The Smooth Operators present 'Mellow Night Moods'

Bradley Cooper & Amy Adams (American Hustle)

The night is the best part of the day! The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) pay tribute to the 1970s FM radio sound with our series Mellow Moods. Enjoy this new chapter: Mellow Night Moods! In this edition we try to make the night pass as pleasant as possible.

For some reason the only Karen Carpenter solo album was shelved for almost 17 years. It was recorded in New York in 1979 with producer Phil Ramone but it remained unreleased until 1996. It was also the only album Karen Carpenter ever recorded with a producer other than her older brother Richard. Ramone, who worked a lot with Billy Joel at the time, prefers a looser, more spacious sound than Richard's note-perfect, clean cut pop sound. It is refreshing to hear Karen's dusky, melancholy alto in a more relaxed and jazz-influenced setting. Arrangements are by jazz-funk greats Bob James and Rod Temperton, and the musicians include most of Billy Joel's backing band. Some say that Richard Carpenter did not like the sexual content of some of the lyrics and the disco influences. Others say that label boss Herb Alpert rejected the project, because it did not sound like the Carpenters. In retrospect, it is a tragedy that Karen Carpenter was not taken seriously at the time. She died of heart failure, caused by anorexia nervosa, on the 4th of February 1983.

Tracklist:

Tom Johnston - Savannah Nights (1979)
Randy Crawford - Last Night At Danceland (1980)
Robert Byrne - Blame It On The Night (1979)
Billy Ocean - Nights (Feel Like Getting Down) (1981)
Dee Dee Sharp - I’d Really Love To See You Tonight (1977)
Climax Blues Band - Children Of The Night Time (1979)
Ray Parker Jr. - Stay The Night (1982)
Chaka Khan - Night Moods (1981)
Curtis Mayfield - Do It All Night (1978)
Stevie Woods - Steal The Night (1981)
Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson - Never Want To Say Goodnight (1984)
Lucas Arruda ft. Leon Ware - Melt The Night (2015)
Masaki Matsubara - Sunset Lullaby (1983)
Young Gun Silver Fox - Long Way Back (2015)
Bejamin Franklin Group – A Night Club In L.A. (1979)
Frank McDonald – Night Moves (1978)
Steely Dan – Night By Night (1974)
Joseph Nicoletti – Night Time Stars (1977)
Incognito – Above The Night (2012)
George Soule – Midnight Affair (2011)
Elayne Starr – Night After Night (2015)
Fourplay – A Night In Rio (2010)
George Benson – Give Me The Night (1980)
Kool & the Gang – Ladies Night (1979)
T-Connection – Tonight's The Night (1983)
Spargo – One Night Affair (1981)
Finis Henderson – Blame It On The Night (1983)
Flamingosis – Saturday Night Fever (2016)
Karen Carpenter – Remember When Lovin' Took All Night (1980)