Grand Gala 1974 full show

I really enjoyed watching that, didn't realize that show existed but so glad it does, I agree she looks so well on that show. Amazingly well and full of vitality.
 
This is the same YouTube user (the Dutch TV show TopPop) that posted the ultra-rare Touch Me When We're Dancing with Karen and the rude statues :laugh:. Great quality and excellent show.

The microphone Karen used for this concert is insane, it's as long as one of her drumsticks :laugh:
 
Just when I think I have learned all I can about our beloved duo, something new (to me anyway) emerges. I was not aware that members of the band ever sang solos/duets! And speaking of singing, that was an interesting vocal style Richard used in "Little Honda...."

Also, as @newvillefan noted, that microphone is a bit long (#microphone envy)!
 
Wow. I've seen snippets of this before (Jambalaya) but never the whole thing. Karen's on top vocal form and the drumming footage during the oldies medley is fantastic. The split screen effects are a nice touch too. I much prefer the pre 1976 concerts. Far more natural.
 
This is beyond stiff, honestly. Karen is very sweet but this presentation is stiff as a board. Even it when it tries to cut loose during the medley, it's still reigned in and rehearsed within an inch of it's life. "Johnny B. Goode" is taken at an impossible pace and is really where the whole group caught fire. This picked up nicely at the end but it really ramped up without having much energy to begin with. I also find it interesting how much a group this was then. It wasn't just about Karen and Richard; it was about all of them. Each one got their turn in the spotlight.

Again, the end was great but the stage show definitely needed help and thankfully, it arrived.

Ed
 
This is beyond stiff, honestly. Karen is very sweet but this presentation is stiff as a board. Even it when it tries to cut loose during the medley, it's still reigned in and rehearsed within an inch of it's life. "Johnny B. Goode" is taken at an impossible pace and is really where the whole group caught fire. This picked up nicely at the end but it really ramped up without having much energy to begin with. I also find it interesting how much a group this was then. It wasn't just about Karen and Richard; it was about all of them. Each one got their turn in the spotlight.

Again, the end was great but the stage show definitely needed help and thankfully, it arrived.

Ed
I like both concert eras. I fully enjoy the 1971 to 1974 era that is well-represented out there on YouTube and DVD. I also like the 1976 era. I love this Dutch footage, too. Richard is super-tense though, especially when he speaks.

Speaking of concert footage, does anyone remember the triple-BBC-show DVD that was to be officially released through Japan with Richard's involvement around 2006? It even had a release date and was up on Amazon.com. It got pulled at the last minute. There was a comment from the Japanese producers that they assumed this was because the artist was no longer happy with the material.
:sad:
 
This is beyond stiff, honestly. Karen is very sweet but this presentation is stiff as a board. Even it when it tries to cut loose during the medley, it's still reigned in and rehearsed within an inch of it's life. "Johnny B. Goode" is taken at an impossible pace and is really where the whole group caught fire. This picked up nicely at the end but it really ramped up without having much energy to begin with. I also find it interesting how much a group this was then. It wasn't just about Karen and Richard; it was about all of them. Each one got their turn in the spotlight.

Both shows were boring beyond belief in their own ways. They went from being a consummate live band with little visual interest to a Vegas-style show that aged them beyond their years. They deserved far, far better. And, dare I say it, their perfectionism got in the way big time.
 
Both shows were boring beyond belief in their own ways. They went from being a consummate live band with little visual interest to a Vegas-style show that aged them beyond their years. They deserved far, far better. And, dare I say it, their perfectionism got in the way big time.
This was a different era in concerts, though. Most other concerts that I've seen from that time are very similar - just the singer standing with the microphone. At least Carpenters had the excitement of Karen alternating as drummer. Some exceptions include the Motown artists who danced, choreographed - at least, group members apart from the lead singer often did - and bands like Iggy Pop and the Stooges, who performed no end of bizarre acts. And, of course, by Carpenters' 1976 UK tour, the punk revolution was underway.

Each style has its place. If I had gone to a Carpenters concert, my main desire would have been to hear Karen's voice in its beauty, (as well as seeing K & R in person). I think that I would have been disappointed if Karen hadn't striven for vocal perfection and wouldn't have minded the lack of visual excitement. I would have been excited just to see Carpenters standing there, anyway. For action, I would have been happy with the drumming.

These days, we're used to singers performing with hoards of dancers Bollywood-style, fireworks exploding and singers shooting above the audience upside-down on trapezes, singing, or charging a couple of hundred dollars while they dance and mime to their hits. I'm glad that Karen and Richard didn't do any of that.
 
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I don't mind 'Little Honda', but I don't know, or maybe don't remember, the original. I like Karen's b.v.'s, (and the group's). I don't like Richard's 'Daddy's Home' at all.
I can't find Daddy's Home on here... are you referring to the Live in Japan rendition? I assumed he altered his voice to sound 50's-ish in a sort of novelty mode... not sure... his natural voice is much nicer tho...
 
Both shows were boring beyond belief in their own ways. They went from being a consummate live band with little visual interest to a Vegas-style show that aged them beyond their years. They deserved far, far better. And, dare I say it, their perfectionism got in the way big time.

Live shows aren't supposed to be perfect. They're supposed to feel. Little in the video posted feels like anything. Sad, really...

Ed
 
I can't find Daddy's Home on here... are you referring to the Live in Japan rendition? I assumed he altered his voice to sound 50's-ish in a sort of novelty mode... not sure... his natural voice is much nicer tho...

Barry, he sings Daddy's Home from the 1974 Belgium show. See my review of the DVD here.
 
These days, we're used to singers performing with hoards of dancers Bollywood-style, fireworks exploding and singers shooting above the audience upside-down on trapezes, singing, or charging a couple of hundred dollars while they dance and mime to their hits. I'm glad that Karen and Richard didn't do any of that.
Add to that, the giant video screens, catwalks, strobe lights, lasers, trap doors, elevators, multiple costume changes... and auto tune! Back in the 70's, most of us went to concerts for the music, not to see a circus spectacle!
 
I can't find Daddy's Home on here... are you referring to the Live in Japan rendition? I assumed he altered his voice to sound 50's-ish in a sort of novelty mode... not sure... his natural voice is much nicer tho...
Yes, that's what we were referring to, Barry. 'Daddy's Home', from 'Live In Japan', (and it's on the Japanese 'Live on Stage 1972 to 1974' DVD, Belgian concert, as well, as Rick says). Yes, I agree. I guess Richard's performance is a nod to both the song and to the novelty hits of the era.
 
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Good points raised by everyone regarding this "concert" !
The only saving grace here (for me) is Karen's voice, her beauty and her drumming !

Someone could not make up their mind:
Do we want Karen on the drums--or, not ?

Also:
Karen probably obtained that microphone from Gene Rayburn (of "Matchgame" fame)....
 
Karen probably obtained that microphone from Gene Rayburn (of "Matchgame" fame)....

Nobody's microphone was longer than Gene Rayburn's!
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Hey Harry- is Central Florida still sunny today? My youngest son just landed in Orlando. (Sorry off topic.)
 
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