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One of my very favorite groups was "The Carpenters" . I always loved
their songs, mostly love songs of course. And once again, I have very special memories of listening to their music with
my sister Nancy. Between us, we had most of the Carpenters albums and they were played over and over again!
The Carpenters were the one group that my Mom really liked - of our music. Yes they appealed to everybody!
Unless you were a 'dead head' of course! And I'll wager that even many of them were closet fans! Shissssssshhhhh!!
In listening to a Carpenters song, both Karen and Richard came across as genuine
people in their recordings. Their friendliness added an extra blanket of warmth to their songs.
Richard was highly touted back then as a terrific arranger, with an ear for
a hit song. He turned commercials jingles into hit songs! So it was Richard who was responsible tor finding,
arranging, and often times writing songs for "The Caprenters". While not much of a singer, Richard provided fine back
up work and would get the occasional solo.
Karen and Richard worked great together as a team. Both of them being
perfectionists. Some of their music influences were Les Paul and Mary Ford for their double tracking talents; The Beatles;
and jazz music. They got their start working in a jazz trio.
Without question, Karen Carpenter had the most wonderful singing voice of 'my
time' - of any singer that came into popularity from 1969 through now . Karen had a fine vocal range and richness to
her tone. But moreover, she had the emotion behind the music. Her voice defines what I considered a love song
when I was young. How it was suppose to be and how it still can be.
Karen is gone now over 20 years and it is still sad that we lost her so very young. I'm grateful that we still
have the songs and that Richard, A&M records and "Lite" radio stations still play their music. To me their music
is timeless....and I love it so!
My favorite Carpenters album, "A Song for You" featured: "Top
of the World", "Goodbye to Love", "I won't last a day without you", "Bless
the Beasts and the Children", "Hurting Each Other", and the title song, "A Song For You".
Now back in the world before CD's, we had records and you would play 'side one' and then flip it over to play 'side two'.
Well Richard and Karen came up with a brilliant little ditty at the end of 'side one' called, "Intermission"
on which they sang, "We'll be right back/after we go to the bathroom". This was hysterical! The
track was arranged with several multi tracks of their harmonies, and sung in very proper English. Great stuff!
TOP 25 CARPENTERS SONGS
1) Superstar
2) We've only just begun
3) Rainy Days and Mondays
4) Top of the World
5) For all we Know
5) I won't last a day without you
6) Close to You
7)) Goodbye to Love
8) Merry Christmas Darling
9) Because we are in love
10) Yesterday Once More
11) Let me be the one
12) One Love
13) Now
14) Only Yesterday
15) Hurting each other
16) Road Ode
17) Those good old Dreams
18) Make believe its your first time
19) Kind of Hush
20) Ticket to Ride
21) Please Mr. Postman
22) Oldies Medley: Fun Fun Fun/End of the World/Da doo ron
ron/Dead Man's Curve/Johnny Angel/The night has a
thousand eyes/Our day will come/One Fine Day
23) A Place to Hide away
24) Bless the beasts and the children
25) Calling occupants of interplanetary craft
Ominously missing from this list is one of their biggest hits, "SING"
which ruled the airwaves in 1973. The song is great for singing to children - which was its intent, but should have
never been a single. Karen and Richard's popularity seemed to spiral downwards after the success of that single.
My Carpenters LISTMANIA @ AMAZON.COM
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