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I think it was very unfair that he said many of the songs are "too high' for Karen. In listening to some songs he and Karen recorded...not all were in her "basement voice". Take "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song"...That's pretty high for her...so is "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" So, when he made that statement...it really wasn't true at all. Many songs they recorded were not her "basement" voice. Can you think of others?

Cheryl
Edited by Pookeysmom, 26 September 2007 - 05:07 PM.

I cant think of others but I must say I am so hooked on "All Because Of You". I just love her voice and the way she sings this song. It's a must listen to at least once a day! Sorry to be off your topic.

I am baffled about this comment, when considering that MOST of the subsequent Carpenter's album "Made in America" was in the same vocal range as the solo album. So did Richard change his mind about that, or did he just lose his mind?

That's always confused me, too. Also the fact that Rich said that because Phil and Karen used overdubbing, that she had stolen the Carpenters sound. You only have to listen to If I Had You or Don't Try To Win Me Back to know that Ramone's use of overdubbing was COMPLETELY unlike the Carpenters' use of overdubbing. The harmonies on the solo album were much tighter (chord-wise) at times, almost dissonant.

As long as we're on the subject of the solo album, I'll also say that I have always REALLY liked Phil and Itchy Ramone in interviews. It seems to me that they truly loved Karen and were loyal friends to her.

I agree, Jena. Phil and Itchy really seemd like great friends to Karen. They tried to be, anyway. Phil was a hip record producer with loads of experience.

Cheryl
Edited by Pookeysmom, 26 September 2007 - 05:11 PM.

I also think 'Calling Occupants" was outside of Karen's normal "basement" sound.
Cheryl

Oh my, when u listen to some of their songs they go way up high.........so yes indeedy, Richard's statement just doesn't hold up. Another on IMO is.......Good Old Dreams (one by one it seem they're coming trueeeeeeeee) Phil was on the ball with what he was doing and he knew how to produce people. I LOVE the solo album, outakes and all!!

Here's what Richard says about Don't Cry For Me, Argentina on his website:

Don’t Cry For Me Argentina - This song was submitted to us by the publisher, and I immediately felt it was perfect for Karen, though now I feel differently, as I believe the song doesn’t linger long enough in a lower register, a great area for Karen’s voice.

I have to wonder if wasn't just professing his personal taste.

Yes, her voice was equisite in the lower register, but my God she could knock it out in the higher octaves too.

Listen to this performance of Karen singing Something's Missing, one of the unreleased songs from her solo album.

Karen Carpenter - Something's Missing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeCPr9wYG4s

Listen to her voice when she holds the note at around 2:50 on the word "pride"
and again around 4:20 when she sings the line "right where I need you to be!" Absolutely amazing! And to think that she could sing like that, when she was literally wasting away with her illness...

I think Richard's comment is right ! Karen didn't do best on her solo album. I think if that album was made by both of them it would be better !

I agree with Cheryl. There is a REALLY high part in "(Want you) back in my life again"! It's close to the end here's a link to a video I made for a different purpose than this...but it helps me prove another point. I am glad I didn't get rid of it! Maybe I'll keep it for future point proving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrsLfiNLBzU

Hey, Cheryl can you do me a favor? Can you list all the songs in order of Karen's solo album, please.
Edited by Is a love song, 27 September 2007 - 08:24 PM.

Since her death, Richard has been in denial about so many things that happened. i have often wondered if he could face the truth of the family dynamics in the Carpenter family that contributed to Karen's death-that being that Richard was the 'star' and Karen some sort of second rate tagaalong or 'just a singer' as she often referred to herself. Anyone who has listened to enough interviews of the Carpenters will hear Karen brag about Richard, diminish her own contribution and he NEVER compliments her. He was and is, in my opinion , extremely insecure and her solo album threatened his ego. if it had been released, there is no doubt in my mind that she would have begun a successful solo career ( as her best friend Olivia Newton John did then with a 'new' sound) and the thought of that must have terrified Richard, so he is always making excuses why it was not released or why he didn't support it. Within the Carpenters albums, Karen constantly uses all ranges of her voice-one of their last songs for god sakes was pretty high (Those Good Old Dreams)!!!! There would have been no carpenters success without Karen- she was the draw and she knew at the end of her life that they needed new approaches and challenges to stay successful and she was versatile andtalented enough to do that and Richard was not and wanted to keep doing what worked once but wasn't anymore, She must have been under tremendous strain to be heard, to be validated and that, in my opinion , was a big factor in anorexia for her and is for other sufferers of that horrible illness ( a sense of powerlessness). At the end of the day, for all her personal suffering, she left behind that voice , that sense of humor, that presence-that lives on.
Her solo album was a start and some of the songs are really great as are some of the outtakes-people loved her and it would have been a hit even if everything wasn't perfect-it was a start and she would have gone on to greater things as she always outdid whatever she did before. She wanted to make a musical-who knows where she would have ended up had she had support from her family to branch out and be her own person and have her own career-she should have at some point made the break from them and I believe if she would have lived , she would have done that. It is significant the night before she died that she was talking about the solo album. it was a sign of her freedom.

I agree with some of what you've said here, but not all. Specifically, I have heard Richard praise Karen for her talents many times, in interviews both before and after her passing. He regards her as one of the greatest female vocalists of all time, and he himself tried to convince her of that in moments when people like John Lennon or Streisand paid her a compliment that she found difficult to believe.

My PERSONAL opinion is that Richard loved Karen deeply, and yes, that AGNES also loved Karen deeply... and unfortunately I think time has villified certain people in Karen's life. They were/are human, undoubtedly made mistakes in relating to one another (as we all do), and I'm sure the regret of those mistakes has weighed heavily since 1983... We may never know to what extent. I am happy for RC that he has gone on to have a happy family life and that he is content. We all would have wished the very same for our Karen.
Edited by JadensMom02, 28 September 2007 - 09:07 AM.

I agree 100% with you, Jena.