{"product_id":"karen-carpenter-karen-carpenter-japan-import","title":"Karen Carpenter - Karen Carpenter [Japan Import]","description":"\u003cp\u003eKaren Carpenter's only solo album is the great what-if of her catalogue, and it arrives here as a Japan import LP.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecorded in New York between 1979 and early 1980 with producer Phil Ramone, the sessions found her stepping outside her brother Richard's meticulous arrangements and trying on a looser, more grown-up pop sound. The project was shelved in 1980 and stayed in the vaults until 1996, more than a decade after her death, when it was finally released.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhat emerged is a fascinating snapshot of an artist testing new ground. \"Lovelines\" leans into a sleek late-70s pop sheen, and \"Making Love in the Afternoon\" pairs her with Chicago's Peter Cetera in a smooth duet. Her reading of Paul Simon's \"Still Crazy After All These Years\" shows how much feeling she could pack into a single held note. That unmistakable contralto sounds as close and warm as ever, just framed by different players and a different city.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCollectors who know the Carpenters' records inside out will find this one essential context, a glimpse of the direction Karen wanted to explore on her own terms. A Japanese pressing feels especially fitting too, given how devoted the country's listeners have always been to her voice. It is a bittersweet listen, and a lovely one.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57188200972593,"sku":"4988031908723","price":83.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0704\/2026\/7313\/files\/Karen_Carpenter-Karen_Carpenter_Japan_Import.jpg?v=1793289652","url":"https:\/\/vinyl.com\/products\/karen-carpenter-karen-carpenter-japan-import","provider":"Vinyl.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}