I have always LOVED the song Evergreen (A Star Is Born Love Theme) by Barbra Streisand. Before I knew who Karen was, Barbra was it for me, in terms of how I felt upon listening to this masterpiece connected to the tear jerker movie A Star Is Born. It is a magnificent song and takes me away. I loved her Memory, Somewhere, All in Love is Fair, Superman, The Way We Were, Enough is Enough,...I am however, not a huge fan of her Broadway shows and songs. That belongs to Julie Andrews. So I was huge fans of Julie and Babs since about the early 1980's.
I discovered Karen Carpenter in a Health Text Book, in Grade 9 in May 1988. I was inside the classroom during lunch hour. I was a bit of a book worm, and I never cared to join the other boys for sports, so I just paged thru our brand new Health Text Book. I saw this photo of a black and white picture of a 50 year old woman with 2 men sitting on each side of her. One that was blondish and had a beard had a white sweater on the right, and on the left was a chubbier man with glasses and a horizontal striped shirt. Both her hands were under their chins (a pose similar to one with Dionne Warwick and two guys....). She was not smiling but you could see her teeth and her bony face. I learned later this was taken during her solo sessions probably by Bonnie Schiffman. Anyways it mentioned she was a Singer that died of Anorexia Nervosa in 1983. Well I imagined she was some has been 1950's singer who I had never heard of.
Later on, I took the book home to Mom. She was in the kitchen peeling potatoes and carrots for supper. She was busy also watching the Price is Right game show. I said Mom, who is this? As I showed her the picture and read out the caption to her. Oh, we have her album, Mom said. It's by the record player. Well I thumbed thru our collection of albums but couldn't see anything Carpenter. It's in the 8-Track basket she said. And there I found out, The Carpenters: The Singles 1969-1973. It was a purplish cover with gold lettering and on the tiny photo on the back of the 8-Track was a photo of 2 hippy-like men with bell bottoms on a bridge (it WAS a tiny picture!) and placed it in our stereo. Almost immediately I recognized their music from the radio but never knowing who they were. I heard the EVERY SHA LA LA LA and recognized it as our local Clifford's Clothing Store/Furrier in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from a Tv Commercial...
Were the Carpenters paid for having their vocals on the commercial? Anyways that is when it clicked for me. Her voice! So beautiful, but sooo sad. Superstar, the intro to We've Only Just Begun, Rainy Days and Mondays, Sing, For All We Know, Ticket to Ride....but when I heard Close To You I remember it was on the Sesame Street tv show and it was on a segment during Fire Truck rolling down Sherbrook Ave where I used to live in a Foster Home and I remember the area....because it had a part, the trumpet part in the middle of the song....
I really loved Superstar, but since it was an old 8-Track it was a bit fuzzy sounding. So the second verse of Superstar...."Loneliness is such a sad affair..." I thought it was "Low Linen is such a sad affair.." Ha Ha. What the heck is Low Linen? I know what linen is....it was not until later that summer I bought a cassette which had the Singles 69-73 on one side and The Singles 74-78 on the other side and you could hear the clarity and just the beauty and magnificence of it....but I also adored Ticket To Ride, that longing and hurt in her voice....
Speaking of the Singles...in the linear notes, what is the Starlight Room atop A& M Records? Ive always wanted to know.
But yeah, upon hearing the first Singles album, it was LOVE at first hear for me. And she has been my number one singer since!!!
I discovered Karen Carpenter in a Health Text Book, in Grade 9 in May 1988. I was inside the classroom during lunch hour. I was a bit of a book worm, and I never cared to join the other boys for sports, so I just paged thru our brand new Health Text Book. I saw this photo of a black and white picture of a 50 year old woman with 2 men sitting on each side of her. One that was blondish and had a beard had a white sweater on the right, and on the left was a chubbier man with glasses and a horizontal striped shirt. Both her hands were under their chins (a pose similar to one with Dionne Warwick and two guys....). She was not smiling but you could see her teeth and her bony face. I learned later this was taken during her solo sessions probably by Bonnie Schiffman. Anyways it mentioned she was a Singer that died of Anorexia Nervosa in 1983. Well I imagined she was some has been 1950's singer who I had never heard of.
Later on, I took the book home to Mom. She was in the kitchen peeling potatoes and carrots for supper. She was busy also watching the Price is Right game show. I said Mom, who is this? As I showed her the picture and read out the caption to her. Oh, we have her album, Mom said. It's by the record player. Well I thumbed thru our collection of albums but couldn't see anything Carpenter. It's in the 8-Track basket she said. And there I found out, The Carpenters: The Singles 1969-1973. It was a purplish cover with gold lettering and on the tiny photo on the back of the 8-Track was a photo of 2 hippy-like men with bell bottoms on a bridge (it WAS a tiny picture!) and placed it in our stereo. Almost immediately I recognized their music from the radio but never knowing who they were. I heard the EVERY SHA LA LA LA and recognized it as our local Clifford's Clothing Store/Furrier in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from a Tv Commercial...
Were the Carpenters paid for having their vocals on the commercial? Anyways that is when it clicked for me. Her voice! So beautiful, but sooo sad. Superstar, the intro to We've Only Just Begun, Rainy Days and Mondays, Sing, For All We Know, Ticket to Ride....but when I heard Close To You I remember it was on the Sesame Street tv show and it was on a segment during Fire Truck rolling down Sherbrook Ave where I used to live in a Foster Home and I remember the area....because it had a part, the trumpet part in the middle of the song....
I really loved Superstar, but since it was an old 8-Track it was a bit fuzzy sounding. So the second verse of Superstar...."Loneliness is such a sad affair..." I thought it was "Low Linen is such a sad affair.." Ha Ha. What the heck is Low Linen? I know what linen is....it was not until later that summer I bought a cassette which had the Singles 69-73 on one side and The Singles 74-78 on the other side and you could hear the clarity and just the beauty and magnificence of it....but I also adored Ticket To Ride, that longing and hurt in her voice....
Speaking of the Singles...in the linear notes, what is the Starlight Room atop A& M Records? Ive always wanted to know.
But yeah, upon hearing the first Singles album, it was LOVE at first hear for me. And she has been my number one singer since!!!
