Live in Australia in Comparison

CraigGA

Well-Known Member
I found this in the history...if you search you can review a nice discussion.

"Live in Australia"!
Discussion in 'A Song For You: The Carpenters Forum' started by CarpentersToYou, Apr 22, 2004.

I watched it the other day, and I was amazed at how relaxed and enjoyable this concert looked to the group. To me, Karen looks and sounds great in all of them, but Richard seemed to really enjoy this concert, and it just stood out in comparison to the others. It's not as slick as the others, but enjoyable, nonetheless. And, the Bacharach medley was great to see Karen drumming and singing at the same time, but nothing in comparison to the performance in Music Music Music portrayed in vocal stylistic perfection.

Craig
 
Live in Australia was so enjoyable to watch...It was the second Carpenters concert I watched in full on youtube and it had many many replayable moments I can say :)

The part when Richard said that some people still thought Karen was his wife...I laughed sooooo much when Karen suddenly said "Awww yuck" It was nearly 3am when I watched this and I'm surprised I didn't wake my neighbours :wink: It was a cute sibling interaction that will never fail to make me giggle :D

Another favourite part was Karen and Doug's duet. ..They were adorable and playful together♡ That has been replayed many times too by me

And of course Karen on the drums was out of this world Amazing, She will forever be my one and only inspiration ♡♥♡♥

Karen, Richard and the band definitely were relaxed and it had the feel of buddies having a good ol' jam session ^.^ I forgot there was an audience there..whilst watching...it felt like they were just playing for me hehe via my imagination :wink:
 
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Thanks for the reminder of this concert footage. Interesting to note, if this is, indeed, the full, May 24, 1972 concert (as not all songs may have made the final broadcast...), they omitted the singles, “Rainy Days,” “Beasts,” and “It’s Going To Take Some Time,” which would have been their current single in the US on that date. Perhaps they were in the show, but just not in the broadcast? Strange, then, that they included “Help!” and “Surrender,” in the broadcast, instead. Great concert, though. They were clearly on top of their game, and they all seemed so happy.
 
It's too bad that there's not a version of this in color. Great early concert from the duo. Also, I noticed that Karen looks unusually thin here. At other times in 1972 she looks great. It's amazing how her appearance would change so often; even within the same year. She was really grappling with weight issues way before 1975.
 
I have never toured but I have been away from home for a few weeks at a time and weight normally fluctuates under those conditions. Plus, then, they were still in the string of top ten hits. And, we don't know what the distortion factor is on that tape. It would be great if anyone on this board who attended that concert would comment and support the bubbly mood of happiness we see present in this video.
The only clunky part is when the drummers rotate. Hiring Cubby in the following years fixed that issue. The newer concerts seem more professional but this one just looks like a band having a good time with a lead singer that knocks your socks off and a backup band with vocal and instrumental talent. Doug sounds good with Karen and they look well together. And Richard looks like he could not get any happier.
 
I have never toured but I have been away from home for a few weeks at a time and weight normally fluctuates under those conditions. Plus, then, they were still in the string of top ten hits. And, we don't know what the distortion factor is on that tape. It would be great if anyone on this board who attended that concert would comment and support the bubbly mood of happiness we see present in this video.
The only clunky part is when the drummers rotate. Hiring Cubby in the following years fixed that issue. The newer concerts seem more professional but this one just looks like a band having a good time with a lead singer that knocks your socks off and a backup band with vocal and instrumental talent. Doug sounds good with Karen and they look well together. And Richard looks like he could not get any happier.
they were on top of the world.
 
From what I know, color TV broadcasting didn't start in Australia till about 1975-76, so there may not have been any color masters made in 1972.

But I see the DVD for this Concert (titled "Live: Rarities") is going for about $600 on Amazon.
 
From what I know, color TV broadcasting didn't start in Australia till about 1975-76, so there may not have been any color masters made in 1972.

But I see the DVD for this Concert (titled "Live: Rarities") is going for about $600 on Amazon.

You are right, Tom Swift. Colour TV began here in Australia at the beginning of 1975. By the way, in the Carpenters fan club letters just after the 1972 tour of Australia, Karen was quoted as saying that she didn't like the fact that Australia had no colour TV.

I think it's unlikely that the master for the 1972 Australian Carpenters concert would have been in colour. In fact, Channel 7, who televised the concert way back then, had an anniversary of transmission a few years ago. (It must have been their 50th. Australia got TV in 1956). In their anniversary special, they showed snippets of some of the special programmes they had on over the years. They showed a short section of Karen singing 'Close to You' and it was in black and white. I assume they would have got this from the original master. The Jackson 5 also had a televised concert in Australia, in 1973, I think, and I've got a feeling that their snippet on the anniversary special was in colour, but I could be wrong. It would obviously have been televised in black and white.

About the cost of the Australian Concert DVDs, you can still get the Japanese live compilation DVD at a reasonable price from Amazon Japan. The footage of the Australian concert on that, which also includes a few songs from the 1974 televised concert from Holland and some from Belgium, 1974, is very clear. Looks pretty much as if the copies have come straight from the masters, although I assume the DVD is a bootleg, because, from memory, it doesn't have Richard's name or current record company name on it. Having said that, the DVD is sold in reputable music stores in Japan, such as Tower Records. I saw it in stock there at the end of 2015. This DVD is called, "Carpenters Live On Stage 1972 - 1974". It is currently selling for the equivalent of about $32 U.S. on Amazon Japan. It might have one or two songs from the Australian transmission left out. I'm not sure now.

I watch this DVD from time to time and am always pleased with the visual quality, considering the age of the material.
 
You are right, Tom Swift. Colour TV began here in Australia at the beginning of 1975. By the way, in the Carpenters fan club letters just after the 1972 tour of Australia, Karen was quoted as saying that she didn't like the fact that Australia had no colour TV.

I think it's unlikely that the master for the 1972 Australian Carpenters concert would have been in colour. In fact, Channel 7, who televised the concert way back then, had an anniversary of transmission a few years ago. (It must have been their 50th. Australia got TV in 1956). In their anniversary special, they showed snippets of some of the special programmes they had on over the years. They showed a short section of Karen singing 'Close to You' and it was in black and white. I assume they would have got this from the original master. The Jackson 5 also had a televised concert in Australia, in 1973, I think, and I've got a feeling that their snippet on the anniversary special was in colour, but I could be wrong. It would obviously have been televised in black and white.

About the cost of the Australian Concert DVDs, you can still get the Japanese live compilation DVD at a reasonable price from Amazon Japan. The footage of the Australian concert on that, which also includes a few songs from the 1974 televised concert from Holland and some from Belgium, 1974, is very clear. Looks pretty much as if the copies have come straight from the masters, although I assume the DVD is a bootleg, because, from memory, it doesn't have Richard's name or current record company name on it. Having said that, the DVD is sold in reputable music stores in Japan, such as Tower Records. I saw it in stock there at the end of 2015. This DVD is called, "Carpenters Live On Stage 1972 - 1974". It is currently selling for the equivalent of about $32 U.S. on Amazon Japan. It might have one or two songs from the Australian transmission left out. I'm not sure now.

I watch this DVD from time to time and am always pleased with the visual quality, considering the age of the material.

With the Australia concert it does look like it came from the original master---but it could've also come from a high-quality Betamax transfer (B1 if recorded in NTSC).

But I've seen the Holland/Belgium concert onDVD, and mine looks like it came from a fourth or fifth generation VHS transfer (and at some point it might've even have gone through a PAL to SECAM conversion and back, as a slate at the end of the video indicates that it's a copy made to send to an African network in 1984 for the possibility of being played in Africa.
 
Only just got around to watching this. Currently my favourite concert footage I think. As everyone has said, the whole band just look so happy, relaxed and natural. Love the demonstration of the harmonies, and they play around a bit with the songs from the album versions (as they do in the Japan concert from around the same time, the end of Ticket To Ride for example. The fact that it's in black and white seems to make it more intimate somehow.

One question. Does something go a bit awry towards the end of Cinderella Rockerfella? Karen appears to be singing but I can't hear her.
 
Only just got around to watching this. Currently my favourite concert footage I think. As everyone has said, the whole band just look so happy, relaxed and natural. Love the demonstration of the harmonies, and they play around a bit with the songs from the album versions (as they do in the Japan concert from around the same time, the end of Ticket To Ride for example. The fact that it's in black and white seems to make it more intimate somehow.

One question. Does something go a bit awry towards the end of Cinderella Rockerfella? Karen appears to be singing but I can't hear her.
It does appear that her mic cuts out with that final "swinging on that outhouse door" stanza. I love this concert; before the health and drug issues, when they really seemed as if they were enjoying what they were doing...
 
This DVD is called, "Carpenters Live On Stage 1972 - 1974". It is currently selling for the equivalent of about $32 U.S. on Amazon Japan. It might have one or two songs from the Australian transmission left out. I'm not sure now.

I watch this DVD from time to time and am always pleased with the visual quality, considering the age of the material.

Yes, I posted a thread about this DVD and some screen grabs as well here.
 
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