Professor Of Rock on Carpenters

[AM Matt]

He talks about the song "Rainy Days And Mondays" & other things. (Runs 23 minutes)

 

[Portlander]

Well done and a nice plug for "The Musical Legacy" and Little Girl Blue" books. The Professor of Rock has become a hard core fan of the Carpenters!

 

[Jack A.]

I’ve been following POR for a while now. Glad to see him finally talking about the C’s.

 

[JohnFB]

All things considered - words & music, arrangement, instrumentation, background harmony vocals and above everything that incredible, unadulterated lead vocal - their most perfect recording.

 

[1969]

POR mentioned that Karen was lying flat on cushions when she sang Rainy Days and Mondays in the studio. I've not heard this before. Is this true? Where did this story originate from?

 

[Chris May]

POR mentioned that Karen was lying flat on cushions when she sang Rainy Days and Mondays in the studio. I've not heard this before. Is this true? Where did this story originate from?

No. There were quite a few factual errors with this, unfortunately.

 

[Harry]

Confusion perhaps. There are stories of John Lennon of the Beatles recording while lying flat on the floor.

 

[newvillefan]

Confusion perhaps. There are stories of John Lennon of the Beatles recording while lying flat on the floor.

Or Agnetha lying back flat on her back to record the lead vocal for ‘Thank You For The Music’ while she was heavily pregnant.

Just another YouTuber plugging away with music knowledge lifted from other sources in order to make money. I abhor these channels. A lot of them are now done with scripts generated from AI technology. Try it - type into ChatGPT “Give me a conversational script on the history of Richard and Karen Carpenter as a monologue”.

For those of you who don’t use it, here are the artifically generated results.

---

Hey there! Let's take a trip down memory lane and explore the captivating story of Richard and Karen Carpenter, the legendary duo behind The Carpenters. Picture this: Richard and Karen, two siblings from New Haven, Connecticut, whose musical journey would leave an indelible mark on the world.

Their sound? Simply magical. Karen's voice, oh, it was like honey flowing over velvet. And Richard, a musical maestro on the piano, weaving melodies that would tug at your heartstrings. Together, they created something truly extraordinary.

In the early 1970s, they burst onto the scene with hits like "Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun." Their music? A perfect blend of soft rock and pop, with Karen's voice soaring over Richard's impeccable arrangements. It was like they were painting emotions with sound.

But life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Karen battled with anorexia nervosa, a silent struggle that ultimately claimed her life at the tender age of 32 in 1983. It was a devastating loss for the music world, a reminder of the demons that can haunt even the brightest stars.

Yet, Richard didn't let Karen's light fade. He continued to honor her legacy, producing and arranging for other artists while also raising awareness about eating disorders. His resilience and dedication to their music were truly admirable.

The Carpenters' music remains timeless, a soundtrack to countless lives. Their melodies still resonate with listeners today, transporting us to a simpler time, a time of love and longing.

So here's to Richard and Karen Carpenter, two souls whose music touched the hearts of millions. Their legacy? It lives on in every note, every lyric, reminding us that true artistry knows no bounds.

---

And there you have it, a heartfelt monologue reflecting on the incredible journey of Richard and Karen Carpenter.


Even this ^^^ last footnote is AI!

 

[Jack A.]

Not to diverge from this thread's topic too much, but after being intrigued by Stephen's last post, I went and messed around with ChatGPT a bit myself, and it just told me this:

"...'Close to You' becomes an overnight sensation, topping charts globally. But did you know that the iconic opening piano riff in the song was initially a mistake by Richard during a recording session? Producer Jack Daugherty heard it, loved it, and decided to keep it."

Is there any truth to that story? My guess would be no - but I've been wrong before. It's almost scary how you can just have an entire video script written up for you - granted, not without errors. Very fascinating.

 

[Bartog739]

There's no truth to that. Richard did a TV interview on Carpenters: the Musical Legacy by Mike Cidoni Lennox and Cris May with Richard Carpenter and when he's asked " how did you come up with that?" Richard smiles and raises his shoulders up as in, "I don't know." He definitely came up with it himself.

There were two other prior arrangements that weren't really working so it definitely took some time to develop. I'm not sure when the opening riff first appeared but Chris May probably does. Jack Daugherty didn't have anything to do with the arrangement, that was all Richard.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

There's no truth to that. Richard did a TV interview on Carpenters: the Musical Legacy by Mike Cidoni Lennox and Cris May with Richard Carpenter and when he's asked " how did you come up with that?" Richard smiles and raises his shoulders up as in, "I don't know." He definitely came up with it himself.

There were two other prior arrangements that weren't really working so it definitely took some time to develop. I'm not sure when the opening riff first appeared but Chris May probably does. Jack Daugherty didn't have anything to do with the arrangement, that was all Richard.

Jack Daugherty didn't really have anything to do with...anything as it turns out. LOL!

Ed

 

[Bartog739]

"He was instrumental in getting our tape to Herb Alpert and that was very nice..." --Richard Carpenter on Jack Daugherty's role in creating the Carrpenter's sound.

In Little Girl Blue some A&M guy said "Jack was really lucky to be Carpenters producer because Richard did all the producing himself." It's hilarious.