The carpenters

[Goodbook]

Today's Monday and it's raining!
Perfect day to listen to Carpenters.

 

[faroukfarouk]

hi farouk

sounds like Mr. Nixon was at least right about some things

It's interesting that between FDR and President Nixon all the Presidents in between did things that were at least as illegal as whatever Watergate was about.

Yes, Karen Carpenter was too young when she died.

 

[Goodbook]

Here's the performance at the White House for President Nixon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91PpfWU-rmA

Karen's on the drums!
Later in their performances they tried to get her out front and centre. I guess that made her feel self-concious.

 

[Dave-W]

It's interesting that between FDR and President Nixon all the Presidents in between did things that were at least as illegal as whatever Watergate was about.

And that was understood by some of us in 1974 when all the details started coming out. He just got caught. IT had to stop somewhere.

Yes, Karen Carpenter was too young when she died.

WWWWAAAAAYYYYYYYY to young.

 

[Dave-W]

Karen's on the drums!

Later in their performances they tried to get her out front and centre. I guess that made her feel self-concious.

Not at all. That was exactly where she wanted to be. Up front and on the drums.

She had a long ongoing fight with the recording company who wanted her to stop with the drums altogether. (marketing reasons) That stress was part of the reason she had eating disorders.

 

[Goodbook]

I meant out front without the drums made her feel self concious.

 

[Goodbook]

Apparently the tv shows they did, the producers wanted to get their moneys worth so kept milking the carpenters and insisting they become all schmaltzy and showbiz..not that they werent already consummate musicians but they tried to profit off them and push them to make more and more....
richard was a perfectionist as was Karen...it exhausted them.

 

[stevenfrancis]

I enjoy many of their songs. Karen Carpenter had a beautiful voice. Some of it is a little overproduced, and a bit twee. But I have some songs that make it to several of my playlists. Particular favorites are Goodbye to Love; A Song for You; and Bless the Beasts and the Children. There are several others as well.

 

[Dave-W]

I meant out front without the drums made her feel self concious.

No - she was a perfectionist on the drums and no one that the record company put up there as a drummer met with her approval. She HATED bad drumming, thought it dragged down her singing and Richard's playing. I seem to remember an interview where she told the record company to find another vocalist, that she was not all that good and they needed her on drums more than vocals. They disagreed.

And it was not just she who knew how good she really was on drums. Buddy Miles (Hendrix and the Band of Gypsies) studied videos of her playing the drums for hours.

 

[Goodbook]

You keep saying no lol. I am not contradicting you lol.

 

[Goodbook]

I even like the twee ones like mr guder, sweet sweet smile, goodbye to love...when they did overproduce, it was for effect, like calling occupants of interplanetary craft.

There were some duds, like goofus, some of the early ones just experimental, but the majority was very listenable!

 

[Goodbook]

They had a great sense of humor, btw. That is something not really found in modern music these days where the performers take themselves way too seriously.

 

[Dave-W]

You keep saying no lol. I am not contradicting you lol.

All I was saying "no" to was her feeling "self consious."
I never got even a hint of that from any interview I saw or anything I read.

BTW - there was one thing I held against them (both Richard and Karen) and that was their choice of songwriter. I never liked Paul Williams and he wrote almost every song they recorded. (if you ever saw the movie "Smokey and the Bandit," Williams was the short guy in the colorful cowboy suit)

 

[JustOneWay]

All I was saying "no" to was her feeling "self consious."
I never got even a hint of that from any interview I saw or anything I read.

BTW - there was one thing I held against them (both Richard and Karen) and that was their choice of songwriter. I never liked Paul Williams and he wrote almost every song they recorded. (if you ever saw the movie "Smokey and the Bandit," Williams was the short guy in the colorful cowboy suit)

Evergreen was pretty powerful stuff...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7AIBlzCluc

 

[keith99]

Nixon liked the Carpenters, because he thought they were the way young people should be, rather than those with a bum and drop out protester image.

I think that explains a lot of why I never really liked them.

Not that Nixon said it, but the image they had that lead to Nixon saying it. The sweet all American image and nothing controversial.

Don't dislike them either. They sing well, but to me their stuff is elevator music.

 

[Dave-W]

They sing well, but to me their stuff is elevator music.

Try the Richard Carpenter trio on for size. No singing. Just piano jazz:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LTjsTDc4xo

 

[Goodbook]

I've heard ppl say carpenters is elevator music and people judging them on their image. I guess they prolly tone deaf and don't know what good music is. Sorry.

If they are elevator music, they are the BEST elevator music ever.
Top of the World, anyone?

 

[Goodbook]

I don't know what ppl talking about, Paul Williams didn't write all their songs.

It was mostly Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, they also did covers of Burt Bacharach and Beatles and many others.

Karen sang a lovely version of Carole King's Its going to take some time. Carole King heard it and said she makes my version sound like a demo!

 

[Goodbook]

The best instrumental that I can listen to over and over is 'Heather' It's beautiful.
Richard also performed one on piano called Piano Picker where he sang about playing the piano. It's pretty clever and funny.

 

[Goodbook]

Here's Heather.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa57DlvNGBU

It makes me imagine fields of heather in the breeze....