Must Hear This Album
Well-Known Member
I recently ordered the eponymous album, Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends, as I’ve been spending some time contemplating some important Carpenters’ influences and associates, etc. It’s scheduled to arrive in my mailbox on Friday, and I’m super geeked about it. So anyway, I stumbled upon this Japanese Q&A interview with Roger Nichols, and siblings, Melinda MacLeod and Murray MacLeod, which, I believe, was released in conjunction with either their 2007 “comeback” album, Full Circle (which I downloaded from iTunes and have been thoroughly enjoying), or some other, more recent release, as at the interview references the horrific earthquake that struck Japan in 2011 as well as at very end of the second interview, they play a clip of the trio singing, “We’ve Only Just Begun,” which sounds lovely, but it’s not present on the Full Circle album.
At any rate, it’s an interesting to hear about both their original A&M album as well as the newer one. They mention Carpenters at the end of the first interview, essentially indicating that A&M dropped the trio after they signed Carpenters (they didn’t get into specifics, but I took it to mean the label lost interest?). They make it clear of their great admiration for the duo, particularly Melinda, whose facial expression (to me, anyway) conveys a sadness about Karen’s tragic death (I don’t think I’m reading into this). In the second part of the Q&A interview they mention “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Rainy Days And Mondays” as two of their very favorites. I thought others might enjoy the interviews as well. The three seem absolutely wonderful.
Interview, part 1:
Interview, part 2:
At any rate, it’s an interesting to hear about both their original A&M album as well as the newer one. They mention Carpenters at the end of the first interview, essentially indicating that A&M dropped the trio after they signed Carpenters (they didn’t get into specifics, but I took it to mean the label lost interest?). They make it clear of their great admiration for the duo, particularly Melinda, whose facial expression (to me, anyway) conveys a sadness about Karen’s tragic death (I don’t think I’m reading into this). In the second part of the Q&A interview they mention “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Rainy Days And Mondays” as two of their very favorites. I thought others might enjoy the interviews as well. The three seem absolutely wonderful.
Interview, part 1:
Interview, part 2: