# xmcd
#
# Track frame offsets: 
#        150
#        23115
#        38917
#        56492
#        74237
#        91222
#        108500
#        123127
#        140112
#        154522
#        170732
#        190010
#
# Disc length: 2742 seconds
#
# Revision: 5
# Processed by: cddbd v1.5.2PL0 Copyright (c) Steve Scherf et al.
# Submitted via: ExactAudioCopy v0.90b4
#
DISCID=a60ab40c
DTITLE=Karen Carpenter / Karen Carpenter
DYEAR=1980
DGENRE=Rock
TTITLE0=Lovelines
TTITLE1=All Because Of You
TTITLE2=If I Had You
TTITLE3=Making Love In The Afternoon
TTITLE4=If We Try
TTITLE5=Remember When Lovin' Took All Night
TTITLE6=Still In Love With You
TTITLE7=My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
TTITLE8=Make Believe It's Your First Time
TTITLE9=Guess I Just Lost My Head
TTITLE10=Still Crazy After All These Years
TTITLE11=Last One Singin' The Blues
EXTD=Originally Released October 8, 1996\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: Recorde
EXTD=d in 1979 and 1980 but left unreleased until 1996, this eponymous
EXTD= album is an attempt by Karen Carpenter to expand her sound by de
EXTD=lving into disco and synth-tinged soft-rock. Produced by Phil Ram
EXTD=one and featuring musical support from several members of Billy J
EXTD=oel's band, the album sounds professional, which should be expect
EXTD=ed. However, it doesn't sound natural. Not only are the songs und
EXTD=er-developed and lack strong melodic hooks, but Carpenter sounds 
EXTD=forced in this setting, as if she doesn't fully believe in the ma
EXTD=terial. There's a reason why the album wasn't released at the tim
EXTD=e. -- Stephen Thomas Erlewine \n \nAmazon.com Customer Review\nRe
EXTD=leased 16 years after it's recording... , March 26, 2005\nReviewe
EXTD=r: Catherine Leutenberg (Cleveland, OH)\nWhy spend the money to p
EXTD=roduce a high quality album with one of the world's greatest sing
EXTD=ers - to end up just shelving it for no good reason at all? Suppo
EXTD=sedly A&M, and Karen's own family (surprise, surprise) didn't lik
EXTD=e the more adult themes being explored in these songs. Nothing ba
EXTD=d on here at all, it's classy, everything is of a very high quali
EXTD=ty, and I have no doubt it would have only helped give The Carpen
EXTD=ters that extra push they needed in 1980. \n'Karen Carpenter' was
EXTD= released exactly as it was recorded 16 years prior. There are ev
EXTD=en 2 songs that border on a somewhat disco style, but not in the 
EXTD=cheesy way. These being 'Lovelines' and 'My Body Keeps Changing M
EXTD=y Mind' which are great fun to listen to. Another highlight is 'S
EXTD=till Crazy After All These Years' which is somewhat of a jazzy ba
EXTD=llad, and very different than anything you've heard Karen sing be
EXTD=fore. Some others have noted that Karen's vocals aren't the typic
EXTD=al 'Carpenters' alto that we all know of, which is mostly true, b
EXTD=ut it wouldn't make sense for her to sing that way with the style
EXTD= of songs she has on here. And since it's NOT a 'Carpenters' albu
EXTD=m, you shouldn't be expecting that typical 'Carpenters' sound... 
EXTD=her voice is as fantastic as always, and am happy to know she had
EXTD= the chance to expand her abilities a bit. \n\nIn the liner: '"De
EXTD=dicated to my brother Richard with all my heart" - Karen Carpente
EXTD=r' \n(Anyone else find that really depressing?) \n\nA note: This 
EXTD=was supposed to be an 11 track CD, but they added 'Last One Singi
EXTD=n The Blues' on there as a bonus. It's in a bit of a rough form, 
EXTD=you hear Karen giving the band directions twice during, but it's 
EXTD=still a fine song. Karen actually recorded 23 total tracks for th
EXTD=is, but 11 were left out (as they were to be originally). If you 
EXTD=take time to look for them online, you will be able to find 9 of 
EXTD=these unreleased tracks to download - if they wanted to, they cou
EXTD=ld easily turn these into another solo CD for Karen, they are of 
EXTD=high enough quality to do so, just need to be worked out of the r
EXTD=ough form. I'm not sure how these got leaked to the public, someo
EXTD=ne must have made sure to save them before A&M shutdown.\n\nAmazo
EXTD=n.com Customer Review\nJust Average, May 28, 2004\nReviewer: A. G
EXTD=off (TN) \nI hate to agree with Richard, but a lot of this album 
EXTD=certainly doesn't do Karen justice. True, it doesn't sound like t
EXTD=he Carpenters but then again IT'S A SOLO ALBUM. Poor Karen. First
EXTD= everyone tried to get her to quit playing the drums (did anyone 
EXTD=attempt to have Richard removed from playing the piano?) and then
EXTD= she got her first solo album shelved - with her marriage on the 
EXTD=rocks, attempting to recover from anorexia nervosa (does anyone s
EXTD=ee the sad irony in her choice of My Body Keeps Changing My Mind?
EXTD=) and Richard in detox, Karen needed to work and this is what she
EXTD= came up with. Some of these songs are real clunkers. What was sh
EXTD=e thinking when she came up with Still Crazy after all these year
EXTD=s? However songs like If I had you truly showed the talent that K
EXTD=aren had to display and she will always be, in my mind, the great
EXTD=est female singer who ever lived. I'm sorry that Phil Ramone as h
EXTD=er producer, didn't do a better job in helping Karen select bette
EXTD=r material for her solo project and that it was shelved. I'm cert
EXTD=ain that A & M had far worse albums that should have been kept ou
EXTD=t of the public view. I recommend this album only to true Carpent
EXTD=ers fans; for someone wanting something OTHER THAN a greatest hit
EXTD=s album, The Close to You, Song for You and Carpenters (the tan a
EXTD=lbum) are better and more worthy listens. Karen may have been in 
EXTD=the forefront, both were great musicians, but Richard was the mas
EXTD=termind when it came to The Carpenters "sound".\n\nAmazon.com Cus
EXTD=tomer Review\nWorth buying, but not a standout, April 30, 2003\nR
EXTD=eviewer: Daniell (Colorado) \nFirst let me say that I love Karen,
EXTD= so I am admittedly biased. But then anyone reading this review p
EXTD=robably does too, so it's okay. Bottom line: she really did need 
EXTD=Richard. He knew her voice, and how to arrange the music to bring
EXTD= out its intrinsic drama and pathos. Phil Ramone apparently did n
EXTD=ot know what to do with her voice, so he basically did everything
EXTD= with it. The thing about the Carpenters recordings is that they 
EXTD=have a very timeless quality about them; these recordings sound q
EXTD=uite dated. Maybe some of these songs would have been hits in 198
EXTD=0, but I doubt any would have hit #1. The thing that clinched it 
EXTD=for me was "Make Believe It's Your First Time". The "Voice Of The
EXTD= Heart" version is much better--you gotta give Richard credit for
EXTD= knowing his stuff. For you Carpenters completists, this album is
EXTD= a must-have, of course. But if you're looking for that undiscove
EXTD=red gem of a song, you may be disappointed.\n\nAmazon.com Custome
EXTD=r Review\nNot a bad album at all, July 3, 2002\nReviewer: Jazysol
EXTD=79 (Germantown, MD USA) \nI really don't see why A&M was so again
EXTD=st this record. Perhaps Richard did pull strings like some have s
EXTD=uggested, who knows? I enjoyed this album. It's funny, because I 
EXTD=have always liked the Carpenters a great deal,and at the time thi
EXTD=s was released, I worked in a record store. Many of the customers
EXTD= who bought this cd didn't like it. And as one of the other revie
EXTD=wers said, it seemed to be because they listened to it as a Carpe
EXTD=nters record as opposed to a Karen Carpenter album. This album is
EXTD= of a very, very high quality. There are some powerhouse players 
EXTD=on this record, including Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson a
EXTD=nd others. This reminded me a lot of a Kenny Loggins album - a ti
EXTD=ght, yet poppish groove, with a tight rhythm section and catchy a
EXTD=rrangements. The songs may not be of a high quality, but Karen's 
EXTD=readings give them a lot of life. I particularly like "Lovelines"
EXTD= and "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind," which is presented in a di
EXTD=fferent mix than on "From the Top." For those who like Karen's vo
EXTD=ice, this is a must have. You will enjoy it as a Karen Carpenter 
EXTD=record. It's a shame this was released 16 years after completion.
EXTD=\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nKaren shows her genius without Ri
EXTD=chard's over-production, November 20, 2000\nReviewer: J. Wade (Ru
EXTD=ssellville, AR USA) \nI guess hindsight is always 20-20. Richard 
EXTD=Carpenter's feelings of guilt after the death of his sister were 
EXTD=quite evident since he had creative control over the music and ap
EXTD=proval of the script in the Karen Carpenter Story (The television
EXTD= movie made circa 1990). We got to see Karen portayed as a woman 
EXTD=who had virtually no say in her own career and personal life. Her
EXTD= brother and mother were shown making the decisions for her. Her 
EXTD=mother allegedly even chose Karen's clothing for the first three 
EXTD=album photo sessions. Richard made the majority of the decisions 
EXTD=affecting their choice of songs, tours, and most enduringly the p
EXTD=roduction techniques employed on their recordings. \nWhen Richard
EXTD= went to a hospital to get help with his quaalude addiction, Kare
EXTD=n made the decision to go to New York and make this album with Ph
EXTD=il Ramone. In the movie, Richard was not too happy that Karen was
EXTD= going to work without him. We can all be thankful that Karen did
EXTD= not let that stop her. Otherwise, we might never have known (alb
EXTD=eit 16 years later) how lovely Karen's talent could be without Ri
EXTD=chard. To be fair, Richard does what he does very well, and their
EXTD= success certainly proved that he was a formidable songwriter and
EXTD= producer. But his achilles heel in my humble opinion is his penc
EXTD=hant to smother Karen in layer after layer of overdubbed instrume
EXTD=ntation. A prime example I cite is the gorgeous jazz-blues Paul W
EXTD=illiams song on Voice of The Heart, "Ordinary Fool". Richard almo
EXTD=st ruins the song by overdubbing a Mr. Rogers sounding electric p
EXTD=iano (his favorite overused instrument)and a horribly inappropria
EXTD=te flute solo. If the song had used the jazz trio approach (bass,
EXTD= drums, piano), the song would be a classic. Less is more sometim
EXTD=es. Listen to "Make Believe It's Your First Time" on the same alb
EXTD=um, then contrast it to the version that appears on the Karen Car
EXTD=penter solo album if you don't believe me. Phil Ramone made a fin
EXTD=e album with Karen. It is too bad that we never got to hear Karen
EXTD= do a bonafide jazz album. Still, Richard could take some of the 
EXTD=jazzier tunes and make a blues-jazz tinged pop record by remixing
EXTD= and rerecording the instrumental tracks. The Carpenters did, aft
EXTD=erall, start out as a jazz trio. So I know Richard could do it. I
EXTD= can dream, can't I?\n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nIf She Only W
EXTD=eren't A Carpenter...., June 20, 1998\nReviewer: Greg (New York C
EXTD=ity) \nDespite the naysaying Richard and Herb Albert (who quashed
EXTD= the originally timed release of this solo album, circa 1979), th
EXTD=is album is a revelation. It's ludicrous to think that this effor
EXTD=t was not ready for release, esp. circa 1979-80. Yeah, some of th
EXTD=e styles are dated today, but for the time, it was more than appr
EXTD=opriate. In particular, the Russell Javors songs for Karen (All B
EXTD=ecause of You and Still in Love With You) take Karen's emotional 
EXTD=range and voice to entirely new places, the first an acrid little
EXTD= ditty and the second, Karen as Pat Benatar -- and, they both wor
EXTD=k just fine. Also, compare this album's version of "Make Believe 
EXTD=It's Your FirstTime" (simple piano and voice -- poignant, heartfe
EXTD=lt) with Richard's remake of the same with Karen (overblown with 
EXTD=a skaggy Ray Conniff chorus). Richard's a genius, but I'm sure he
EXTD= was shaking in his ankle boots when he heard this CD, wondering 
EXTD=if Karen was going to leave him behind. The day before Karen died
EXTD=, she spoke with Phil Ramone, this CD's producer, and said "it's 
EXTD=a f---ing great album." Yes, Karen, it is.\n\nHalf.com Album Cred
EXTD=its\nAirto Moreira, Contributing Artist\nBob James, Contributing 
EXTD=Artist\nGreg Phillinganes, Contributing Artist\nMichael Brecker, 
EXTD=Contributing Artist\nPeter Cetera, Contributing Artist\nRichard T
EXTD=ee, Contributing Artist\nRob Mounsey, Contributing Artist\nSteve 
EXTD=Gadd, Contributing Artist\nPhil Ramone, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\n
EXTD=Karen Carpenter recorded her only solo album in 1979 and 1980 wit
EXTD=h members of Billy Joel's backing band. It remained unreleased un
EXTD=til 1996.\n\nPersonnel includes: Karen Carpenter, Peter Cetera (v
EXTD=ocals); Michael Brecker (saxophone); Bob James, Greg Phillinganes
EXTD=, Rob Mounsey, Richard Tee (keyboards); Steve Gadd (drums); Airto
EXTD= Moreira (percussion).\n\nRecorded at A&R Recording Studios, New 
EXTD=York, New York; A&M Recording Studios, Los Angeles, California; K
EXTD=endun Recorders, Burbank, California between May 2, 1979 and 1980
EXTD=. Includes liner notes by Richard Carpenter and Phil Ramone.\n\nA
EXTD=ll tracks have been digitally remastered.\n\nKaren Carpenter's on
EXTD=ly solo album, recorded in New York in 1979 with producer Phil Ra
EXTD=mone but unreleased until 1996, was also the only album she ever 
EXTD=recorded with a producer other than her older brother Richard. Th
EXTD=e difference is immediately obvious. Ramone, whose biggest client
EXTD= was Billy Joel, prefers a looser, more spacious sound than Richa
EXTD=rd's note-perfect, almost-antiseptic orchestral pop.\n\nNot to ta
EXTD=ke anything away from Karen and Richard's endless string of class
EXTD=ic pop singles, but it is refreshing to hear Karen's near-perfect
EXTD= voice, a dusky, melancholy alto with bell-like clarity, in a mor
EXTD=e relaxed and jazz-influenced setting. Arrangements are by jazz g
EXTD=reats Bob James and Rod Temperton, and accompaniment includes mos
EXTD=t of Joel's backing band. The clear highlight, a sensuous yet mel
EXTD=ancholy version of Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Year
EXTD=s," is easily among the best things Karen Carpenter ever recorded
EXTD= in her short career.\n\n\nROLLING STONE REVIEW\nWhen I was growi
EXTD=ng up in the South, in the late 1970s, there was no such thing as
EXTD= postmodern irony. Pop culture was held close in a hungry embrace
EXTD=, not at arm's length. Kiss, disco and the Carpenters were the em
EXTD=bodiment of both fantasy and reality. When Karen Carpenter sang, 
EXTD="Rainy days and Mondays always get me down," I turned up the volu
EXTD=me out of identification, not bemused detachment.\n\nKaren Carpen
EXTD=ter was the album meant to signal the singer's coming out as a wo
EXTD=man and a solo artist, an attempt to humanize the winsome icon sh
EXTD=e had become with the Carpenters. It didn't work out that way. Re
EXTD=corded in 1979, four years before her death, Karen Carpenter was 
EXTD=reportedly shelved at her behest so that it would not detract fro
EXTD=m upcoming Carpenters projects. There's no small disappointment, 
EXTD=then, in the fact that the record's producer, Phil Ramone, smothe
EXTD=red the singer in the studio just as much as her brother, Richard
EXTD=, did; both men cloaked Karen's sublime voice in overcooked music
EXTD=al trappings. Where Richard Carpenter was given to a production s
EXTD=tyle both pedestrian and saccharine, Ramone imitated whatever was
EXTD= hot at the moment.\n\nThat means Karen Carpenter is an often-emb
EXTD=arrassing time capsule of its era. There are stabs at generic dis
EXTD=co ("Lovelines," "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind"), Cars-style Ne
EXTD=w Wave ("Still in Love With You") and breezy pop a la Olivia Newt
EXTD=on-John ("Guess I Just Lost My Head"). There are also moments tha
EXTD=t remind you of how extraordinary Carpenter's crystalline voice c
EXTD=ould be. "All Because of You" and "Make Believe It's Your First T
EXTD=ime" start off with simple accompaniment -- just a guitar or pian
EXTD=o behind Carpenter's exquisite singing -- before going into kitch
EXTD=en-sink overload. There is such a potent sense of longing in the 
EXTD=conjoined sadness and joy in her vocals that Carpenter transcends
EXTD= even the most cloying production. You can hear, too, why Karen C
EXTD=arpenter connected so soulfully with her original audience long b
EXTD=efore hipsters, up to their necks in smarm, decided it would be a
EXTD= hoot to make her an alt-rock goddess. (RS 746 - Oct 31, 1996)  -
EXTD=- ERNEST HARDY
EXTT0=
EXTT1=
EXTT2=
EXTT3=
EXTT4=
EXTT5=
EXTT6=
EXTT7=
EXTT8=
EXTT9=
EXTT10=
EXTT11=
PLAYORDER=
