Barry talking about Karen
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newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
The fact that he seems to have made a beeline for her solo LP and not even considered Carpenters' albums is a really interesting (but hardly surprising) revelation. It makes me wonder what would have happened if he had found a track that suited. Who would have remixed it to accommodate Barry now that Phil has gone? Would he have approached Richard, whose tepidness for the album is well known?
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Here's the show...jump to 24m40s for his comments about Karen. Listen to the audience reaction when he mentions her name 
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
It's just a pity he didn't consult the 'Music Music Music' TV special for inspiration. Imagine a duet of 'You're Just In Love'? Yes it's technically a Carpenters track but until 'As Time Goes By' came along, no-one had ever heard it with anyone but Karen and John Davidson, so it would have been perfect for this collection. He could have stripped away the KC/RC backing 'doo wops' (to remove the 'Carpenters' reference) and re-orchestrated it himself with his production team.
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Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Wow, that was pretty cool to hear that he listened to her entire solo album and knew a little bit about her project. What about "Something's Missing" from her unreleased solo tracks?
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Me too....that has always left me feeling just a bit uncomfortable. It would have been better to just pay John his rights and leave it John and Karen's. However I agree....this would be the perfect Barry dream duet. Someone should get that track idea to him for possible inclusion on his Dream Duets 2 CD.
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Exactly Jeff and gauging the audience reaction when she said Karen Carpenter....what a missed opportunity. The way Barry talked it was as if he had choice of any song from her solo album but I wonder if Richard would have approved, after all the tracks were presented the way Karen last approved them, the only duet she approved was Peter Cetera. That's why I say, 'You're Just In Love' may be a better fit.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
It's funny, I listened to the solo album again today with Barry's thought processes in mind and I agree with him, there isn't a single song on there that would have suited his purposes. In addition to that, none of the songs are well known by the general public except 'Still Crazy After All These Years'. He was likely looking for a song that would tick both boxes i.e. something well known and something he could either harmonize with or drop onto as a duet vocalist. None of the solo tracks tick both boxes. The Peter Cetera harmony on 'Makin' Love In The Afternoon' is far too high, out of his natural range. 'You're Just In Love' is the perfect key for him, it's a classic standard and a true duet - the perfect choice.
song4u
Well-Known Member
You're just in love would be great! Anyone here have Richard's or Barry's ear? Perhaps if Richard allowed him to use their TV special recordings it could work. I don't know what the legal issues are there, but I'd think with Richard's permission it could happen.
Who wouldn't love to hear Barry and Karen sing a duet! I would think that alone would sell a lot of albums for Barry.
Who wouldn't love to hear Barry and Karen sing a duet! I would think that alone would sell a lot of albums for Barry.
Don Malcolm
Well-Known Member
We can hope that the very audible murmur at Barry's reference to Karen will help to provoke some second thoughts on his part about how to make it happen. You guys have some great ideas--maybe all that'd be needed would be for us to all email/call/write Barry's management with these suggestions. Barry has always been a "give the public what they want" kind of guy, so--why not go for it?!
Karen's solo album would be the only album that he could've drawn a possible duet track from.Richard will never license out a Carpenters recording to another artist.
Barry was looking for classic material-nothing on Karen's album would've worked,anyway.
If Barry did find a selection on Karen's album that he liked,his label would have to license the track from Universal.And,being that Barry is now signed to Verve(A&M's sister label under UMG),this would be fairly easy to do.If Universal approved the licensing request,Barry's producer would be able to remix and add additional vocals to the track.
Barry didn't necessarily make a "beeline" for Karen's album.If you listen to the interview carefully,he conceded that Karen only made one solo album-and that was the only album he would've been able(get permission) to pick from.He then stated that he wouldn't have had the ability to use tracks from Carpenters albums.
Exactly - to me it sounded as if meant he wouldn't be able to get the rights to use the Carpenters catalog......and definitely he was not looking for obscure songs (such as the ones on her solo album) but signature songs by the artists.....I'm assuming the resistance was not on Barry's side but Richard's. And I don't totally blame him - the whole 'duets with dead people' thing, whether it's Barry or Kenny G or whoever, sort of creeps me out.
(Not Natalie and Nat - she was his daughter and it was a stroke of genius......)
(Not Natalie and Nat - she was his daughter and it was a stroke of genius......)
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
...and that wasn't what anyone could actually call a duet. Cetera sang backing vocals and that's it. He had no solo lines. To my ears, it's one of the least of the tracks on the album. The lyrics are just terrible, in my insignificant opinion.
I do find it telling that he listened to her solo record and he couldn't find anything that worked. I wonder if he liked the record or not. The lyrics are rather intimate throughout and maybe that's what put him off?
Ed
Vinylalbumcovers
Ah am so steel een luv weeth yoo
I don't like duets with dead people either. He said in the interview that he tried to stay out of the way but on the duet with Whitney, he steps on her voice often. The whole concept is bizarre and I dislike it no matter who does it. The tracks weren't thought of as duets so making them so is antithetical to what they are. I'm fine without a Karen and Barry duet and hope Barry's projects of this type end here.
Ed
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Hence why I used the word 'beeline' when I said he was drawn to Karen's solo album: he knew it was his only option so he took a listen. It does sound as though he'd never heard it before though from this interview. I think he went for a listen thinking he'd find some well known songs or obscure treasures as far as catching the general public's conscience was concerned. As I said in my earlier post, there are none.
Regardless of material, any man with a baritone or bass voice would have a tough time singing in the range chosen for some of Karen's recordings because of her deep, low voice. I know from trying countless times to sing along with certain tracks. Once my voice changed at age 14, it became more of a challenge. You're either singing an octave too high or an octave too low (I'm a bass). Barry could possibly pull it off, but it's not as easy as it sounds with her unique singing style and range.
Nikifor Blavatsky
Member
I don't agree, the male character is sympathetic do the female character as a friend, he's not the loved one.
Nikifor Blavatsky
Member
Yes, dueting with deceased artists is hard to swallow for me.
Nikifor Blavatsky
Member
The same happens to me and I'm a tenor.
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
Nice how a mention of Karen Carpenter elicits such a response from the QVC audience, and
subsequent commentary on the forum...and, again, many diverse viewpoints to inform the discussion!
I'm hardly what one would call a Barry 'fan', however, the fact that he took any time to explain his
reasoning behind the absence of a duet with Karen Carpenter is rather telling.
Barry:.."You know I got a lot of requests for Karen Carpenter, I would have loved to do...but, she only
had one solo album out and the rest of her songs all came from (his "emphasis") "the Carpenters albums".
So, I wouldn't have been able to do that. And, that one album, I listened to it and I couldn't find anything to
do a duet.. That would've been great."
I have no opinion one way or the other regarding any duet.
However, this reminds me of an interview with a fellow who put together a Burt Bacharach Box Set, and had to
convince (if not, plead with) Richard Carpenter to allow their performance of Close To You to be included on the box set.
Also reminds me of the interview with the creator of the 2012 Dark Shadows Movie, he wanted Top of the World for the
movie, he says Richard Carpenter wanted $500,000 for the song--thinking that it would dissuade the movie makers--it didn't.
Reminds me, too, of the Billboard article in 1979 (or, 1980), where it was stated that Karen Carpenter would have been in the top
five (or, better) female vocalists of the 1970's--- if she were billed alone.
My feelings are somewhat ambiguous on this entire issue, as Richard Carpenter has stated "...they are his songs..."
And, this behavior accentuates a personality trait that has always been part of his "modus operandi " , from the start;
and, at times, this has been detrimental.
Needless to say, as the Barry Manilow clip reinforces (watch his mannerisms)
Karen Carpenter will never be allowed an existence separate/distinct from her brother.
subsequent commentary on the forum...and, again, many diverse viewpoints to inform the discussion!
I'm hardly what one would call a Barry 'fan', however, the fact that he took any time to explain his
reasoning behind the absence of a duet with Karen Carpenter is rather telling.
Barry:.."You know I got a lot of requests for Karen Carpenter, I would have loved to do...but, she only
had one solo album out and the rest of her songs all came from (his "emphasis") "the Carpenters albums".
So, I wouldn't have been able to do that. And, that one album, I listened to it and I couldn't find anything to
do a duet.. That would've been great."
I have no opinion one way or the other regarding any duet.
However, this reminds me of an interview with a fellow who put together a Burt Bacharach Box Set, and had to
convince (if not, plead with) Richard Carpenter to allow their performance of Close To You to be included on the box set.
Also reminds me of the interview with the creator of the 2012 Dark Shadows Movie, he wanted Top of the World for the
movie, he says Richard Carpenter wanted $500,000 for the song--thinking that it would dissuade the movie makers--it didn't.
Reminds me, too, of the Billboard article in 1979 (or, 1980), where it was stated that Karen Carpenter would have been in the top
five (or, better) female vocalists of the 1970's--- if she were billed alone.
My feelings are somewhat ambiguous on this entire issue, as Richard Carpenter has stated "...they are his songs..."
And, this behavior accentuates a personality trait that has always been part of his "modus operandi " , from the start;
and, at times, this has been detrimental.
Needless to say, as the Barry Manilow clip reinforces (watch his mannerisms)
Karen Carpenter will never be allowed an existence separate/distinct from her brother.
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