Discovering the Carpenters

[Sing]

In February 1983 I was a junior in high school and 16 years old, spending lots of time listening to rock radio. My favorite groups at the time were probably Genesis, Yes, The Beatles and The Who.

Had I even heard of the Carpenters? The only time I even remember the Carpenters being mentioned was when the singer of the British heavy metal band Iron Maidan said that he hated the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) because all they played was the music of the Carpenters. "Awful," he said (if my memory is correct). At my high school graduation, one woman from our graduating class sang, "We've Only Just Began," and she sang it quite well. But I didnt' know which group made that song a hit. I had never heard it before.

Back in October or November of last year I was watching lots of YouTube videos of Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell. Then the YouTube algorithm suggested a video of the Carpenters performing a medley of Bacharach/David songs at Walter Reed hospital in 1970. What the heck? I watched that YouTube video and was blown away by the performance of the entire band, but especially of how Karen was able to sing beautifully while playing the drums, while switching from one song to another.

I started watching one Carpenters video after another. Then I watched several YouTube documentaries of the Carpenters. Then I read, "Little Girl Blue: The Story of Karen Carpenter." I have officially joined the cult of Karen.

 

[Portlander]

As you reviewed the Carpenters catalog of songs on YouTube, were you surprised on how many hits you recognized from your childhood but never connected the artist who actually performed them? Welcome to the forum.

 

[Sing]

As you reviewed the Carpenters catalog of songs on YouTube, were you surprised on how many hits you recognized from your childhood but never connected the artist who actually performed them? Welcome to the forum.

I had never heard "Goodbye to Love" before. Since I enjoy hard rock (my favorite group is Jethro Tull), I enjoyed the fuzz guitar solo. I think I remember hearing "Top of the World" and "Hurting Each Other" and "I Won't Last a Day Without You." Beyond that, I think all of these songs are completely new to me.

My parents played a lot of Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond and a mega ton of Elton John. (At one point, Elton John was my favorite artists, my brother's favorite, my Mom's favorite and my Dad's favorite.) But I don't remember them ever playing Carpenters. I think I was listening to radio stations that didn't play Carpenters music.

It's a lot of fun discovering a "new" group even if the music is actually 30 to 45 years old.

 

[Harry]

By the time that the 80s rolled around, it was more and more difficult to find radio stations, particularly those in larger markets, that were playing any Carpenters songs. I worked in radio in the Philadelphia market and by then Carpenters were considered poison - a potential tune-out - so they were removed from all playlists. "Touch Me When We're Dancing" was the last song that we played, and as soon as it dropped off the chart, it was never heard again.

So it's real possible that the station you and your family listened to were also avoiding Carpenters.

 

[JohnFB]

... The only time I even remember the Carpenters being mentioned was when the singer of the British heavy metal band Iron Maidan said that he hated the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) because all they played was the music of the Carpenters. "Awful," he said (if my memory is correct).

Or so they frequently said - publicly. But we know that some of them later came out of the closet and confessed to being secret Carpenter fans...proving once again the rarity and supreme value of personal integrity and standing up for that which one believes in, or admires...especially in the face of public scorn.

... I have officially joined the cult of Karen.

Welcome - we are a rabid bunch here- and mostly civilized, or at least somewhat agreeable...

 

[JohnFB]

Back in October or November of last year I was watching lots of YouTube videos of Linda Ronstadt and Joni Mitchell. Then the YouTube algorithm suggested a video of the Carpenters performing a medley of Bacharach/David songs at Walter Reed hospital in 1970. What the heck? I watched that YouTube video and was blown away by the performance of the entire band, but especially of how Karen was able to sing beautifully while playing the drums, while switching from one song to another.

Here's another more "polished" version of that medley, performed maybe a couple of years later during a BBC concert - surprisingly good camera angles on Karen, enjoying herself (as she always did) buried behind the drum set...

 

[tomswift2002]

Here's another more "polished" version of that medley, performed maybe a couple of years later during a BBC concert - surprisingly good camera angles on Karen, enjoying herself (as she always did) buried behind the drum set...

That’s just the video from the 1971 BBC special, albeit taken from a master made for the Japanese market, hence the Japanese on screen text. Really it seems the original PAL BBC master from 1971 no longer exists (which isn’t surprising, considering the BBC’s junking policy at the time), and the only available copy is this PAL-To-NTSC conversion for Japan.

 

[Sing]

How do you think that recording compares to the track on the self-titled Carpenters album?

 

[tomswift2002]

How do you think that recording compares to the track on the self-titled Carpenters album?

In the video, it sounds like they are lip-synching to the studio recording.

 

[JohnFB]

In the video, it sounds like they are lip-synching to the studio recording.

I never had that impression - I'm fairly sure it was sung live, just like every other song they did during that TV special - except the opening cover of the Beatles' "Help", which was obviously lip-synched, and during which Karen's voice is needlessly double-tracked...

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

In the video, it sounds like they are lip-synching to the studio recording.

Yep. Definitely a lip sync. I don't even need to "A/B" the original to this. They did it often, of course, so no biggie.

Ed

 

[adamj95]

Yep. Definitely a lip sync. I don't even need to "A/B" the original to this. They did it often, of course, so no biggie.

Ed

I think that was the norm at the time. I remember watching their Christmas special performing Sleigh Ride and being in awe of how much they sounded like their record. Come to find out with it was lip synced

 

[JohnFB]

Yep. Definitely a lip sync. I don't even need to "A/B" the original to this. They did it often, of course, so no biggie.

Ed

If true that would be surprising and very disappointing - and almost as bad as her lip-synching her duet medley with Ella during the "Music. Music, Music" special - there was never any good excuse for her doing that (except maybe a rare vocal cord problem)...was this also true of her performance of "Superstar" on that show (which I've always thought was one of the best live performances of any song by anyone ever...)?

 

[tomswift2002]

I never had that impression - I'm fairly sure it was sung live, just like every other song they did during that TV special - except the opening cover of the Beatles' "Help", which was obviously lip-synched, and during which Karen's voice is needlessly double-tracked...

If you watch the whole special there are very clear times where they are singing live-to-tape and others that are lip-synching. The last time I watched it, I noticed “Help” was live, “And When He Smiles” (this is the special that Richard got the audio for the song from, hence why he needed to stereoize the song on CD with strings) was live. I think “Love Is Surrender” was also live.

But I played more of that link, and I was surprised at the text on the screen. I wonder if a clean version of the special was found without the Japanese burn ins, since this video had the BBC Four logo all the time and then the actual song titles were in a font from the 2000’s or 2010’s that looked more like a cursive font than what would’ve been used in the 70’s. Maybe Richard had a copy and BBC Four made a copy from that as part of his deal for releasing the track.

 

[Heaven's Alto Angel]

Welcome - we are a rabid bunch here- and mostly civilized, or at least somewhat agreeable...

Well John, I should fit in with your “rabid bunch” as I have recently developed all the symptoms of the Carpenter Cult. At nearly 70, I liked the Carpenters when I was young, as well as about 100 other bands. Recently, as an amateur jazz/pop piano player, I bought a Carpenter Songbook; “A Song For You.” That led to buying the awesome, “Carpenters: The Musical Legacy.” (I savored every word!) and just added the great songbook, “Carpenters Anthology.” I was bitten badly as I have since fallen quite madly in love with the ghost of Karen Carpenter. Why, I wondered? That’s easy. She was the innocent and cute girl-next-door type, who, when she sang, sang directly to me; and only me. That was the illusive-magic of her voice and personality!

The great thing about being retired is that it gives me the time to be obsessive and compulsive about the newly found passion I have for the Carpenters. I look forward to meeting many A&M Corner members as we discuss this amazing gift called, The Carpenters.

 

[Mark-T]

Welcome to the Boards, @Heaven's Alto Angel ! (love the name BTW.)

 

[Heaven's Alto Angel]

Thanks Mark. A pleasure meeting you. I thought about a nice user name for a couple of days. While listening to Karen sing “Solitaire” and hit that amazing low E, I thought… yeah, she is heaven’s star contralto now. I just checked out your Carpenters Recording Chronology. I never realized the total tonnage of material they produced. How did they find the time? Thanks!