Anyone read this?

I tend to disagree. I think they're much more respected now than they were in their heyday. While I DO agree that they're ignored in certain book publications, I believe their legacy is strong. They’ll never be cool, but they’ll also never be forgotten.
 
Yes. Thank you for saving me from typing that all out again.

Remember, radio is a business. They make their money by reaching the largest audience. If the music they play causes people to tune out - and there's a whole lot of people out there who HATE Carpenters - not just dislike - genuine HATRED. Playing a Carpenters record will cause tune-out. The more that tune-out, the lower the ratings, and the lower the revenue at the station.

Get used to it. Carpenters only test well at Christmas.

Is this 'hatred' from the older generations who hated them back in their heyday though or from younger listeners too? I can understand there are still some older people who will never accept their music (and some of these are still in a position of influence in terms of still being music critics and compiling playlists at radio stations) and thus wouldn't make any effort to play them or give them good coverage, but I'd be surprised if this continues forever.

It's a shame though that US radio still has this issue. There is almost none of this musical snobbery shown towards them on UK radio.
 
Younger generations do not have the hatred per se as the older folks - except those who 'learned' to hate through their elders. But younger folks, and I speak of here in the US, don't hear Carpenters, so they don't test well due to total unfamiliarity.
 
That’s so true. If I talk about Carpenters to almost anyone under 50 they have never heard of them or are familiar with Carpenters songs. The exception is at Christmas time when about 5 cuts from Christmas Portrait get played. One thing I noticed last year is that Merry Christmas Darling has taken a back seat to Sleigh Ride/Sleep Well and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas on local all Christmas format stations here. Another thorn in my side. I remember in college all my friends, about 8 of us, would pile into the car and we go look at the Christmas lights, and turn the AM dial back and forth to see who was playing MCD while we were driving around for a couple of hours. It was huge back when it was the only Christmas song Carpenters had at the time. I still love hearing anything by them on the airwaves, no matter what it is. That means others are hearing them too.
 
What Harry said is true. They don’t test well with the listening audience, so only at Christmas time. It totally stinks too. Even satellite or cable 70’s only play about the same 4 cuts. It drives me crazy, so I rarely listen to any radio. Thanks God I have over 100 Carpenters CDs I’ve purchased or made on my computer, and can play them all I want. Also on my iPhone and can use Bluetooth if need be. All hit radio my ^+%.
I call BS on this, which is one of those canards that no one stops to question. What testing? By whom? What audiences? Where? No, it is not because their beautiful music is "poison" to audiences, but because of their conservative, white suburban image is scorned by the leftist element that controls all aspects of entertainment media, including radio play. (Note that Carpenters are very popular measured by views on YouTube, even though many of the videos are quite old and sometimes fuzzy). The very same element that excludes the leading pop/soft rock group of the 70's even from consideration for the so-called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And none of this business that they're not rock and roll. The RRHOF is full of non-rock performers, ranging from the likes of Linda Rondstadt and James Taylor (who I agree deserve to be in there anyway) to the so-called rappers, which do not do rock and roll but a completely different genre.
 
Mourning the loss of Ric Ocasek - loved the Cars; his voice and delivery were so unique. In reading the appreciation in Rolling Stone today I was happy to learn he was a Carpenters fan:

Ric Ocasek was one of the all-time great American songwriters: the spirit of Buddy Holly in the body and mind of Mr. Spock, a new wave eccentric who always wanted to brush your rock & roll hair. That’s why the world is in mourning at the news of his death yesterday, at the age of 75. With the Cars, the Boston legend scored hit after hit, yet he also wrote vulnerable ballads about teen angst with his own distinctive blend of compassion and humor, plus his authentic geek-gulp of a voice. Who else could sing the line “alienation is the craze” and still sound cool? Nobody. “My taste was to always go for that mix, even back in the Sixties,” Ocasek once said. “I obviously was a huge fan of Dylan, but my other favorite band was the Velvet Underground. I always went for the left side of the music brain, too. I loved the Velvet Underground and the Carpenters.”

 
That’s so true. If I talk about Carpenters to almost anyone under 50 they have never heard of them or are familiar with Carpenters songs. The exception is at Christmas time when about 5 cuts from Christmas Portrait get played. One thing I noticed last year is that Merry Christmas Darling has taken a back seat to Sleigh Ride/Sleep Well and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas on local all Christmas format stations here. Another thorn in my side. I remember in college all my friends, about 8 of us, would pile into the car and we go look at the Christmas lights, and turn the AM dial back and forth to see who was playing MCD while we were driving around for a couple of hours. It was huge back when it was the only Christmas song Carpenters had at the time. I still love hearing anything by them on the airwaves, no matter what it is. That means others are hearing them too.
I remember back in the 90’s the Top 2 Carpenters Christmas songs that I would hear on the radio as a kid were “Sleigh Ride” And “The Christmas Song”. And “Time-Life” even licensed “The Christmas Song” for inclusion in their “Treasury Of Christmas” album (which used the single version and was the first digital appearance of the 45 mix on CD) and every year Time-Life would play a snippet of the song during the commercial.

I think that I heard at one point the Carpenters version of “The Christmas Song” was considered the standard version that others are compared to.

Another Christmas song by the Carpenters I remember hearing a lot in the 90’s and early-2000’s was “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” as Global TV used to use it as the end credits song to the Toronto Santa Claus Parade (I still have on VHS I think the 2002 Parade and it was the last one to use it).
 
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.desmoinesregister.com/amp/22874730
Karen Carpenter mentioned in article titled: 'Societal breakdown causes mass shootings, not guns'.
"Instead of listening to violence-provoking music, everyday Americans preferred Johnny Cash, Karen Carpenter, The Beach Boys, Cass Elliot, Elvis Presley, Anne Murray and Dean Martin. On TV, we watched "The Andy Griffith Show," "Green Acres," "Gunsmoke," "The Beverly Hillbillies," and "Bonanza."
 
Read the comments underneath this picture. The anecdote about Joe Esposito’s role in Karen’s solo album is fascinating.

Hint: Click “view previous replies” after the very first comment to find the first, most interesting anecdote. The poster alleges to have lived down the street from Karen and knows what he does because he spoke to John Robinson, who he correctly identifies as a drummer on her solo album.

 
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Read the comments underneath this picture. The anecdote about Joe Esposito’s role in Karen’s solo album is fascinating.

Hint: Click “view previous replies” after the very first comment to find the first, most interesting anecdote. The poster alleges to have lived down the street from Karen and knows what he does because he spoke to John Robinson, who he correctly identifies as a drummer on her solo album.


Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't find the comments. Can you share them? Thanks!
 
Jerry Weintraub Grammy Museum Exhibit Reveals How He Remade the Live Music Business
"The late producer played a pivotal role in helping artists from Elvis to Led Zeppelin usher in the age of the arena  tour, "His attitude was nobody did it better than him."
Here:
Jerry Weintraub Grammy Museum Exhibit Reveals How He Remade the Live Music Business


The interesting thing about this article is the photo of Weintraub with Karen and Richard, 1976.
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but I can't find the comments. Can you share them? Thanks!

He [Joe Esposito] was part of Jerry Weintraub’s management team. Joined after Elvis died. He was sort of the new Sherwin Bash, I guess you could say. Weintraub’s company handled many people so he would put people like Joe to work as full time hands-on liaisons. He was with the Carpenters starting in ‘78 and spent some time with Karen in NY during her solo recording sessions. It’s unclear how much time he was there. He was more of a sort of “handler” there to periodically check on her and basically do all he could to try to stop her demons from consuming her. Weintraub wanted her to get this solo thing out of her system and back to making records with Richard as usual. Joe was there to help facilitate that process. [...] I grew up down the street from Karen Carpenter. My earliest childhood memory is having met her. She has inspired me to be a musician and I know most publicly available things about her and some private things that I keep to myself [...] I always found the Elvis/KC connection through Joe Esposito to be an interesting coincidence so I learned everything I could about that and got some info about her solo sessions from one of the drummers on those sessions (John Robinson).
 
^^ Thank you! I kept thinking the name was familiar. That he might be some famous singers husband turned manager. Then I realized I was thinking of Bruce Sudano, husband of Donna Summer. HA! The memory goes... what was I saying? :wink:
 
I happen to know that Joe Esposito grew up on my street. He was in my class all through grade school.

But then again, there are probably more than one Joe Espositos in the world....
 
Should I?

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