John Farrar was an instrumental force in the career of Olivia Newton-John. He not only was a stellar producer but also wrote a number of her most well-loved songs including her duet with John Travolta in Grease, 'You're the One that I Want'. My opinion is that John did more for Olivia's career than Phil or Richard did for Karen's. Richard intimately knew Karen's voice and styled her perfectly on early hits and wrote a number of classics. But clearly Richard's reign was over by 1976. Phil made a nicely produced album but the song choices pale in comparison to the power of Olivia's songs from Xanadu and Physical.... doesn't even come close. Phil also was not a songwriter so he couldn't craft a perfect song for Karen. As I have seen in other commentaries, Phil was better suited as a producer to singer-songwriters who wrote their own material. John on the other hand served multiple roles: producer, writer, arranger, song consultant. He successfully produced for Olivia from 1974 to her last hit in 1984. In that span, he covered not only solo albums but movie soundtracks as well.
I love Olivia and she has a lovely voice. I don't think she had the same presence vocally as Karen. I think had Karen worked with a producer better suited to her, she might have had more success in the post-1975 time period. Even with a successful solo-career, she likely wouldn't have seen chart success beyond 1984 which as a hot time for many adult contemporary acts (Dionne Warwick and Donna Summer both saw new success. Artists like Air Supply and Christopher Cross were tearing up the charts.) But I think with the right producer, she could have seen more action from 1975-1984 as opposed to a string of unsuccessful records with the Carpenters.
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