Heard Carpenters

Carpenters on AT40 @ #8 with YOM, after peaking at #2 a couple of weeks before, for the week of 8/5/73. Casey Kasem told the story of a recent softball game that the Carpenters notoriously held to benefit the Cancer Society. It was held in New Jersey. Karen pitched for her team against major leaguer Jim Boughton. She out pitched him, and won the game, 17-7. She hit a double that day too, he said. Hope the details of some games make it in the new book Chris? I would have loved to been able to attend one of those games in person. I’m sure the price of admission would have been worth the money, for such an excellent cause.
 
Carpenters on AT40 @ #8 with YOM, after peaking at #2 a couple of weeks before, for the week of 8/5/73. Casey Kasem told the story of a recent softball game that the Carpenters notoriously held to benefit the Cancer Society. It was held in New Jersey. Karen pitched for her team against major leaguer Jim Boughton. She out pitched him, and won the game, 17-7. She hit a double that day too, he said. Hope the details of some games make it in the new book Chris? I would have loved to been able to attend one of those games in person. I’m sure the price of admission would have been worth the money, for such an excellent cause.
Some game it was! :)

I found a few articles in 1973 newspapers, regarding this game from July 19, 1973 (unfortunately "wide" clippings are compressed, so may be a bit challenging to read...)

Before the game:
Carpenter v. Bouton, July 18, 1973 - Newspapers.com

After the game:
Clipping from Asbury Park Press - Newspapers.com

Clipping from The Central New Jersey Home News - Newspapers.com

Clipping from The Daily Register - Newspapers.com (part 1)
Clipping from The Daily Register - Newspapers.com (part 2)
 
Thanks for the wonderful memory! I was at the game on July 19, 1973. The Roosevelt Park baseball field was located in Edison, New Jersey, about 1/2 mile from my home.
I was thirteen years old and road my bike over to the game. A few thousand people showed up to watch. I have a few photographs from the game somewhere in the old photo albums. The Carpenters were performing at the Garden State Art Center that week. It was located about a half hour away from Edison. It appeared that the Carpenters were staying somewhere near the field because there were "Carpenter" sightings all over the place: nearby Menlo Park Mall, Chock Full of Nuts Diner etc. I went to see the Carpenters perform that week, Skiles and Henderson were the opening Act.
I was also able to see the Carpenters at the Arts Center in 1972 and 1975.
 
I accidently hit the POST REPLY button, so I wanted to tell the rest of the story.
In 1975, I went to see the Carpenters at another Charity Baseball Game, This time it was held at Rutgers University with an even larger crowd in attendance, That year Richard and Karen arrived in Richard's sports car. Neil Sedaka, who was opening for the Carpenters at the Arts Center, also played in the game, He arrived in a very long convertible limo.
At the concert. both Skiles & Henderson and Neil Sedaka opened for the Carpenters,
I was a big Carpenters fan, I was a member of the fan club, collected all of the merchandise, and kept track of when the Carpenters appeared on television, So it was amazing that they were performing and playing baseball so close to my home.
 
I accidently hit the POST REPLY button, so I wanted to tell the rest of the story.
In 1975, I went to see the Carpenters at another Charity Baseball Game, This time it was held at Rutgers University with an even larger crowd in attendance, That year Richard and Karen arrived in Richard's sports car. Neil Sedaka, who was opening for the Carpenters at the Arts Center, also played in the game, He arrived in a very long convertible limo.
At the concert. both Skiles & Henderson and Neil Sedaka opened for the Carpenters,
I was a big Carpenters fan, I was a member of the fan club, collected all of the merchandise, and kept track of when the Carpenters appeared on television, So it was amazing that they were performing and playing baseball so close to my home.
Great stories, David! Wish I could have seen that too in 1973, but I was only 1 year old then, and on the other side of the big puddle :D
Hope you got to see them real close or even got to meet them?

Here's a photo of their performance in '72:
Clipping from Asbury Park Press - Newspapers.com


Knowing what we know now about Karen in 1975, it's hard to imagine that she was still playing the charity game on August 5 1975, but awesome to hear they still won 18-8 😃

Here's 2 photos of August 4 and 5 (unfortunately the review was not part of the digitized paper):
Clipping from The Central New Jersey Home News - Newspapers.com

Clipping from The Courier-News - Newspapers.com

And should you want to immerse yourself in 3 hours of 1975 radio :phones: :
WABC NY, February 26, 1975 (Mixcloud)
 
I accidently hit the POST REPLY button, so I wanted to tell the rest of the story.

You can go back and edit your message for up to 15 minutes after it’s been posted. Once you’ve hit “post”, click the ••• symbol at the bottom of your message and it will give you the options of either editing or deleting :wink:

Here's 2 photos of August 4 and 5 (unfortunately the review was not part of the digitized paper):
Clipping from The Central New Jersey Home News - Newspapers.com

^^^ Never seen this photo before. Looking at it, it’s unsurprising there were gasps from the audiences when she walked on stage.

By the way, thank you for all the links to photographs and audio material from around this time, almost all of it is new to me. Excellent detective work, it’s great to have them all :righton:
 
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That’s why I look forward to listening to AT40 the 70’s on Saturday mornings now. It was a ritual on Sunday’s back then. Especially when my best friend had to move with his family to Indonesia. 😱 I’d tape it and send cassettes to him, so he could hear what was new in the states. No real American radio there in 1972. Casey Kasem was an American treasure to me, and my friends.
 
And should you want to immerse yourself in 3 hours of 1975 radio :phones: :
WABC NY, February 26, 1975 (Mixcloud)

I had never heard an actual (extended) AM radio broadcast before!
How cool it would of been to been old enough to experience this part of life then! :)

I am still listening, but it was good to hear (then) current hits from Olivia Newton-John, Linda Ronstadt, Barry Manilow, The Eagles, Steely Dan and many others. Of course, for the first time, not hearing it played on a countdown or an oldies station, I got to hear (the then #1 hit) Please Mr. Postman by the Carpenters! The commercials, the DJ, and the vibe of a pop/rock/funky AM station really appeals to me. Wish I had been there!!!

Thanks for sharing that bit of ear candy @Walkinat9. Great fun to listen as I am painting the kitchen!
The Minnie Ripperton song is a hoot! Twice played in 3 hours!
 
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Is it an AM station? I assumed, but the sound???
I just heard the "Good Friends Are For Keeps" as the advertisement! Wow. :)
Yes, that's an AM station and the recording was made from the radio. That's the way AM sounded, although it's a bit bass-heavy, probably from copying the tape a number of times.
 
Is it an AM station? I assumed, but the sound???
I just heard the "Good Friends Are For Keeps" as the advertisement! Wow. :)
Okay I must admit I stopped listening after Please Mr. Postman, but now I'll have to listen to the rest of it as well to hear "Good Friends" 🤓

Sure is like a time machine this Mixcloud, right? There's loads of old broadcasts to be found there, as long as you know the names of the stations. Been listening to 1960s thru '80s shows from KFRC, KRLA, KHJ (all from California) for some time now, as well as British and Dutch radio shows from the same era. Not familiar (yet) with other US stations, now just starting to explore WABC from NY.

Enjoy the ear candy! :phones:

Greg
 
I listened to all 3 at one time ir another from 1963-1977. Grammar school to college, in Chico, Ca. Most of the people were from the Bay Area, and KFRC was a big deal there, even though it was 100 miles away. We also would occasionally but the KHJ or KRLA various artists albums in the 60’s. The Tradewinds, who sang New York’s A Lonely Town, added the line “….and there’s no KRLA “to the song, for the record and the station. Now when I hear the actual hit version of the song, it sounds weird without that line in it.
 
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And should you want to immerse yourself in 3 hours of 1975 radio :phones: :
WABC NY, February 26, 1975 (Mixcloud)
Olivia's "Have You Never Been Mellow" was released in 1975. The way it sounds on this radio broadcast...sounds exactly like a mono pressing to me. I have 11 mono 45's of Olivia and one of them is this song. It's really cool to hear how this sounded on radio in 75'...a great example of a mono pressing.
 
Okay I must admit I stopped listening after Please Mr. Postman, but now I'll have to listen to the rest of it as well to hear "Good Friends" 🤓

Sure is like a time machine this Mixcloud, right? There's loads of old broadcasts to be found there, as long as you know the names of the stations. Been listening to 1960s thru '80s shows from KFRC, KRLA, KHJ (all from California) for some time now, as well as British and Dutch radio shows from the same era. Not familiar (yet) with other US stations, now just starting to explore WABC from NY.

Enjoy the ear candy! :phones:

Greg
Interesting….after the song he says something like “that was the Carpenters. I wish she’d buy a dress and stop wearing pants all the time like an old lady.” Did anyone else hear that?
 
Olivia's "Have You Never Been Mellow" was released in 1975. The way it sounds on this radio broadcast...sounds exactly like a mono pressing to me. I have 11 mono 45's of Olivia and one of them is this song. It's really cool to hear how this sounded on radio in 75'...a great example of a mono pressing.
Man I have yet to get my first ONJ mono pressing, but I do have a few Carpenters mono 45s and Please Mr Postman also sounded like the mono mix (or at least the single mix) in that broadcast, with Karen's vocals more to the front.
 
Interesting….after the song he says something like “that was the Carpenters. I wish she’d buy a dress and stop wearing pants all the time like an old lady.” Did anyone else hear that?
Oh yeah, and I don't agree, at least not when it comes to some of the "granny" dresses Karen wore a few years earlier. I do like her outfit in the Hurting Each Other promo film though :) Btw, Dan Ingram must have missed the American Music Awards show then (aired Feb. 18 '75) when Karen wore a really nice dress:

 
Just heard "Superstar" on WISR, a local AM station. I've been doing extensive work with their music library and have put basically their entire 45 output into the rotation there, including some B-sides...
Glad I looked up this station and have it playing at my desk at work. Bacharach/David Medley from the tan album playing now!
 
I accidently hit the POST REPLY button, so I wanted to tell the rest of the story.
In 1975, I went to see the Carpenters at another Charity Baseball Game, This time it was held at Rutgers University with an even larger crowd in attendance, That year Richard and Karen arrived in Richard's sports car. Neil Sedaka, who was opening for the Carpenters at the Arts Center, also played in the game, He arrived in a very long convertible limo.
At the concert. both Skiles & Henderson and Neil Sedaka opened for the Carpenters,
I was a big Carpenters fan, I was a member of the fan club, collected all of the merchandise, and kept track of when the Carpenters appeared on television, So it was amazing that they were performing and playing baseball so close to my home.
Sedaka arriving in a stretch limo. Already trying to upstage K&R. Interesting.
 
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