It is unfortunate that Neil does not seem to mention brother Richard Carpenter- the one who chose, arranged, and produced the song for inclusion on the duo's landmark Horizon album. Their album was released the same year as Neil's The Hungry Years collection. This set included the slow boil ballad version of Breaking Up is Hard to Do- with the strings arranged by none other than, you guessed it, Richard Carpenter.
Not only was Solitaire included on the duo's 1975 album, it was the third single release after Please Mr. Postman and Only Yesterday.
Making amends is a good thing! After a much publicized feud, Richard and Karen included an upbeat version of Neil's Breaking Up is Hard to Do on their A Kind of Hush album, the song he performed with Karen and Richard doing the same infamous live tour in Las Vegas. Neil received a pretty nice paycheck by having two songs on two Carpenters albums in print for decades.
Karen and Neil before the problems began.
Regardless, forgiveness is important. We are released from the bondage of unforgiveness, and everyone gets to move on with their lives. It doesn't mean all goes back to normal. Sometimes, even previously good relationships are not mendable. It just means we are reflecting the heart of God who chooses to forgive us!
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2025 Note: This is part of a continuing series on the music and lives of Karen and Richard Carpenter. There are so many stand alone posts highlighting different aspects of their career, recordings, rare photographs, and life that I've lost count.
Below is the list of my "Revisited /Fresh Look" reviews, the more extensive articles than my initial ones a decade earlier. Each have different photos and clippings and focus on various aspects of the individual disc's creation, promotion, and public reaction.
My Revisited / Fresh Look at the albums:
My Initial Reviews of the albums:
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