Anyone read this?

A totally weird ranking in my opinion. Hmmm
That’s what the forum is for I guess. How can A Song For You and Horizon not be the top 2?
Maybe to stir up some dialogue here.

I was sort of wondering the same thing. How can VOTH be No. 1? Made no sense (at least to me). And, I don't think he even listened to PACC calling it a "compilation" album.
 
It was good to see Passage so high on his list. It is an excellent album. I was shocked about the ranking of some of them, but hey, they are all great. I believe he liked Karen’s voice more as it matured! Was A Song For You released everywhere in 1972 or did some countries see a 1973 release? At least, or I feel as, he actually listened to each album.
 
How is MIA Top 3? Really it should be #14, with Horizon at #13.

This is how I would rank the albums:

14. Made In America
13. Horizon
12. A Kind of Hush
11. Carpenters
10. Offering/Ticket To Ride
9. An Old-Fashioned Christmas
8. Close To You
7. A Song For You
6. Now & Then
5. Voice of the Heart
4. As Time Goes By
3. Passage
2. Lovelines
1. Christmas Portrait
 
How is MIA Top 3? Really it should be #14, with Horizon at #13.

This is how I would rank the albums:

14. Made In America
13. Horizon
12. A Kind of Hush
11. Carpenters
10. Offering/Ticket To Ride
9. An Old-Fashioned Christmas
8. Close To You
7. A Song For You
6. Now & Then
5. Voice of the Heart
4. As Time Goes By
3. Passage
2. Lovelines
1. Christmas Portrait

MIA is in MY "top five."
 
12 Takeaways From the 2020 Grammy Nominations
"For breakout acts, the ultimate Grammy achievement is landing nominations in all four major categories —
Song, Record, and Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. It’s happened only sporadically in the past —
Bobbie Gentry in 1967, the Carpenters in 1970, Cyndi Lauper in 1984, Amy Winehouse in 2007, and Sam Smith in 2015. "

Source:
12 Takeaways From the 2020 Grammy Nominations
 
Q: Are you a fan of Billie Eilish? She's up for six AMAs and is also performing.
A: Shania Twain:
"Oh, yes, what a great talent. She's so young, and her and her brother (songwriter/producer Finneas O'Connell) are an incredible team.
They remind me of The Carpenters, in terms of how in tune that brother and sister (Karen and Richard Carpenter) were.
There's almost a telepathy that nobody can even explain in how that music develops between siblings, and they must be experiencing that to some degree. It's so unique, and she's got great style. "

Source:
Shania Twain supports Taylor Swift before AMAs: It's 'ridiculous' for artists not to own their music
 
Richard Carpenter Interview-I Need To Be In Love/Carpenters T Grace on You Tube.

I don't know how to provide the link.
This one is not new, but new to me.
It has John Bettis, Albert Hammond and Gayle Levant among others.
 
"At this point, the story is crazy enough (as in, who voted for Carpenter over Bonham?) Then again, the same readers had The Who’s Keith Moon and Ginger Baker down below Carpenter as well. Of course, it’s a men’s magazine featuring naked women, so there’s that to consider as well.
But the story got even better when someone told Carpenter about Bonham’s comments. Carpenter said she felt “humbled and embarrassed” by coming in first. “I heard that John Bonham is quite upset,” she added (per Udiscovermusic). “I hope he is not mad at me, as I had nothing to do with the poll.”
To prove she could handle at least a few minutes of Zeppelin drums, she proceeded to play (and sing) “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” for the TV audience. Somehow, we doubt that settled the issue in Bonzo’s mind."

And where is the video of that? Certainly could be interesting to hear!
 
...10 Old School Christmas Albums Worth a Listen....
"If you appreciate Christmas music at all — if you don't, we're going to have to ask you to leave — you have probably heard every
Christmas carol and song known to mankind. And there have been dozens of versions of every tune done in every style of music imaginable..."
Christmas Portrait - The Carpenters (1978)
"If you have parents or grandparents who were adults in the '70s, there was a Carpenters record in their collection, probably this one. The silky smooth voice of Karen Carpenter was almost literally the sound of the '70s and it doesn't shine any brighter than on "Merry Christmas Darling," Like a bearskin rug in front of a roaring fire, Christmas Portrait is all things '70s Christmas and more..."

Source:
10 Old School Christmas Albums Worth a Listen
 
A dubious statement, to say the least...

Reviews: Why Chuck Berry, The Carpenters and William S. Burroughs matter
Excerpt: "Karen Carpenter was never allowed to be herself once she became famous. Her inability to see herself accurately, among other factors, led to eating disorders and their consequences. It is a powerful metaphor about the need to be honest about who you truly are."
Source:
Reviews: Why Chuck Berry, The Carpenters and William S. Burroughs matter
 
John Barrowman interview: I'd love to play Barry Manilow in a movie biopic
4 December 2019
Excerpt:
"He also revealed that he has long been interested in making a new movie about Karen Carpenter."
"Actually, there’s one that I think would be great, but I know it would never happen, because her brother is still alive,
and I actually looked into buying the rights for it. It was Karen Carpenter. "It was to do a musical. "
"In fact, I talked to a big West End producer about that, and I know that they looked into the rights."
"Richard will not allow anybody to do a movie or a musical based on her life or their life story while he is still alive."

Source:
John Barrowman interview: I'd love to play Barry Manilow in a movie biopic
 
"He also revealed that he has long been interested in making a new movie about Karen Carpenter."
"Actually, there’s one that I think would be great, but I know it would never happen, because her brother is still alive,
and I actually looked into buying the rights for it. It was Karen Carpenter. "It was to do a musical. "
"In fact, I talked to a big West End producer about that, and I know that they looked into the rights."
"Richard will not allow anybody to do a movie or a musical based on her life or their life story while he is still alive."

I've often thought their story could have some potential as West End musical but it would take a phenomenal talent to step into Karen's shoes and I'm not sure their music and her vocal style would be suitable because a) much of their catalogue is too depressing for a lively stage musical and b) Karen herself probably would never have made it as a Broadway singer because she didn't project when she sang.
 
I've often thought their story could have some potential as West End musical but it would take a phenomenal talent to step into Karen's shoes and I'm not sure their music and her vocal style would be suitable because a) much of their catalogue is too depressing for a lively stage musical and b) Karen herself probably would never have made it as a Broadway singer because she didn't project when she sang.

Nobody would ever mistake Karen for Ethel Merman, that's for sure... :)
 
Yeah... I wasn't so sure about buying it because I thought it was more a personal reflection of what Karen Carpenter meant to her more than it being about Karen's life and music. Glad I passed on it. I have my blog for those kind of personal stories... :wink:
 
I must agree with the above last couple of posts. Yes, on the first night of the Carp convention last spring, Karen Tongson gave a brief discussion of the book and had brought some for sale. She was autographing copies. I was on the fence because her presentation left me with more questions than answers on what she was trying to communicate in the book. When my wife and I got back to our room at the hotel, I asked her "should I get the book?" She left it up to me and I went back downstairs where there was still a line for purchase of her book with autograph. I decided to buy the book because the title suggested a favorable evaluation of KC and I wanted to support any effort to put KC out there in a good light. She was very cordial to me and we briefly talked as I gave her the money and she autographed my copy. It wasn't until weeks or even a few months after the event that I read the book as I was waiting for my daughter in a hospital waiting room. I must confess, I found the book "bazaar". It's basically a narrative of Tongson's childhood/life and how Karen Carpenter kind of "related" to it all. I wish no ill will towards Karen Tongson. I'm just expressing my own experience. Others might enjoy it, I don't know. It wasn't the compelling read, for example, that I had with Randy Schmidt's Little Girl Blue, which I had a hard time putting down.
 
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