Well, I didn't get to do anything new and exciting this year but I have been listening to Karen. In fact, today we are all going to listen to the magic of the Carpenters. I picked 20 of the 30 singles that were released in Karen's lifetime and Red Robot is standing by to play em for us. I have already covered Ticket To Ride, Close To You and We've Only Just Begun in previous posts so what follows will be a random pick (and not necessarily included in the picture below) of mostly A sides with a few B sides thrown in for good measure because, let's face it, there really is no such thing as a bad Carpenter song!
A note before I start - There is surface noise on alot of these songs. While I do have pristine copies of them on the actual albums, I used the 45s. Richard Carpenter has always had a penchant for tinkering with these songs that started long before Karen passed away. He would sometimes change the mix on a song from the single version to the album version within the first pressing. I wanted to have all of the songs as they were originally released and we all heard them coming at us from our radios and record players.
1. Rainy Days And Mondays 3:35 1971 Ahhh, that sweet, sad harmonica that bookends this song set the tone right away! Karen had a way of conveying heartbreak and melancholy even at the very young age of 21. She understood what she was singing and lived it out in a neat little 3 minute package. She had amazing control as well, quiet and gentle to full throttle belt in a second. By the way, she is also playing the drums on most of these tracks.
2. Superstar 3:50 1971 I know I am probably going to say this alot today but this is such a perfect song! That harp right in the beginning to the clarinet and flugelhorns and the clear, crisp "TssT" of the cymbals on Karen's drumkit. Richard is a genious at arranging and recording. Example here: on the flugelhorn lines he felt it wasn't a full enough sound, so he would double the track and offset the two ever so slightly, creating a full and almost disonant sound that was remarkable. Sorry if I get too technical sometimes but I used to love reading interviews with Karen and Richard and how they created their sound, so I thought I would pass it on. By the way, whenever I have a DJ gig, this is the first song I always play to test the sound system because it is sonically perfect! Oh and one more by the way...Karen's vocal on this song was her first take and she was reading the lyrics off of a napkin! She was amazing.
3. Goodbye To Love 3:52 1972 Oh boy! When people ask me if I have a favorite Carpenter song my answer is yes but it is broken up ino two categories...favorite hit single and favorite album cut. This is tied for for favorite single with Close To You. Keep reading for my favorite album cut. There is so much about this song that makes it my favorite. The lyric has always hit me really hard (can you imagine an 8 year old child relating to a lyric about saying Goodbye To Love? It means even more now.), Karen's delivery of such a complicated lead line sung in one breath, those drums and Tony Peluso's fuzz guitar solo and the vocal group at the end makes this a standout song!!
4. Two Sides 3:25 1982 This was the B side of Beechwood4-5789 which was released in 1982, however this song is from their 1977 album, Passage. It is such a simple, gorgeous song about a woman looking at her life and realizing that their are Two Sides to every situation and in terms of her current relationship, she explains that "There's another side of me/there's the one you think you live with/the one you never see/it's never really lived but it's never really died/it's never really made it but it's tried" leading to the greatest line..."the other side of me just caught a flight...GOODBYE!" Karen holds that last note forever. Gorgeous!
5. Touch Me When We're Dancing 3:14 1981 This is a very romantic, dance with your sweetheart kind of song that has a great tenor sax solo but it was never really one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong it is a great song but it just never really hit me right. It was the first single released from their last studio album, Made In America and it did well for them on the charts. I think part of my problem was not with the song but with the fact that times had changed so much in 10 years and anything they put out was now religated to the Adult Contemporary Chart and they were sort of dismissed from the pop charts because they weren't doing disco. Oh well!
6. I Believe You 3:56 1978 I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! Little history lesson (don't worry, there is a point to this) - 1977 saw the release of Passage and there were 3 singles released from it, 1978 saw the release of one of THE greatest albums of all-time by anyone, Christmas Portrait and they released The Christmas Song as a single. Well, now, it is the summer of '78 and I remember walking into the Little Record Store, standing at the desk and reading the chart and seeing that this song had been released THAT DAY!! I asked Richie, (WOW pardon my french but I just pulled that name right out of my ass!) if that was right and if they had it. He wasn't sure and was just filling the magic wall of singles when I had come in. He skipped down to the right box and sure enough, there it was. I may be wrong but I believe it debuted at number 83 and made it into the top 10 within a week. The big surprise was that they did not have an album out nor was there one coming out in the near future (in fact the next album was Made In America, 1981). I was so excited. I bought it and RAN home!! It was such a new sound that was coming out of my stereo. Karen's gorgeous voice was there, Carpenter sound was there but it just sounded so fresh and new. Favorite part of the song...little more than half way through, it almost sounds like it is ending and then there is this big, loud, clean drum solo and they come back in strong! Gorgeous!
7. B'wana She No Home 5:36 1978 This is the B side of I Believe You and again, it is from Passage. This is one of my favorites. Passage was a brilliant album because they were experimenting with all kinds of new sounds and new recording techniques. The whole album was recorded on a soundstage utilizing various different orchestras, musicians and even a marching band for one of the tracks. This song always sounds like they made it up on the spot and has a free-flowing jam session feel to it. Karen's voice is very sexy and coy and playful with the silly lyrics that make this such a great song. Basically this is a rich woman telling her maid that she wants to be left alone. Imagine that? Karen singing something so silly and yet making it so outrageously great. Known and loved for her rich lower register Karen hits high notes in this that I am sure made neighboring dogs stand up and swoon! I lived for the few times that Richard would just let Karen loose to have fun! Which brings us to the next song....
8. All You Get From Love Is A Love Song 3:42 1977 This was the first single released from Passage and is just freakin' perfect! Karen never sounded or looked better! The looseness of the song was a new thing and this single did very well on the charts. The lyric is, again, about heartbreak and the end of a relationship but the music is so happy it gives you hope for the next relationship. "The best love songs were written with a broken heart!" This is a prime example of Richard's impeccable arranging skills and musicianship!
9. Sweet, Sweet Smile 3:00 1977 This was the third release from Passage and it is a Juice Newton tune. If you listen to the last three songs here in the blog you can see the versatility of the songs that are on this album and why it stands out as one of their finest. This one has a real country twang to it and you can hear that big ole smile of Karen's as she is singing it. You just know she had a blast making this whole album! I may be wrong about this but I believe this is one of two Carpenter songs that have a banjo in them. (Just felt the need to share that. I am getting a dirty look from RR)
10. I Have You 3:24 1977 This was the B side of Sweet, Sweet Smile and is actually from their 1976 album, A Kind Of Hush. This has got to be one of the most beautiful lyrics ever and Richard was very wise to keep the production very simple letting us focus solely on Karen and what she was telling us. "I was born to belong/to the lines of a song/and make them my home. I believe in happy endings/though I've only known a few/for as rare as they are/like a bright falling star/I've found one in you!" Is that beautiful or what???? "Sometimes when I'm almost to surrender/then I stop and I remember/I Have You to save my day" Favorite part of this song - instead of a large vocal group backing her, we hear two Karen's, one singing the melody line and the other singing harmony to it. Such a beautiful effect.
11. Goofus 3:32 1976 This one still kinda puzzles me. Not the song, cause Gawd knows I love the song, but the fact that it was released as a single! The song was written in 1930 and is a fun, happy little tune and one of those great "album cut" treasures but not one that had HIT written on it....meaning there was no real hook to it, didn't fit in with anything on the charts and was totally out of character for Richard to be so free-wheeling. Anywho, I love this quirky little song and I especially love the way Karen's vocals were recorded. It is almost like she is whispering in your ear telling you a secret when she sings this one. Love the finger-in-cheek POP toward the end that leads to the fading "ooooooooo"s!
12. I Need To Be In Love 3:31 1976 One of the greatest Carpenter/Bettis tunes. Richard and his long time friend and co-writer, John Bettis wrote this one at the end of a very long tour. The opening lines hit so hard and way too close to home for me...."The hardest thing I've ever done is keep believeing/there's someone in this crazy world for me/the way that people come and go/through temporary lives/my chance could come and I might never know". I was 12 when this song came out and I can remember sitting there and getting so lost in it, thinking it was written for me. 179 years later I still feel the same way. By the way, this was Karen's favorite song of theirs. "I know I ask perfection of a quite imperfect world/and fool enough to think that's what I'll find" "I'm wide awake at 4am/without a friend in site/I'm hanging on a hope/but I'm alright"! I would love for Richard to strip this song down a little and re-release it without the slightly too-big-for-this-song vocal group. Karen really belts her way through the chorus of this song and he built everything up to high around her, taking away from her raw emotion and power. I'm just sayin'.
13. There's A Kind Of Hush 2:53 1976 This was the first release from the album and a brilliant remake of Herman and the Hermits original. This is a perfect pop song and Richard really knew how to arrange a song and provide all the right hooks. The castinettes, the hand clap, guitars and tenor sax answering each other back and forth...genious! A very happy song and one of those rare remakes that is more associated with the newer incarnation than its originator.
14. Only Yesterday 3:46 1975 This was the second single released from the album Horizon, an album that took them a very long time to complete. They were experimenting with a new way of recording and mixing to digital (imagine that! In 1974/75 Richard was experimenting with digital recording. How cool is he?) that they felt was leaving the songs very flat and without the depth and heart of their previous recordings, so alot of the tracks were re-recorded until they got the feel that they wanted. Anywho, this song starts with a very cool drum/"TssT" that drives me nuts happy! This song also showcases Karen's amazing vocal range. She starts off in her lower register (as she used to say, "The money is in the basement") and goes into her gorgeous, pure head voice. Another very happy song that you can hear her smile while she is singing. Speaking of HAPPY......
15. Happy 3:52 1975 This is the B side of Only Yesterday and it is simple and brilliant and has Richard playing around with synthesizers. I love the way the drums are used in this song and that finger snap in the chorus....heaven!!!! I included this one to once again show off the versatility of the Carpenters.
16. This Masquerade 4:50 1974 This is the B side to Please, Mr. Postman and is actually from their 1973 album, Now and Then. This caused quite an uproar amzing Carpenter fans back in the day. They could not understand why such a brilliant recording, featuring a more mature Karen would take the back seat to a silly piece of fluff like Postman. My answer to that then as it is now, turn the record over!!!! You got the best of both worlds on one little 45! It really is a shame that this was not released as an A side because when it hit (and it would have hit big) it might have let them explore new areas. Sorry, just got lost in Richard's amazing jazz piano solo.
17. It's Going To Take Some Time 2:56 1972 Picture it! March 28, 1972. Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. My 8th birthday. Folks, this was the year of the LPR (Little Panasonic Recorder) that Grandma gave me along with the Neil Diamond cassette that I have never been able to replace. It is also the year that I got the most perfect album ever made.....A Song For You. In my lifetime, I can honestly say that I own about 6 albums that are truly perfect, meaning you can play them from start to finish and never want to skip a track or leave the room while it's playing. This is the first of those perfect albums. It is also one of the first albums to have 5 singles released from it and have all 5 be in the top 10. Pretty sweet, huh? This is a Carole King tune that Rich had heard and knew exactly what he wanted to do with it to make it right for their sound. It is genious! It's funny, but this song above all others from this album, brings me right back to that birthday and playing that album for the first time.
18. For All We Know 2:35 1970 On a slight break from a very long tour, Karen and Richard went to see a movie called Lover's And Other Strangers which turned out to be very adventageous for them as it had For All We Know as it's theme song. They both fell in love with it and recorded it immediately upon returning back to California. The opening flute lines are so truly inspired and amazing...two flutes playing the same line just slighty disonant to each other creating that sound that EVERYONE knows. Again, I must point out Karen's flawless interpretation of these very adult lryics at the tender age of 20!!! Anyone with a voice can sing a song. VERY few can truly make you understand what the song means the very first time you hear it. This was one of Karen's greatest gifts.
19. All Of My Life 3:02 1970 This was the B side of We've Only Just Begun and will always remain one of the most beautiful recordings I have ever heard. Where Karen could convey heartache and longing at such an early age, she could also convey innocence as she does in this song. This song speaks to young love, first love...the excitement and newness of it all. I remember being 6 years old, laying in bed falling asleep and my Mom coming into our room and getting me up to come and watch an ice skating special that Karen and Richard were performing on. This was the song they were singing! That is one of those magical memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life because they knew how much I loved the Carpenters and they didn't want me to miss this. Thank you! And now for THE greatest Carpenter song ever........
20. A Song For You 4:38 1972 I defy any person on this planet to contest this as THE definitive version of this song. Year after year the twinks on American Idol bastardize it, other people have recorded it but no one and I mean NO ONE will ever even come close to the pure perfection of this recording. The insanity here is that this song was NEVER released as a single. I have loved the Carpenters since 1970, 40 years folks, and this was not released during Karen's lifetime or after....a fact that will plague me and befuddle me until the day I die. (Speaking of which, and I don't mean to be morbid, but this song MUST be played at my memorial as a gift to my family and friends, sorry!) Seriously, I own crap loads of music and there is nothing more perfect than this recording. Karen's voice, that tenor sax, Rich's piano it is all flawless and I am including the entire song in the player today. Listen to it and enjoy the brilliance.
Can't believe we are done. Ya know, it boggles my mind that these two kids from New Haven, CT then later Downey, CA, who loved music and pretty much had the sweetest gig in the world, to write music, sing and entertain people without a thought of longevity would, 41 years later still be so loved and respected. How many people throughout history can that be said about? Is anyone gonna give a crap about Brittany or Lindsay in 41 years? Um, no. Theirs was a gift from above that can never be explained or reasoned away, but I for one am glad that I got to live each and every step of that journey and tonight, I just want to thank my special, secret friend for always being there. You will always get me through my darkest times and my sunniest times. thank you all for droping out of existence with me today and, hey, I guess I did do something new and exciting today. I got to share this with all of you! Go get provisions for tomorrow's snow storm, tell someone you love them and dust off your Carpenters albums. See you tomorrow.
Wow....this one taught me a lot. I thought I knew most of the Carpenters songs and love them all but you introduced me today to a bunch more and I love them too....Glad that today has become a happy and special day for you...Karen was a special lady and will always love her...mostly thanks to you introducing her to me so many years ago...Love ya Gary!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing all the backstory and trivia on these Gary. Your descriptions make me VERY glad you've included clips we can listen to.
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