There is no K.C without R.C.I found this article to be totally thought provoking. It makes me think of all the "what if's". It makes me really wonder about the personal life of Karen Carpenter. What made her happy? sad? etc.
Did Richard like the control over Karen? or was Karen a natural follower when it came to her older brother?
Carpenters article:
There Is No K.C. Without R.C.
by Paul Grein
June 1991 from the New Carpenters Fan Club Newsletter
From: Patty's Scrapbook
Information found on this page has been furnished by Patty Gursky. Posted here with the kind permission of Patty and Rocky and his excellent Close To You website.
The following is an essay by Paul Grein. Paul has written for Billboard, the Los Angeles Times, and Goldmine. The essay was published in the June 1991 New Carpenters Fan Club Newsletter. This fan club was in existence from 1990 to 1995.
The message, which Karen Carpenter wrote in needlepoint and gave to her brother Richard, was succinct but spoke volumes. On a personal level, it was a touching tribute from a sister to a brother. And, on a professional level, it was a unqualified declaration of loyalty from the star of the act to her lower-profile partner. It must surely be one of Richard's most treasured possessions - and rightly so.
But the sentiment on the needlepoint also symbolizes what troubles me about Karen's life and career. The message was all too true: There was no K.C. without R.C.
Except for four tracks from Karen's solo album which were finally made public in 1989, every song on every Carpenters album is the product of Richard Carpenter's musical vision.
That's not a knock on Richard. His classy production work and tasteful arrangements greatly enhance many of the Carpenters records. Five of Richard's arrangements were nominated for Grammy awards, including his definitive framing of the much-recorded songs Close To You, Superstar and Sing.
My complaint is that we were denied the chance to experience other great producer's visions of Karen. What would Quincy Jones have done with this world-class singer? Or Barry Gibb? Peter Asher? Arif Mardin? We'll never know.
Richard had a very definite vision for Karen; what she was best at, what kinds of songs were right for her, what kinds of accompaniment best suited her. That vision was remarkably far-reaching in the early years, encompassing a wide range of styles and material. The first album runs the gamut from the tender, romantic All Of My Life to the tough, rock accented All I Can Do. The Now And Then album brings together songs associated with Leon Russell, Ruby and the Romantics, Hank Williams, The Crystals and Sesame Street
But Richard's vision narrowed as the years went by. The Carpenters' music became softer, smoother, more middle-of-the-road. Whereas in 1971, Karen was singing such vital, powerful material as Superstar and Rainy Days And Mondays; by 1981, she was reduced to generic MOM/POP (Touch Me When We're Dancing), and inane Doobie Brothers sound alike (Back in My Life Again) and a cutesy-poo remake of another Marvelettes oldie (Beechwood 4-5789).
But even if the Carpenters' music had remained as compelling as it was in 1971 - and even if the Carpenters had remained as hot as they were in those early years - I would still be curious to know what Karen would sound like in different musical settings.
Barbra Streisand - Karen's only serious competition as the preeminent female singer of her generation (and I'll take Karen any day) - has been able to work with a range of producers who have brought out the full range of her talent. Peter Matz, who arranged and conducted The Barbra Steisand Album could not have done Stoney End. Richard Perry, who produced Stoney End could not have done The Way We Were. Marty Paich, who produced The Way We Were, could not have done Guilty. And so on.
Did Richard keep Karen in chains so she couldn't work with other people? No. But by the same token, no one seems to have encouraged her to step out on her own. The record company pretty much left the Carpenters alone to do whatever they wanted. The management company seemed to regard them as low priority.
Certainly the parents weren't going to encourage Karen to go solo. Would Karen have even wanted to step out as a solo performer? Probably not, at least at first. But remember: In the early 70's, Karen was also reluctant to step out from behind the drums to front the act. But everybody realized that it was in the Carpenters' (and Karen's) best interest for her to bite the bullet and do it. She did, and never looked back. By the some token, it might have taken a little prodding to convince Karen that she could make it as a solo artist - that she had the talent; that the public would respond; that Richard would do fine on his own. But once she made the jump, she would likely have been unstoppable.
For one thing, going solo would have neutralized the Carpenter's goody-two-shoes persona. That unfortunate image was rooted in the early publicity angle about clean-cut, all American, brother-sister team from Downey. But if Richard and Karen had formed separate identities at last and moved forward with separate lives and careers, this image would have begun to recede into the past.
Why should Karen have been prodded to go solo of she was more comfortable and secure in the familiar confines of the Carpenters? So she would have continued to grow as an artist, and also because that would have been the best way for her to get the recognition as a world-class singer the she deserved and, no doubt, craved. In citing the great singers of the 70's, people often tended to overlook Karen because she didn't have a solo identity.
Many other great singers have emerged from successful groups and duos. Nat "King" Cole, whose pure tones and conversational style are strikingly similar to Karen's, got his start as a jazz pianist in the King Cole Trio. But he sealed his reputation as one of the century's greatest song stylists with a series of classic solo performances. Gloria Estefan, a pleasing but unspectacular singer whose style has a trace of Karen's warmth and intimacy, has become a household name since stepping out from the Miami Sound Machine. Estefan was given the career advice and encouragement - the friendly shove - that Karen wasn't.
As we all know, Karen did step out on her own in 1979, moving to New York to record an album with Grammy-winning producer Phil Ramone. The genial New Yorker had earned a reputation as one of the finest producers in pop and "soft rock" music. Among his classy, mid-'70s hits: Barbra Streisand's Evergreen, Paul Simon's 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, Billy Joel's Just The Way You Are, and Chicago's Alive Again. With the Carpenters' career in the doldrums in 1979, Karen was lucky to get a chance to work with such an "A List" producer. It is to Ramone's credit that he had his decision based on Karen's immense talent and potential, not her current chart standing.
I'm convinced that the Ramone album could have been Karen's bridge to a successful solo career. It would very likely have spawned a string of hit singles (Lovelines, If I Had You, Make Believe It's Your First Time), earned favorable reviews, sparked career reassessments, and brought Karen a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocal performance. (It would have been her first Grammy nomination since Sing) More important, The success and acclaim would have given Karen a much-needed shot of confidence and made her begin to realize that depth of her talent.
In fairness, some die-hard Carpenter fans aren't impressed by the solo album. They think it sounds too spare; they miss the Carpenters' usual harmonies and flourishes. Fair enough: you can't please everybody. Maybe these fans would have wished that she never left the comfort zone of the Carpenters. But that is no reason not the stretch out and try new things. And for every die-hard Carpenters fan who would have been put off by My Body Keeps Changing My Mind, there would have been another die-hard (like me) who would have loved it. Moreover, the album would likely have brought many lapsed Carpenters fans back into the fold and won over others who had been previously indifferent to the Carpenters.
But it was not to be. In the most fateful chapter in the Carpenters story, the solo album was put on the shelf in early 1980. Karen and Richard reteamed to make a traditional Carpenters album (Made In America) and a classy, but dull TV special (Music, Music, Music). Both were flops. So was Karen's 1980 marriage to "self-styled" real-estate tycoon Tom Burris. With her personal and professional lives both coming apart, It's not surprising that Karen's problem with Anorexia Nervosa became more serious around this time. Perhaps feeling that she had little or no control over her life, Karen may have resolved that food was one area, by God, that she could control. At least, that is the current psychological explanation for the disorder that took Karen's life.
Who is to blame for what happened to Karen? The Bottom-line answer is Karen. Ultimately, we are all responsible for ourselves. Nobody held Karen down. But, by the same token, nobody gave her much of a break, either.
I have ambivalent feelings about the Carpenters. I love their records, of course, and will always. But I also think "The Carpenters" painted Karen into a corner, typecast her, limited her options, stifled her artistic growth.
In my fantasies, "The Carpenters" would have been just the first phase of Karen's career. It would have been followed by many other phases - albums, movies, Broadway shows, solo tours, and yes Carpenters reunion albums and tours. How great it would have been to see the Carpenters on their 20th anniversary tours in 1990, with Karen and Richard teaming up for old and new hits and also presenting songs from their successful solo careers. They would have been able to come back to the Carpenters with fresh ideas and approaches, each reinvigorated by their fruitful collaborations with other artists and producers.
And in my fantasies, Karen would have been a lifetime performer, much like Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald. Certainly, there would have been good years and lean years, as there are for all performers, but a irreplaceable talent like Karen would have endured. I am just one of the millions who mourn Karen. And my loss is dwarfed by Richard's; I lost my favorite singer; he lost his sister, closest friend and business partner.
Richard is no doubt offended by my contention that Karen should have been allowed and encouraged to try a variety of things. I regret that, but not nearly as much as I regret the circumstances of Karen's early and tragic death.
A few years ago, Richard told an interviewer; "Karen and I were meant to work together. Her singing and the way our voices blended and the fact that I could write and arrange was meant to be. And the songs are there to prove it."
The songs are there, and for the most part they are marvelous, but I don't think the Carpenters were pre-ordained to work together exclusively for all time. The simple fact is that the Carpenters were never a 50-50 proposition. Top notch producers and arrangers are in much more abundant supply than world-class singers. Among her contemporaries, Karen had just a few peers (Streisand, Ronstadt, Warwick, Franklin); Richard, on the other hand, is one of dozens of talented producer/arrangers working in pop music.
Desi Arnaz was often asked to explain the success of I Love Lucy. Though he had pioneered the three-camera presence, Arnaz knew that what made that show click was the comic genus of Lucille Ball.
Once, when the New York Times asked him, "If you had to divide the credit between the writers, the directors and the cast, how would you do it"? Arnaz replied: "I would give Lucy ninety percent and divide the other ten percent among the rest of us." Was he being modest or playing humble? No, her was facing facts. It takes nothing away from Desi's immense contributions to the success of I Love Lucy to say that Lucy was the irreplaceable ingredient that made that show a classic. Desi may have been the brains of the act, but Lucy was it's heart and soul.
The same is true of the Carpenters and Karen. I wonder if Karen ever knew how supremely gifted she really was. I wonder if anyone around her ever told her before it was too late.
There is no K.C. without R.C. WOW !! What a powerful statement! This shows the absolute love, belief, dedication, admiration and more that Karen felt toward Richard.
