You could almost tell from Richard's voice and emotion he knew, this was it. To me, this is simply by far and away her greatest song. it gets me every time I hear. Mainly because I know she never recorded another song. A tragic young life taken away. Karen was simply one of the greatest female vocalists of all time.
@@johnorabone6112 Duh! I do know this. Your point is rather immature to be honest, anyone who's fan of the group KNOWS this is The Karen Carpenter Story. What I meant was the emotions of that recording session where put across very well.
“Now” is one of two songs (along with “You’re Enough”) Karen Carpenter recorded at HER LAST EVER STUDIO SESSION (in April 1982), ten months before her untimely passing. It was done in ONE TAKE, which shows what a naturally gifted vocalist she was❕ The album to come from that final session was aptly titled “Voice of the Heart” (1983)… 💙🎶💙 Always loved, never forgotten, forever missed will you remain, Karen Anne Carpenter (1950 - 1983)… 🌹
I had the privilege of knowing Karen for several years when I worked at Paramount Camera where she was a customer. I wrote up thousands of her photographs, sold her the Canon Sure Shot that she took on her honeymoon. Later, I substitute taught at her Downey High School... (I graduated from Warren across town). Karen was a wonderful person with a great smile, fun personality and great sense of humor. We lost her February 4th, 1983... Way too young...
***** Every great singer ...learns by listening. You also have to sing scales and take care of your vocal chords. Great singers have one thing in common, discipline. Good luck and find a professional voice coach with a degree's in Music. Or you just might blow your vocal chords or develop nodules.
Wow, my late mum loved the Carpenters. Karen had the most wonderful voice. Such a perfect tone. The worlds greatest female vocalist ever. Beautiful. The salt of the earth
This woman was a beautiful person inside and out. She sounds as though she saw you across a crowded room and wanted to get to know you better and so she poured her heart out to you with her music. It is so sad that she passed away at such a young age. I think that her music and her memories will live on forever
Her last recording........so hauntingly beautiful, that she would save the best for last. Tavares did a song entitled "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel," and when it comes to Karen Carpenter......it was so true. Unfortunately, Heaven found her too soon for those who loved her music......
I was astounded when Richard said this was just a trial vocal track. It is just perfect and reflects Karen's innate brilliance as a singer and as interpreter of great songs.
Wayne I have an extensive resume' in the L.A./Hollywood/Burbank Sound Studios, and while it may appear as though Richard was just kinda' maybe pushing her by not telling her it was amazing, that Sir Wayne is a kind of technique wherein a brilliant Engineer or Producer will tell the artist, "this is just a practice run so I can workout some bugs and fine-tune some of the settings on the board, so just relax and go through it," .. and as you can probably speculate, some of the greatest tracks ever recorded in music history were actually done while the artist thought they weren't being recorded .. because no matter how much of a professional you are or how many thousands of hours of studio experience you have(and I do have thousands of hours of studio experience,) the second that producer or engineer says "okay let's go .. give me a 1 - 2 - 3 and Go, or, "alright everybody quiet on the set Annnnnd, We're Rolling(tape recorders are rolling,) or, "okay let's take it from the top," that kind of thing, the artist gets a bit nervous .. I don't think even nerves of steel are resistant or impenetrable against a crew of people sitting in the booth, as the artist is trying to get the song right and they want to deliver their best performance .. and somewhere between "doing a naturally perfect performance" and a performance the artist would "like" to deliver perfectly, there is a magic that happens .. but after having said all that, Karen is an Angel ~ She has a special talent .. She left Us way too soon .. but when is too soon or too late when it comes to losing a Soul like Karen's? 😥
"One Take Karen" did plenty of that. "Superstar" is mentioned here; indeed that vocal (which became a hit single) was a first take, and more than that, it was the first time Karen had sung the song!
Not exactly a "trial" track; a work lead is basically a "here's how the melody goes" reference track for the rhythm section of the band to familiarize themselves with the song. Because "One Take Karen" couldn't miss even on a first-ever pass at a given song (eg. "Superstar"; the first time she ever sang that became not only an album cut but a hit single), her work leads were always stellar...and thus we actually have several more Carpenters recordings than we might have done, because Karen's work leads were useable as final versions...
Keep on listening to her and NEVER stop...Her voice touched my soul in 1975 when I was only 8 years old...the day she died was a living nightmare for me and it's hard for me to talk about...I'm 45 now and have probably listened to their music mllions of times by now and I never tire of them....she gave me the love to want to sing....
Karen's singing in Heaven now. I hope to see and hear her There one day. Thank You Lord for today. Thank You for letting us live. Thank God for Jesus. Thank You Lord. -- Ray Shuler & The Doors -- 12/25/16
There's an anecdote from earlier in Carpenters' career: Karen and John Lennon meet by chance in a restaurant, Lennon compliments KC's singing in glowing terms, afterward Karen turns to the rest of her party and says "he couldn't have meant that". I like to imagine (though by so doing I'm also "imagining" that Lennon was wrong about something!) Karen's arrival in Heaven in early 1983. Lennon, of course, is already there, since 1980 (having been wrong), sees Karen arrive, walks up to her and with a look of mixed reproof and affection says "I did mean it, you know, dear..." Then the two of them go off to jam, John on guitar, Karen on drums...😉
She sang every song as if the song was about her or her life. Once I heard "Close to You" and "We've only just Begun" in 1971 I was hooked and I am one that loves hard rock and roll also. Still have their albums collection dust.
The world doesn't deserve another voice like that again. Not today's world at least. Some of us will have to make do with her recordings. Others remain oblivious of what they're missing out on. And to know she was actually a great drummer, and a drummer at heart. Life wasn't kind to her. We can try to care for each other a bit more, when we start losing ourselves. Encourage each other to find ourselves more, if the life we follow is perhaps not the one we feel at home in. Some fall into depression, some develop eating disorders (and they come in more forms and to more people than you'll realize before you really think). I'd wish for Karen to still be with us, anonymously is she so wished. But at least the world has had to take eating disorders, at least the anorexia kind more seriously since her passing. Although many, mostly women of various ages, still do suffer from it. We still compare to much rather than just aiming to be healthy fulfilled happy versions of ourselves.
KAREN IS NOT GONE FOREVER SHE LIVES ETERNALLY IN HEAVEN SINGING TO THE LORD & THE ANGELS & EVEN MY DEAR BELOVED PARENTS!!GOD BLESS YOU KAREN!! THANK'S FOR THE POSTING!!
No singer on this earth will ever touch Karens voice. Her and Richard were the perfect duo and i believe they were meant to be brother and sister. This Movie was the first time I ever heard the Carpenters in 1990 and I was instantly hooked. Her death so sad yet still people die of this dreadful disease nobody but her and the millions of others that suffer with it will ever know whats its like. People will always blame the media , family or pressure of the job but none of us know what made her do this and only Karen could tell you!. Let her rest in peace with her heavenly voice and enjoy the legacy of her music as that's what she would have wanted us to do.
She had the most beautiful voice that I've ever heard before. No matter what I was doing, I would always stop and listen to her, and just melt. Easy to love a woman like her. Such a terrible loss.
If you have watched The Karen Carpenter movie you have got to read Little Girl Blue......The Life of Karen Carpenter. This book is beautifully written. It is full of love...beauty.....caring as well as some shocking moments and truths of Karen's life. I learned so much about Karen and her life.....You will feel so many different emotions right from the very first page. I loved her music before until now. Now it has a very special place in my life and how much I love her music. It's indescribable.
I'm 21 born 1997 and I love HER and this kind of music so much so peaceful over this stuff today , yeah I Bob my head to it , but THIS IS MUSIC✨💆 such beautiful art 💓 Never will die in the music industry 🥀💫 🌹👑 #CarpenterFan#PositiveLovingVibes💖🌸
As a previous commenter said " wonderful " , if she had recovered from her illness she would have been untouchable and still is compared to many singers today , the voice of an angel absolutely !!
brings a tear to my eyes love her forever what a voice a music executive once said Karen has the greatest femal voice of all time no female will match her period RIP and thanks for the lifelong memories
Karen has an outstanding VOICE and SOUL, this re enactment does capture the essence of that recording session as it would have been, and that song NOW says it all! ! as a saxophonist I worked with Hal.Blaine when he worked with Tommy Sands on a tour of Australia, in late 1950's, a fine drummer! I recently have revisited the Carpenters, and hearing the music with modern equipment, the music enhanced by re-mastering being able to hear Karen Carpenter as she sounded, I have been totally absorbed and moved, her music, brings the soul and enigma in the same way as Billie Holiday. Such a loss at such a young age, her legacy will live on. jg
So does her voice. I cried for three days after I heard her death. Her voice was pure. It was pure gold. Richard was a very excellent arranger. They were a great team.
Karen. Was the.best.female. Singer on earth her voice was heaven scent and she is sorely missed a beautiful gift from god 🙏 as well as her fabulous voice
No one could have a dry eye at the end of listening to this song--Karen Carpenter's voice was a force of nature---she sang with unforced emotional conviction, unique low vocal tone like no one else before/since; perfect breath control/intonation. Karen had both vocal chops and musical intelligence and honored every song she sang. A voice/artistic intelligence like this comes around maybe twice a century. This incomparable artist gifted us with the gift of song-- from the first song she recorded to the very last. She certainly enriched my life. Wow, Im tearing up---see what I mean?
This woman is truly amazing .... I cant wait to meet her in heaven....she has always and forever be the angelic voice .... god made here ... and god took her .... Happy Valentines day Karen ....
OMG.. I still feel her spirit.. she's in a beautiful place...thanks God, , she came to visit us..for a short time..NOW, she's in someplace else..with you..🙏🌹🙏
Mark halburn. How wonderful you knew her. To me the carpenters will always be my favourite since being a child and my dad playing them in the car on the giant cassettes in the 70s. Karen's voice was a gift from god how gifted they both were,but how tragic to of died the way she did the saddest of story's no one has ever come close to her crystal clear beautiful voice loved her and still do and play there music still I think ticket to ride will always be one of my favourites, thank you mark for sharing your story how blessed were you to of known her. Julie from Kent England
At the time depicted (April 1982, ten months before Karen's death) she had been ill for about eight years, and Richard certainly knew it. Sadly little was known about eating disorders, so no one quite knew what to do. There were other factors, certainly, but lack of knowledge was a major factor in Karen's demise. Tragic.
She has visited me at least 3 times while I was sleeping..she always leaves a tiny pic of her on my pillow along with medium Chip Coffey. The night before it first happended I sat down and wrote a deep email to Richard and she felt me somehow....I feel truly blessed..she's my guardian angel..u brought tears to my eyes..thanx for sharing...
Actually this was Karen singing, they just lip sinced it, and very well too. I wondered some time ago but did some investigation and found a special where Richard says how it was done. Richard was heavily involved in the movie and it was a wonderful movie. I grew up listening to The Carpenters from a very young age. My mom played their music almost all the time and I loved it. She was great and deserves all the great comments given about her but we shouldn't forget Richard. There wouldn't have been The Carpenters without him. I miss her too
***** He was and I hope still is a genius. I would love to pick his brain. His vision was so far advanced, as far as recording.His talent for composing is brilliant.
love this song!😞I hope when I'm on my way to hevan . I hope!! that her beautiful voice will greet me at the pearly gates and help on the way so I can meet ALL my family , friends,KC,and the good Lord himself!!! I wish there was or is a real video of KC singing this last and most beautiful song ever. I hope someone could find it ! I know it's out there somewhere.but where?????😃 Miss you every day please say A prayer for me Karen.. love you forever.
Karen had a velvety voice not anyone could ever come close too. Richard knew how to make her shine. Miss the Carpenters, their music was like none other.
What a beautiful wedding song. When you listen to this song called NOW, how many times do you go back and listen to it again ,and again, and again, and again???😢