"You're Enough". . .baby it's enough for me

[ullalume]

Sorry, just been listening to this song and had to state just how much I love it. . .strangely it seems to be the song I sing to myself more than any other.

Her voice, the song, the words, the arrangement. Love it. It's also the song where the choir bothers me more than any other, perhaps because I can hear how it would've sounded with 4 Karens and 4 Richards directly replacing the OK Choral.

The part where she builds up to "Believing that she might be seeing love in your eyes" and the horns come in, I can just hear the way it would've sounded if she'd lived to complete it. . . or if Richard had decided to finish it in '83 (maybe not, from his recent comments)

Also a nice "really???" moment when people say her voice was inferior at the end. I've always maintained that "different" doesn't necessarily equate to "inferior". What it may have lacked in "creaminess" it makes up for in other areas. . . .I find her voice in '82 more emotive, more haunting.

 

[A&M Retro]

I agree! Karen's vocals from '82 have so much presence. Much more upfront than the vocals on 'Made In America' and much like the old Karen.

 

[GaryAlan]

Nice to see someone else love's this song, You're Enough !
It is an outstanding piece of work and one of my favorites on the Voice of the Heart LP .
Is there any mention of when Karen's vocal for that song was recorded?
I read in the newsletters (#81) that At The End Of A Song was taken from the Made in America sessions,
but that newsletter does not mention when Your'e Enough or Look To Your Dreams was recorded.
To my ears Karen's vocals sound stronger on the previously mentioned songs than on the song Now.

 

[GaryAlan]

I see You're Enough was recorded April 1982, along with Now. (from the official Carpenter website)
I really had forgotten that tidbit (if I ever knew), as the two vocals from Karen sound different to my ears.
This perplexes me, as I simply had assumed the stronger vocal was recorded earlier than 1982. (meaning, to my ears I
have always felt that Now seemed very soft)
So, I learn something new, today. That makes it a successful day!

 

[ullalume]

Now was a work lead, I think the vocal of You're Enough is "definitive" (if you know what I mean). Now is in a higher key, which perhaps explains the "thinner" sound. But about half the song lands in Karen's comfort zone. . .and that's when the magic happens. . .and her vocals at these points of the song really are her "loveliest" to quote Richard. Enough is all in her comfort zone.

 

[arthowson]

One of things I love about Boxed Sets is, more often than not, they include exact dates of production. Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, the Beatles. Usually say something like, recorded Nov 7 - 9, 1962.

I wish we knew exact dates for the Carpenters. When I think of NOW, I always think of what the weather must have been like in LA. .. or that on the day of Karen's funeral, it rained. Visualizing the C's driving to A & M in certain seasons would add some texture to things that were happening around them during certain key events in their lives.

 

[GaryAlan]

So many perceptive viewpoints, and all well taken!

 

[A&M Retro]

I agree. I did find out via the new 'Wrecking Crew' book about Hal Blaine, Joe Osborn, Carol Kaye, etc., that the single, 'Close to You' was cut on March 25th, 1970. Something we diehards never knew....

 

[arthowson]

It's also kinda cool because on any given date, we can say; "today, Close to you" was recorded in at A&M. ..and the world would never be the same. Karen led a nation "smoothly into the 70's." quote from that movie that shall go nameless.

 

[Chris May]

I agree. I did find out via the new 'Wrecking Crew' book about Hal Blaine, Joe Osborn, Carol Kaye, etc., that the single, 'Close to You' was cut on March 25th, 1970. Something we diehards never knew....

Thought the "diehards" would like this

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Wow they did a lot of night recording, huh? I wonder if it would be fair to say that most of the Carpenters recordings were done at night? I've heard mornings is the worse time of the day for artist to record.

 

[newvillefan]

Wow they did a lot of night recording, huh? I wonder if it would be fair to say that most of the Carpenters recordings were done at night? I've heard mornings is the worse time of the day for artist to record.

This document backs up the well known stories that they did work late nights (Richard especially was a nightowl). What's interesting is that seems to have been a trend right from these very early days. 'Aurora' and 'Eventide' were also known to have been recorded around 2am, with Karen and Richard returning to the studio after they had been out for the evening with Harold and Agnes to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

I love the quote Richard once made that you could have woken Karen in the middle of the night and she would have been able to sing 'Superstar' perfectly. It probably was recorded in the middle of the night

 

[ullalume]

Lovely info. Blaine certainly commanded the biggest fee. . .converted to 2014 money that's a little over a grand for 3 hours work. . .which actually, considering he was one of the biggest names in the business, isn't such a huge amount. My mate just did a mixing gig for one night (admittedly about 7 hours work) and he got 600 bucks. . .I'd have thought Blaine would have got the equivalent of at least 2 grand (unless he got extra from somewhere else).

 

[Chris May]

Lovely info. Blaine certainly commanded the biggest fee. . .converted to 2014 money that's a little over a grand for 3 hours work. . .which actually, considering he was one of the biggest names in the business, isn't such a huge amount. My mate just did a mixing gig for one night (admittedly about 7 hours work) and he got 600 bucks. . .I'd have thought Blaine would have got the equivalent of at least 2 grand (unless he got extra from somewhere else).

I did a wonderful 2-part interview with Hal on our show several months back and we talked about some of that:

Hal Blaine Interview, Part 1
Hal Blaine Interview, Part 2

 

[1979lee]

absolutly adore you're enough...

 

[Joeyesterday]

Thought the "diehards" would like this

Chris, What was Larry Knechtel's (Bread/Wrecking Crew) role in Close To You? He is not listed, but I thought he was involved early on.

 

[newvillefan]

Chris, What was Larry Knechtel's (Bread/Wrecking Crew) role in Close To You? He is not listed, but I thought he was involved early on.

He played piano on the second take of Close To You

 

[Chris May]

Chris, What was Larry Knechtel's (Bread/Wrecking Crew) role in Close To You? He is not listed, but I thought he was involved early on.

It's funny because he asked Joe Osborn some time later why he never got a gold record for that song and Joe told him it was because he wasn't on the record! Larry had no idea the Richard had replaced his part

 

[Joeyesterday]

It's funny because he asked Joe Osborn some time later why he never got a gold record for that song and Joe told him it was because he wasn't on the record! Larry had no idea the Richard had replaced his part

Sure would like to hear Larry's version....incidentally, I just finished reading a new book about the band, Bread, by Malcolm Searles. It follows each member's career leading up to Bread being formed and afterwards...Larry's history is included of course. Excellent book!

 

[Chris May]

Sure would like to hear Larry's version....incidentally, I just finished reading a new book about the band, Bread, by Malcolm Searles. It follows each member's career leading up to Bread being formed and afterwards...Larry's history is included of course. Excellent book!

There are a lot of things I would love to ask him if he were still alive. Unfortunately he passed in mid-'09 so that isn't possible.