"Karen Carpenter" is the only solo album by Karen Carpenter, the singer and drummer of the Carpenters. The album was recorded between 1979 and 1980 and released by A&M Records in 1996.
The recording took place in New York with producer Phil Ramone during a challenging time for the Carpenter family, as Karen's brother Richard was undergoing treatment for an addiction to Quaaludes. Some songs from this album later appeared on the Carpenters' 1989 compilation Lovelines. In the album's liner notes, Karen dedicated the project to Richard, expressing her heartfelt sentiments. The notes also include comments from Richard and Phil Ramone, detailing Richard's initial decision to shelve the album in 1980, which he later reversed after Karen approved the release. Various studio musicians from New York and Los Angeles contributed to the album, including notable names like John "JR" Robinson, Steve Gadd, Greg Phillinganes, and Louis Johnson.
Initially, A&M executives in New York approved the album, but those in Los Angeles, including label founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, rejected it. This led to a devastating moment for Karen, who broke down in tears, ultimately agreeing with A&M's recommendation not to release the album. Richard later stated that while the decision was officially hers, Karen greatly valued the opinions of A&M executives and her family. Many musicians who worked on the album noted that Karen was eager for it to be released, contradicting the narrative that she wanted it shelved.
An episode of E! True Hollywood Story claimed that Herb Alpert referred to the album as "unreleaseable." Quincy Jones supported the release of the album to Derek Green, a vice-president at A&M, but Alpert, Moss, and Green insisted on canceling it. The production cost totaled $400,000, with Karen contributing her own money and A&M fronting $100,000, which would later be deducted from the Carpenters' future royalties.
On February 3, 1983, the day before her death, Karen spoke with Ramone about the album, expressing her enthusiasm with the words, "I hope you don't mind if I curse. I still love our fucking record!" The album remained unreleased until 1996, thirteen years after her passing. It was mixed according to Karen's specifications, with eleven tracks chosen from the twenty-one recorded. However, before its release, an individual at A&M leaked some of Karen's unfinished material to a fan club, which eventually made its way onto the internet in 2000. Two unreleased tracks, "I Love Makin' Love to You" and "Truly You," were completed, while others remained in various stages of completion.
