Veronique TV special clips w/Richard

[Harry]

A few years ago, forum member Murray provided me with a remarkable TV special that he recorded from Candian television back around the time of the 1989 album release of the Richard Carpenter-produced VERONIQUE.

In the special, Richard performs a Carpenters medley with full orchestra, does a shorter piano-only medley, and then plays while Veronique sings "All Those Years Ago", the song he wrote that appeared on the album.

With Murray's permission, I've uploaded these three clips up to YouTube:

The long medley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LD9ajsdwM0

The short medley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6GS-Hu6QGE

"All Those Years Ago": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md0x_CV6dy4

I find Veronique's take on "All Those Years Ago" to be far superior to the version with Petula Clark that can also be found on YouTube.

Harry

 

[goodjeans]

Thank you Harry!

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

This is really cool, I never seen this before. It looks like it was an outside concert event? What time of the year was this recorded in 1989? It must have been before the Canadian winters, huh? The still pics they showed of Karen & Richard was that part of the tv broadcast or did they actually use that on big screen for audience? Thanks, enjoyed this.

Offtopic: I noticed in your profile the Art Garfunkel single Second Avenue, I collected alot of his 45's and wondered if I had this however checking I only own the WLP Mono/Stereo at 2:50 and another standard 45 also coming in at 2:50 Cool find.

 

[Harry]

Murray did the recording of the Veronique special, so I couldn't say what time of year it was. As you say, it was likely summer since it's an outdoor venue. Richard mentioned that they'd been in the studio for three months, but that's the only time reference.

I believe the stills were for the TV audience as well as shown on big screens at the venue. The full hour-long program is pretty neat. Murray and I have commented that from the special, it's evident that Veronique was definitely in the running for "best legs on A&M".

That Garfunkel single must be pretty rare. I know I grabbed it from the radio station when it first came out, yet there seem to be many more copies of the 45 at the shorter length, both promo and stock. I could never understand why such a gorgeous song and arrangement went unissued on an album, and when I saw it listed on a hits-compilation track list, I got excited. Ten I found out it was the shortened version.

Harry

 

[Mark-T]

Really nice, Harry. Thanks!

 

[Murray]

According to the final Carpenters fan club newsletter (which I received in the mail in August 1989), Richard and family went to Toronto "this past summer", for the taping of Veronique's TV special. It was produced by Baton Broadcasting, which owned a number of CTV network affiliate stations, primarily in Ontario. The special would have aired on these stations sometime after the album's release in late September 1989. My local CTV affiliate in Saskatchewan didn't show the special until July of 1990!

As for the still photos, they may have been displayed on a large screen at the venue (as Richard has been known to do at other performances), but it's also possible that they were added during post production for the TV broadcast. As I wasn't at the actual concert, I have no way of knowing for sure.

 

[cam89]

I watched it in Swift Current Saskatchewan back in July of 1990 too.

 

[Mark-T]

Yeah, I find Veronique to be pretty attractive.

 

[Harry]

Offtopic: I noticed in your profile the Art Garfunkel single Second Avenue, I collected a lot of his 45's and wondered if I had this however checking I only own the WLP Mono/Stereo at 2:50 and another standard 45 also coming in at 2:50 Cool find.

Off-topic reply: And I just uploaded the rare mono mix of Garfunkel's "All I Know". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZZMxujzs5A

Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Off-topic reply: And I just uploaded the rare mono mix of Garfunkel's "All I Know". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZZMxujzs5A
Harry

OFFTOPIC

Harry, I finally got around to listening to this, isn't it amazing how much cool stuff we find on these old 45's. I have a bunch of Art's 45 but don't have this one.

Do you remember that thread you started on the Carpenters mono 45's, it struck such a chord in me back then that I went to my record store in search for them all, didn't find them all but you know how we worked that out. Anyway back when that thread was popular, I went back on several occasions to my local record store (he had boxes and boxes of old 45's all out of order, so many artist and mixed in between were standard 45's and promo's, mono's alot of rare stuff. I literally spent hours on the weekened over several weekends collecting, ABBA, Olivia, Carpenters, Art & Simon & Garfunkel Mono 45's. Those were the days since now my dealer is moved out of the area.

Getting back to this single, I don't have this but have the standard 45 of this song which comes in at 3:48 with intro writing :25 above the time it is on an orange label and backed with Mary Was An Only Child. I just listened to it and does not have the same ending as your mono.

The WLP mono 45's I have of Art is
Second Ave , I Only Have Eyes For You, Break Away.

Not as many as I'd like, I also have a Mono 45 of Paul Simon called American Tune.

I saw S&G live in Dec 2003 at their "Old Friends" Tour. It was awesome and something I'll never forget. A few yrs later I saw Art Garfunkel live in concert in Mar 2005 in Coral Springs, it was my first concert of just him and his voice was as amazing in person as it is on record. I was on the 2nd row and could almost touch him, his mother was in the audience and I believed she lived nearby Coral Springs, I believe his mother died a few months later. I'll never forget that concert because when he took stage he had no hair, he made a funny joke about leaving his hair at home. It was weird at first cause I was so use to seeing him with that trademark hair but soon forgot about it. It's something to hear him on record but something all new about hearing his voice in person. His beautiful wife Kim was also there to sing and his son James also sang a song who looked so much like him. It was a memorable concert.

 

[Harry]

And still off-topic:

Yes, we got to see Simon & Garfunkel on the Old Friends tour too. Seeing both them and their guests, the Everly Brothers was a treat - and we got to see a solo Garfunkel concert at the now-defunct Valley Forge Music Fair, where Carpenters played several times when they toured. It's now another shopping center.

I love finding little differences with 45 mixes - it's fun!

Harry