Calvin R Murty
Member
Dear Friends,
Thought I'd share a bit about how I celebrated our fave duo's 35th Anniversary on 30th April this year.
Well, I had an idea...and sent out this email (reproduced below) to a handful of my close friends:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
Do join me and a couple of friends as we pay tribute to a brother/sister duo who were responsible for some of the most beautiful sounds in recorded popular music. In case you don't already know, I only started getting interested in singing because I myself was inspired by this duo, way back in 1979.
You will be taken through a landscape of their music from the years 1969 (when they signed their recording contract and produced their first album), right up to 1976. Ten albums ( 7 studio, 2 'Live' and 1 compilation) were released during this period, and selections from these albums will be performed (as best as we possibly can!), listened to or watched on the screen via DVD/video.Yes, this is going to be quite 'multimedia'!
[If time permits, and depending on feedback, there may be a follow-up gathering later in the year where we will do the songs from albums released between 1977 to 2001.]
All in all, you should hear at least 10 songs, of which there will be many of their hits as well as some their lesser known (but equally good) songs.
Do come after having your dinner. Since the next day is a public holiday, you are welcome to stay behind for more fellowship - light refreshments will be served after the 'concert'.
Hope you will join us...it will be an informal, relaxed and fun time...and yes, you will be given opportunities to sing their songs "Karaoke" style too!
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All the friends I invited came, including a couple who dropped in unexpectedly.
Most of them liked Carpenters, but were most probably not fans (until after this!).
We started in my TV room with a few excerpts from the Karen Carpenter Story (some of them did not even know such a movie existed and were quite pleased!) and from the DVD, Close To You, Remembering the Carpenters.
Then it was out to the living room, where my friends and I sang selections from their albums. I started by showing them the LP covers, telling them a bit of the history of the albums, which hits it contained etc. Our repertoire for that night was as follows:
1. We've Only Just Begun*
2. Love Is Surrender (I taught the song to them and we had a sing-a-long!)*
3. Superstar**
4. Rainy Days and Mondays**
5. I Won't Last A Day Without You*
6. Sing (another sing-a-long)+
7. Only Yesterday*
8. Desperado+
9. I Have You++
*Piano accompaniment (by me)
+Guitar accompaniment (by one of my friends)
**The Japanese Karaoke CD accompaniment
++Accompaniment track from my 2nd CD (see note below)
The soloists were myself and 2 other friends (all guys, by the way!).
Before we started, we listened to Get Together from the Ticket to Ride CD (because we weren't singing any song from that album and also, the audience never really heard RC singing solo) and after the last song (I Have You), to 'close the show' , I played the track I Need To Be In Love from the CD A Kind Of Hush. I told them this was Karen's favourite song. You could see the audience just enjoying her voice and to an extent, feeling her heartache!
After that, as all Singaporeans do, we ate - a lot! The next day was a public holiday, so most of them stayed back late and we had a lot of fun just chatting and eating some more!
On the whole, they enjoyed the programme and said they learned a lot of things about the duo that they never knew before, and they liked a lot of the songs.
Just glad to do my part in 'indoctrinating' others even if they are my friends
warm regards,
calvin
++ I recently (2002) had the opportunity to record a CD of some of my favourite songs - contemporary Christian and pop. For this album, I included my version of 'I Have You', to commemmorate the 20th Anniversary of Karen's passing (2003). The recording studio I used made an accompaniment CD for me of all tracks for my CD so that I could sing it live, and it was to this accompaniment which I sang 'I Have You'.
Thought I'd share a bit about how I celebrated our fave duo's 35th Anniversary on 30th April this year.
Well, I had an idea...and sent out this email (reproduced below) to a handful of my close friends:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Friends,
Do join me and a couple of friends as we pay tribute to a brother/sister duo who were responsible for some of the most beautiful sounds in recorded popular music. In case you don't already know, I only started getting interested in singing because I myself was inspired by this duo, way back in 1979.
You will be taken through a landscape of their music from the years 1969 (when they signed their recording contract and produced their first album), right up to 1976. Ten albums ( 7 studio, 2 'Live' and 1 compilation) were released during this period, and selections from these albums will be performed (as best as we possibly can!), listened to or watched on the screen via DVD/video.Yes, this is going to be quite 'multimedia'!
[If time permits, and depending on feedback, there may be a follow-up gathering later in the year where we will do the songs from albums released between 1977 to 2001.]
All in all, you should hear at least 10 songs, of which there will be many of their hits as well as some their lesser known (but equally good) songs.
Do come after having your dinner. Since the next day is a public holiday, you are welcome to stay behind for more fellowship - light refreshments will be served after the 'concert'.
Hope you will join us...it will be an informal, relaxed and fun time...and yes, you will be given opportunities to sing their songs "Karaoke" style too!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All the friends I invited came, including a couple who dropped in unexpectedly.
Most of them liked Carpenters, but were most probably not fans (until after this!).
We started in my TV room with a few excerpts from the Karen Carpenter Story (some of them did not even know such a movie existed and were quite pleased!) and from the DVD, Close To You, Remembering the Carpenters.
Then it was out to the living room, where my friends and I sang selections from their albums. I started by showing them the LP covers, telling them a bit of the history of the albums, which hits it contained etc. Our repertoire for that night was as follows:
1. We've Only Just Begun*
2. Love Is Surrender (I taught the song to them and we had a sing-a-long!)*
3. Superstar**
4. Rainy Days and Mondays**
5. I Won't Last A Day Without You*
6. Sing (another sing-a-long)+
7. Only Yesterday*
8. Desperado+
9. I Have You++
*Piano accompaniment (by me)
+Guitar accompaniment (by one of my friends)
**The Japanese Karaoke CD accompaniment
++Accompaniment track from my 2nd CD (see note below)
The soloists were myself and 2 other friends (all guys, by the way!).
Before we started, we listened to Get Together from the Ticket to Ride CD (because we weren't singing any song from that album and also, the audience never really heard RC singing solo) and after the last song (I Have You), to 'close the show' , I played the track I Need To Be In Love from the CD A Kind Of Hush. I told them this was Karen's favourite song. You could see the audience just enjoying her voice and to an extent, feeling her heartache!
After that, as all Singaporeans do, we ate - a lot! The next day was a public holiday, so most of them stayed back late and we had a lot of fun just chatting and eating some more!
On the whole, they enjoyed the programme and said they learned a lot of things about the duo that they never knew before, and they liked a lot of the songs.
Just glad to do my part in 'indoctrinating' others even if they are my friends
warm regards,
calvin
++ I recently (2002) had the opportunity to record a CD of some of my favourite songs - contemporary Christian and pop. For this album, I included my version of 'I Have You', to commemmorate the 20th Anniversary of Karen's passing (2003). The recording studio I used made an accompaniment CD for me of all tracks for my CD so that I could sing it live, and it was to this accompaniment which I sang 'I Have You'.
