LIVE AT THE PALLADIUM

I re-watched the 1976 Holland Concert this morning.
It's a mixed bag for me:
But, what is consistently the highlight of the show--taking everything into consideration--
is the voice of Karen Carpenter.
But, again...we begin with Richard , and segue to Karen, then to
Don't Be Afraid (At 8:40, in what seems to be a much higher key ?) segue to Sing (beautifully sung)
and over five minutes of "audience" participation.
The Grease Medley, and all that, consumes eight minutes (at least),
onward (after more of Richard/piano and Karen/drums, separately)
to the finale...Hits Medley.
Of the hits finale, easily the start of the Medley--Close To You--
is performed beautifully...slow, clear and with grace.
So, when all is said and done,
Karen's voice saves the day, elevates the entire concert.

In parting: While Karen is thin in this concert,
Richard is thinner. A bit perplexing, there, visually.
 
I treasure both live albums but I never cared for the sound of Karen's voice (the miking or the mix?) on Palladium; it makes her sound like she had a stuffy-nose cold.
 
I'll tell you, live or on disc, the closing of Begun brought chills and also tears to my eyes. So moving!
I didn't find a copy of this LP until after Karen passed away. I went to the local record & tape outlet store here in Columbus and saw it there for $1.99 (vinyl) and bought both copies, they aiso had 2 copies of "The Singles 1974-1978" for $2.99 and I purchased those too . I found the record the same day the People magazine came out after Karen's passing, so I bought a few copies of the magazine too. I had the CD of "Palladium" but it will not play anymore. I kept the CD case just in case I find another copy and will back it up with a CDr just to be on the safe side
 
I think I like them because it’s all we have and Karen sounds great live when they are not rushing through the numbers. One guy told me one that Karen was weak live so I played From This Moment On which most singers could not get through with that style and quality of vocal strength.
 
I get cold chills listening to this LP's live version of "We've Only Just Begun". I got the LP the very day at Record & Tape Outlet the day the Karen People Magazine Issue.....I guess it was my wake for Karen that day, I had candles lit, I played nothing but Carpenters, starting with "Ticket" and ending with "Made In America". I was only 20 then....
 
I think I like them because it’s all we have and Karen sounds great live when they are not rushing through the numbers. One guy told me one that Karen was weak live so I played From This Moment On which most singers could not get through with that style and quality of vocal strength.

Although it's not my favourite song, their respective skills as pianist/accompanist and vocalist are shown off to perfection here. Karen makes it sound deceptively simple to perform. Try singing it - especially some of the long, continuous phrases such as "you've got the sweet lips to kiiiiiiisssss me goodnighhhhhht" - and see if you can get to the end without running out of breath. Karen is able to nail that entire line effortlessly without compromising on vocal quality, timbre or breathing. In that respect it reminds me of Goodbye To Love.
 
Live At The Palladium Album Review Dec 18, 1976
UK Record Mirror

I guess the Carpenters got their fair share of bad reviews even from the UK.

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Live At The Palladium Album Review Dec 18, 1976
UK Record Mirror

I guess the Carpenters got their fair share of bad reviews even from the UK.

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I’d have to agree with the comment about the pointless, lengthy instrumentals. Whilst it may have been fine watching Karen’s drum solo live, as an audio recording it could be anybody. Most people who bought the album probably didn’t have a clue it was Karen and therefore wondered why it was even on there.
 
I’d have to agree with the comment about the pointless, lengthy instrumentals. Whilst it may have been fine watching Karen’s drum solo live, as an audio recording it could be anybody. Most people who bought the album probably didn’t have a clue it was Karen and therefore wondered why it was even on there.

Absolutely. The decision to have two largely non-vocal (and quite lengthy) performances next to each other on the album was madness in hindsight, particularly as it meant bumping vocal tracks like 'I Need to Be in Love' off the tracklist as a result.
 
I always skip Jambalaya and the Warsaw Concerto. All the others I like and would have craved I Need To Be In Love if I knew it was available.
 
^^Sadly, I agree with that December 1976 review in Record Mirror.
I must say, I rarely "play" the Palladium LP, let alone the cd.
 
In fairness, it does contain some reasonable performances - 'There's a Kind of Hush' is better than the album version, and the medley and 'We've Only Just Begun' on Side 2 are both enjoyable (I prefer this medley to the 1976 TV special version that appeared on As Time Goes By). But Side 1 lags after 'Hush' and it's missing so much of the 1976 show - not that all of it would have translated well on to record, but it doesn't give a very full picture of what the show was actually like.
 
I'm just about done with my "Revisited" look at this album. This Record Mirror review paint a perfect point I made.
 
My "Revisited/Fresh Look" review of this album will be posted Friday- and it has one story I've never heard discussed here before. I think you'll like it. :wink:
 
My "Revisited/Fresh Look" review of this album will be posted Friday- and it has one story I've never heard discussed here before. I think you'll like it. :wink:
She invited you on-stage to participate in the drum solo?
 
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