Post by Rick Henry on Dec 13, 2003 10:41:48 GMT -5
This is the second radio interview that Cam sent me
KIQQ...Los Angeles...And as our special gift to you on this Christmas eve...share with us the music of Karen Carpenter...It's a Christmas Portrait on KIQQ...(Deck The Halls overture)...
KC-The origional idea that we've had for 8 or 9 years to do this Christmas album...uh...started out with Richar'ds concept to start the album with an overture. So that was the first thing he wanted Peter Knight to orchestrate. And we couldn't have been more pleased. Cause we both feel that Peter is brilliant and it really turned out to be something else...
CHRISTMAS WALTZ...which is an up tune and its, the message of the tune is very basic which is just, its that time of the year...to be the best time of year and it's a beautiful song...it's a happy way to start out an album.
SLEIGH RIDE was one of the songs that we recorded for our first Christmas special and that was done by Billy May, who again is a brilliant orchestrator. Uh from the old school, he hasn't changed a bit and he's just got his own type of talent. And it really worked well on the show and again it cross faded right out of the Christmas waltz. It's a lovely piece.
The next two or three, I correct myself, uh, songs. There are 2 versions of IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME. There's a piano/vocal version and then the Singers do their version. Then it goes right into a song called SLEEP WELL LITTLE CHILDREN. Uh these are two of my favorites...not only to sing but to listen to, but also because we've taken a lot of this material off of this album from the origional Spike Jones Christmas album, which is, in our opinion, practically the best Christmas album ever recorded! It's just a happy feeling that sticks with you all the time. I enjoy doing this type of music all year round which has been proved because it took us 14 months to cut this album. And while people are walking down the aisles saying, what in heaven's name are you doing Christmas stuff in the middle of August? It never occured to me cause I could do it anytime, day or night, aytime of the year.
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS is one of the all time standards. And that is one thing Rich wanted to get into this album. He wanted to combine standards with contemporary and some fo the more classical type things like AVE MARIA and CHRIST IS BORN. Billy did a beautiful arrangement on this tune and I think it was one of my favorite to sing.
THE CHRISTMAS SONG is something we've always wanted to do. And even though it's nearly impossible to match Nat King Coles' version. We wanted to do it anyway because we had such fond feelings for this song.
SILENT NIGHT was another that Peter Knight arranged. Incidently he also did all the orchestra arranging and also, all the choir. And it takes on a little different feel. It's just uh...there's really no rhythm to it. It's just choir and myself, and then the orchestra comes in. And it's just very basic. It's a song that is really over sung by all types and everybody, and you never really stop to think how beautiful a song it is.
JINGLE BELLS, the way we did it, Rich wanted to get in the toy soldiers feel to it. So right in the middle of it, it was brilliantly executed with the instrumentation that Peter chose. Again it's a fast hitting up thing. And it's just a song that everybody knows and loves.
THE FIRST SNOWFALL and LET IT SNOW is another combination of tunes that we have living with off of the Spike Jones Christmas album for years. And it's just something we've always wanted to do. Because they're both beautiful songs. We've used that on the last Christmas special and then we did in our Christmas live show in Vegas and Lake Tahoe. No matter which song we talk about, it's just an overall terrific feeling. I listen to it all the time. It just makes me feel good.
CAROL OF THE BELLS is a song Richard discoverd maybe 3 or 4 years ago when we di the Perry Como Christmas show. It was suggested to Richard by Ray Charles, the choral Ray Charles, to do as a piano solo. And Richard loved it so that he wanted to use it as a piano number in the album. And it's a terrific chart!
MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING, I think is a little extra special to both of us, because well, Richard wrote it. And the lyrics were written by the choral conductor at Long Beach State Choir where we went to school, Frank Pooler. And Frank was very heflpful in our college days, while we were trying to get a contract and constantly missing classes and everything. He was the only one down there that actually understood what we were after. And he stuck behind us all the way. And we just did a benefit at Long Beach State for a scholership fund and we did it with a choir and the whole thing-and he just glows everytime we do it-it's a beautiful song. I think it's my favorite cuz it's really close to me.
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS agains is another classic standard. And with Peter's treatment...just became evem more special. To sing these songs is something that gives me more pleasure that I can really put into words. Just taking all of theses tunes, we still, I think we came out with 29 songs. We've got at least another 12 in the can that we couldn't finish and we couldn't stuff on the album, like LITTLE ALTAR BOY and uh...oh all sorts of them. We were dying cuz we couldn't stuff them on the record you held we held the label up. But there are so many beautiful Christmas songs that, where do you stop? You Know I mean, we were pulling our hair out trying to decide but it's just a lovely thought and it's a beautiful tune.
CHRIST IS BORN was a piece that we came across when we were in school. The choir did it at one of their concerts. And we were so taken by it that Richard remembered it and we did it with 2 choirs...as a matter of fact, I think we were 80. And it's different, uh, it's in a different vein...It's a little more serious but the beauty of it hold it's own.
The next medley, kind of, WINTER WONDERLAND, SILVER BELLS and WHITE CHRISTMAS is something we also did on the first Christmas show. And uh, it covers 3 different areas of songs. WINTER WONDERLAND is just an all out terrific piece. And then Richard put WHITE CHRISTMAS at the end. SILVER BELLS was done in the Spike Jones mode with all the silliness going on and it goes right into WHITE CHRISTMAS, which there wouldn't be a an album without WHITE CHRISTMAS. Especially since the loss of Bing, which I know that the whole, entire world feels. And it even has a more special meaning now. I just hope that people think I do justice to it, you know, because I know that it's impossible to touch Bing's because he's my favorite human. Nobody could touch Bing!
The AVE MARIA we were, uh, going back and forth between the Bach-Gounod version and the Schubert. And we had them both cut. When it came down to the last choice, we didn't have anymore time to cut the other one. Richard felt he wanted to go with this one which is the Bach-Gounod because it was less known and it uh...we felt that even though they are both gorgeous that this was just a touch classier. And uh again, Richard has always leaned to the side of doing things that aren't run into the ground...you know. And Peter did an absolutely unbelievable job on the chart. And I enjoyed singing it more than ever cuz I never...uh...it was quite an undertaking!
KIQQ...Los Angeles...And as our special gift to you on this Christmas eve...share with us the music of Karen Carpenter...It's a Christmas Portrait on KIQQ...(Deck The Halls overture)...
KC-The origional idea that we've had for 8 or 9 years to do this Christmas album...uh...started out with Richar'ds concept to start the album with an overture. So that was the first thing he wanted Peter Knight to orchestrate. And we couldn't have been more pleased. Cause we both feel that Peter is brilliant and it really turned out to be something else...
CHRISTMAS WALTZ...which is an up tune and its, the message of the tune is very basic which is just, its that time of the year...to be the best time of year and it's a beautiful song...it's a happy way to start out an album.
SLEIGH RIDE was one of the songs that we recorded for our first Christmas special and that was done by Billy May, who again is a brilliant orchestrator. Uh from the old school, he hasn't changed a bit and he's just got his own type of talent. And it really worked well on the show and again it cross faded right out of the Christmas waltz. It's a lovely piece.
The next two or three, I correct myself, uh, songs. There are 2 versions of IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME. There's a piano/vocal version and then the Singers do their version. Then it goes right into a song called SLEEP WELL LITTLE CHILDREN. Uh these are two of my favorites...not only to sing but to listen to, but also because we've taken a lot of this material off of this album from the origional Spike Jones Christmas album, which is, in our opinion, practically the best Christmas album ever recorded! It's just a happy feeling that sticks with you all the time. I enjoy doing this type of music all year round which has been proved because it took us 14 months to cut this album. And while people are walking down the aisles saying, what in heaven's name are you doing Christmas stuff in the middle of August? It never occured to me cause I could do it anytime, day or night, aytime of the year.
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS is one of the all time standards. And that is one thing Rich wanted to get into this album. He wanted to combine standards with contemporary and some fo the more classical type things like AVE MARIA and CHRIST IS BORN. Billy did a beautiful arrangement on this tune and I think it was one of my favorite to sing.
THE CHRISTMAS SONG is something we've always wanted to do. And even though it's nearly impossible to match Nat King Coles' version. We wanted to do it anyway because we had such fond feelings for this song.
SILENT NIGHT was another that Peter Knight arranged. Incidently he also did all the orchestra arranging and also, all the choir. And it takes on a little different feel. It's just uh...there's really no rhythm to it. It's just choir and myself, and then the orchestra comes in. And it's just very basic. It's a song that is really over sung by all types and everybody, and you never really stop to think how beautiful a song it is.
JINGLE BELLS, the way we did it, Rich wanted to get in the toy soldiers feel to it. So right in the middle of it, it was brilliantly executed with the instrumentation that Peter chose. Again it's a fast hitting up thing. And it's just a song that everybody knows and loves.
THE FIRST SNOWFALL and LET IT SNOW is another combination of tunes that we have living with off of the Spike Jones Christmas album for years. And it's just something we've always wanted to do. Because they're both beautiful songs. We've used that on the last Christmas special and then we did in our Christmas live show in Vegas and Lake Tahoe. No matter which song we talk about, it's just an overall terrific feeling. I listen to it all the time. It just makes me feel good.
CAROL OF THE BELLS is a song Richard discoverd maybe 3 or 4 years ago when we di the Perry Como Christmas show. It was suggested to Richard by Ray Charles, the choral Ray Charles, to do as a piano solo. And Richard loved it so that he wanted to use it as a piano number in the album. And it's a terrific chart!
MERRY CHRISTMAS DARLING, I think is a little extra special to both of us, because well, Richard wrote it. And the lyrics were written by the choral conductor at Long Beach State Choir where we went to school, Frank Pooler. And Frank was very heflpful in our college days, while we were trying to get a contract and constantly missing classes and everything. He was the only one down there that actually understood what we were after. And he stuck behind us all the way. And we just did a benefit at Long Beach State for a scholership fund and we did it with a choir and the whole thing-and he just glows everytime we do it-it's a beautiful song. I think it's my favorite cuz it's really close to me.
I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS agains is another classic standard. And with Peter's treatment...just became evem more special. To sing these songs is something that gives me more pleasure that I can really put into words. Just taking all of theses tunes, we still, I think we came out with 29 songs. We've got at least another 12 in the can that we couldn't finish and we couldn't stuff on the album, like LITTLE ALTAR BOY and uh...oh all sorts of them. We were dying cuz we couldn't stuff them on the record you held we held the label up. But there are so many beautiful Christmas songs that, where do you stop? You Know I mean, we were pulling our hair out trying to decide but it's just a lovely thought and it's a beautiful tune.
CHRIST IS BORN was a piece that we came across when we were in school. The choir did it at one of their concerts. And we were so taken by it that Richard remembered it and we did it with 2 choirs...as a matter of fact, I think we were 80. And it's different, uh, it's in a different vein...It's a little more serious but the beauty of it hold it's own.
The next medley, kind of, WINTER WONDERLAND, SILVER BELLS and WHITE CHRISTMAS is something we also did on the first Christmas show. And uh, it covers 3 different areas of songs. WINTER WONDERLAND is just an all out terrific piece. And then Richard put WHITE CHRISTMAS at the end. SILVER BELLS was done in the Spike Jones mode with all the silliness going on and it goes right into WHITE CHRISTMAS, which there wouldn't be a an album without WHITE CHRISTMAS. Especially since the loss of Bing, which I know that the whole, entire world feels. And it even has a more special meaning now. I just hope that people think I do justice to it, you know, because I know that it's impossible to touch Bing's because he's my favorite human. Nobody could touch Bing!
The AVE MARIA we were, uh, going back and forth between the Bach-Gounod version and the Schubert. And we had them both cut. When it came down to the last choice, we didn't have anymore time to cut the other one. Richard felt he wanted to go with this one which is the Bach-Gounod because it was less known and it uh...we felt that even though they are both gorgeous that this was just a touch classier. And uh again, Richard has always leaned to the side of doing things that aren't run into the ground...you know. And Peter did an absolutely unbelievable job on the chart. And I enjoyed singing it more than ever cuz I never...uh...it was quite an undertaking!