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Someday
Jul 4, 2004 19:24:22 GMT -5
Post by BethMosior on Jul 4, 2004 19:24:22 GMT -5
Wow what a wonderful song, I love the 1st time Karen sang this, from the album ' Ticket to Ride ' and the final time she sang this on the TV special Music, Music, Music. Karen really was amazing even when I believe 19 years old or 17 can't remember, when Karen recorded it but it sure is very, very beautiful and very greatly done in thier young, budding careers
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Someday
Jul 4, 2004 22:48:31 GMT -5
Post by Rob813 on Jul 4, 2004 22:48:31 GMT -5
Beth, I agree it is a lovely song. I believe Karen was 19 when she recorded it. What is astounding is the fact that it was discovered quite late, by singers standards, that Karen had the singing abilitity she possessed. Most people know from when they are very young (5 and up) that they have the ability to sing. Richard worked with Karen when she was 16, lowering a song's range until they both "discovered" THAT voice. Sixteen years old is quite unusual in show biz terms. And, Karen never had a voice lesson - wow. What a natural gift she had. "Someday" reflects her vocal power.
Rob
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Post by Rick Henry on Jul 5, 2004 1:02:51 GMT -5
"Someday" is definitely a beautiful song, and Karen's vocal performance is well seasoned way beyond the young 19 that she was when she recorded it. When I hear people saying that Christina Aguilera is the best female vocalist of the current day, I just think that if this is the standard of today than it has dropped somewhat from the days when Karen was around. Not to say Christina is a bad singer, she's just fine, but really not even close to singers like Karen Carpenter, Donna Summer, Cass Elliott, Marilyn McCoo, Gladys Knight, Gloria Estefan, Roberta Flack, k.d. lang, and so forth. Really in my mind the finest female vocalists on the current scene are Diana Krall, Norah Jones, and Sarah Brightman. just my thoughts...
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Someday
Jul 5, 2004 12:17:57 GMT -5
Post by enigma on Jul 5, 2004 12:17:57 GMT -5
Karen "discovered" her voice at a later age because believe it or not she did not think she was a good singer and concentrated on drumming. She initially resisted singing until Richard convinced and encouraged her to sing. This development in voice and vocal confidence is easily heard from album to album and year to year. Someday is a beautiful song and I like to listen to Karens younger voice and see how far it came.
As for Christina Agulara I feel she has a very good voice and I am not really a fan. Beautiful is a great vocal performance by any standards. I just find she does not use her voice as well as she is capable of. As far as a modern voice I like Gloria Estefan's voice personally in fact it is second to Karens as far as I'm concerned. I don't think anybody's voice is as good as Karen's
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Someday
Jul 5, 2004 19:30:56 GMT -5
Post by beaner on Jul 5, 2004 19:30:56 GMT -5
Hi there,
I have not heard that Karen didn't think she was a good singer because she does refer to herself as a drummer who sings so she did think she could sing and knew she was good. However, what I do recall is that she didn't think she sang good on "Someday". I totally disagree. I think she sings it beautifully and it is a great song. Powerful!
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Post by Rick Henry on Jul 6, 2004 1:02:42 GMT -5
Hi Beaner, I recall hearing somewhere (maybe it was in the Ray Coleman book), that Karen didn't realize she could sing until the age of 16, by then she had already been playing drums for a few years.
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Post by enigma on Jul 6, 2004 9:10:26 GMT -5
Thats what I was referring to yes she said she was a drummer that could sing but early on she did not feel she was a good singer and had to be encouraged both her and Richard have stated this(I never read Ray Colemans book). Once she realised she could sing the rest was history. As Rick said this was in her early teens before she released her first solo songs. I take the statement "she was a drummer who sings" as emphasizing her drumming over her singing. I am sure she knew she was a good singer later on as everybody did but I always got the impression she wanted to be seen as a drummer first then a singer rather than vice versa (which is the popular concensus). Remember she did not like her vocal on Ticket to Ride as well and rerecorded it for the singles album so Someday was not the only song she was dissatisfied with (I think both original vocals were fine but I am not a perfectionist either...not that there's anything wrong with that).
KAC Fan 4 Life!!!!
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Someday
Jul 6, 2004 10:14:19 GMT -5
Post by beaner on Jul 6, 2004 10:14:19 GMT -5
Wow, Enigma. I didn't realize Karen was unhappy with her vocal on Ticket to Ride also. She sounded great to me, especially the second verse when she puts more emphasis on it. A big ditto on KAC Fan for life!!!!
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Someday
Jul 6, 2004 23:50:52 GMT -5
Post by Rob813 on Jul 6, 2004 23:50:52 GMT -5
I was just thinking of something else to contribute to this topic. Karen and Richard were well aware of the power in Karen's voice in the lower registers. As the years progressed, Karen "grew into" the belief that she possessed a great talent (I believe). She, however, considered her upper register as only good for background vocals on Carpenter songs. When she teamed with Phil Ramone in 1979 for the solo work, she choose to explore other types of songs. Part of that exploration included using the upper register of voice for primary vocals. I believe this shows her maturity as an artist. She wanted to try something new that she hadn't experienced with Richard. In my mind, this shows great courage on Karen's part - to not "play it safe"- but to push herself in many ways. The result is greater appreciation on many people's parts for the magnificense of her voice.
Rob
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Post by BethMosior on Jul 7, 2004 2:08:41 GMT -5
Hi Rob, that is a great insight I never really thought about that, but looking at it your right on the money and I really love Karen's voice High or Low what a voice
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Someday
Jul 7, 2004 12:12:43 GMT -5
Post by cam83 on Jul 7, 2004 12:12:43 GMT -5
Hi Rob, My thoughts exactly!! I have always loved Karen's lower vocals but when I heard some of her unreleased solo songs that are higher, they are out of this world. This is a woman with a 4 octave range! Why not use her high range. I especially love DON'T TRY TO WIN ME BACK AGAIN. THose background vocals sound like something from an old star trek show...neat though...
My thoughts, Cameron
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Someday
Jul 7, 2004 18:16:30 GMT -5
Post by Rick Henry on Jul 7, 2004 18:16:30 GMT -5
I love Karen's higher range as much as her lower range. I'm also one of those who feels her voice became better with time. Yes in the early 70's she sang with more guts and power. but in the later 70's and early 80's her voice became much more refined and crystal clear. she sang the high notes more effectively and the deep rich notes were still there.
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Someday
Jul 7, 2004 19:44:40 GMT -5
Post by Moe on Jul 7, 2004 19:44:40 GMT -5
I love Karen's lower register. It had such resonance and feeling and emotion. Her upper register is excellent, too, but I prefer the lower end of her voice with the middle and upper registers for the back ground vocals. As for Someday, it is fabulous. I loved that it was used in the Music, Music, Music medley and would have loved it if Karen had re-recorded the entire song. It is great on Ticket to Ride, but she could have taken it to the next level with her more mature voice in 1980.
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ThomB
CERTIFIED GOLD MEMBER
Posts: 110
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Someday
Jul 8, 2004 23:59:17 GMT -5
Post by ThomB on Jul 8, 2004 23:59:17 GMT -5
I think karen became a better singer with time. she started out fantastic, the cream of the crop and just continued to get better and better. I love her lower register, as she said the money's in the basement. but her higher register was just as haunting and dramatic.
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Peteruk
CERTIFIED GOLD MEMBER
Posts: 148
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Someday
Jul 12, 2004 12:59:47 GMT -5
Post by Peteruk on Jul 12, 2004 12:59:47 GMT -5
Someday -great Carpenter / Bettis song- wonderfully sung by Karen @ 19 years old ! Some reviewers / fans feel Karen's voice was stronger in 1970 -1975 period ....whereas one has to remember Richard's arrangements / production did change and were often softer during later period Karen's higher range from a few Carpenters tracks and especially Solo sessions with Ramone -did influence Richard -if you listen to several Made In America songs -perhaps Richard heard some of these tracks and decided to incorporate these ranges into Carpenters sessions .... Peter
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Someday
Jul 15, 2004 2:02:54 GMT -5
Post by BethMosior on Jul 15, 2004 2:02:54 GMT -5
I really do love Karen's voice, high or low, and what really amazes me is when she was doing the solo album, she had been really sick even bursting an ear drum, yet she finished it the solo album was great and Made In Amarica was great the ear healed, but its just amazing to me that she kept singing and did a marvelous job What a Lady
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Someday
Jul 15, 2004 7:38:38 GMT -5
Post by Boat2Sail on Jul 15, 2004 7:38:38 GMT -5
Karen was truly amazing. She had such a great range and a wonderful unique style. Nobody else sounded like her or has the same vocal quality as her. She is certainly the finest female vocalist of all-time.
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Someday
Jul 15, 2004 16:24:57 GMT -5
Post by Rob813 on Jul 15, 2004 16:24:57 GMT -5
I just purchased As Time Goes By and what is especially wonderful about this CD is the placement of the songs. We can hear the very young Karen on one song followed by the mature Karen on the following song. It demonstrates how her voice went from deep and almost raw (in a good way) to a refined crystalline-like sound. What I am especially struck with is how each time I listen to a song it seems like the first time I am listening to it. It's like a diamond - each time you turn it, it reveals another facet on it's brilliance. Karen is unparalleled as a singer. What a gem she was. Boy do I miss her.
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