UK radio interview from 1974

[Walkinat9]

Hi all,

Not sure whether this had been posted about recently, but the other day I discovered this radio interview from 1974, which I had never even heard (of). So wonderful and insightful to hear them both talking about how they work in the studio and, in retrospect, sad to hear Karen talk about health...but great to hear them both talk in such an energetic, enthusiastic way! Anyway, during their European tour in February '74, they were in the UK during the second half of the month, so this must have been taped right then for Capital Radio, with interviewer Roger Scott.

After a bit of research, I found that this radio interview had been discussed 3 years ago and also early in 2016, but the link to the interview in those posts doesn't seem to work anymore, so I'm very happy that somebody has now shared it on YouTube. Also, very considerate that there is a list of where the interview bits start!

So good to hear some "new" Carpenters again!!

Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did

Greg, listening again...

 

[Walkinat9]

Okay, just seconds ago I found the complete show, including the songs (some of them were (partly) omitted on YouTube due to copyright etc). It's on the Roger Scott site, which includes other interesting interviews as well:

Roger Scott - Interviews

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Thanks Walkinat9, I didn't know he had his own website. I already had this saved but in separate pieces....heck why not download the entire interview in one shot since he offers it.

How odd that he offers the interview but I don't see one photo of the Carpenters on his website.

 

[Chris Mills]

Okay, just seconds ago I found the complete show, including the songs (some of them were (partly) omitted on YouTube due to copyright etc). It's on the Roger Scott site, which includes other interesting interviews as well:

Roger Scott - Interviews

I really like that at the end of the interview Roger Scott played the album cut of Close To You. Also Richard touched on the subject of mixing songs in stereo for the albums, but for AM radio the songs would be mixed in mono.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I really like that at the end of the interview Roger Scott played the album cut of Close To You. Also Richard touched on the subject of mixing songs in stereo for the albums, but for AM radio the songs would be mixed in mono.

Yeah, he said they did over 200 mixing in mono and stereo on Goodbye To Love to get it correct for am radio and then stereo for the LP. I didn't realize they went to this great length for the final product. This is a great interview.

 

[Superstar]

Other than the really annoying segments of silence, this was really awesome. The "video creator" also added some photos I had never seen before, so awesome! Also, I was always under the impression Karen hated Superstar. Guess not! I wished they had mentioned Top of the World... That's my favorite song, but I heard Karen hated that one, too!

 

[Someday69]

Hello,
I was the one who uploaded to Youtube. The silent parts were because of copyrighting the music. Thanks for the feedback

 

[Song4uman]

Great interview. Goodbye to Love seems to be in the wrong key. Higher and faster.

 

[Graeme]

Another interesting interview and great photographs used for the accompanying video. I've said it before, but a book of photographs would be a worthwhile 50th anniversary product (though possibly a copyright nightmare).

 

[Superstar]

I didn't mean to criticize the silence. I had read why it was there after the first break, but had to keep checking since my wifi drops at random so I didn't know if it was purposeful silence or if my connection was gone! : )

 

[Must Hear This Album]

Great interview; thanks for uploading, @Sheena, and for posting, @Walkinat9. It’s always so much fun hearing Richard “geek-out" about the production aspect of the records. He’s a legend. Karen’s candor surprised me, regarding disinterest in the Rita Coolidge rendition of “Superstar.” Not exactly politic.

It was similar to the duo’s publicly-shared appraisal of their version of Carole King’s “It’s Going To Take Some Time This Time,” which didn’t go as high on the charts as their other hits in that timeframe. Karen said about selecting that song as a single, “we goofed!” Richard wryly added, “Carole King liked it.”

 

[Another Son]

It was similar to the duo’s publicly-shared appraisal of their version of Carole King’s “It’s Going To Take Some Time This Time." Karen said about selecting that song as a single, “we goofed!” Richard wryly added, “Carole King liked it.”

I've always loved 'It's Going to Take Some Time'. I have a vivid memory of looking out on winter paddocks and eucalyptus scrub early one morning when I was about eight or nine as 'It's Going to Take Some Time' played on the radio on the school bus. I was obviously very focused on the song, otherwise I wouldn't remember after all these years. I could even name the farm that we were passing at the time. My affection for the song has never diminished over the years. ('Scrub' is sort of like a forest - but I'm talking about a dry area, so trees are a lot more squat than, say, a rainforest).

Karen's directness about Rita Coolidge's 'Superstar' reminds me of her criticism of Mott the Hoople - except she was a lot more cutting on that occasion, whereas in this interview she pretty much merely said that Rita's version didn't really grab her. After her comments about Mott the Hoople, the backlash was such that she more or less retracted her words later on-air and all but apologised.

Must have made for some awkward moments if she bumped into Rita or Mott later at awards dinners and the like. Or, more likely, at the recording studio - seeing as Rita also recorded for A&M.

 

[GaryAlan]

Thanks for the interview !
At 20:03 min, Richard is terribly thin, more so than his sister....
At 28:45, Over two-hundred mixings for Goodbye To Love....awesome....
Well, I saw, and heard, Rita perform Superstar in concert....did not 'knock me out either' !
I think Karen is right regarding that !

 

[Carpe diem]

I listed to this interview entirely for the first time today via YouTube. Of all the interviews I have heard from the duo, so far, I like this one the best. They are remarkably candid and especially Karen seems much more relaxed during this interview as I have heard before. Her giggling and exhorting Richard to say "sh**" on the air, and summing it up with a "thank you!" after he does it are priceless. In contrast; her talking about being sick on the road almost to the point of death, is ominous. Also, the fact that this interview is "loud and clear" does not hurt, as most other recordings are very bad in the audio department. I have been watching Dick Cavett's old television interviews with guest stars like Jimi Hendrix, Lena Horne, etc from the early 70s on the "Decades" channel and it makes me wish he would've done an interview with Karen and Richard around that time. Cavett was a very skilled interviewer back in that era.

 

[JayJayVA]

It's hilarious that Richard says a fan saw him with a beer in Tulsa, OK --and wrote a letter saying "how dare you...".
Today's musicians have nudes leaked, rehab 2xs a year, etc. Imagine ..Bruno Mars with a beer...shocking!