1978 ABC TV Special Carpenters, Ben Vereen, Captain & Tennille Full Clip

1969

Well-Known Member
A full clip of better quality of Karen/Richard, Ben Vereen, and Captain & Tennille singing "Silly Love Songs" from the 1978 ABC TV Silver Anniversary Special (surfaced on Youtube earlier this year). This was last posted about 8 years ago in this forum under the "Heard Carpenters" thread. The only existing clip on Youtube at the time was a 2 minute partial clip of marginal quality. For those who haven't seen this already - enjoy!



 
Another example of Karen's "odd" live pronunciations:

"We've only 'chist' begun" - she does this in many live versions.
 
‘What’s wrong with that’ kills me, but I like it. Adds character.
I'm sure there are many who like that sort of thing, but it grates on me. It's one of the reasons that I prefer the studio versions.
 
Thanks for this.

Since I first saw this I've always loved Karen's voice on the last note of "you" just cutting through everything else.
I agree! I love every minute of this segment, but that last note from Karen is pure heaven. I remember the night it aired and I taped the audio off the TV with my Dad's 'TV' radio. As you might remember, Harry just posted the first ABC special 'audio only' and recorded it the same way back in '76.
 
Another example of Karen's "odd" live pronunciations:

"We've only 'chist' begun" - she does this in many live versions.
Both Karen and Richard had a pronounced lisp, which makes it even more impressive that their vocal timing is never less than perfect!
 
This was fun. Karen never sounds anything less than excellent and Toni sounds amazing too. Ben gets it done, though he's not the caliber of singer that Karen & Toni are. He likely knew that. Still, fun performances all around.

Ed
 
This was fun. Karen never sounds anything less than excellent and Toni sounds amazing too. Ben gets it done, though he's not the caliber of singer that Karen & Toni are. He likely knew that. Still, fun performances all around.

Ed
Go listen to Ben sing, "Life is just a bowl of cherries (reprise)" from the closing of Fosse. It is is brilliant.
 
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