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Post by Nessie71 on Oct 10, 2004 20:34:36 GMT -5
hello everyone from Sydney. There was an article in our Sunday Telegraph yesterday about Olivia Newton-Johns new album Indigo- Women of song where she spoke highly of Karen. Her cover of Rainy Days and Mondays was described as a standout track. she said "Karen Carpenter was a dear friend of mine and, even though she is looked at in a tragic way now because of her early death, I have to tell you she was a really funny person. She loved Disneyland and was always wearing Minnie Mouse ears or shirts. I truly respected her.
"I was very nervous singing that song, for who can follow Karen? But knowing her I think she would forgive me."
I was wondering if anybody has heard the song and what they think. I can't imagine anybody else singing it besides Karen. The cover of Rainy Days on the If I Were A Carpenter album was abysmal in my opinion. I do think it's great that Olivia is paying tribute to Karen and letting people know there was another side to Karen, I would have been disappointed if she had recorded that album and not included Karen , but did Karen really get about wearing Minnie Mouse ears?!
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Post by cam83 on Oct 10, 2004 20:56:31 GMT -5
Hi Nessie,
Yes, Karen was an extremely humorous person. And Olivia would have known that. They had been friends for over a decade...met in the early 1970's in London. Would have known each other thru the ups and downs of their lives. I had heard that Karen had wanted Olivia to be her bridesmaid but that Olivia didn't want to steal the show from Karen, on her day. Don't know if that story is true, but they were best friends. It's nice to know that Olivia recorded that song...and said that no one could ever do justice to Karen's version, which is true.
My thoughts,
Cameron
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Post by smoothie2 on Oct 10, 2004 23:11:42 GMT -5
:(hi Nessie and welcome to the forum here...Glad to hear about the article and I knew that Olivia was a good friend of Karen's. I'm glad that Olivia's still with us as another survivor..(cancer victim) and that she's willing to tell us some good things about who Karen was and what she was like. Glad she's included Karen in her music.
smoothie
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 11, 2004 0:20:38 GMT -5
 That is great that Olivia pays tribute to karen and says such wonderful things about here. I'd love to see karen wearing here Minnie ears. as for Olivia singing "Rainy Days...", I think Olivia has a nice voice, but not quite the powerful and soulful voice that it takes to properly perform the song. Regardless I still love Livvie. btw... Hi Nessie and welcome.
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Post by enigma on Oct 11, 2004 4:40:43 GMT -5
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Post by JIM on Oct 11, 2004 20:50:51 GMT -5
Hi Nessie! I read an article about
Olivia's new album and it sounds
really great. Tower Records.com
has it on pre order status for
24.99 with the track listing but
they don't have any sound clips.
This usually means you will have
to wait for the release to hear
any part of the album. The album
was prodcuced by Phil Ramone which
I find ironic but he is one hell
of a producer so I am sure she
made the right choice.
I really hope she has some hits
from it, I would love to see her
make a come back. I rank Olivia
right up there with the Carpenters
as far a producer of made to last
music.
JIM
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Post by karen69roland on Oct 11, 2004 21:21:21 GMT -5
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Post by BethMosior on Oct 11, 2004 22:32:23 GMT -5
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Post by Moe on Oct 11, 2004 23:54:50 GMT -5
 Thanks for the news! I love Olivia and am looking forward to the new CD. People magazine stated that Olivia was an honorary palbearer at Karen's funeral. Olivia was very kind to Karen in the VH1 episode on the Carpenters. I am sure it is hard to lose a good friend, and I think Olivia was a tried and true friend. Olivia's version can't be compared to Karen's. Hopefully, she will make it a little different and make it her own. I am looking forward to the CD's release.
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 12, 2004 18:14:13 GMT -5
I have that People magazine which states Olivia was an honorary pallbearer. I have all the People magazine's with Carpenters, Karen or Richard on cover or featured in. About Olivia I have the people magazine with her and John Travolta on cover for the movie "Grease". I'm not necessarily a fan of Olivia's, but I do love the movie "Grease" and about a dozen or so of her songs (mainly from around 1976-77). My favorite songs by her is called "Let It Shine", "Every Face Tells A Story", "Don't Stop Believin'", and "Making A Good Thing Better". I think it was her 80's fare like "Physical", "Xanadu", and "Make a Move On Me" which I just didn't care for. These songs were not suitable for her voice at all.
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Post by JIM on Oct 13, 2004 5:19:43 GMT -5
HI Rick. I used to be a bigger
Olivia fan in the past but I
still spin her from time to time.
I was wondering if you had ever
heard the song Recovery from the
Physical album? It is a beautiful
song produced by Jeff Lynn. Great
melody and lyrics. This song was
produced by Jeff Lynn and of course
the oustanding feature of the song
is the multitracking. It was also
nice to see the release of ELO's
Zoom a couple of yrs ago, There
talent is still as strong as ever.
JIM
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 13, 2004 20:55:01 GMT -5
Hi Jim, no I haven't heard that song. But I really love ELO, they are certainly one of my alltime favorite groups. I really like ELO's songs from the "Xanadu" soundtrack. I also like Olivia's "Magic" from that soundtrack. But for some reason I don't care for the song "Xanadu" at all, it's not the song but more so Olivia's vocal performance, she's off key - especially at the end.
I must say though I really do like Olivia quite a bit. I have a lot of repect for her. She seems like a very down to earth person. She's gone through some very tough times and made it through. She's a true survivor.
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Post by JIM on Oct 13, 2004 23:36:18 GMT -5
Ah yes Zanadu. I can still remeber
wearing my tennis shoe roller skates and listening to the sound
track for hours in my garage way
back in 79. I was such a nerd.
Rick if you think Olivia's version
of Zanadu is bad you should hear
Jeff Lynn singing it. Its the
only track on the zoom album that
makes you scratch your head and
say what was he thinking! Talk
about out of key. Not to mention
just really bad.
JIM
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 14, 2004 3:05:30 GMT -5
Please don't get me wrong here. I do like Olivia she has a nice voice. But than again she's no Karen Carpenter. I'm totally spoiled by Karen she has (had) a once in a lifetime voice. Almost anybody when put next to Karen is definitely going to sound inferior. You have to be an Aretha Franklin or Barbra Streisand to hold your own next to Karen.
As for Olivia I really feel she should have stuck with songs that fit her vocal range better. "Magic" was fine, but even that is a bit off key in places - but still an excellent song. "Magic" is one of my most favorite songs ever. As I say I'm totally spoiled by Karen's near perfect pitch. Karen had beautifully pure and deep rich tones.
I haven't heard Jeff Lynne's rendition of Xanadu I can only imagine. It seems like it would be a tough song to sing properly. Someone like Freddie Mercury probably would have been able to tackle the song with the correct pitch and tone. Mercury was another one of those once in a lifetime type singers.
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Post by karen69roland on Oct 14, 2004 3:14:05 GMT -5
Almost anybody when put next to Karen is definitely going to sound inferior.
I would write this same sentence, but, I would not include the word *almost*.  [glow=red,2,300][/glow][shadow=red,left,300]  [/shadow][shadow=red,left,300]Roland Chayer[/shadow][shadow=red,left,300] [/shadow] |
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Post by karen69roland on Oct 14, 2004 3:23:17 GMT -5
..., just want to add that Olivia is a top notch singer and that I love her too.
Although I like more psychological and social movies..., I would say that *Grease* is my all-time favorite movie. [glow=red,2,300][/glow][shadow=red,left,300] [/shadow][shadow=red,left,300]Roland Chayer[/shadow][shadow=red,left,300] [/shadow]
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this info., sounds so cooooooooool and its always, always nice to hear Karens friends talk about her and what a really nice person Karen was and how humerous Karen was, that always makes my day 
