Karen's song choices ... and it goes without need of saying that her performances are fantastic. Karen ranges from simple, to jazzy, to quite intricate vocalizations.
Her voice is not one that can be duplicated. She truly had a far superior vocal command presence. Her's is a voice that comes only once a generation ... if that often.
When finally free to make an album, Karen probably had so many ideas in her mind she wanted to try. Her creative energy levels were more than ready to be put through their paces.
The result is a highly artistic album. Karen's vocals (lead, harmony, and background work) are fantastic!
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Tim San Paolo says:
What do I like about Karen's solo album? I like the fact that she had the guts to get out there and make it. Think about the fact that she KNEW, beyond a shadow of any doubt, that Richard didn't want her to even conceive of the IDEA of striking out on her own, for whatever project it was, much less her own ALBUM!!! And, I can only imagine what her parents thought of the idea. I'm sure if Richard didn't like the idea, mom Carpenter certainly would have thought it the wrong thing to do, as well...I'm not so sure Harold had opinions that were heard much. Then of course, there were the powers-that-be at A&M, and again, I'm pretty sure there wasn't much support for Karen to make this solo album.
NEVERTHELESS....even knowing all this controversy existed, she went forward with it.
I love the fact that she had the album produced by Phil Ramone. What other record producer was (is) as creative and on the cutting edge as Phil? So, Karen was quite wise in her choice, here.
Of course, there are the vocal acrobatics of Rod Temperton. Man, oh man, can he ever write some creative, and complicated vocals. And Karen pulled them off beautifully (of course!).
And then, there was the fact that Karen used members of Billy Joel's band (at that time) to lay down the instrumentation. What great choices - Russell Javors, David Brown, Liberty DeVitto, Doug Stegmeyer...and the other musicians - Rob Mounsey, Greg Phillinganes, Bob James - all outstanding keyboardists. Whew! These were (are) some hot players.
The selections were incredible. Karen showcased her voice so well with these selections - from the wonderful If I Had You, through Makin' Love in the Afternoon with Peter Cetera, to Remember When Lovin' Took All Night, to All Because of You, to My Body Keeps Changing My Mind, to Last One Singin; the Blues!
I'm all about the selected songs - the way that Karen sang them - the unbelievable vocal harmonies that Karen sang each note of - and how intricate these are...just outstanding. The music is fresh - it's crisp - it's edgy (for the time, it was right on target), and still, it stands up, making it timeless, as well.
I just don't think there was anything Karen couldn't have sung, had she wanted to. She could pull off anything with finesse, and panache. She was one of a kind, and this solo effort is wonderful. I heard just the other day someone say that it was shelved because it was no good. Oh, I think just the opposite is true - I think A&M and the others who said "no" were saying it because the Carpenters, as a duo, needed to get back into the spotlight - and having this record out there for everyone to hear may have opened just a few too many doors just for Karen, that some didn't want opened (too wide, anyway) at that point. I haven't met any Carpenters fan who really didn't like Karen's solo effort...it was, and it remains, a real ambitious enterprise. Kudos to all who were involved.
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GoodOldDreams says:
I like the bold experimental nature of Karen's solo album, and how it puts Karen's voice in new contexts and genres. It gave her the freedom explore other avenues of vocal expression and assert more mature attitudes about love and her own public image, a rare opportunity for her to find and define her personal musical niche. In many ways, we get to know Karen better by the extent of her adventurous spirit and unfiltered personal musical tastes.
Now for some of the more "controversial" and debatable aspects of this album:
? Although I heard the more lush Carpenters cover version of "Make Believe It's Your First Time" initially and was not "wowed" by it, the simple and elegant original solo version by Karen (when it was finally released years later) made me cultivate a new appreciation for the song and its potentials.
? By some accounts, Richard said the solo album stole the stacked "Carpenters" sound that he perfected, but Karen's inimitable trademark voice is all her own, and her unembellished voice on songs on songs such as "Make Believe It's Your First Time" are among her strongest numbers on the album. The complex vocal layering in "If I Had You" pushes the envelope even when compared to the trademark vocal stacking for the Carpenters.
? Although Richard advised her against doing disco (odd, considering Karen sang "Boogie Nights" and there was a instrumental version of "Do the Hustle" on their TV specials), Karen dared to venture out with "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind" and wonderful jazzy/disco-tinged "Lovelines", showing that she really had moxie!
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Rick Henry says:
I particularly love this album as I feel of everything Karen ever recorded this is her most personal and adventurous work. Karen so much put her heart and soul into each and every one of these songs and she completely and totally loved this album. She felt it was a great album and she really wanted her fans to love it also. Of course I love this album from beginning to end.
Probably one feature on this album that stands out to me is the intense musical arrangements. Bob James (the jazz master) composed most of these arrangements (as well as some done by Rod Temperton, Rob Mounsey, Russell Javors and Peter Cetera). Bob James (and the others) kept the focus of this album on contemporary jazz sounds with a slight edge of funk in the mix. The musicianship was very contemporary for it's time - some even to the point of being cutting edge. There was quite a bit of fine artistry put into the musical arrangements of this album. Which I feel had it been released the album would have been a guidepost (of sorts) for others from the '70's to follow.
I feel this album shows that Karen was a leader and an innovator in creating new and contemporary sounds for the decade ahead of her.
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Here are some of the responses from people who read this article...
Karen's solo album, as documented in several sources, was truly Karen's emancipation proclomation and something she was very proud of doing. I think that she probably found herself more "in tune" with it as time went on, and one of the reasons that there was so long of a period of time in making it, along with Karen's own money. I believe that it was something that Karen would have done again and that the original was one of the better recordings at the time.
The excellent arrangements by Rod Temperton, the excellent musicianship and marvelous production and everything else associated with the album were the things that kept Karen going AND growing as an artist at a time when her health was still failing her.
I love this album very much and am glad to have finally had the chance to hear it.
Biggest "missed opportunity": 1) If I Had You SHOULD have been released as a Karen Carpenter solo, not as a Carpenter's release. 2) "Love Making Love To You" is a fantastic hit and should have been included on the "official" release; I think that both of these could have been extremely beneficial to Karen's career at the time. However, I think it also could have contributed, had it have been released, to the demise of the Carpenter's continued success.
Posted by Kenny Peters on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 7:24 AM
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Jacqui says:
I love this album first because it is Karen's album. But also because the songs really make you happy it is a feel good album and it is a total different <myspace>style</myspace> from all the other carpenters albums but that is the special something. I will always love this album and I am very happy that I could buy it used for a sensibel price because now it is not available any more or only for prices that only a popstar could pay. I would also love that they press it new! I am sure if someone would invest a good marketing then this album would hit number one as for example Elvis still does. My favourite song is Remember when loving took all night! Just wonderful RIP Karen A star on earth - a star in heaven!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by The official Jacqui Myspace! on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 7:25 AM
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I adored this album and eagerly snap up anything Karen Carpenter sang. Her voice is inimitable, timeless and forever unchanged. We will never have the opportunity to hear a new song by her- our loss. I do wish more of her songs had been released when she was still alive.
Posted by Ladytigress on Thursday, December 27, 2007 at 7:46 PM
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I believe, had Karen been able to release this album, it could have given her the confidence and control needed to aid in the recovery of anorexia. Anorexia is about control, something Karen did not have much of in her life. If it wasn't her parents, it was Richard or the producers, and she could never feel independent. I do not mean to put down anyone in Karen's life that, in a way, controlled her, but being the sweet person she was, she would never defy Richard or her parents. This album released all of that stored up independence and is a WONDERFUL album from beginning to end. It definitely would have been a hit had it been released in 1980. This album was Karen's pride and joy and she put all of her heart and soul into it. If you notice, after receiving poor reviews from Richard and A&M and being, almost forced, not to release it, she lost control of her battle with anorexia. After the album was shelved in 1980, she still had her marriage to look forward to and sustain her. After realizing what a jerk her husband was, she felt completely helpless. Her album and her marriage had been shelved without her even having a say, and 1981 saw Karen at her thinnest and she would continue to be at her thinnest until sometime in 1982, when weight was artificially put onto her body. If you put a bunch of pictures and or videos together in order of year, you will see the decline in her weight. It is typical that, when an artist releases their first album, which, in this case, this was "Karen's" first album, it receives the title of the artist's name. In this particular case, the album could not have received a more deserved title, being that, this is "Karen Carpenter's" heart and soul in a material form.
Posted by Joey on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 7:06 PM
and it's been 25 years I think 
what a WONDERFUL PERSON inside and outside 
WHAT A VOICE, DRUMMER & PERSON 
her solo work should soooooooo much of what she could do 
my jaw still drops everytime I hear the cd 
WOOOOOOOOW 
