As someone else said in another video that the carpenters songs haven't been redone by anyone else. Who could even try to sing a song after Karen Carpenter sang it. Nobody else compares. What a perfect voice. Gives me chills every time I hear her sing. What a voice!
That's an interesting observation about no one trying to redo her work. There is a lady named Toni Lee (see on RUclips) that is decent, but no one will ever beat Karen's natural talent and angelic voice.
Gone nearly 40 years, geez. Great that you made the effort to do that. I was born in Canada but lived in US most of my life. Thanks for watching and the feedback. Would appreciate it you’d consider subscribing :)
She's an angel...her voice moves mountain...moves people...shake a little bit your soul...not born in her era,im only 22 but this woman voice really moves me.
@@bruschmidt9943 And she looks SO young in the early songs. No death of a famous person makes me sadder and its her youth in those early videos that add to that sadness for me.
Thanks for sharing your perspective. Seems many of us saw that in her. Her passing is both saddening ad maddening. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe to help advance my channel :)
She was so tender and treated so poorly by her mother which crushed her self-esteem. Then her marriage to that money hungry monster was awful. She wanted kids so badly and he didn’t, she was so crushed.
Yes her drum skills were less well known but in concert she did a drumming only part of the show and showed off her chops on the sticks (chopsticks? :) ). Thanks for watching and sharing! Please subscribe as it helps keep me inspired to do more content :)
I’m so grateful that you honour Karen and her magnificent mezzosoprano voice, we will continue playing her music for as long as we live… gone too soon 😢❤❤❤
Amen! Her demons around self esteem really ruled her and those who supposedly loved her most (Mother and short term husband) really contributed to her downfall given her fragile nature.
Amen! Her demons around self esteem really ruled her and those who supposedly loved her most (Mother and short term husband) really contributed to her downfall given her fragile nature.
Her vocal ability was stunning. Even in the days prior to her passing being able to nail the vocal track to Now in one take while unwell. Wow. If only we understood and had the support & knowledge we have now around her disease things may have been very different. Angelic and gone too soon but what an incredible legacy she left.
Good point you made about taking away some instrumentation. Richard never shared that view. Listen to his remake with the Royal Phil Harmonic of Superstar. Many of the instruments now stood out, but horns & trombones in chorus were subdued. Overall I couldn't see it as an improvement over the original. You selected my fav verse from Solitaire at 6:08. I was surprised you didn't mention her unsurpassed phrasing & breath control in this & all her songs. Listen from 6:23-6:35 that is unbelievably gorgeous. No wonder people think of angels when she's singing!
No, I think you're right about that Philharmonic release. Richard is all about showcasing his arrangements chops but sometimes you can't improve on something as well done as the original. You're right about vocal in Solitaire, the breath control is so obvious and present; if you couldn't tell by my reaction, I was so (once again) awestruck by it that I was honestly at a loss for words and almost "lost it" over thinking about the tragedy of her loss. Solitaire was so appropriate as she always seemed to be in her own world - alone and not connected beyond the music. Wanted a loving man and family so much, but instead had a mother of little love or concern and never was able to live the love she sang about so beautifully. Thanks for watching! If you haven't subscribed i would sincerely appreciate your considering doing so. If you have subscribed, Thank You!
Both her as a person and her voice were angelic. She had such a tough personal life she was destine to Rest In Peace so early in her life. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe to see future content :)
Yes I loved the isolated vocals on that. I didn’t realize that actually was recorded in 1970 as it didn’t get popular until later in the decade. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe if you haven’t already :)
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion She re-recorded that in 1978 for the Christmas album - she thought her voice had deepened and matured and had become more resonant and that she could sing it even better - it had and she did...
@@johnb.2518 Thanks for that info John! That makes sense given when it became popular. I was looking at their catalog on Discogs.com when I noticed it was recorded (first) in 1970. Have to hunt for the original but I'm sure you're right that the one we all know and love has her best more mature voice :) Thanks for watching. If you haven't already subscribed to my channel, I kindly ask that you consider doing so to help me hit the 100 subscriber mark this week :)
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion if I'm not mistaken the song WAS a big hit in 1970...but it has been re-released several times since and has been a hit every time (as recently as a few years ago)...FYI, to hear Karen at her most beautiful check out her stunning vocal performances on the album tracks that were never released as singles (for some strange reason), such as YOU'RE THE ONE, WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE, DESPERADO, LEAVE YESTERDAY BEHIND, A PLACE TO HIDE AWAY and ONE MORE TIME...
I’ll never forget the voice of Karen! I’ve sung her songs since I was a child. I sing also and sing similar contra-alto range too. It’s a spiritual experience to listen to her voice… I can’t help but wonder what music she and Richard would have produced further, had she lived longer… Fun to think about and sad too. I hope she is among the heavenly choir above and that one day we will hear her sing again. 🎶😘
nice video. I have gone down the RUclips rabbit hole of Karen. Lots of people say she lip syncs sometimes. I don't believe that; there are some analysis videos on her vocals, her live sounds and match's. identical to the studio version. Shes the greatest voice.
Very nice presentation David! Enjoyed that thoroughly. More please! An incomparable voice - talent "off the charts" - nice selection of vocal samples and photos - but there are so many more you could (and should) do - can see it now: Artist Profile, Karen Carpenter, Part 50, Vocal Perfection! Loved everything they did except for the biggest mistake they ever made in recording, which was the "double-tracking" of her magnificent voice on far too many of her lead vocals, during which she would oversing herself (not to be confused with the background harmonies she provided) - always thought this was a total distortion of her real, pure, naturally beautiful vocal tone, and therefore unjustifiable and unforgivable...would love to hear the songs without this irritating distraction.
Great job David... Congratularions... From a person show had an opportunity to hear her voice side by sode, and sang with her in early novembro,1981... ALL my best for you... Sydney Junior... Brazilian Catpenters' Friends Club Presidente...
Love her. Not a fan of soft rock or her era pop. Or even many of her rock contemporaries like Steely Dan. But there is something? I love about her. Just got Passage. So cool. She transcends the material. Great vid.
That's a great reflection. It only compounds the tragedy of her loss that we never got to hear more of her talent. She was tormented in so many ways. I believe her mother's lack of care and her "marriage" were the elements driving her downward spiral. Only the good die young....as Billy Joel sang.
Excellent review, expertly done. Yes, Karen's voice always touched me, from the first time I heard her on the radio, singing Close To You to right now, hearing her voice on your review. RIP, Karen.
Superstar is a one take recording. She was just reading the lyrics on a paper napkin. Her lead recording was so perfect mostly it ends up as the one you have on the album. One example is “Tryin to get the Feeling”.
Yep...I grew up listening this since their first hit in 70'. I was 13 and knew she had that unique voice the first time I heard Close to You come across the airways. I specifically remember thinking to myself she sounds like an angel. Now over 50 years later I see other peeps agree with me.
Yeh...I remember waking up in the morning, the radio had been playing all night and it came across the news that KC had died. I remember thinking damn...wtf....thats the end of that music.
Trivia: Close to you was written in 1962 by Burt Bacharach for Dionne Warwick, she recorded it but the song went no where. Burt gave the song to Richard, he rearranged it, Karen sang it and was a #1 hit on the 1970 Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and eleven weeks in the Top 10.
KC said she didn't even know she could sing until she was 14 because she had no interest in it until Richard discovered her talent. Thats in the Carpenters video interview. I thought it was funny when I heard her say it. She had all that talent and had no clue until her brother saw what she didn't see.
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion No! That was the one you heard that winter of 1970! What you hear on their Christmas special, and are likely to hear on the radio these days, is the redo.
You know, something comes to mind with listening to you?And this just shows how rich meddled in Karen's life to the point that she died for it.That and her mom's love. How could he possibly feel good about moving her body?So he could be closer to her?How convenient. The guy it seems like a narcissist to me . Karen on the other hand just seems like a nice person that was taken advantage of by her mom and by rich. Those two things led to her death. You wouldn't even let her publish her own record.Did she paid for. It all sick just sick.
Excellent explanation. I found out how you love Karen. (Sorry for my poor English from Japan.) It has been 40 years since our losing her milky way voice. I always thought she looked so happy during singing a song and playing the drums...
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion Thank you for your replying. When I watched Richard was playing the piano with smile behind Karen, I was sad. Because she was like a skelton. I understand it is business and he might be also painful. It was tragic no one recommended they had to take a long rest. I simply wanted her to bd alive. She is absolutely genuis and it is undisputed. Again, thank you for replying.
As someone else said in another video that the carpenters songs haven't been redone by anyone else. Who could even try to sing a song after Karen Carpenter sang it. Nobody else compares.
What a perfect voice. Gives me chills every time I hear her sing.
What a voice!
That's an interesting observation about no one trying to redo her work. There is a lady named Toni Lee (see on RUclips) that is decent, but no one will ever beat Karen's natural talent and angelic voice.
Give Tori Holub a look
The magical voice of Karen Carpenter ❤️. Last month I actually visited her at her final resting place and flew in from 🇨🇦 to do it. Thanks for this…
Gone nearly 40 years, geez. Great that you made the effort to do that. I was born in Canada but lived in US most of my life. Thanks for watching and the feedback. Would appreciate it you’d consider subscribing :)
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion Crazy isn’t it. Just subscribed as well!
God bless you for this brother.
@@peterdelany9931 thank you!
She's an angel...her voice moves mountain...moves people...shake a little bit your soul...not born in her era,im only 22 but this woman voice really moves me.
LoL she was hardly a woman at age 20 when she recorded "Close to You"? -- younger than most Stars!
@@bruschmidt9943 And she looks SO young in the early songs. No death of a famous person makes me sadder and its her youth in those early videos that add to that sadness for me.
I have always described her as having the voice of what must be an angel
Thanks for sharing your perspective. Seems many of us saw that in her. Her passing is both saddening ad maddening. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe to help advance my channel :)
The most beautiful voice and a wonderful woman!
She was so tender and treated so poorly by her mother which crushed her self-esteem. Then her marriage to that money hungry monster was awful. She wanted kids so badly and he didn’t, she was so crushed.
Karen was my hero back in the 70's. I took drums in marching band because she was my inspiration. If only she knew how amazing she was in all ways.
Yes her drum skills were less well known but in concert she did a drumming only part of the show and showed off her chops on the sticks (chopsticks? :) ). Thanks for watching and sharing! Please subscribe as it helps keep me inspired to do more content :)
I was in the car when I heard about her death on the radio in 1983, I pulled over and cried
It hit me hard as well. Totally shocked
I’m so grateful that you honour Karen and her magnificent mezzosoprano voice, we will continue playing her music for as long as we live… gone too soon 😢❤❤❤
Thank you! She will never be forgotten
perfection never to be duplicated
Thank you for this sensitive treatment. Karen truly had the voice of an angel.
Easily one of my top 5 female vocalists.
Would you mind sharing the other 4?
Your Title is spot-on, "Vocal Perfection". I doubt anyone would differ?
Who could? Thanks for watching. I’d appreciate it if you would help me get one closer to 100 subscribers!
I remember hearing "Close to You" the first time, it was a voice of perfection and a perfect song.
Great job, David! What a voice, indeed! She is missed.
Amen! Her demons around self esteem really ruled her and those who supposedly loved her most (Mother and short term husband) really contributed to her downfall given her fragile nature.
Amen! Her demons around self esteem really ruled her and those who supposedly loved her most (Mother and short term husband) really contributed to her downfall given her fragile nature.
Her vocal ability was stunning. Even in the days prior to her passing being able to nail the vocal track to Now in one take while unwell. Wow. If only we understood and had the support & knowledge we have now around her disease things may have been very different. Angelic and gone too soon but what an incredible legacy she left.
oh lord what a voice ,my personal favorite
Good point you made about taking away some instrumentation. Richard never shared that view. Listen to his remake with the Royal Phil Harmonic of Superstar. Many of the instruments now stood out, but horns & trombones in chorus were subdued. Overall I couldn't see it as an improvement over the original.
You selected my fav verse from Solitaire at 6:08. I was surprised you didn't mention her unsurpassed phrasing & breath control in this & all her songs. Listen from 6:23-6:35 that is unbelievably gorgeous. No wonder people think of angels when she's singing!
No, I think you're right about that Philharmonic release. Richard is all about showcasing his arrangements chops but sometimes you can't improve on something as well done as the original. You're right about vocal in Solitaire, the breath control is so obvious and present; if you couldn't tell by my reaction, I was so (once again) awestruck by it that I was honestly at a loss for words and almost "lost it" over thinking about the tragedy of her loss. Solitaire was so appropriate as she always seemed to be in her own world - alone and not connected beyond the music. Wanted a loving man and family so much, but instead had a mother of little love or concern and never was able to live the love she sang about so beautifully.
Thanks for watching! If you haven't subscribed i would sincerely appreciate your considering doing so. If you have subscribed, Thank You!
unique voice so beautiful ❤️
Both her as a person and her voice were angelic. She had such a tough personal life she was destine to Rest In Peace so early in her life. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe to see future content :)
Merry Christmas, Darling. sublime! Many thanks!
Yes I loved the isolated vocals on that. I didn’t realize that actually was recorded in 1970 as it didn’t get popular until later in the decade. Thanks for watching. Please subscribe if you haven’t already :)
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion She re-recorded that in 1978 for the Christmas album - she thought her voice had deepened and matured and had become more resonant and that she could sing it even better - it had and she did...
@@johnb.2518 Thanks for that info John! That makes sense given when it became popular. I was looking at their catalog on Discogs.com when I noticed it was recorded (first) in 1970. Have to hunt for the original but I'm sure you're right that the one we all know and love has her best more mature voice :) Thanks for watching. If you haven't already subscribed to my channel, I kindly ask that you consider doing so to help me hit the 100 subscriber mark this week :)
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion if I'm not mistaken the song WAS a big hit in 1970...but it has been re-released several times since and has been a hit every time (as recently as a few years ago)...FYI, to hear Karen at her most beautiful check out her stunning vocal performances on the album tracks that were never released as singles (for some strange reason), such as YOU'RE THE ONE, WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE, DESPERADO, LEAVE YESTERDAY BEHIND, A PLACE TO HIDE AWAY and ONE MORE TIME...
Poor karen , is a magical voice , no love karen parents and brother, is my favourite singer female ❤❤
One of a kind for sure! Thanks for subscribing to my channel.
I’ll never forget the voice of Karen! I’ve sung her songs since I was a child. I sing also and sing similar contra-alto range too. It’s a spiritual experience to listen to her voice… I can’t help but wonder what music she and Richard would have produced further, had she lived longer… Fun to think about and sad too. I hope she is among the heavenly choir above and that one day we will hear her sing again. 🎶😘
Amen! One of the greatest losses in musical history given her age and the possibilities! Thanks for sharing.
nice video. I have gone down the RUclips rabbit hole of Karen. Lots of people say she lip syncs sometimes. I don't believe that; there are some analysis videos on her vocals, her live sounds and match's. identical to the studio version. Shes the greatest voice.
Very nice presentation David! Enjoyed that thoroughly. More please! An incomparable voice - talent "off the charts" - nice selection of vocal samples and photos - but there are so many more you could (and should) do - can see it now: Artist Profile, Karen Carpenter, Part 50, Vocal Perfection! Loved everything they did except for the biggest mistake they ever made in recording, which was the "double-tracking" of her magnificent voice on far too many of her lead vocals, during which she would oversing herself (not to be confused with the background harmonies she provided) - always thought this was a total distortion of her real, pure, naturally beautiful vocal tone, and therefore unjustifiable and unforgivable...would love to hear the songs without this irritating distraction.
Thanks John. Bread is next on my
List…
Thank you for sharing this David! For so many years hers was the dulcet voice I remembered from AM radio. There was so much more to her.
I can’t ever get enough of her voice. Such a sweet soul that got treated so poorly and given her self-esteem issues, drove her to an early grave.
Great job David... Congratularions... From a person show had an opportunity to hear her voice side by sode, and sang with her in early novembro,1981... ALL my best for you... Sydney Junior... Brazilian Catpenters' Friends Club Presidente...
Love her. Not a fan of soft rock or her era pop. Or even many of her rock contemporaries like Steely Dan. But there is something? I love about her. Just got Passage. So cool. She transcends the material. Great vid.
🌟K 🌹 C🌟
💓
This is Erik Wolter from Germany. I am 57 years old and I am an fan of the Cerpenters since i was a kid. Thank You very much for this great video.
As I said in the past. Karen would have gotten into the music of the great American songbook. And with that voice he would have killed it
That's a great reflection. It only compounds the tragedy of her loss that we never got to hear more of her talent. She was tormented in so many ways. I believe her mother's lack of care and her "marriage" were the elements driving her downward spiral. Only the good die young....as Billy Joel sang.
Excellent review, expertly done. Yes, Karen's voice always touched me, from the first time I heard her on the radio, singing Close To You to right now, hearing her voice on your review. RIP, Karen.
Superstar is a one take recording. She was just reading the lyrics on a paper napkin. Her lead recording was so perfect mostly it ends up as the one you have on the album. One example is “Tryin to get the Feeling”.
Yes thus her nickname of “One Take” :) thanks for sharing and watching
Yep...I grew up listening this since their first hit in 70'. I was 13 and knew she had that unique voice the first time I heard Close to You come across the airways. I specifically remember thinking to myself she sounds like an angel. Now over 50 years later I see other peeps agree with me.
Absolutely STUNNING 😮❤🎉
No one could deliver a melancholy love song like KC.
Such a beautiful woman.
"I just want to tell you love, that I think you've got a fabulous voice " - John Lennon to Karen Carpenter.
Yeh...I remember waking up in the morning, the radio had been playing all night and it came across the news that KC had died. I remember thinking damn...wtf....thats the end of that music.
Karen was Richards compositional playground. Frank Sinatra said Karen would be the only singer he'd pay to see.
Solitaire sounds like a Bond Movie theme and would become the best Bond theme... We've Only Just Begun is my favorite Carpenters song tho.
Trivia: Close to you was written in 1962 by Burt Bacharach for Dionne Warwick, she recorded it but the song went no where. Burt gave the song to Richard, he rearranged it, Karen sang it and was a #1 hit on the 1970 Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and eleven weeks in the Top 10.
KC said she didn't even know she could sing until she was 14 because she had no interest in it until Richard discovered her talent. Thats in the Carpenters video interview. I thought it was funny when I heard her say it. She had all that talent and had no clue until her brother saw what she didn't see.
Check out the song Crescent Moon...for her vocal quality....
ruclips.net/video/aKYNckacP6E/видео.html
You know she re-recorded the vocal on Merry Christmas Darling because she had a cold on the original and was dissatisfied. Who knew?
So I assume the inferior vocal version was never released?
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion No! That was the one you heard that winter of 1970!
What you hear on their Christmas special, and are likely to hear on the radio these days, is the redo.
she is angel that was working among the satanists [record business]
Don't know why rich would not let me marry karen.
She struggled in her love life and picked a crappy husband to make her life even worse.
You know, something comes to mind with listening to you?And this just shows how rich meddled in Karen's life to the point that she died for it.That and her mom's love. How could he possibly feel good about moving her body?So he could be closer to her?How convenient. The guy it seems like a narcissist to me . Karen on the other hand just seems like a nice person that was taken advantage of by her mom and by rich. Those two things led to her death. You wouldn't even let her publish her own record.Did she paid for. It all sick just sick.
Excellent explanation. I found out how you love Karen. (Sorry for my poor English from Japan.) It has been 40 years since our losing her milky way voice. I always thought she looked so happy during singing a song and playing the drums...
Yes she was more comfortable in the back playing drums than up front singing.
@@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion
Thank you for your replying. When I watched Richard was playing the piano with smile behind Karen, I was sad. Because she was like a skelton. I understand it is business and he might be also painful. It was tragic no one recommended they had to take a long rest. I simply wanted her to bd alive. She is absolutely genuis and it is undisputed. Again, thank you for replying.