A very rare photo find here. Richard and Karen Carpenter and Neil Sedaka had an infamous falling out in Las Vegas in the Summer of 1975. But it wasn't supposed to end up that way. The duo was headlining the Rivera Hotel in the midst of a highly successful tour after the launch of a major album, Horizon. Fueled by their international #1 Hit, Please Mr. Postman and the modern sounding instant classic Only Yesterday, the Carpenters were set for even more chart topping success. Following their previous five multi-platinum albums and 14 Billboard consecutive smash singles, the tour was destined to successfully follow suit. Karen and Richard had even made the cover of Rolling Stone the previous summer with a surprisingly positive and realistic view of the duo inside. What could go wrong?
Sedaka was their opening act. He began the show and returned later for an oldies segment with the Carpenters as an encore to the entire concert. Just imagine Karen and Neil trading lead vocals on an upbeat Breaking Up is Hard to Do! (Other songs included Johnny Be Good and What's Your Name?) Photos of the three of them on stage were almost impossible to find- and I've been searching for years- until now.
This had to be an amazing concert combo for a fan during those years. Mr. Sedaka was on his own hot streak, with a resurgence on the radio to his own #1 song Laughter in the Rain as well as the smash recording of Love Will Keep Us Together by the Captain and Tennille.
Here's a find! Courtesy of Harry at the A&M Corner site, here's a poster advertising their concert in Japan.
The gorgeous Horizon album.
Karen never sounded better,
and Richard's work was never more distinguished.
Certainly, Solitaire was a core piece of the stunning disc. The Carpenters version of Sedaka's song was one of Karen's most beautiful performances and one of Richard's most powerful arrangements. It had been previously recorded by Andy Williams and then Elvis Presley, but the duo was at the top of their career at this point and couldn't be outdone. In a lesser known connection, Richard had even arranged the strings on Sedaka's bluesy remake of Breaking Up, the first time he had partnered with another artist since the duo's fame just skyrocketed. The timing of the concert tour with Neil was perfect.
Neil and Karen and Richard in happier days.
The falling out came as a result of several issues colliding- Neil breaking touring protocol as well as reports that Richard felt Neil was getting a better response from the audience than he and Karen. The duo's management - who also managed Sedaka at the time- had to also take some blame for not thinking through it all. I'm not sure much was learned from what transpired. The following year, Helen Reddy would be on the bill with Karen and Richard during Memorial Day weekend.
The Billboard ad for the new single.
When you toss creative geniuses together with careers at stake, the outcome is not always a good one. Right or wrong, Sedaka was fired and found himself in the spotlight, portrayed as the victim. For once in their lives, Karen and Richard came out as the bad guys. The press and radio jumped all over the controversy, and Solitaire charted much lower than it would normally have, with Horizon taking the brunt of the backlash as well. A friendship was ruined. The results must have taken a toll on poor Karen, who later needed much bedrest to recover, cancelling an international tour to both Europe and Japan.
The song was even a single release in Japan.
After a time of rest and refocus, in mid 1976 Richard and Karen returned with a new album, A Kind of Hush. In an all too obvious effort to mend a relationship with Sedaka and heal their broken image and public relations disaster, they included an upbeat and sweet but all too sugary version of his most famous 1960's hit. Breaking Up is Hard to Do indeed. In spite of this generous and profitable (for Sedaka) gesture, the strain between the artists would remain.
Many years later, as a recommendation for the book "Some Kind of Lonely Clown"a book by Joel Samberg about Karen, Neil would write,
An insightful look at the life of Karen Carpenter, a singing hero of mine. I had the pleasure of opening for the Carpenters in 1975, but it was more exciting that they recorded several of my songs, particularly "Solitaire", which featured a breathtaking Karen vocal accompanied by Richard's magnificent orchestration. Mr. Samberg's book is a worthy tribute to her everlasting legacy as one of the greatest vocalists of all time.
Thankfully, the years have been kind to Karen and Richard since her unfortunate passing. Richard Carpenter is finally recognized as the creative genius he is and sister Karen is now acknowledged all over the world as one of the most gifted vocalists to grace the planet.
July 2020 Update:
Check out this rare video:
No comments:
Post a Comment