Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
And speaking of singing, that was an interesting vocal style Richard used in "Little Honda...."
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 hated the way he sang this and also Daddy's Home. Awful.
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.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.
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.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.
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...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.
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.
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...
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!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.
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.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...
Karen probably obtained that microphone from Gene Rayburn (of "Matchgame" fame)....
Nobody's microphone was longer than Gene Rayburn's!