It is clear when watching interviews with Herb Alpert how devastated he is that Karen died. This is a wonderful interview of Herb done fairly recently in 2011. Watch around 5:10 into the video. Nearly 30 years after Karen's death, he still breaks down when talking about Karen.
I don't think he had romantic feelings for her ever but definitely loved her like a sister. Maybe he wonders if fame created too much pressure for Karen. I also wonder if he feels guilty about not encouraging her more with her solo album. He has said vaguely in other interviews about why it wasn't released "I don't recall why but I'm sure she wasn't too happy with it." Honestly, I don't think Herb liked it. Maybe he feels some guilt about that.
Also Herb was commenting on how great she looked shortly before she died. But from most accounts, especially Richard's on close-up she didn't look well at all. It's almost like his relationship with her was too business. Yes, technically he was her boss. But I get the sense that he could have stepped up on the personal side. Even Jerry Moss (whom I never got the sense liked the Carpenters music) was key in canceling the rest of their 1975 tour when seeing Karen's weight loss. It just seemed like Herb stayed away from that. He was their mentor and admired both Richard and Karen dearly. However, there was something on the personal side that when she was alive, I don't think he expressed to her ... not love in a romantic way but love, care and concern in a more personal way. I sometimes get the sense that he wished he could tell Karen how he felt about her or to try to help her.
I think you're right. He's the only one that I've seen express himself like that about her and her death. And I'm not saying her family didn't love her or care, but they don't express it like that.
ReplyDeleteMany fans forget how important Herb Alpert was to the Carpenter's success, and they to A&M Records...
ReplyDeleteKaren's passing was sudden and unexpected to everyone that knew her (Richard included). Karen had told me in around mid May 1979 that Herb had asked Karen to call him 'uncle Herbie" in private as Herb always thought of A&M as being like a family. So like a niece probably.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the solo album being shelved, that was actually Karen and Karen told me on June 12, 1981 that the shelve meeting had happened on March 25, 1980 (a Tuesday as normally those types of release meetings were held on Mondays). Also, according to Karen, Herb had got called out of the room and it was just Karen, Jerry Moss, Phil Ramone and Richard in the room when Karen decided to shelve the album. Another note is that on St. Patty's Day, March 17, 1980, Karen had gone to New York City to the Rolling Stone offices and had done an interview for her solo album there. Had the album not been shelved, the interview would have been released in the April 4, 1980 Rolling Stone magazine. Karen had shelved the album at the March 25 meeting but I believe it may have not been 'official' until possibly May 1980. But with the album being canceled, the Rolling Stone article was also canceled and the interview has not ever been released (if it still exists even).
Because of possible backlash, Karen avoided telling certain people that she had shelved it as Karen was worried that some might be upset with her after the work that had been put in and then the album being shelved. So for some it was a record company decision while for Richard, he knew it was Karen's decision. As far as Karen, Karen told me it was her decision as she had put up the money for the album so outside Karen or Alpert and Moss, no one else could decide about the album release. And from Karen, it was her and not Alpert or Moss.
Karen had told me the reasons why she shelved it but had not told others her reasons. Hence the confusion as Richard and Jerry and Phil had heard what was said at the meeting, but without Karen telling them why she decided to shelve it, no one else but Karen knew why. According to Karen it was actually publicity concerns and not about 'lack of hits' or such. The main publicity concern for Karen was the probable tabloid rumor mill starting up a false 'Karen is leaving Richard rumor' which was what Karen figured Itchie would pull to try and freely promote album sales in the tabloids (which happened in 1996 with that New York Times tabloid article by Hoerburger and Karen would have been PO'ed at Itchie for that, so it was probably a slugfest and not a hugfest after Itchie passed away in May 2020) and also of the lyrical content of a few songs. For people that saw Karen during the interviews for Made In America, Karen was being honest about not wanting to lose her 'nice girl next door' image that she was happy with and didn't want to change. And with the press, they probably would have trashed Karen's nice girl next door image if that solo album had been released like it was. One of the problems was the song "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind" which Karen was thinking of changing to "Your Swagger Keeps Changing My Mind" so that that 'sex' stuff was blamed on men where the blame for that sex stuff belongs. Also, where's Karen's drum solo on that album? You would think on a Karen Carpenter album, she would have a drum solo somewhere. OK, so the Phil Ramone solo album with the stuff that Phil felt wasn't good enough to give away to Michael Jackson.
And what did Rod Temperton know that he wasn't allowed to say publicly? And what about Karen's actual 'new manager' ( http://www.theeaceman.com/karenqa.html )?