Customer Reviews

Karen Carpenter

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In 1979, Richard Carpenter was hooked on quaaludes and submitted himself to the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, to rid himself of the additction. He would take over a year off from music and the Carpenters. Rather than remain idle during this time, Karen Carpenter decided to make a solo album, and chose the accomplished New York producer, Phil Ramone, to guide her through it. This was a startling break for Karen, who had never made a single record with anyone but Richard.

The album took over a year to make and the "sound" of Karen Carpenter singing solo is quite different than her previous songs with Richard. Richard Carpenter learned to make multi-track overdubbings from listening to his favorite childhood recording duo, Les and Mary Paul, and he used the overdubbing technique to give the Carpenter sound its rich distictive quality. There is very little of that in the Karen Carpenter solo album, and hearing Karen sing to a simple musical accompaniment is very different indeed. So different in fact that Richard Carpenter, Herb Alpert, and the A&M recording label back in Los Angeles put pressure on Karen NOT to release the album at all. After an intense closed-door meeting, Karen reluctantly relented and decided to shelve her album. Thus, it was never released.

Fast forward to 1996, 13 years after Karen's tragic death from anorexia nervosa compications, with Richard under pressure from longing fans to hear Karen's shelved album, he finally decides to release the album. In the liner notes, Karen lovinging dedicates her solo project to Richard.

Not only is this a different Karen Carpenter sound, the image portrayed and the lyrics of the songs are decidedly sexier than anything Karen had attempted before. Karen's image on the record cover is more hip, with her posing on a couch dressed in leather. The sexier image was needed, as she was presenting song lyrics that had a sexual overtone to them:

Making Love In The afternoon
Remember When Lovin' Took All Night
My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
Make Believe It's Your First Time
Still Crazy After all These Years

Karen was quite proud of her solo effort and was devastated when it was shelved, so much so, that she went on a Mexican vacation with the Phil Ramone family for several weeks. Upon returning to the states, she and Richard would then embark on their last album together, "Made In America".

Unbelievably, Karen did not consider herself a great singer! Despite the many accolades she received from fans, she attributed the success of her songs to Richard, due to the lush arrangements he created around her voice. So to make a solo album was a definite step of faith (and independence) for Karen, and she was placing herself out on a limb so to speak for the success or failure of this album.

The album was made during the height of the intense but short disco craze, and thus, many of the tracks have a disco sound and beat to them. Others have a rock sound, and a few have a county lilt to them, demonstrating Karen's ability to diversify her beautiful voice. For several reasons, this album was delayed in production until mid-1980 and by then, the disco fad was dead and Top-40 was changing as well. Many stations were abandoning the format in favor of talk radio or country. Thus, the delayed production time of Karen's album made its release more difficult, as it had a disco theme to it. This is one of the reasons the A&M braintrust did not favor releasing the album - they feared the failure of the album would hurt Karen Carpenter's image and standing (plus, they simply did not like Karen singing without Richard's arrangements).

You will hear a very different Karen Carpenter on this album. Fans are split on the album, some like the new sound and some do not. I am in the latter group. Richard had a talent for selecting musical material that best fit Karen's voice and brought out her outstanding vocal sound. This album strays from that and does not have the layering and overdubbing so common to previous Carpenter songs. For this reason, I did not enjoy this album as much as say, "Made In America". I am a huge fan of Karen's, considering her to be my favorite singer ao all-time, but without Richard's arrangements, Karen's solo effort in my opinion strikes a bland key.

You need to decide for yourself, so buy this album and make your Carpenter collection complete.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig, Carpenter Fan

I'm a 32 year old hispanic male with alot of different musical tastes, from disco, punk rock, r & b, oldies, salsa, merengue, big bands of the 40's, MOTOWN, pop, ect....but everytime i hear Karen Carpenter sing, everything stops for me. I have to stop and listen. This woman had a voice that soothes my soul, it's as simple as that. It's soft, it's crystal clear, it's sweet, it's homie, it's warm and above it all, it's REAL...I love this woman. It is a real shame that we are living on a generation where any no-talent idiot like 50 CENT, Britney, J-Lo and countless others make millions selling records with NO REAL talent! Music today SUCKS, thank god we can go back to our old records and listen and have great memories. It is a crying shame
that Karen Carpenter is gone, she would have been making some great music today. Anything she and her brother made, gets a 5 and plus stars rate from me. Always.

it simply defies comprehension that this album was considered insufficiently good to be released, and after hearing it, it becomes painfully, and sadly, clear what were the reasons behind the shelving; this collection of songs reflects who karen carpenter was when approaching 30, as seen by the fact that she herself selected all the compositions, and according to ramone, had the final say; the songs are all fine, the execution is really excellent, both in arrangements and in production, and karen is, as usual, in top form; perhaps she sounds a bit tentative and unconvincing only in her delivery of 'still in love with you', which is a bit too rock-oriented for her, but elsewhere she shines; especially touching are her heartfelt and sincere readings of 'all because of you', 'if we try', and 'make believe it's your first time'; i couldn't help but pity richard when i read his claim that only 'if i had you' was a possible single - hullo! how about the gorgeous, sunny, uplifting 'making love in the afternoon', or the irresistible disco of 'my body keeps changing my mind' - they would've been surefire hits; and even though this album is a highly enjoyable experience, it's impossible to avoid a feeling of sadness, AND anger, when listening to this, just because things REALLY might have turned out different for karen had this, as she wanted, come out in 1980

I guess hindsight is always 20-20. Richard Carpenter's feelings of guilt after the death of his sister were quite evident since he had creative control over the music and approval of the script in the Karen Carpenter Story (The television movie made circa 1990). We got to see Karen portayed as a woman who had virtually no say in her own career and personal life. Her brother and mother were shown making the decisions for her. Her mother allegedly even chose Karen's clothing for the first three album photo sessions. Richard made the majority of the decisions affecting their choice of songs, tours, and most enduringly the production techniques employed on their recordings.

When Richard went to a hospital to get help with his quaalude addiction, Karen made the decision to go to New York and make this album with Phil Ramone. In the movie, Richard was not too happy that Karen was going to work without him. We can all be thankful that Karen did not let that stop her. Otherwise, we might never have known (albeit 16 years later) how lovely Karen's talent could be without Richard. To be fair, Richard does what he does very well, and their success certainly proved that he was a formidable songwriter and producer. But his achilles heel in my humble opinion is his penchant to smother Karen in layer after layer of overdubbed instrumentation. A prime example I cite is the gorgeous jazz-blues Paul Williams song on Voice of The Heart, "Ordinary Fool". Richard almost ruins the song by overdubbing a Mr. Rogers sounding electric piano (his favorite overused instrument)and a horribly inappropriate flute solo. If the song had used the jazz trio approach (bass, drums, piano), the song would be a classic. Less is more sometimes. Listen to "Make Believe It's Your First Time" on the same album, then contrast it to the version that appears on the Karen Carpenter solo album if you don't believe me. Phil Ramone made a fine album with Karen. It is too bad that we never got to hear Karen do a bonafide jazz album. Still, Richard could take some of the jazzier tunes and make a blues-jazz tinged pop record by remixing and rerecording the instrumental tracks. The Carpenters did, afterall, start out as a jazz trio. So I know Richard could do it. I can dream, can't I?

All the years we were getting various explanations of why this album wasn't released, I kept thinking like many other people, "We are not being told the truth. It's good and they see a conflict with the Carpenters' career." And that's exactly how it turned out once the album finally appeared...when it could do no more harm. It would have been a hit, and several tracks would have been single hits, and what mischief that would have created. Karen was steered away from it under the premise it wasn't good enough but the truth is it was too good. There's so much to recommend here, such a wide range of material, and Karen Carpenter never sounded so free, easy and savvy. I'm second to none in my love of the Carpenters and absolute admiration of Richard Carpenter, but what was denied Karen here was criminal. At least the album is ours to enjoy.

I really don't see why A&M was so against this record. Perhaps Richard did pull strings like some have suggested, who knows? I enjoyed this album. It's funny, because I have always liked the Carpenters a great deal,and at the time this was released, I worked in a record store. Many of the customers who bought this cd didn't like it. And as one of the other reviewers said, it seemed to be because they listened to it as a Carpenters record as opposed to a Karen Carpenter album. This album is of a very, very high quality. There are some powerhouse players on this record, including Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson and others. This reminded me a lot of a Kenny Loggins album - a tight, yet poppish groove, with a tight rhythm section and catchy arrangements. The songs may not be of a high quality, but Karen's readings give them a lot of life. I particularly like "Lovelines" and "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind," which is presented in a different mix than on "From the Top." For those who like Karen's voice, this is a must have. You will enjoy it as a Karen Carpenter record. It's a shame this was released 16 years after completion.

A fresh, sexy Karen is heard on this great album. Her vocal talents really shine on these diverse selections. "If We Try" is one of the standout songs here - modern and jazzy. Karen sounds self-assured and beautiful as ever. She sounds like she is having fun throughout this album.

The most incredible performance here is "Make Believe It's Your First Time". Karen conveys intimacy tinged with sadness in this outstanding track. She'll just break your heart with this one. If the "Carpenters" version of this song is the only one you've heard, you are in for a rare treat with this superior solo performance. The arrangement is far better than the one she recorded with her brother. This solo version is one of Karen's best of all time.

I have to admit, I was skeptical about this album. I thought Richard may have used the best tracks for "Lovelines" and the boxed set "From The Top." Supposedley Karen was interviewed by a magazine sometime in 1979 and said one of the songs recorded for this album was a cover of Linda Ronstadt's "You're No Good." I wonder if it exists and if it does, I bet it's a blast. I was wrong about my aprehension, it's a fine album. The cut I like the most is "I Guess I Just Lost My Head." Thinking back on 1979 and 1980, Michael Jackson struck gold with his "Off The Wall" album, the arrangements for Karen's solo are between that effort and Billy Joel's "Just The Way You Are." The sound has mellowed and so what, it's still good music. Honestly I think there were some hits and not "a/c" as the execs were hoping for, but contenders for top forty, which scared the hell out of them. The disco song, if it was a single, surely would have been remixed and extended for the dance clubs, a possibility that still exists. All in all Karen was doing something she wanted to do and if you listen close enough, she wasn't blanding herself out, she was having a ball.

Had this album been released in 1980 I would have bought it immediately and it would have become an all-time favorite for me. This album from beginning to end is a real treat. There are three disco influenced songs but for the most part the bulk of the album fits into the smooth jazz category.

It's obvious by the lilt in her voice Karen truly enjoyed working on this album. This is a work she was certainly very proud of.

Several of the albums cuts could have been big hits in 1980 including "If I Had You" and "Making Love In The Afternoon". Pete Cetera sings harmony vocals with Karen on "Making Love In The Afternoon". Liberty Devitto from Billy Joel's band adds his all to the drum parts and percussion solos on the discofied "Remember When Lovin' Took All Night". Rod Temperton's vocal arrangement on "If I Had You" is simply complex and utterly outstanding. Some of the vocal mix is reminiscent of what Temperton did on the vocals on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album. Temperton was the head member of the mid-late 70's group Heatwave who had with hits "always And Forever" and "Boogie Nights". My favorite song on the album is "Guess I Just Lost My Head".

I cherish this album amongst all my Carpenters albums and remains one of my most played discs to this day.

The story of Karen Carpenter's solo album is a long and complicated one,so I am not going to go into it here,because the review would become 6 pages long.For the full skinny,I suggest reading "Little Girl Blue:The Life Of Karen Carpenter".All I can say is that for a myrad of reasons,the shelvng of this album by A&M Records and Richard Carpenter was one of the worst moves in the history of popular music over the past 40 years.This album was a fresh sound and direction for Karen.At age 29,Karen had grown up and this album not only marked a musical declaration of independence,but one could argue that it was her own chance to break free and have a life of her own.Control over her own destiny,something she sorely needed.

The music is edgy,eclectic,and daring for 1980.One of the critisisms of the album is that it lacks the "timeless" quality of The Carpenters,and sounds dated.Well,yeah.THIS WAS NEVER MENT TO BE A CARPENTERS RECORD.This was Karen's own work,aided by Phil Ramone,Rod Temperton and Billy Joel's backing band,recorded in 1979 to be released in 1980.The songs were edgy in content,especially for the virginal "girl next door" Karen,an image she disliked.She was a normal,mature woman with needs,wants and desires,and on this record,as she always had,she injected herself into the material and found the profound inner truth that she always connected with.She experimented with her full vocal range on this album.The money,her vocal basement voice was still present,but she also sang some of the songs in higher keys,which to this day Richard seems to dislike.She explores different genre's.Rock,pop,jazz and yes,a bit of disco,and proves how versitile she really was.The most common thing I hear is that "Karen Carpenter could have sang the phone book and made it compelling".Well,this album suggests that It might have been true.Luckily the material,for it's time,was darned good to begin with.

In my opinion,if this album was released in 1980,it would have been a hit.It would have not only provided a boost to Karen's career,but to Richard's as well,as people would have been forced to reasses them both as artists,and would have shown Richard it was ok to experiment,and "Made in America" may have been a different record,the true comeback the Carpenter's needed.More importantly,It would have been the emotional boost Karen may have needed to help her conquer her anorexia and regain her health.I sustain,even if the album had bombed,Karen would have handled it much better than having the most important people in her career and life call the project she put her heart and soul into, "crap".I know it's all 20/20 hind sight now,but had this album been released,things could have turned out much differently for Karen and Richard Carpenter.All we can say is "What could have been...".