How did you get into CarpenterS?

wolfi69

New Member
Dear all,

as a novice to this forum, I was searching for a while for a suitable thread where I could best “introduce myself”. After searching across the forum I found this thread, but rather than revitalizing that old conversation from 2007 I decided to start this new one.

Over the past few months I have enjoyed reading the posts and stories about CarpenterS in this forum, and it was plain to me that sooner or later, I would need to come out here. Although my experience with CarpenterS is definitely a very recent one (bless those people who have been able to live to see the CarpenterS’ recording career at the time, or have been able to witness them in concert or even meet them in person), I feel that my personal experience, hearing the CarpenterS recordings with somewhat fresh and unbiased ears, might perhaps be of some interest to others here. I take much of my encouragement from the recurring and evolving discussions about the siblings’ recording career - discussions which never seem to fade out, and still produce amazing new insights and refreshing views after all the years that have gone by.

Although my age is the same as the CarpenterS’ recording career, I only came to discover their music catalog rather recently, much like a matter of accident. My explanation for this is that for most of the time that I had spent as an active record-buyer or music-listener, CarpenterS were almost invisible or, at least, non-recognizable to me.

In June 2014 I happened to listen to a CD by German veteran actor/singer Manfred Krug who, at the age of 63, published an album called “Schlafstörung” (= insomnia) including his favorite jazz and country covers. (Although Krug is well known in Germany, his name probably doesn’t mean anything to non-Germans.) Having been appealed by the tune “Close to You” (previously unbeknownst to me), which he delivered in German as “Nah bei Dir” using his self-penned lyrics, I also listened to German language covers of “This Masquerade” and “Still crazy after all these years”, both of which I only later discovered to have been recorded by the CarpenterS and KC as well. Fitting quite well with hindsight, the album also included two more Bacharach classics “Raindrops…” and “This Guy’s in Love with You”.

OK, sounds fine – I thought. It took, however, only a couple of weeks more that I stumbled over a CD by the Italian “Big Band Ritmo Sinfonica Citta Di Verona”, whose Bacharach tribute album opened with – you can guess: “Close to You”.

From that point I felt some restless need to find out which artist(s) or performer(s) were actually responsible for putting that famous song onto the map of music history. I actually turned out to be very confused to find out that the artists who accomplished exactly this were called “Carpenters”. I also learned that with “Close to you”, they had scored indeed a huge chart hit at the time. My confusion was caused by the question why I seemed to have completely missed out that striking relevant “Carpenters” piece in music history, and why I had never really heard much of this “Carpenters” band before. The only song I had ever really associated with “Carpenters” was “A Kind of Hush”, from which I now felt no intuitive connection to “Close to you”, neither stylistically nor emotionally. I remember once stumbling over AKOH on German radio in the mid-80s, but that song never caught on me. In those times, with peers being busy listening to the likes of Richie Blackmore or Pink Floyd, AKOH would unfortunately have been the last thing to capture the affection of the adolescent youth I was at the time. Besides, I had never ever heard anyone talking about or even mentioning the name “Carpenters” in my circle of friends and acquaintances - this was the mid-80s when there was plenty of talk about music on the schoolyards, particularly related to whether you were on the side of contemporary “pop” (synonymous to the emerging “synthie pop” at the time) or “rock” (meaning the tail end of the classic hard rock period and the rising tide of “heavy metal”.) In addition, no person I knew owned an album of “Carpenters”, and since the early 80s I also could not remember a single occasion where I would have seen “Carpenters” on German TV. Upon my discovery, the act “Carpenters”, who had obviously managed to cut a sonic masterpiece like “Close to You”, seemed a real mystery.

Nevertheless, the spark was irreversibly set in me! Due to the sakes of the internet I quickly learned that CarpenterS were in fact a brother/sister act that had delivered an impressive recording career. After “Close to You”, which I enjoyed very much for its multi-layered vocals, my second CarpenterS experience was the video rendition of “Rainy Days and Mondays”. And this was a performance that finally struck right into my heart. I did not know that Karen Carpenter was actually a singer AND a drummer, and the way she delivered this piece, combining her sensual vocals with the smooth drumming built over the expression of the utterly sad and desperate lyrics… I clearly felt this was a singular piece of art, one that is delivered in a stylistic perfection that I had never heard in my life before, but also one that hits the very bottom of your soul.

It seems a bit crazy, but discovering the CarpenterS' catalog piece by piece has been such an exhilarating adventure. Sometimes I felt like a little kid in the candy store, wondering what delicious treats might be around the next corner. At other times I felt rejuvenation and an increase in inner harmony, despite the ever-so bitter themes present throughout many songs, and they finally seemed to achieve in me some catharsis on the way to explaining the dark shades that everyone carries in their own soul. It has been so refreshing to listen to their high-quality recordings, and their ever so melodic tunes that it was easy to forget that I was actually listening to performances that were captured 40 and more years ago. Their recordings make such a stark contrast to today’s music, which I don’t generally despise but have nevertheless grown tired of due to their overproduced and stereotypic approach. Over the years, I had gradually widened my music taste from rock towards latin, r&b, jazz, classical and choral music, but this newly discovered “Carpenters” music was so fascinating to me in that it seemed to blend a whole range of musical worlds into single pop masterpieces.

My next look into the CarpenterS unearthed the Bacharach medley, upon which I though “Bacharach, my god – they even dedicated a whole medley to him, so they must have been die-hard fans of his and, moreover, they must also have been very tasteful musically!” That piece, both in the album and the live versions, finally blew my mind. Their medley utterly excels at reverbing the combined restlessness and ecstatic feelings present in those great tunes. The album version is so uptight and flawlessly delivered, it grabbed my complete attention during first listening. If the album version ever lacks any musical expressiveness, their live rendition (1972 Australia remains my favorite) compensates for this completely. It is for me a prime example how the CarpenterS radiated their high musical spirits, and extraordinary devotion.

Unfortunately, it did not take me long to find out the dark sides of the CarpenterS active career, which was cut short by KC’s untimely death. It was very sad for me to learn this, and it still remains inexplicable (more to be discussed maybe later), but at least this provided me some rationale for why I personally had never heard much about that “Carpenters” band since the mid-80s.

After these initiating experiences several things were becoming clear to me. First, it was evident that I would have to obtain and listen to every CarpenterS album available, knowing that major musical acts can be experienced and judged best when listening to their complete albums.

Second, I decided that I wanted to listen to the CarpenterS albums in chronological order of their appearance, i.e. starting with “Ticket to Ride/Offering” and terminating with “Made in America”. I also intended to leave some space of time after each album before listening to the next one. I thought that if I had already missed out the CarpenterS experience during my earlier life-time, then I wanted to recreate, even if belatedly and only partially authentic, the experience of absorbing their musical oevre in the very chronological sequence that RC and KC created it in the first place.

What I can say now is that CarpenterS recordings have been spinning up and down my playback devices for half a year, and I have not grown tired any single bit. There is almost no day, which passes without listening to any of their recordings. I listen to CarpenterS on my bicycle, during travels, and even during work-out. (Featuring some of the slowest-paced tunes I have ever listened to during work-out, actually.) Yet, you do not need to worry about my mental health, because two months or so into the experience I succeeded in starting to listen to other musical artists again :wink:

Gradually analyzing their material in more and more depth, I look forward to continue to participate in this forum! I would be really interested to hear if there have been other people who have only recently discovered CarpenterS. But I would, of course, be delighted to receive feedback from the senior members in this forum as well.

Cheers from Germany!
 
Wolfi69, welcome to the forum and what a terrific first post, it's always cool for those like me who have been listening forever to Carpenters to read reviews or thoughts from people just getting into their music. I would be curious to read more from you and what songs you like the best from each album. I have seen it done on other forums but you could consider writing your own reviews from each album, expressing what you felt about each song from each album in chronological order, sorta like an album by album review in your own words.

I like your comment above:
"Over the years, I had gradually widened my music taste from rock towards latin, r&b, jazz, classical and choral music, but this newly discovered “Carpenters” music was so fascinating to me in that it seemed to blend a whole range of musical worlds into single pop masterpieces."

That is so true....a person can like many types of music and still appreciate the Carpenters music....the music Karen and Richard made continues to be timeless (thanks to the writing and arrangements of Richard and John Bettis) so many of their tunes are as fresh today as they were back in the 70's. Their music really does blend a whole range of musical worlds into pop masterpieces as you said so perfectly.
 
Hello Wolfi69! Welcome aboard. New blood, thoughts n reviews keep the hearts round here pumpin. Thanks for joining and contributing! It wasn't til I was 7 in 1970 that I discovered Close To You....the rest you'll see me rattle about from time to time to time.

Jeff
 
wolfi69 - Thank you for taking the time to write such an eloquent introduction! Many of us who were reasonably familiar with the Carpenters during their career still get a huge buzz when we stumble upon something new, whether a recording or other tidbit of information.

Given that you were "new" to the Carpenters' sound, I too would love to know which songs are your favourites.
 
Welcome, wolfi69 !
Fascinating to read of your Carpenters' discovery.
Will be interested in your feelings pertaining to "Sweet, Sweet Smile" ,
the song being one of the more popular for Carpenters in Germany.
A chronological listening to the Albums is quite an eye (and, ear) opener.
 
danced to Top of the World in 1st grade (1976)… Had the Singles 69 - 73, but really got into after the KC Story 1988
 
This had eluded my memory for some time...but, finally, I remember....
1973, our school had each class perform a function as part of the music program.
Our class chose to perform "Top of The World", me and another fellow were selected to
sing the first verse together and after that the entire class joined in to finish the song.
That truly was my first introduction to Carpenters. Loved it!
 
Will be interested in your feelings pertaining to "Sweet, Sweet Smile" ,
the song being one of the more popular for Carpenters in Germany.
Dear Gary,
thank you for your response.
I clearly remember hearing "Sweet, Sweet Smile" a couple of times on German FM radio around the late seventies, perhaps still in the early eighties (albeit not knowing then it was CarpenterS who performed it). The point here is that I would normally not listen to country-style music (i.e. I have no corresponding CDs on my shelves except perhaps the more ironic "Prairie Home Invasion" by Jello Biafra/Mojo Nixon)
However, in this case, CarpenterS clearly managed to screw a catchy tune into my ears. In my opinion, KC's vocal makes a particular impact - once she starts her so recognizable singing a few bars into the tune you can't take off your radar any more. She sounds so energetic. I think they sound-crafted her vocal exceptionally well here. It appears to me as if double tracking or some reverb was used throughout the whole tune, which make the lead vocals sound really mighty, with a dash of otherwordliness. Once the song enters the refrain with its syncopated drumming pattern, you know it's about serious business. Things get dramatic once she adds her increadibly low backing vocals to "I gotta know" (0:47) - you can feel the sense of urgency as if she wanted to tell you "I've gotta know that you care - or otherwise I'm happy to take my rifle out of the cabinet and send you off packing..." I am not sure if this part of the refrain should send me real shivers down the spine, but when I listen to the song with earphones on and at a good volume, I think it does. In the song, KC mimes a strong, loving country woman that firmly stands in her pants and boots.
I actually enjoy the idea that she might have deserved to embody such a positive and life-affirming role (finally) at this advanced stage of their career, and that it might perhaps have helped her move out of her "little girl blue". (I know, of course, with my rational thinking that a song is just a song, and that a singer is probably just acting, but when judging music I actually prefer to let things and emotions get close to me...)
In my opinion, this song lives much on the clever interplay between high and low vocals and, of course, the irresistible shuffle groove in a tempo that is fast enough to prevent you from being still, but meanwhile won't rush you. Both the vocals and rhythm section make you forget that there is a dense instrumental texture there, including all the fiddling and solo guitar licks that are nice to listen to and perhaps define the "country feel" but seem not absolutely essential. And as soon as you are completely captured by the tune... its over.
I think it adds to the recipee of success here is that the song is so upbeat and positive, and also conveys the joy they must have had in the studio during recording. For me it is no big surprise that "Sweet, Sweet Smile" enjoyed some modest success in Germany (13 weeks in the charts, peaking at #20). I have tried to reconstructed CarpenterS' chart successes here in Germany, and it seems that they only kicked off really in 1972/73, perhaps with the usual transcontinental delay that was typical at the period. I got the impression that in Germany CarpenterS were primarily known by their radio air play, entering into the adult segment right from the start, and that their painful image issues (to which US audiences might have been more alert to) and associated negative critique did not really seem to matter here. Browsing through some German-language chart forums, I can actually confirm that there seem to be 99 % positive comments by people, cherishing CarpenterS songs generally as a positive and memorable flashback into former, good times. It might have also helped "Sweet, Sweet Smile" that around 1978, country style was a little en vogue in Germany, with some national bands ("Truck Stop" being the best-known) penning their own songs with German lyrics.
To conclude my reflection, I keep being amazed how inspiring this forum and CarpenterS' music is to me. I would have never imagined that I would write my fingers off about a tune that I memorized around 35 years ago from the squeaky loudspeaker of my Granny's portable radio receiver, only to properly identify it as such half a lifetime later...
Cheers from Germany.
 
Thank you for taking the time to write such an eloquent introduction!
Given that you were "new" to the Carpenters' sound, I too would love to know which songs are your favourites.
"Some sleepless night if you should find yourself..." these lines echo through my brain as I look outside the window at 1 am... That's perhaps what belongs to the CarpenterS state of mind :wink: Tapdancer, thank you a lot for your question...
Listening across the CarpenterS catalog in a kind of time lapse proved, as I indicated in my first post, an exhilerating experience.
Musically, I discovered so many personal ear-openers that they are hard to bring to a point really.
What has given me perhaps the most salient impression is the selections where multi-layered vocals by RC and KC are so dramatically embedded in the respective tunes, for instance, Close to You and Goodbye to Love. (The latter being a CarpenterS signature tune to me on which I desire to expand on later...) Having spent some years as a singer in various hobby choirs, and having tried to capture vocal performances as a recording, am desperately aware how difficult it must be (or better, what extraordinary talent it might require) to achieve such product like the siblings did. I can only vaguely quess the real miracle behind their studio sound, but it might have to do with both of their voices being so mutually compatible sound-wise, meanwhile flexible enough to cover some substantial range of pitch, and their extremely precise hearing/tuning. It was perhaps also an asset that they were determined to one common goal, and willing to spend any effort required to achieve that perfect standard. (I am thankful they did!)
Other favourites include KC's at times otherworldly vocal, such as manifested in I Can't Make Music. Her vocal around 1 min into the tune "I know it's an old cliche to say I feel I'm gonna die", the way she sings the word "die" and continues into the line "And I hear it's goin' out to cry" gives me shivers. Is this already a ghost talking to us? (It doesn't matter, this song contains some of the finest artistical expression to me.)
Don't assume I'm just fixed on vocals. I enjoyed KC's spirited and lively drumming, be it in the studio (Another Song), or live (I can't watch enough of the footage from 1972 in Australia). To me it is overly plain to see that KC enjoyed drumming above all. I absolutely appreciate her drumming style because it is so gentle, effortless, and so well in service of the musical environment around it. If needed, she would obviously be able to really hit the drums (it's so much fun seeing her having fun during Johnny B Goode in Japan, and the Drum Workshop). While I think it was perhaps a useful move to bring in Hal Blaine in 1970 for a couple of records to hit higher ground in the charts, I do not understand why they did not use her drumming services later on at all. (More to be added later...)
But never forget RC as well! The piano seems to be an indifferent and impersonal instrument, but RC handled the keys much in a similar sensitive way his sister did with the drums. Gentle, like with little cat feet at times, then "banging on the keys" at other times. I just can't help enjoy listening to his sensitive accompanying piano parts (e.g., Ticket to Ride). I do like RC's lead vocals as well (What's the Use, Saturday), because his voice is enjoyable to listen to and I regret that he gave up that habit of singing lead vocals so soon into their career completely.
Stopping at this point I hope you could stand my scribbling here, and look forward to hear your opinions.
Cheers, wolfi69
 
The first time I became aware of Carpenters was in 1969 or 1970 when Ticket To Ride the single had been released and was trying to climb the charts. From my college dorm room in the Midwest, I heard Kris Erik Stevens on WLS in Chicago play it and followed by saying "I love that song so much I could eat it". Actually, I didn't think that much of the record. I remember thinking I might have trouble getting along with this group if that's what they're going to sound like. When I heard Close To You the following summer, I was a convert, and I have been a fan ever since. I have most of their albums including Ticket To Ride, though the single is still high on my list. To my taste, the era from '73 to early '75 was when they were in their stride.
 
The first song of theirs I heard was "Close to You," on the radio in a restaurant where I was eating with my parents. My sisters were big in to the Carpenters, so naturally in my quest to be the cool older brother, I didn't want to listen to them.....but I really did like "Close To You," in part because I thought it was Herb Alpert playing the trumpet solo. (I figured, hey it's on A&M Records so it could be, right? I found out later the trumpeter is Chuck Findley. For the record, I thought the trumpeter on B.J. Thomas's "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" was Herb too.)

The tan album didn't do much for me and still doesn't, but I had to admit those singles were darned catchy. Then A Song For You came out and "Hurting Each Other" was also very catchy, and I had to admit I was grudgingly becoming a fan. My favorite albums today are (in descending order) A Song For You, Close To You, Ticket To Ride, and Now and Then. All the rest contain at least one favorite tune each. I rarely listen to the full albums but I do play a couple of my homemade compilations a lot.
 
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The two first memories I ever have of the Carpenters music....I was young. I heard a part of the trumpet part of the Carpenters CLOSE TO YOU being played on a Sesame St episode, because it drove by a street in Winnipeg, where I lived in a foster home as a young boy. So that made an impression on me.

I heard, on a television commercial in the 1980's for CLIFFORD'S FURS and it showed these women wearing luxurious furs and posing....and in the background you could hear EVERY SHA LA LA LA EVERY WOWOWO STILL SHINES....and it was Karen singing. I didn't know who was singing but I just loved the sound.

Then in Grade Nine I discovered who Karen Carpenter was. I was inside during recess, I was more of a bookworm and preferred staying inside and reading...and I was paging thru these brand new textbooks for Health Class we had. And I was looking at this photo of a skeletol faced woman, and she was not smiling, you could see her bony cheekbones and sunken eyes....and she had her hands under the chins of two guys flanking her (it was a Black and White photo of her wearing her AE shirt during the solo album recordings)...and reading the caption beside it...something like this. Singer Karen Carpenter died of cardiac arrest brought on by her battle with Anorexia Nervosa in 1983. And I was hooked! What was Anorexia Nervosa, so I read on further. Looking again, and scrutinizing the photo, I thought she must have been some has been singer of the 1950s, judging from her age. She looked like she was in her 40's or 50s.

I brought the book home later on that night to show Mom, who was peeling potatoes and carrots for supper. She gasped in alarm when she saw the photo. I asked her, Who is Karen Carpenter? She replied, that we had her 8 Track in our basket of 8 Tracks (yes this was 1988 and we still listened to 8 Tracks and LPS on our stereo). So I went searching for her but could not find it. I brought the basket back to Mom and she sifted thru it, and she pulled it out and said here it is....The Singles 1969-1973 Carpenters. I turned over the 8 Track to look at the tiny picture of two guys wearing hippy bellbottoms. Upon closer inspection I realized it was a girl and a boy. I put the music on, and I was blown away by the beauty of the songs....Ticket To Ride, Superstar, Hurting Each Other, Close to You....

After that, I did buy both SINGLES albums on cassette. Then I borrowed the records at the Library, Voice of the Heart and Made In America. Then I bought my first LP CLOSE TO YOU which I fell in love with. I adored VOICE OF THE HEART....and then bought for $3.99 the NOW AND THEN cassette in a bargain bin at Zellers. I got A KIND OF HUSH and loved that album to bits! I heard the Christmas Portrait album and became my fave holiday album. Mom bought me both Christmas albums on cassette for Christmas as a surprise! At some point later on I listed to A Song For You, Carpenters, Ticket to Ride, Horizon, Passage....but my faves were CLOSE TO YOU, CARPENTERS, A KIND OF HUSH and VOICE OF THE HEART...

I fell in love with THAT voice...timeless, rich, sweet, like pure crystal....
 
My first memories are fog! I know I heard them growing up in Chicago in the 70's. Karen's voice somehow penetrated me, especially at Christmas! We didn't have records, and my mother still cringes at the sound of Karen? Weirdly. I don't know why. I tried playing her early, more rocking Karen, but she pulled away instantly as if I was threatening her with a knife!

I bought my first Carpenters album at a sidewalk sale for my French Club. I was working, and we got first dibs. Fifty cents, I think. It's the closest I got to winter in Palm Springs California, ever!

I still long for a copy of that actual line up of songs instead of the 'not so' special edition out right now.

Why second guess yourself Richard! Really! Release the original again!!!! Add bonus tracks to the end, but really why do you always have to mess with the original?
 
The two first memories I ever have of the Carpenters music....I was young. I heard a part of the trumpet part of the Carpenters CLOSE TO YOU being played on a Sesame St episode, because it drove by a street in Winnipeg, where I lived in a foster home as a young boy. So that made an impression on me.
Dear cam89, I liked your personal story very much!
It appears that many of us became attentive to CarpenterS music by accidental listening at an early age, with no chance of getting those voices and music out of our heads any more afterwards.
 
The 45 single "Close To You"/ "I Kept On Loving You" when I was 6 years old in 1971!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
My father had "We've Only Just Begun" on a recorded 12-inch reel when I was about 4 (77 or 78). I remember hearing it and liking it. I didn't ask for it or anything. That tape had several things on it and that was just one of the tunes. I somewhat remember thinking it was different but not knowing why I liked it. Carpenters have kind of always just been there. Don't remember listening to music without Karen's voice somewhere in there.

Ed
 
My first real exposure to Carpenters was with the PBS special "Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters" that I first saw when I was in fifth grade (in the late 1990s). I have vivid memories of the "Touch Me When We're Dancing" music video clip that was used in the special. For some reason, that image stuck with me, even though that has never been my favorite Carpenters song. It was around this time that I had recently been given a turntable with an 8 track player (I'm way old school for my age!) and had a few LPs and 8 tracks already, but I ended up going to a local thrift store following the program and I purchased a well-worn copy of "The Singles: 1969-1973" and really enjoyed it. As it turned out, I found out my parents had copies of a couple other albums (Horizon, The Tan Album, A Song For You and Christmas Portrait) so I listened to those as well and really started to become a major fan! I finally got my first CD the Christmas that I was in 6th grade. My mom and sisters chipped in to buy me a copy of the Yesterday Once More compilation from Wal-Mart and really, the rest is history. Out of all of the wonderful times I have had with Richard and Karen's music (and there really are too many to count), I think one of my favorite memories centers around hearing the 1973 version of "Ticket to Ride" one Independence Day in Provo, Utah. Each year, the community hosts a patriotic celebration called the Freedom Festival and one of the major events is a hot air balloon festival. I still remember the thrill of hearing those rich vocal harmonies and Karen's incredible voice booming out of the loud speakers. What made it even more memorable was seeing the crowd actually enjoying the song, too. I continue to find enjoyment and satisfaction in the Carpenters' music. I am incredibly grateful for the duo, as they both have been my biggest musical inspirations, hands down. I don't really think that I would be nearly as into singing and music if it wasn't for Carpenters. I will always be a fan!
 
Turned on the the radio and heard Karen singing Close to You and was hooked. Bought the album at the record store (remember those), then went back for the first album and later, the alternate cover and have been listening and buying their music ever since. Carpenters were the soundtrack to my high school and college years and still sound as fresh today as they did to me in the 70's. I saw them in concert twice in Nashville and saw Richard perform once. I still can't believe Karen is gone. I have learned a lot from this forum Wolfi69...welcome and enjoy the memories.
 
So many of us have Carpenters music tied into our formative early and/or teenaged years, don't we. And it obviously stuck.

I remember my sister and some kids in her high school choir in the early 70's wanted to sing Superstar with the Carpenters arrangement, but no way that would happen! Too suggestive for that time and place. :wink:

Welcome to all the new members and first time posters! :waveleft:
 
I'm a newby here too!
I don't remember the first time I heard The Carpenters - I remember everyone taking the mick out of me at school but it was something I would never be swayed from!
People used to say if they cut me in half they would see The Carpenters logo !!!
I know every song, every lyric, every harmony.
I sing to every song.
I listen to The Carpenters every day in the car!
40 years I have been a 'fan'.
BUT as a musicians daughter and as someone with a lot of musical knowledge myself, it was Richards arrangements and production that I grew to admire, and I never felt he was acknowledged enough.
The Carpenters have been a huge part of my life and will continue to be so.
 
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