molee
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Post by molee on Mar 24, 2009 19:39:53 GMT -5
As I have mentioned in a previous thread, although I really like music of the Carpenters, many of their recordings sound sort of dated. (That is why I hope that someday Richard will do a re-mix of their hits in an "unplugged" format with only Richard's piano and Karen's voice). In my humble opinion, there are some original recordings of theirs that still sound pretty good today...classics such as "This Masquerade" and "I Can Dream, Can't I?" These recordings are not overly dubbed with multi-track background vocals and the instrumentation is simple and clean...which allows Karen's voice to REALLY come through. I would be interested in hearing the opinions of others as to what other songs are in this "classic" category.
-Mo Lee
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 24, 2009 21:36:07 GMT -5
 I hear what you're saying Mo Lee... and understand 100% your viewpoint. As for songs I would like to hear unplugged versions (and for me unplugged is also going to include acoustic guitar and some light drums along with the vocal and keyboards)... I would like to hear "Desperado", "Only Yesterday", "It's Going To Take Sometime", "Sweet Sweet Smile", "Maybe It's You", "Road Ode", "Two sides" and "(I'm caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You". To me those are some wonderful classic sounds of the Carpenters. But when it comes to listening to the Carpenters music (as with other older favorites... Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, etc, etc) I do not listen to them because I want to hear the latest in musical technology... but because I enjoy the art and the love and dedication they put into crafting some of the most marvelous pop music of an entire era. I think an unplugged disc would be fine... just to give the fans a little something different... but this would not even come close to ever replacing the brilliance of the originals. They were a fantastic group from the 70's who made some of the very best pop music of the 70's and they utilized the technology of the day to produce their music and I love that sound. I would never want to try and change the Carpenters into a lounge act of the 2000's or a Las Vegas act of the 1940's because that's not what they are or were... they were 100% 70's and I love them for that. I personally love the multi-tracked vocals. This is one of the Carpenters' attributes which attracts me to them. It's one of my favorite parts of their music. It gives their music character and a unique sound all of it's own. Songs like "Only Yesterday" and "Boat To Sail" are dazzling in the intricacies of their vocal arrangements. The luscious sound of the multi-tracked vocals gives the music an overall ethereal heavenly feel. Their vocals are expertly integrated weaving in and out of each other at times becoming one voice in the multitude of layers. What Carpenters did with the multi-tracked vocal effect is one of a kind and makes their music stand out amongst the others. As for the instrumentation... okay I will agree some songs such as "Make Believe It's Your first Time" (from Voice of the Heart) and "Touch Me when We're Dancing", "I Need To Be In Love" are a bit too confectionery (sugary) and at times a bit too much. But the orchestration and musical arrangements in Carpenters music overall is outstanding (dated or not). Their music was precisely produced and contained several little curiosities and surprises around each chorus and verse. Songs like "Another Song" and "B'wana she No Home" are about the closest Carpenters come to genius in the sense of extreme musicianship. and orchestration. "Superstar" is wistful and dramatic, "Road Ode" is pure chill factor. "Solitaire" and "Desperado" sound good enough (just as they are) to be hits today (2009)... those are two songs that I feel have held the test of time and have aged extremely well. I wouldn't change a thing in the music of the Carpenters. The little embellishments Richard adds in some of his re-mastering doesn't bother me because they are little embellishments and do not really change the overall sound or feel of the songs. I love the Carpenters' music immensely just as it is (yeah there are some songs and albums I don't really care for) but overall I think Carpenters music with all it's multi-tracked vocals and dramatic orchestrations is outstanding and wouldn't change a thing about it. That's my viewpoint on the "classic" sound of the Carpenters. Anyhow Mo Lee... as you see sometimes I do get a bit too involved in my thoughts concerning Carpenters' music and vocals. Than you for starting this good and thought provoking thread. By the way Mo Lee with 20 posts you are now almost half way to gaining access to the "Interviews and Commentaries" board. |
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Post by enigma on Mar 25, 2009 6:09:30 GMT -5
maybe the Carpenters music is dated it is limited to the technology available at the time but any artist is a victim of the time in which they recorded their material. Its easy to say any past music is dated based on todays technology but like anything else it is all relative. The Carpenters have held up pretty good sure multi tracking is not used very much today but the Carpenters still sound pretty good and sound technically speaking. I do not support redoing classic songs for the sake of updating them I like different versions of songs but I always want to listen to the original recordings I still like them the best. I am OK with flaws and technical limitations I still like the beatles as they recorded in the 1960s and many other artists as well. Unplugged Carpenters is a good idea I listened to the "naked" versions of alot of Carpenters songs and liked them alot. It would be an interesting avenue for Richard to explore should he choose to do so. Not as a replacement not to update the Carpenters songs but as an alternative. Actually "unplugging" a song takes away the technology and so kind of dates a song its more a throwback to past decades than an advancement. alot of Carpenters songs do the job just great I would not change a note on for example Crescent Noon It has a perfect vocal a low key arrangement and best of all the chill factor I love so well in Carpenters songs Superstar Only Yesterday Yesterday One More etc really need no updating its just great timeless music. Updating any artist is in my opinion just not a good idea if you want the latest technology listen to the latest artists or new albums from the classic artists don't try to rewrite or recapture the past just enjoy the music as it was meant to be heard at the time it was recorded. Thats the E! story   |
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 25, 2009 10:37:38 GMT -5
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molee
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Post by molee on Mar 25, 2009 19:39:34 GMT -5
Sorry, I feel like I didn't quite communicate what I was after. Yes, I believe certain Carpenters songs sound dated and an unplugged re-mix might freshen them up a bit. That does not mean that I dislike the original recordings. I like them alot with their 70's-type sound. I just wish that we could have the Carpenters sound like NOW as well as THEN...I am talking about having BOTH.
What I was originally after in this post was... what recordings in the opinion of the readers sound like "NOW" just the way they are...without any re-mixing. I happen to think "This Masquerade" and "I Can Dream, Can't I?" sound very "NOW" just the way they are...in a jazzy sort of way. Are there other recordings that readers would include as "NOW" sounding? (That is what I meant by "classic").
-Mo Lee
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 26, 2009 1:14:04 GMT -5
Hi Mo Lee... thanks for restating your thoughts... you are a good communicator for taking a second shot at expressing what you meant. I have a lot of respect for that. Anyhow as I mentioned in my previous long winded post... Most everything from "Horizon" (just as is) sounds like it would fit right in with today's music. "Only Yesterday" I feel was way ahead of it's time in that the techniques used in that one particular song were so very advanced in it's day and age. The chorus and verse hooks are a bit dated in style, but musically "Only Yesterday" holds it's own by today's musical standards. "Love Me For What I Am" (with it's sizzling fuzz guitar solo) is quite relevant to today's music... very powerful song. I could see "Desperado" go to #1 on the current day country music charts and on today's pop chart. I think "Desperado" would be excellent in a movie. I kept thinking they should have used that one in "Ghost Rider". I also think "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye And I Love You" would fare well on today's country music chart. "Aurora" and "Eventide" are timeless. And "Solitaire" is a classic no matter what era you put it in. That song could be a hit all over again without changing a thing about. I also think "Two Sides" is perfect just as is and think this could also be a country music hit in 2009. "One More Time" also seems like it would fit right in with today's sounds. "This Masquerade" is quite dazzling. Karen's solo "Guess I Just Lost My Head" would fit perfectly in today's smooth jazz circle (and there's even a light hint of funk in the underlying parts of the music) which is very popular today. But really this is all subjective. There are so many different sounds out there on the current music scene. What most people hear (the popular stuff) is only the tip of the iceberg. There are so many different genres and styles and experimentations and uses of technology on different levels these days... that really most Carpenters songs could easily find a comfortable home with any various genre and sub-genre on the current day music scene. "Another Song" fits quite well in the artsy world of abstract-jazz. "Boat To Sail" would fit quite well on a late night broadcast of a college radio program... they usually will slip in something unique from the hodgepodge of today's newer groups just to stir things up. "Boat To Sail" would be one such sort of sound one would hear in that vain. Overall, I feel that a good percentage of Carpenters music has held up extremely well and still sounds relevant and fresh by today's standards of music and musicianship. I think they are all classic Carpenters recordings. I guess I am too biased to give a simple answer to your question. Good question Mo Lee. |
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Post by cinscorp on Mar 26, 2009 22:34:24 GMT -5
Obviously, some of the music is going to sound dated because, truthfully, it is. But, when you compare most of the Carpenters work to much of the popular music released in the same time frame, I think the Carpenters records still retain a more timeless feel than a majority of the other pop music from the 70s. I had to program decades genres in high school and college when I was music director and DJ for school stations. Some of the pop from the 70s had a sound I would call "tv theme sound". Richard and Karen did a great job of avoiding some of the cliche instrumentation of the time.
That said, I think an unplugged CD sounds really cool. Since I own every Carpenter song that I can purchase (more than a few multiple times) I'd much rather see something "new" like that come out than another compilation like "Carpenters Perform Carpenter" or "The Ultimate Collection", "Anthology", etc. I've made numerous CDs of my own mixes. And I agree with Rick that I'd love to hear it with piano, guitar, drums, etc. Maybe produced in the way Melissa Manchester's "When I Look Down That Road" was produced. Would also be a great time to mix in the "Zodiac Medley".....
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 27, 2009 10:23:32 GMT -5
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molee
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Post by molee on Apr 15, 2009 14:30:29 GMT -5
Wow! Rick, you own every Carpenter's song that can be purchased (plus some)? Is there a list of all those songs? I would like to start keeping score myself. After going to the Downey library and checking out a few of the Carpenters CDs that they have there, I realize that there are MANY Carpenters songs that I have never heard. When I hear them for the first time, it's almost like the Carpenters are still producing new material. (I know that is not the case, but it feels that way to me). A list would be really great so that I have something to compare against and check off.
-Mo Lee
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