PUB DE BILLBOARD

Pour la semaine du 29 avril 1978, RSO Records se paye une page de pub pour la sortie de l'album GREASE et du duo YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT qui est rentré dans le TOP10 du BILLBOARD HOT 100 !! 

L'Europe n'a pas encore succombé ! 

 

VAULT 83

Nouvelle compilation très intéressante de l’équipe anglaise de Now That’s What I Call Music. 'Vault '83' est une ramification de la série Yearbook et propose des « morceaux moins compilés » de 1983, ce qui signifie des quasi-hits, des non-hits, des chansons qui ont eu du succès aux États-Unis mais pas au Royaume-Uni, etc....

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN est présente avec son TWIST OF FATE !

NOW Yearbook – The Vault : 1983 sortira le 31 mai 2024.

Mais aussi :

https://superdeluxeedition.com/news/now-yearbook-the-vault-1983/

RETRO PHOTO

 

 

DERNIERE PARTIE

4ème et dernière partie de l'article sur les sœurs NEWTON-JOHN .. même si c'est plutôt un plaidoyer sur RONA ! 

 

IF NOT FOR YOU

24 avril 1971, IF NOT FOR YOU, premier single officiel d'ONJ, rentre dans le TOP10 des meilleures ventes de singles en Angleterre et atteint sa meilleure 7ème place !

1976.04.24

 Fin de semaine du 24 avril 1976, le single COME ON OVER devient n°1 du classement américain BILLBOARD TOP50 EASY LISTENING. 

L'album COME ON OVER rentre dans le TOP5 du classement BILLBOARD HOT COUNTRY LPS et se hisse à la 16ème place du BILLBOARD200.  

UNE CHANSON DOUCE

 

PART 3

 Je m'attendais un petit peu à ce qu'Olivia soit égratigné ... c'est ce qui ce passe dans ce 3ème volet qui survol quelques situations complexes ... 

C'est aussi facile de juger ... c'est la vérité et le ressenti d'Emerson Newton-John après tout ! 

ET du tournage de GREASE peu d'éléments ont été partagés ! Dommage ! 

.

"Étant donné qu’Olivia était au courant de ce qui se passait dans la vie d’Emerson et de Rona, il semblerait qu’elle ait souvent jeté de l’argent dans les situations au lieu d’essayer de résoudre le problème de manière fondamentale et de rendre Rona responsable de ses choix de vie. « Je ne sais pas exactement ce qu’elle savait, mais elle en savait plus qu’assez pour faire quelque chose à ce sujet. Elle avait le pouvoir de le changer, mais elle ne l’a jamais fait ...... "

Moi je me dis qu'il a la réponse dans ses précédents propos concernant l'attitude de sa mère ... et de ce fait le choix d'Olivia !

TALENT IN ACTION - RETRO ARTICLE

.

OLIVIA NEWTON -JOHN 

Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas

In her first stateside "Iive" show in six months, MCA pop star Olivia Newton-John again recorded a polished. professional musical pack age March 24 before a packed Versailles Room audience.

Her 16-song, hour long show included a variety of hits, lesser known songs and a unique comedy sketch with mimists Shields & Yarnell in her segment.

And always, her dear, strong vocal stylization blended successfully with her improved stage presence in illuminating each selection.

.

The petite blonde soprano scored her best rock effort with Gary Wright's "My Love Is Alive" while offsetting the mood with her own ballad composition "Changes" and melodic   Pony Ride, which showcased her dramatic ability to interpret songs.

New hit 'Sam, topping the easy listening chart, worked well with her seven man band featuring standout guitar -  Skip Criparn and Rick Ruskin.

.

Change of -pace 'Nevertheless' combined with "As Time Goes By" again allowed Newton-John to demonstrate her articulate phrasing of the melodies in evoking melancholy moods.

 Classical overtones were evident in 'The Air That I Breathe" offset by country rock versions of "Jolene" "lf you love Me" and "let It Shine" in her familiar  four-four rhythm 

Her many hits "I Honestly love You" "Have You Never Been Mellow and 'Love Song" proved why she has become a formidable recording artist at such a young age.

The only flaw in the show came on Please Mr.Please' when she was overpowered by guitars 

HANFORD SEARL 

BILLBOARD / 1977.04.23.

PART II: The Ties that Bind – The Newton-John Sisters

... et déjà la 2ème partie de l'histoire des soeurs NEWTON-JOHN !

 PART II

The ties that bind were the emotional foundation of the relationship between Rona and Olivia. “My mom told me that they’d made a pact: whichever of them were to make it first would take care of the other. But then I had that conversation with Olivia five or six years ago and she had no recollection of that, though she didn’t say it wasn’t true. But look, Olivia never remembered where she parked her car when she was leaving Target, so who knows the truth?”

PART II: The Ties that Bind - The Newton-John Sisters (mindfood.com)

LE JOUR DE LA TERRE

Le Jour de la Terre devrait être une importante célébration environnementale par la société civile. Célébré le 22 avril, le Jour de la Terre devrait être un événement annuel mondial où plusieurs manifestations soutenant la protection de l'environnement devraient être effectuées dans divers pays. 

Pouvons nous espérer qu'un jour nos chers dirigeants s'arrêtent de jouer à qui a la plus grosse zigounette et s'occuper du sort si fragile de nos civilisations ... et ne parlons pas du Greenwashing et de toutes les saloperies que nous font avaler nos industriels ! 

💖

Au fil des ans, Olivia Newton-John s'est montrée une avocate convaincue. Elle s'est investie énormément dans des causes humanitaires telles que la défense de la nature et des animaux, ainsi qu'en faveur de la lutte contre le cancer. 

Elle était une activiste de la conservation mondiale et avec son mari John Easterling, elle a promu la conservation de la forêt tropicale et bien plus ..

I am your mother--born of the sun

I gave you shelter--what have you done?

Your heart's in turmoil--my world's in pain

I need to turn you back home again

I am a woman--I am the rain

And like your father--I feel the betrayed

What you are doing--can be undone

You know the answers--tell everyone

Respect me

Respect me

I need you to protect me

For it is you not me

Whose fate's in jeopardy

Respect me

Respect me

I need you to protect me

For it is you not me

That's the part you fail to see

I am the forest--now I'm a tree

The air is dirty--I cannot breathe

My streams run empty--my tears run dry

My children call me--don't let us die

Respect me

Respect me

I need you to protect me

For it is you not me

Whose fate's in jeopardy

Respect me

Respect me

I need you to protect me

For it is you not me

That's the part you fail to see

I love my children and I've been your home

But I'll survive this--if I'm alone

I'm survivor--but you will be gone

Let's start a new world--from this day on

Respect me

Respect me

I need you to protect me

For it is you not me

Whose fate's in jeopardy

Respect me

Respect me

I need you to protect me

For it is you not me

That's the part you fail to see

For it is you not me

That's the part you fail to see

Oh respect me

Oh respect me

I need you to protect me

For it is you not me

That's the part you fail to see

EXCLUSIF

Les liens qui unissaient les sœurs Newton-John !

L’ascension de l’une des sœurs vers la célébrité internationale et la descente de l’autre dans le désespoir. Voyagez dans la vie extraordinaire de ces sœurs dont les destins ont radicalement divergé. Dans cette série, Michele Manelis se penche sur les parcours contrastés d’Olivia et de Rona Newton-John, l’une atteignant le sommet de la renommée internationale, tandis que l’autre est aux prises avec des démons personnels et le désespoir.

PREMIÈRE PARTIE

Rona Newton-John se tient devant la cuisinière de la cuisine en train de remuer la soupe au poulet qu’elle a préparée de toutes pièces pour son fiancé Jeff Conaway (Kenickie dans Grease et Bobby Wheeler dans la sitcom Taxi), tandis que son plus jeune fils, Emerson, 10 ans, fait du vélo dans la cour. L’affliction de Jeff avec la drogue et l’alcool signifiait que ses accès de rage n’avaient rien d’inhabituel pour Rona et Emerson. Mais ce jour-là, c’était différent. Avec un pistolet à l’arrière de la tête, Jeff crie : « Appelle Olivia ! Dit-lui que tu la détestes ! Dis-lui que tu ne veux plus jamais lui parler !

Pendant ce temps, Emerson n’est absolument pas au courant de l’escalade de la scène de crime qui se déroule à l’intérieur de sa maison. Soudain, la porte arrière s’ouvre : Rona l’attrape et, courant pour sauver sa vie, se dirige vers la voiture.

Ce scénario n’était qu’une des nombreuses expériences pénibles et traumatisantes qu’Emerson, aujourd’hui âgé de 49 ans, a endurées. « C’est probablement le souvenir le plus marquant de mon enfance avec ma mère », se souvient-il. En souriant, il note : « Ce qui me vient à l’esprit, c’est que lorsque ma mère s’est enfuie de la maison en me portant sur son épaule, j’avais surtout peur que mon vélo ne rentre pas dans la voiture sur le chemin de la maison d’Olivia, où je savais que nous allions vivre à nouveau pendant un certain temps. » Déclenchées par une saine impulsion d’auto-préservation, il est compréhensible que les préoccupations immédiates d’Emerson à l’âge de 10 ans éclipsent le drame et la confusion de l’incident qui a conduit à leur départ précipité de leur maison et à leur arrivée subséquente sur le pas de la porte de la sœur cadette de Rona, Olivia.

Malheureusement, il s’agissait d’un schéma familier que le jeune garçon en viendrait à considérer comme normal. Quiconque a côtoyé un toxicomane connaît bien le cycle prévisible du chaos, de la violence, du remords et de la culpabilité, accompagné d’innombrables promesses vides que ce comportement ne se reproduira plus jamais. Emerson est loin d’être le seul enfant à grandir dans de telles circonstances. Mais la plupart des enfants n’ont pas de superstar internationale comme sa tante Olivia Newton-John pour les sauver. Et elle les a sauvés, à plusieurs reprises.

EXCLUSIF : Les liens qui unissent - Les sœurs Newton-John (mindfood.com)

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Une publication partagée par MiNDFOOD (@mindfoodmag)

GREASE GOLD - 1978.04.22

EXTENDED VERSION

J'suis pas fan de cette chanson ... 

LA VIDEO BONHEUR

CHANTEZ MAINTENANT

JUST THE TWO OF US Volume 2 : Vous pouvez donc chanter a tue-tête avec Olivia  Newton-John en duo sur cette playlist Youtube composé tristement au final de seulement 11 lyric videos !

EN ANGLAIS DANS LE TEXTE

 

Chris Lowe recalls the time he saw Boomtown Rats appear on the show the week they got to No 1 with Rat Trap, in the process ousting John Travolta and Olivia Newton-john after several weeks at the top. “I always remember Bob Geldof tearing up the photo of John Travolta at the start of that performance. I found it really annoying, and I’ve never liked him since.”

Article Name:COVER STORY PET SHOP BOYS

Publication:Record Collector

DELTA GOODREM

The award-winning Australian artist reveals her teenage crush, comfort TV faves and the biggest misconception about her

• Marie Claire Australia
• 1 May 2024

WHAT IS THE SOUNDTRACK TO YOUR LIFE RIGHT NOW?

Hits from the ‘80s and ’90s and powerhouse vocalists, such as Cher, Tina Turner, Whitney [Houston], Celine [Dion], Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi. I’m inspired again by the classics.

WHO WAS YOUR CHILDHOOD HERO?

[The late singer and actor] Olivia Newton-John. She was – and still is – my idol and inspiration, and a kindred spirit at the same time. She was a special human in every way.

WHAT SIMPLE PLEASURE BRINGS YOU THE MOST HAPPINESS?

Watching reality TV shows. When

I’m tucked in bed with a tea in my hand and a good snack I’m very happy.

WHICH HISTORICAL CONCERTS DO YOU WISH YOU COULD’VE ATTENDED?

There are so many. Maybe the 1985 Live Aid concert with Queen, or one of Michael Jackson’s big tours.

WHAT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT YOU?

People think I’m way more serious than I am. I love having fun. I’m very playful in life and I love to joke around. I’m always up for a great time.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST CHALLENGING THING TO UNLEARN?

Not taking time for myself and finding time to rest. I genuinely love working and I have so many passions, so it’s hard to stop sometimes. I’m still unlearning that one.

IS THERE A TOPIC YOU WISH PEOPLE WOULD TALK MORE ABOUT?

Anything to do with kindness and goodness in the world. We need good news more than ever.

DESCRIBE YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO CELEBRATE...

A nice restaurant with great food, wine and a group of my closest friends.

WHAT SONG ALWAYS GETS YOU ON THE DANCE FLOOR?

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston, or “Conga” by Gloria Estefan.

WHAT IS YOUR PHONE LOCK SCREEN?

A photo of Matt [Copley] and I from when we got engaged.

NAME THE WOMAN IN YOUR LIFE WHO HAS SHAPED YOU THE MOST...

I can’t pinpoint one. I’ve been very fortunate to be surrounded by many incredible, strong women in my life

– mentors, idols, friends and business partners. They all rock my world.

WHAT OUTFIT MAKES YOU FEEL THE MOST YOU?

A loose, super-comfy set or a power suit. Depends on the mood.

WHO WAS YOUR TEENAGE CRUSH?

[Actor] Leonardo DiCaprio. I had his poster on my wall.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU CALLED FOR NO REASON?

Probably one of my girlfriends for a long girl chat.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE COMFORT TV SHOWS?

[Reality show] Love is Blind – I’m obsessed! Friends and Seinfeld are my classic comfort TV shows.

OF ALL THE LOOKS YOU’VE WORN, WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE?

Two moments that always stand out to me are the 2003 ARIAs dress and the Con Ilio design from the 2022 AFL Grand Final performance with [singer] Robbie Williams. And both were pink.

Delta’s new single “Hearts On The Run” is available now.

Article Name:DELTA GOODREM

Publication:Marie Claire Australia

LE DERNIER RMX

 

 

KAREN CARPENTER

• Record Collector
• 1 May 2024

In 1979, the voice of the Carpenters went into the studio to record her first solo LP. Why didn’t it see the light of day during her lifetime?

With their rapturous harmonies, the Carpenters dominated the 70s’ airwaves, selling over 100 million records with hits like Close To You and Yesterday Once More. But by 1979, lead singer Karen was seeking a new direction… Biographer Lucy O’brien recounts her attempts to move out of the restrictive environment of the family band that had made her a star

In January 1979 Karen Carpenter was dismayed at a downturn in record sales. Though the Carpenters’ 1977 album, Passage, was home to their captivating opus Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft, it was deemed patchy and, compared to the statuesque harmonies of early ballads, the band were chasing trends rather than creating their own timeless sound.

Also, her brother Richard was in rehab in Kansas, trying to beat Quaalude addiction, and that sent her into a restless panic. “I was anxious to go back to work,” she said. Even though she had her own mental health issues, struggling with long-term anorexia, Karen kept driving herself forward.

She decided to record her own album – as well as offering something new to the fans, Karen wanted recognition as a solo performer. She noted how best friend Olivia Newton-john had reinvented herself after Grease, making a dramatic transformation from soft country star to a vision in leather and skin-tight Spandex. This sparked Karen’s innate sense of competition – maybe she could explore a new direction?

Initially, there was support for the project at A&M; there was a feeling at the label that something else could be done with Karen’s magical voice. Her boss,

Herb Alpert, suggested Phil Ramone as producer, who in 1977 had produced Billy Joel’s Grammy-winning 52nd Street.

Karen assumed that Ramone would come to LA and record at A&M Studios with the usual session musicians, but Ramone’s working methods were different, with the emphasis on raw energy and live spontaneity. He persuaded her to travel to New York instead and change her approach. Though nervous about working separately from Richard, Karen agreed. “Doing something out of the family was important, a show of strength, of independence,” said Newton-john.

Just before she flew to New York, on 30 April, she telephoned Richard and started to cry. “I can’t do this without your support,” she admitted. Reluctantly, Richard told her to go ahead. “Just promise me one thing,” he said, “Don’t do disco.”

But when she arrived in New York to listen to demos with Ramone, Karen went straight for the dance tracks. At 29 years old, she wanted to make a record reflecting her autonomy and desires as a woman. She was tired of being marketed as asexual and square.

“Karen liked that sound – the 1970s disco era was an incredible time for women. It was that moment of realisation of our power and letting people know,

‘I’m here to stay and my voice needs to be heard’,” recalls Stephanie Spruill, who was to sing backing vocals on the Carpenters’ 1981 album Made In America and whose powerful soprano graces classic hits such as Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff and Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive. 

Karen’s decision to cut free from the safe haven of LA showed a yearning to stretch herself as an artist, even though it was challenging. “I was scared to death… I basically knew one producer, one arranger, one studio, one record company and that was it,” she said.

In 1979, New York was smelly, dirty and crime-ridden, side streets piled high with rubbish and subway cars covered in graffiti. But it had a distinct musical identity. 

DJ Larry Levan span an explosive dance mix every weekend at Paradise Garage, the Danceteria had just opened, playing new wave and British post-punk alongside funky freestyle, while drag performers stalked through the Pyramid Club in the East Village.

Rob Mounsey, a key arranger on Karen’s solo album, describes the New York sound as “chaotic and anarchic, more high-energy and less manicured than LA”. Phil Ramone chose Billy Joel’s backing band for Karen’s solo sessions, because he liked their full-tilt exuberance. Fired up with a brash energy, drummer Liberty Devitto, guitarist Russell Javors and bassist Doug Stegmeyer were Long Island natives who had played with Joel since the mid-70s.

Karen had come from a sheltered background, but she was willing to experiment and enjoyed the camaraderie of the studio. “We liked Karen a lot. She was extremely smart and a very good musician in her own right and appreciative of what everyone did,” recalls Mounsey. At first, though, she found the rock’n’roll swearing a little challenging.

“She came from a conservative southern California family and had trouble getting away from that good-girl attitude. The musicians could be a salty bunch of guys, using unprintable language, especially the F-bomb. Every time the F-word went by

Karen was sorta bothered. She talked about it, ‘Oh, that word, I don’t like that word!’ We respected her, so the guys tried to clean it up, but everyone thought that was funny.”

Devitto distinctly remembers “not being able to say what we’d normally say with Billy and the guys, but her sense of humour was so great”. One day it was Devitto’s birthday and Ramone brought in a cake from an erotic baker with a large icing penis. Devitto held the cake up to Karen. “You wanna piece?”

She gave a wry smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that close to one of those before!”

“That’s the kind of humour she had, she just fit right in with us,” laughs Devitto.

One of the biggest ‘what if’ questions around Karen’s solo work arises from the fact that Rod Temperton, a key songwriter on the album, offered her the songs Off The Wall and Rock With You. Much to Ramone’s dismay she decided to pass, and they ended up becoming big hits for Michael Jackson. Many now believe these tracks could have been the hits to spectacularly launch Karen’s solo career. Instead, she went for the subtler soul sound of Temperton tracks Lovelines and If We Try.

What’s striking about Karen’s solo album is how many songs reference sex – from the snappy rhythms of My Body Keeps Changing My Mind to the club pop of Remember When Lovin’ Took All Night. She was willing to express herself in a way that was at odds with the Carpenters’ audience, and with songs aimed at the gay dancefloor. “The Carpenters’ image was America’s favourite, very Disneyesque, but on this record she sounds mature, less guarded,” says Rob Mounsey. “She’s not a little girl anymore; she’s a woman.”

The risque lyrics sent out shock waves when halfway through the sessions Karen went to LA for a short visit and came back saying that her mother Agnes was horrified by the demos, particularly sexually suggestive lines in the song Still In Love With You. Russell Javors saw this as a sign that the sessions were working. “I was so proud her mother hated my lyrics!”

Even though Karen stayed chirpy during the recording sessions, it was clear there was underlying frustration – something that was conveyed in habitual behaviour. Ramone’s brotherin-law, Doug Ichiuji, visited the studio and noticed that Karen always had drumsticks. “She played them all the time. She’d be talking to Phil in the sound room and hitting the sticks on the table. I think it was a stress reliever.”

Karen’s incessant drumming hinted at a nervousness about the project, as there was a lot riding on the album. When lead arranger Bob James joined the sessions, Ramone warned in advance that his role was to be “a kind of substitute Richard”. James was not in his comfort zone. “I loved the challenge that Phil was putting in front of me, with a firmly established superstar talent. It was a very big deal and flattering to be asked,” he says. “But what could I possibly come up with? There was so much history and baggage. I knew we were setting out to do something that the Carpenters’ fans didn’t necessarily want.” A towering influence in jazz and fusion music, James is one of the most sampled players in hip-hop, with fragments from his songs Nautilus and Take Me To The Mardi

Gras used as breakbeats by everyone from RUN-D.M.C. to Slick Rick.

James had worked with jazz greats like Sarah Vaughan and he was at first optimistic. “Karen had the jazz feel, no question.” But then she seemed a little overawed and conversation was minimal. Her mother’s underwhelming response to early material had triggered Karen’s nerves. “She was struggling, her health wasn’t great, and the sessions were kinda awkward,” says James. He describes it as a fishing trip deal. “You don’t know what you’re looking for, so you try stuff and throw in a line. You might try a polka or a waltz, to see what bites.”

James got the impression that Richard had a silent psychological hold over the process. “Even though people perceived Karen as having the ultimate talent, the voice that people fell in love with, she yearned for more control over her art.”

By the time Karen completed her album early in 1980, the mood was jubilant. Ramone invited Javors along to the listening party in

“She played them all the time. She’d be talking to Phil in the sound room and hitting the sticks on the table. I think it was a stress reliever”

A&R Studios, where the album was played to Senior VP of A&M Derek Green, who had flown over from London specially for the occasion. Even though Ramone claimed later that the New York playback elicited a positive reaction, with Champagne corks popping, Javors remembers it differently, picking up on strange tension.

“It was like an oil painting in there. It was brutal,” he says. What about the Champagne popping? “All I know is, it was very tense. Somebody from A&M [Green] was sitting there stony-faced, not responding. Usually you’ll hear, ‘Oh, that’s great,’ but there was nothing like that. You could just see the air go out of the room. My feeling was, it was already dead, the decision was already made.”

Shortly after that Ramone and Karen flew to LA to play the album to Richard, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss. The response there was even worse. Tracks were met with indifference and Moss asserted there was no hit song. Even though the sales team were poised, a catalogue number had been assigned and Karen had invested $400,000 of her own money into the project, A&M cancelled the album. Karen was deeply hurt at this rejection.

She had made a female soul album, her first compelling statement as a solo artist. Listening to the record 40 years later, what comes through is Karen’s own fresh, funky aesthetic. She sings in a higher register with an upbeat, intimate approach, a conscious departure from the lush overload of songs like Solitaire or This Masquerade. This is an album of nimble, sophisticated soul; classy and smart like Teena Marie’s Lady T or Patrice Rushen’s Pizzazz.

Unfortunately, A&M executives could not get past the freight of the Carpenters’ success and couldn’t take a risk. Its release would have strengthened Karen’s career as a solo performer and given the Carpenters a whole new audience. “It was bitter-sweet,” says Javors. “I felt bad for Karen, because she put her heart and soul into this. And her money. So, to have her opinions and desires squashed was very hard to watch.”

It is clear that Karen was at the start of a new phase, but once the album was shelved, she lacked the stamina to fight for her solo career. Devitto became aware of Karen’s struggle with anorexia when they finished recording and were doing overdubs. “Karen didn’t drink. She didn’t eat, either. I remember hugging her and feeling nothing but a sack of bones. I hate to say it that way because she was so beautiful.”

Devitto recalls that time with sadness. “I didn’t know anything about anorexia, but someone explained to me what was going on with her. 

Being Italian, from an Italian family, you eat all the time. Just the concept of somebody eating and then getting rid of it was like, What? Are you from Rome? Romans used to do that to eat some more. The concept of anorexia was so foreign to me. I was like, Why? Why would you do that?”

Even though her health was deteriorating, Karen knew how to conserve enough energy to sing well in the studio. Resolutely professional during recording, she went to great lengths to keep her private anguish secret.

A&M then coaxed Karen back into the studio with Richard (for 1981’s Made In America), as if the solo outing had just been an embarrassing mistake. Karen’s ex-lover Tom Bahler, a good friend of Ramone’s, considers her solo record to be a pivotal point. “She could have done a number of records with Phil. I think she was beginning to free herself. But she was not free – she had one foot in the Carpenters and one foot in the new Karen Carpenter,” he says. Because she was a drummer she could sing with rhythmical drive and “kick booty”, whereas Richard was a classically trained pianist and “more of a ballad guy. Maybe he wasn’t crazy about her record because it was so different”.

It would have taken Karen great strength to resist her family and stand her ground as a solo artist. Bahler believes that Karen needed to rebel against the Carpenters’ juggernaut, that she had many possibilities available to her. “But I think in that family, she was swimming upstream. No… she was swimming up the waterfall.”

Karen died of complications from anorexia at the age of 32. At the behest of fans, her selftitled album was finally released in 1996, 13 years after her death. The record has become an important part of her legacy as a vibrant, iconic artist.

Article Name:KAREN CARPENTER

Publication:Record Collector

Section:KAREN CARPENTER