NEW SPECIAL: A Song For You (BBC)

Simon KC1950

Well-Known Member
"Carpenters: A Song For You"
BBC Radio 2
Sunday 22nd December 2019

"In a brand new interview, founding Carpenters’ member Richard reminisces about some of the most memorable and acclaimed songs he recorded with his sister Karen.
He also reflects on the success of his recent album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and he exclusively reveals plans of his next projects."

This special is the featured item inside the Christmas edition of the Radio Times magazine on page 252 out now across the UK.

A caricature drawing is used inside of the magazine and you can watch the artist drawing it on his Instagram:


here's the link to the BBC website where there are more details and it will be available to watch it here after it's broadcast:
BBC Radio 2 - Carpenters, A Song For You
 
Good on the BBC again, the last 3 Christmas we have had a Carpenters special on BBC2, really looking forward to what Richard has to say on his future plans!
 
Aren't caricatures suppose to look like this; goofy looking with exaggerated features? Remember when they would caricature Obama with his ears sticking out and a big toothy grin...generally not very flattering.
 
This from the magazine:

"Like ABBA, the Carpenters are one of those groups that people are returning to. After years of sneering, we've only just begun to reappraise the Californian siblings. There was a magnificence to Richard's arrangements, a warmth and purity to Karen's voice... and lets face it, there's no substitute for a good tune. Richard has always been honest, articulate and moving when asked about the whirlwind years of their success, and about his sister, who died in 1983. So hopes are high for Graham Norton's interview, which is sprinkled with their deceptively easy on the-ears hits." -Max Braxton
 
Those caricatures remind me of creepy black eyed children; and it looks like they are trying to sell Carpenters album to someone. Would you buy it? Lol.
 
So, we can play it safe and present a caricature of "white lace and promises"
which is liable to garner no further attention from those who have already made up their minds about the Carpenters,
or, we can go "all out" and grab attention in another artful direction (which the Instagram above did).
Capturing present-day audiences is hard enough and "white lace and promises" will not cut it anymore.
The caricature: hideous--yes--but effective !
 
He also reflects on the success of his recent album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and he exclusively reveals plans of his next projects."

Now THIS is what I think we will all be tuning in to hear--I hope Richard has changed his mind and will be revealing some new rarities and various other tricks he might have up his sleeve.

"I Can Dream, Can't I?" :)
 
I would be happy if he'd release his Christmas album next year!

I recently reread this on David Grant’s review of Seiko’s album from 00/01 - “We can hope these two songs turn up on Richard's new Christmas album, slated for release in late 2002.” Seventeen years later and here we are with no album still! Get the lead out, Richard! Haha I’m joking but it would be cool to get it sometime soon, and I would love it if he included Seiko’s two beautiful Christmas tracks.
 
Really pleased “NOW” is on the playlist for this interview. Wonder if the records played will give us a clue as to a new project?
 
I won't provide any spoilers, but it was a good listen with quite a few lesser known album tracks getting a look in (seemlessly edited again at times to create shortened tracks). I got the impression it was leftover stuff from the the A-Z programme last year but I could be wrong. Richard was certainly impressed by the interviewer (not Graham Norton, who was just narrating). They got on really well and he seemed genuinely pleased to have been asked about lesser known tracks (just as he was in the A-Z programme).
 
I agree with Graeme above.
Good interview,potential future plans and songs not always heard on the radio in different form.
Malcolm Prince was the interviewer.He normally is a producer on BBC radio for Graham Nortons show and nearly co-host(in the background) for Paul O' Gradys show.Malcolm is obviously a fan. Thanks Malcolm if you read this.
 
I agree with Graeme above.
Good interview,potential future plans and songs not always heard on the radio in different form.
Malcolm Prince was the interviewer.He normally is a producer on BBC radio for Graham Nortons show and nearly co-host(in the background) for Paul O' Gradys show.Malcolm is obviously a fan. Thanks Malcolm if you read this.
I thought Malcolm came very close to getting a copy of one of Richard's Magic Lamp records!
 
Thanks to Radio2 and Malcolm Prince for a great show during the Carpenters 50th Anniversary.
 
Thanks to Radio2 and Malcolm Prince for a great show during the Carpenters 50th Anniversary.



WARNING !

SPOILERS AHEAD !


The big takeaways from tonight's BBC Carpenters special with Richard Carpenter:

Richard has revealed that he has been working on new Christmas songs with several singers in the hope that they'll be picked up by mainstream current artists to cover and make hits. He feels that there are no new traditional sounding songs anymore, and the old songs just aren't well suited to today's artists.

He has also revealed that he would like to work on remixing the Carpenters Christmas music because he isn't happy with the reverb he added and would like to utilise the new technologies, like he did with the RPO album, especially on Karen's voice.

Richard has said he would like to work on a volume 2 of "Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra" but that it depends on the "powers that be" and how well volume one ("if we can call it volume one!" he added) performs - which we know it did well, especially in the UK. He hopes so! He also confirmed one song that would be included in a second volume - Karen's final recording "Now".

He confirmed that he has archived, and owns copies of absolutely everything he and Karen ever recorded (so the Universal fire didn't erase the original Carpenters material) and consolidated that there are no more unreleased recordings worth releasing. He said if he could only save one thing from his collection it would be the Magic Lamp single recording of "Looking For Love" - of which he owns 10 pristine copies.

He revealed that he and Karen didn't even really celebrate after signing their recording contract with A&M Records on 22nd April 1969 and that they headed home to their parents, getting stuck in traffic on the freeway in a Ford that stalled when it was stationary for too long.

He also spoke with enormous gratitude of how successfully the RPO album has been and would like to thank all Carpenters fans for sticking with the music he and Karen made. He said it has been a long and hard 50 years of work and if only one thing could be remembered he hopes that it would be the talent his sister possessed with her voice.
 
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