šŸ“£ News Carpenters: The Musical Legacy (Discussion)

I am revisiting the 1972 concert footage and really enjoy the live version of Help ! also.
On this song, Richard seems more animated with the keyboards and Karen's simultaneity in drumming and vocals
is incredibly fascinating.
Karen's drumming on Please Mr. Postman reinforces my view that she should have retained that
particular position on all of the studio recordings, also.
That's my two cent philosophizing for the day.
Add a buck for the word ā€œsimultaneity.ā€ Itā€™s a good one!
 
I was young at the time, but looking back I would think covering Beatles songs would have been popular requests in their early performing years. For them and everyone else trying to get into the music business in the 60's.
I know Richard liked the Beach Boys sound as well. "Wouldn't it be nice" if they had covered Beach Boys songs.
 
Fun Fun Fun, in the medley and Good Vibrations/Rye duet medley on 1st tv special. I wish there was a clean stereo copy release of that someday, among dozens more. Amazing overdubs on that medley too.
Gosh this was my feeling as well, I would hope Richard has an expanded version of Karen and him singing Good Vibrations as well as together it would somg amazing šŸ˜ƒ
 
Gosh this was my feeling as well, I would hope Richard has an expanded version of Karen and him singing Good Vibrations as well as together it would somg amazing šŸ˜ƒ
He worked on it for As Time Goes By but ultimately decided against putting it out.
 
@Chris May - A live version or a full studio version of Good Vibrations?
I would love in preference to hear a full studio version. If a live version were available (wow!) That would definitely be amazing šŸ˜.

Why I would love a full expanded studio version?

Richard and Karen excelled in crafting songs they would elevate to their own originality or to an outstanding level unlike other artists versions. (Close to You, Superstar, Ticket to Ride, Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing, Please Mr Postman, California Dreaming, Tryin' to Get that Feeling Again, A Song for You....just too many to list!

Let's take the track Without A Song as an example. To hear the expanded studio version on ATGB. When listening to Richard and Karen sing the studio version they created took the song to a whole new level. I love hearing their harmonies and leads as it created so much depth and totally blew me away. Compared this to the Music Music Music special (sung with their guest performers) though it was wonderful, it doesn't compare to Richard and Karen's much superior expanded studio version.

I am not sure if Richard had intended to have John Denver or a Carpenters version on ATGB. When l played for the first time You're Just In Love, having Richard share the leads šŸ˜±šŸ¤©šŸ„³!!!

I missed so much having Richard sing leads on later albums. Richard put together this album with so much thought and it is full of unexpected surprises/gems. I am so glad he spent the time and effort clearing the copyright issues.

I hope he and Karen recorded a version of Good Vibrations. ATGB is an outstanding album and it is getting more recognition and appreciation all these years later.

When it comes to their live performances, there is no doubt they're master craftsman and I am always taken aback on how outstanding Richard and Karen are live.
 
He worked on it for As Time Goes By but ultimately decided against putting it out.
Never hearing this before, when I heard Karen sing the song including the Good Vibration parts, I literally had that moment...the Peter tingle...Marvel movie fans will understand this reference šŸ˜‚. Where the hairs stood up on your arm, like what was that!

I haven't seen any of the TV Specials, other than bits and pieces in documentaries/YouTube snippets but I don't search out the Specials. I only ever listened to what Richard and Karen have released commercially.

So I was totally taken a back hearing this song, I can see why Richard would of considered using this track....hearing it now I wish he would of included it. For much of the reason I stated in my comment to Mark-T in this thread. It was those elements I described in the example of Without A Song (expanded studio version), Good Vibrations just had that something that just stood out.

I am sure there're many gems that fans love from these TV specials. I don't know why I haven't to this day seeked out watching the TV Specials.

I studied music at school and I am first a Richard Carpenter fan, his arrangements and production skills are unparalleled. I would spend hours listening to the music/arrangements/production/his keyboard/piano playing. The background harmonies I would concentrate on the stacking and dubbing up of vocals. I was never listening to the leads, it was never my focus....I know right! šŸ¤¦ā€ā™‚ļø

I was a student and with each album I could afford to buy the more I took notice of the leads, again it was Richards....I love his voice!

Then...yep its coming!!! I got the first singles compilation album, of course I was listening to all the arrangements and flourishes that were different to their album releases. I heard Karen sing new leads on Ticket to Ride and Top of the World sounding different to the versions I had heard. Then I started to re-listen to the albums I had all over again...the word listen being the important part šŸ˜‚. As a student studying music I was looking at specific things and this is why I love Richard and his talent. I wasn't looking at Carpenters as the duo and listening to their music as songs. I spent my time analysing what I was fascinated with, I missed the best part...their partnership and what they uniquly created.

It's interesting on how we all become a fan of music but not always outright for just how a song is sung/being a commercial hit. We all listen for different things. I didn't realise for many years that I had been missing out...that is no longer the case šŸ¤£. So when I heard Good Vibrations I am not liking it because its Karen/or Carpenters related. It is because it just has that magical element...that often happened in so many of Carpenters songs that just cause the Peter tingle šŸ˜ƒ.
 
@Chris May - A live version or a full studio version of Good Vibrations?
Considering Karen taped all her vocals for their specials, I would assume that maybe in 1980 Richard never recorded vocals, so he mightā€™ve been recording vocals in 1999-2000 to present a studio version. Maybe he found that by 2000 his voice was too dried out from smoking.
 
Goldmine published their book review December 23, 2021:
Excerpts....

Book Review: Carpenters: The Musical Legacy By Chris May and Mike Cidoni Lennox with Richard Carpenter​

by Dave Thompson
"For an act whose period of true mega stardom was over and done with in just four years, Carpenters have retained an awful lot of love and respect.
Itā€™s not hard to understand why, of course; Karen had a voice that could melt glaciers; brother Richard could create a symphony from the rattling of the cutlery drawer. In terms of pure musical accomplishment, they were - and remain - all but peerless."
---
"Who cares that a shockingly large proportion of the pages are devoted to the duoā€™s discography and gigography, or that any sense of even vague narrative falls away once Carpentersā€™ star began to fade. Like Carpenters themselves, The Musical Legacy is all aboutā€¦ the legacy. The image.
The music and the magic. And the good times."
---
"Buy it because, no matter how one categorizes their music, it was music."

The entire review is here:
 
Goldmine published their book review December 23, 2021:
Excerpts....

Book Review: Carpenters: The Musical Legacy By Chris May and Mike Cidoni Lennox with Richard Carpenter​

by Dave Thompson
"For an act whose period of true mega stardom was over and done with in just four years, Carpenters have retained an awful lot of love and respect.
Itā€™s not hard to understand why, of course; Karen had a voice that could melt glaciers; brother Richard could create a symphony from the rattling of the cutlery drawer. In terms of pure musical accomplishment, they were - and remain - all but peerless."
---
"Who cares that a shockingly large proportion of the pages are devoted to the duoā€™s discography and gigography, or that any sense of even vague narrative falls away once Carpentersā€™ star began to fade. Like Carpenters themselves, The Musical Legacy is all aboutā€¦ the legacy. The image.
The music and the magic. And the good times."
---
"Buy it because, no matter how one categorizes their music, it was music."

The entire review is here:
No offense but that review was terrible. It was filled with sarcasm in a 2022 kind of way. It reminded me of all the sarcastic music reviews the Carpenters had over their entire career and here it continues on. Digging at them but not really coming right out and saying it. Word reflections.

I got the feeling he wanted a book about the ā€œdirtā€ as he puts it. Heā€™s upset and he took it out in this review. I read it twice and felt the same way he doesnā€™t like their music.
 
^^It is difficult for us to fathom, but true none-the-less,
that large parts of the musical population do not care for the duos' music (for example, many in my family !).
They never did care for the music, and they probably never will. Those same people cannot fathom that there could be a book,
since, in their minds, their is no "musical" basis for such a book to be written--let alone, purchased and read !
Oh well. That's life.
 
^^It is difficult for us to fathom, but true none-the-less,
that large parts of the musical population do not care for the duos' music (for example, many in my family !).
They never did care for the music, and they probably never will. Those same people cannot fathom that there could be a book,
since, in their minds, their is no "musical" basis for such a book to be written--let alone, purchased and read !
Oh well. That's life.
It was amazing from my perspective being from the UK, that I never heard anything of the attacks on their imagine until I ready the Untold Story, obviously this was being attributed in the authors eyes to Karen's body image etc.

This why the Legacy Book, is just what I wanted to read. I want to hear about the music, It has been a dream to have the focus on the music and their talent. My only wish would of been some information on the solo outings, just I love Time, Karen's album for what it is and to hear more about where the tracks came from and the recording process. I know a lot has been written about Karen's album but we know so little about Time and I this is another album full of gems.
 
^^It is difficult for us to fathom, but true none-the-less,
that large parts of the musical population do not care for the duos' music (for example, many in my family !).
They never did care for the music, and they probably never will. Those same people cannot fathom that there could be a book,
since, in their minds, their is no "musical" basis for such a book to be written--let alone, purchased and read !
Oh well. That's life.
I watched a man on YouTube who had never heard of the Carpenters and he takes song requests to listen to. The sheer joy on his face hearing We've Only Just Begun. He was like how have I never heard of them. I'll post up a link if I can find it as its a joy to watch. What was fascinating is that it was all based on him listening to the song, production, singing, the arrangement...non of the other issues we all know about. This is how they should be judged and it was a pleasure to see Richard and Karen being appreciated on the right credentials. He has no idea Karen is a drummer and it'll be amazing if he ever sees this.
 
Please watch this:

Hearing Carpenters for the first time (We've Only Just Begun)



He wanted to listen to them live as was so taken with the Carpenters.

 
I stopped by my local Barnes and Noble to check out the article in Goldmine while I enjoyed my java frap on a hot sunny day. I really enjoyed it, nice to see it was written by a different writer than who gave the review Gary posted. It was also cool to see another section after the article of Q&Aā€™s from the authors.

So happy I found 2 of my favorite books in the whole store. :love:

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Iā€™m going through the book and I caught an error on the tour schedule on page 332. For the concert on December 2nd, 1970, the concert location should say ā€œMinot, NDā€, not SD.
 
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