Anyone read this?

I know this is not new but I was not aware of this since I'm not a fan or follower of Neil Sedaka music. So Karen was not really the first from the duo to venture out in a new project outside Carpenters. It was Richard according to this article.

Cashbox RC Project Aug 23, 1975

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A few more articles mentioning how tours had to be cancelled due to Karen's illness.

Cashbox Carpenters Tour Cancelled Oct 04, 1975

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Cashbox Carpenters Tour Cancelled Nov 01, 1975

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About a week ago, I read that Dami Im has recently performed her 'Yesterday Once More' show in my city, (Adelaide, South Australia). The word is that response was overwhelming and she will be back to do another show in February. Dami herself knows that she sounds nothing like Karen Carpenter. Her album, 'Classic Carpenters', is a tribute to the influence of the Carpenters and, specifically, Karen, rather than a sound-alike effort. Just like American Idol, shows like Australian Idol, The Voice Australia and Australian X-Factor, which Dami won a few years back, are all about seeing who can yell the loudest, longest, highest and scream through the most notes on the same syllable Mariah Carey fashion. I have Dami's 'Classic Carpenters' CD and she does a brilliant job of updating Carpenters songs in laid-back style. It really is a very pleasant CD. Dami is a classically trained pianist, so the arrangements and piano backings are also top-notch. 'Classic Carpenters' peaked at Number 3 on the Aussie charts earlier this year. I think it's great that Dami has probably made a younger generation of Australians aware of Carpenters. Their songs are rarely, if ever, played on radio here, although one or two of the U.K. documentaries have been shown on free-to-air TV over the last ten years or so, (not on the commercial stations that younger people might watch, though). Having said that Carpenters songs aren't played much on Aussie radio, I wonder whether the popularity of Dami's CD has changed that. I've been super busy and haven't listened to the radio and have watched almost no TV this year. I am aware, though, that Channel 9 had a week of Dami performing a Carpenters song each morning. They even showed some footage of Karen and Richard, (mainly snippets from the 'Gold' DVD, plus a few seconds of 'Sweet, Sweet Smile' from Star Parade). Anyway, I'm respectful of what Dami Im has done on her latest release and tour.
 
From MeTV,

Karen Carpenter was the 'Queen of Christmas' in the 1970s »

If one group could epitomize some of the best parts of the 1970s, it would be the Carpenters. They dominated the music charts with their pop hits and sat atop the Nielsen ratings with their television specials.

For a good chunk of the decade, they also dominated the holiday season.

The Carpenters kicked off the '70s with the release of "Merry Christmas Darling." The tune was a hit right off the bat, peaking at number one on Billboard's Christmas singles chart in 1970, and again in 1971 and 1973.

In 1974, the Carpenters got their first taste of a televised Christmas special on The Perry Como Christmas Show.

On the program, Richard hammered out a rendition of "Carol of the Bells" on the piano and the duo performed with Como. But it was Karen who brought the house down with a slower, jazzier rendition of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town." Who knew a silly song like that could sound so sultry?

Their critically lauded appearance on The Perry Como Christmas Show would pave the way for their own special in 1977.

The Carpenters at Christmas was an hour-long showcase for Karen's vocals and Richard's instrumental skills. Many of the Christmas songs featured on this program are ones people can still hear in department stores, on radio stations and Christmas compilations to this day.

It's the epitome of what a variety special in the 1970s was all about: Backup dancers! Cheap visual effects! Guest appearances by Kristy McNichol and Harvey Korman! Someone, bring us a time machine.

ABC


In the special, Karen wants to throw a Christmas party, but Richard's just not feeling the spirit of the season.

Meanwhile, Karen belts standards like "Sleigh Ride," "White Christmas" and "The Christmas Song" with ease. If her angelic voice didn't get Richard in the Christmas spirit, he must be a real Grinch.

The following year, the Carpenters returned to primetime with The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait. Once again, the brother and sister hosted a Christmas party. But this time around, guests included Gene Kelly and Georgia Engel. Of course, Kristy McNichol returned.

The duo's 1970 seasonal smash got a makeover, with Karen rerecording "Merry Christmas Darling" for a more mature sound. The guests also got a fair number of songs, but Karen overshadowed them all.

Thanks to these TV specials, we have some truly timeless Christmas music. We just can't imagine the holiday season without Karen crooning some of our favorite hits.

Sure, Santa reigns supreme over Christmas. But in the 1970s, Karen was the true queen of the holiday.
 
theninjarabbit posted a link to this MeTV "Queen of Christmas" feature 2 posts ahead of Harry's. I guess you could say that it's well worth repeating... :)

The MeTV feature includes links to Carpenters' Christmas specials in their entirety!

Happy Holidays to one and all!!
 
theninjarabbit posted a link to this MeTV "Queen of Christmas" feature 2 posts ahead of Harry's. I guess you could say that it's well worth repeating... :)

The MeTV feature includes links to Carpenters' Christmas specials in their entirety!

Happy Holidays to one and all!!
Went right over my head! :doh:

By the way, a tradition we have around here is that when pointing out a text article, go ahead and post the text in a quote box along with the link. That way, in the future, if the linked article is removed, (and many are), the relevant text is still available here.
 
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Extensive article dealing with Samberg's Book.
Randall Beach: Connecticut writer explores the complex persona of New Haven’s Karen Carpenter »

Excerpt....
New Haven Register, by Randall Beach:
" Connecticut writer explores the complex persona of New Haven’s Karen Carpenter
Thirty-four years after Karen Carpenter’s sudden and unexpected death at 32,
the “many Karens” remains a subject that fascinates her fans, including Joel Samberg.
But because Samberg is a published writer as well as a Carpenters fan, he undertook many interviews
and extensive research into her life and personality.
The result of what he calls “my quest” was a book,
“Some Kind of Lonely Clown: The Music, Memory and Melancholy Lives of Karen Carpenter” (Bear Manor Media).
The “lonely clown” in the title came from a line in the Carpenters’ hit “Rainy Days and Mondays.”
Samberg, who lives in Avon and was raised on Long Island, is careful to acknowledge this is not a biography.
Indeed, it checks in at only 134 pages.
“It is an assessment, a reflection and an appreciation,” he says..."
 
An update on previous story from New Haven Register:

Randall Beach: New Haven history is worth preserving, from the Carpenters to a Yale touchdown »

Authour/Randall Beach:
New Haven history is worth preserving, from the Carpenters to a Yale touchdown....
Excerpt:
"My column last Sunday on Joel Samberg’s book about our famous New Haven native Karen Carpenter
brought forth colorful reminiscences by New Haven Register readers, from her time growing up here to her years as a world-renowned singer.
One of the respondents told me he is working to get Karen’s reclusive brother, Richard Carpenter,
back in his native city for a concert and some long-delayed local recognition."
 
I know this is not new but I was not aware of this since I'm not a fan or follower of Neil Sedaka music. So Karen was not really the first from the duo to venture out in a new project outside Carpenters. It was Richard according to this article.

Cashbox RC Project Aug 23, 1975

Cashbox%20RC%20Project%20Aug%2023%201975.png~original

I just saw this at the top of the page. Surely Rick, you know about the string arrangement on Neil Sedaka's slow version of "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do"?

 
BBC radio presenter Nick Risby’s top songs of all time
13 February 2017
Steve Russell
19. Carpenters – 
Goodbye to Love
"When Carpenters were at their peak I was too young to appreciate them,
but I remember announcing Karen Carpenter’s death on my breakfast show and it hit me hard.
Goodbye to Love shows off Karen’s incredible vocal range and had one of the best guitar breaks
in popular music, played by the late Tony Peluso."

Source:
Bet you can’t guess BBC radio presenter Nick Risby’s top songs of all time
 
Thanks for the clipping, Chris Mills !
It gives pause to wonder if The American Cancer Society
ever disclosed the total amounts that Karen and Richard
provided to them.....in that, the general public--these days--
has no idea of the Goodwill bestowed upon the Cancer Society
on behalf of The Carpenters.
Karen and Richard saved lives--not only through music, but through monetary giving.
The public needs to know these things !
 
"Women's History Month: 31 days of amazing women
Editors, USA TODAYPublished 12:04 a.m. ET March 1, 2017
March 2, 1950 – Karen Carpenter is born.
The three-time Grammy-award winning singer and drummer
brought attention to eating disorders, which affect 20 million women in the U.S."

Source:
Women's History Month: 31 days of amazing women
 
Excerpt from Downey Patriot, March 8,2017:
OP-ED: Keeping the Carpenters' legacy alive in Downey

"The only unfortunate thing is that I don't think that most people in Downey
understand the importance of the Carpenters in music history and that they
grew up and continued to live here even after they became world famous, gold medal,
Grammy Award-winning recording artists. That was the only thing that the tourists thought was strange.
They thought there would be more visible public recognition around town of the Carpenters' legacy."
 
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