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The Carpenters

Posted: Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:04 pm
by Bob Kraemer
Back in the day it wasn't cool to like the Carpenters, but I always did.
Dam, could Karen sing or what?
Here is a couple of there songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KRT0bJB ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPmbT5XC-q0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__VQX2Xn7tI

Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 8:54 am
by WildcatOne
"Close To You" was my all-time favorite Carpenters song...it was a pop masterpiece...but Karen's voice was what grabbed me the whole length of her beautiful career and life. She spoke to my soul. They were the finest musicians of their time. You didn't just walk in and start playing Burt Bacharach songs with Herb Alpert if you were a garage band with 3 chords and a cloud of dust (but that had its place as well). I was influenced by their style (and Bread with David Gates, Dennis Yost and others in the "Lite Rock" genre) and that fact by itself changed the course of my journey in music. Back then, when they hit the big time, everyobody I knew was trying to be Elton John or The Grateful Dead. The Carpenters set the standard for sophistication in popular music with Karen's star power combined with Richard's virtuosity. Nobody has come along since to take their place. That's a shame; it was great. Thanks for the post, Bob! Cheers, WC1

Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 9:01 am
by Gator
Karen..Angelic Voice ......

Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 11:28 am
by pro70z28
I had a Carpenters 8 track tape I played in the '56 all the time. I didn't have allot of extra cash so my 8 track collection wasn't too big. Most of the disposable income went directly to the go fast account. :D

Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:04 pm
by draglist
I liked 'em. You can still sing along with those songs. They are not dated at all. bp

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:41 am
by Komodo
Classic vocals - Karen had something in her voice that was utterly soothing.
Shame she passed so soon, especially under circumstances that might have been more easily prevented today.

Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 11:00 pm
by WildcatOne
I'll admit straight out that I was in love with Karen Carpenter. It broke my heart when she died...the Carpenters were a group that comes along once in a lifetime. In my world, they were up there with the rest of the classic bands, except there was one big difference. They were professional musicians of the highest caliber...pop stardom notwithstanding, they were musical peers of Burt Bacharach, Herb Alpert, Jimmy Webb, Henry Mancini and Dave Brubeck. For 15 years they were a major influence on my compositional and arranging style. There are a number of truly gifted musicians in pop music, but the ones I was familiar with are my age or older now. Edgar Winter, Todd Rundgren, John Hall, Donald Fagen, Don Henley, Lindsey Buckingham, I could fill a page with names...Cold Play can play. BP's nephew plays in a great band, Tickle Me Pink. But the Carpenters defined class and style in a way no other group ever came close to, in my opinion...they were about the music when it was all said and done, and they played the instruments on their records, too. Cheers, WC1

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 9:00 am
by Diana The Doc
Being the proud owner of a mountain grey custom '03 Thunderbird roadster, I'm a little surprised that nobody has mentioned the fact that Richard Carpenter is a fan, owner and avid collector of T-Birds (and many, many other fine muscle cars as well)... Richard is a true car buff-- He's the real deal... Richard also has a special affection for vintage Chrysler cars... And of course we're all well aware that the recordings that Richard and his late sister Karen crafted as the musical duo known as THE CARPENTERS will remain as "soft-rock" classics for years to come... It's a tragic shame that Karen allowed herself to succumb to the "show biz pressure" that eventually lead to her dying of anorexia-- Not only was Karen an incredibly talented vocalist, but in my opinion, she also stands as being one of the most gifted female drummers of her genre-- I've always admired Karen Carpenter for her subtle, yet spectacular singing ability AND her often overlooked percussionist prowess... Minus her unfortunate anorexic affliction, Karen Carpenter is a role model for lots of women who are musically inclined... Many music fans the world over miss her... "The Doc" (Celebrity Drag Racing Authority & Visionary)...

Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:08 pm
by bandit
I think we need pics Doc!

Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2009 8:20 am
by Diana The Doc
Bandit, I believe that I learned of Richard Carpenter's massive muscle car collection from a piece I watched on the SpeedChannel network, back a couple of years ago, when Drag Racing Underground and I were doing some work for them... It was a TV segment that showed many of the precious rides in Richard's collection, and the program did a brief backround including information about THE CARPENTERS... I thought that possibly the fact that Richard Carpenter is a serious car collector was somehow common knowledge, but I guess not-- And I guess with the "soft rock" status that THE CARPENTERS created, most folks wouldn't necessarily think of Richard as a being a hardcore muscle car enthusiast... But I assure you that Richard definitely is into fine automotive machinery... One thing is for sure, obviously Richard did very well by penning and performing the music of THE CARPENTERS (he probably owns the publishing rights to their music), because from what I've seen, his car collection is worth a fortune... "The Doc" (Celebrity Drag Racing Authority & Visionary)...