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Post by Rick Henry on Jan 4, 2007 2:14:47 GMT -5
  I got this idea from O.E.'s comments in the topic "Always something To Remind Me".
To start the discussion mention how often you listen to Carpenters on a weekly or daily or even monthly basis.
Next describe any of your dreams that had Carpenters in them.
I've had a few dreams - two which I remember well enough to describe. Though, I will come back tomorrow and follow-up on this.  |
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Post by Prisoner_Walking on Jan 4, 2007 10:10:31 GMT -5
Rick - you never cease to amaze us with interesting new 'angles' on this Carpenters thang!
I go through Carpenters 'phases'. Sometimes I get a bit bored and listen entirely to other music. I know it might sound contraversial but sometimes I just think "GOD I can't listen to the same songs over and over again any longer!" no matter how good they are. I might not listen to them for months at a time.
But I always come back for more! And then I will listen to nothing else but them for several days (or even a couple of weeks).
But I must admit, gone are the days when I was 16/17 years old and I would choose a different Carpenters album to fall asleep to EVERY single night. I tend to 'save' listening to Karen for a special treat - or if I have a few glasses of wine one night, I might put my favourite songs on (senses are hightened when drunk!)
And I often dream about Karen Carpenter - especially if I've watched one of the live shows or documentaries right before bed, or if I've thought about her [more than usual] that day.
In these dreams, I usually discover a new Carpenters album or TV performance I hadn't known existed. Needless to say, I wake up disappointed that it was only a dream!
Once I dreamt that I went to Richard Carpenter's house and asked him loads of questions about Karen. He let me listen to some unreleased songs; strangely I can actually hear Karen singing totally new songs in my sleep...and semi-consiously I think "man, I MUST go to a piano when I wake up and write this one down"...but I can never remember them when I wake up!
Another time, I dreamt I went sailing with Karen which was fun! But sometimes, I dream that people are trying to warn her about her death and I tell her to start eating.
Recently I dreamt that Karen was performing solo at an open-air concert. It was an early 80's Karen dressed in that purple suit (the one she wore on the Merv Griffin Show). She was wearing loads more make-up than normal and jumping all over the place like a seasoned rock chick! The crowd were totally frenzied! People were saying "wow, we never knew Karen could BE like this!" And I remember thinking "Karen is not so sweet afterall - she is a DIVA!"
How strange am I?
Looking forward to hearing some of your dreams guys! |
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Post by Rick Henry on Jan 4, 2007 10:31:31 GMT -5
Interesting Leo...
Generally I will listen to Carpenters (and/or Karen solo) around three times a month. Lately I will put in Karen Carpenter (solo) - this is my most listened to Carpenters related music. I have always enjoyed the more contemporary sounds of Carpenters/Karen - as witnessed by my Rick's Picks Favorites List for 2006. If it's not KC (solo, then I will put on "Horizon" - and usually play that one all the way through. Other times I will play selections from "Passage".
Like you Leo - I do go through periods when I don't listen to them at all - and I rarely listen to their hit singles - almost always skip over them - with the exception of "Only Yestyerday", "Please Mr. Postman", "All You Get...", "Goodbye To Love" and "Rainy Days And Mondays".
Most of the times I make my own Carpenters collections with the songs I want to hear - as there is usually 1 or 2 songs from each album I like.
I will come back with some of my dreams and also my thoughts on Leo's dreams. |
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Post by Prisoner_Walking on Jan 4, 2007 10:59:16 GMT -5
Rick - like you there are some albums I hardly ever listen to. For me those would be "Offering/Ticket" & "Now & Then". And to be honest, I don't think I have EVER listened to RC's "Composer/Conducter etc" all the way through!
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Post by Carps1000 on Jan 4, 2007 12:17:42 GMT -5
Me its 2 or 3 times a week depending on mood & time. Horizon A K O H & A T G B r the most played & also the S 69 -73 bcos of the fab intro. Just wish that 74 - 78 had been started with as good a intro.. Ken carps 1000
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Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Jan 4, 2007 13:46:52 GMT -5
Quite an interesting topic, Rick. Typically, I listen to Carpenters every single day. I have loaded my C drive at work with CDs of Carpenters, and generally listen to at least one CD a day, if not more, in between other stuff. My favorites include Horizon, As Time Goes By, which I find I listen to very often, The compilations From The Top and Essential Collection - Treasures - Voice of the Heart - a song for you and Love Songs. I listened to the SCAD CD on Tuesday evening - very quiet house, and it was beautiful, and to Karen's Solo CD, because we've been discussing it. As I have told Dave on many occassions (now here's a guy who's had some dreams with Karen in them, for sure), I just never have dreampt of her, or Richard for that matter. As often as I listen, I have never remembered dreaming about Karen. Dave tells me there's a reason for that. Who am I to question - I just don't dream of the Carpenters. I sort of envy those of you that do because, like as in Leo's dreams, it sounds like fun times were had, even if it's only in a dream state. Hearing Karen actually sing new tunes, and being able to see her and chat with her...well, that would be cool. I'm interested to read more from other forum members! Tim 
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Dave
Ultra Emissary 
"sleeping in the arms of the cosmos..."
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Post by Dave on Jan 5, 2007 17:20:52 GMT -5
Tim can be so persuasive, you know. Pirates are like that... carponline.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=karlc&action=display&thread=1111977561This is to a thread from 2005. rmjoots' experience... "The dream I just posted occured 8 days ago so it was recent and very different then what I usually dream. It was rare because of the symbolism that came into my thoughts about Karen and her effect on me when I listen to her. The feelings were real too. For some reason, I couldn't talk to Karen in that dream. I didn't "know" her, plus she was just sort of solemn throughout and I didn't want to make her feel awkward. I even tried NOT to stare at her!!! That's a realistic concern! We just made eye-contact. I dont' know if I'll have another dream with Karen in it, but if she does, I hope I get some conversation going, rather then just observing. " ...was so similar to mine that we conversed about if for a few weeks, and I was able to help her through the experience. Another woman with a very similar experience showed up on James Van Praagh's site almost exactly one year later! The beginnings of my "experience", as they are recorded in the journal of 2004, reads like this: "29 May 2004: I haven’t entered anything because there hasn’t been anything to enter…sort of. We got a phone call at work from a fellow who had a Ring Balance problem, and the shop lit up when we found out he was from NASA! Yes, the Glenn Center near Cleveland has one, and it looks like I’ll be servicing it on June 3. I can hardly contain myself. Philip’s team is 9-2, and the best in the league by three games. Wonderful. In other news, the cycle seems to be starting up again. On Monday I dreamt of my dad, but he wasn’t happy to see me. Tuesday night I dreamt of everything thrown together, thanks to some food that didn’t agree with me. But what stood out was Jimmy Buffett singing a duet with Karen Carpenter! She was not happy towards me at all, and I’d begun to wonder if the dead get only so many visits and I’d made her and Dad burn one." That was the beginning of six months of nightly dreams, some tragic, some fun, some profound. For instance, I dreamt that she and I were walking along the beach at Cocoa Beach, Florida. We walked northward at sunset, and the spotlights illuminated a Space Shuttle on the launch pad in the distance. She looked at me, and asked "Why do you call me 'Karen Carpenter?'" I replied "Because that's your name, silly!" She looked at me and said "'Karen' is who I am. 'Carpenter' is who I used to be". Think about the meaning of that simple statement. To me, it says that who we are *here* means nothing in the afterlife. There was so much more. It was every night until I watched her ascending into a beam of light while a choir of angels welcomed her home on Christmas Eve 2004. She smiled and waved goodbye, but it wouldn't be the last time I would see her, nor would she not give me help and support. She was there when my mother passed, making sure she got where she needed to go. She would tell me that "Your finest hour is still before you" when the wolf of depression was howling at my door in the weeks after my mother's passing. After the success of STS-114, I believed that my mission was accomplished, but she would tell me "You did well. There is more". How much more, and my "finest hour" remain to be seen. All I can say is that sometimes when something makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, just go with the flow and keep an open mind. Miracles CAN happen, when you least expect it. I came here because of the dreams, and I have never really been a "fan". |
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karl
NEW TO THE FAMILY
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Post by karl on Jan 5, 2007 18:47:28 GMT -5
HI
I often play the singles album69/73 at least once a week or depending on what mood im in,also like listening to the horizion and passage albums.As for dreaming about karen/carpenters do not really dream about them,but if i did have a dream about karen it would be nice to have dreamed about her winning grammy awards for her solo album to be a big success,for her to sing on USA for Africa with all the other artists.of course i wish that this could have become a reality.
karl
uk
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Post by Rick Henry on Jan 5, 2007 22:16:14 GMT -5
HI I often play the singles album69/73 at least once a week or depending on what mood im in,also like listening to the horizion and passage albums.As for dreaming about karen/carpenters do not really dream about them,but if i did have a dream about karen it would be nice to have dreamed about her winning grammy awards for her solo album to be a big success,for her to sing on USA for Africa with all the other artists.of course i wish that this could have become a reality. karl uk Aaaaah... yes, what a dream that would be to see Karen winning a Grammy award for her solo album - which she was extremely proud of.
Karen being involved in things like "USA For Africa" and Band-Aid would have been fantastic.
I like your dreams karl... good thoughts.
Now for one of my dreams.
This one came in 2001. I was listening to the radio and I was channel surfing for a song I like. Then all of a sudden this beuatiful song comes on and it's Karen Carpenter singing. This was one of the most beautiful songs I had ever heard - and it was brand new - I had never heard this song before. I was so excited to be hearing a new song sung by Karen.
What was interesting about this dream is about a week later I was reading a music trade newspaper and saw an advertisement for "As Time Goes By" of course I ended up ordering it (at that point only available in Japan). As I listened to it - I got to "Leave yesterday Behind" and this song struck me as sounding vaguely familiar (and not because it has similarities to "For All We Know"). Later, I realized the song in my dream was very similar to "Leave Yesterday Behind". |
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Post by GoodOldDreams on Jan 6, 2007 13:16:49 GMT -5
...That was the beginning of six months of nightly dreams, some tragic, some fun, some profound. For instance, I dreamt that she and I were walking along the beach at Cocoa Beach, Florida. We walked northward at sunset, and the spotlights illuminated a Space Shuttle on the launch pad in the distance. She looked at me, and asked "Why do you call me 'Karen Carpenter?'" I replied "Because that's your name, silly!" She looked at me and said "'Karen' is who I am. 'Carpenter' is who I used to be". Think about the meaning of that simple statement. To me, it says that who we are *here* means nothing in the afterlife... "'Karen' is who I am. 'Carpenter' is who I used to be" seems like such a profound statement. My interpretation of it is that Karen was acknowledging that she was finally forming her own identity as an independent woman — an individual distinct from the "Carpenter" family from which she came and the "Carpenters" public persona professionally. In her lifetime, this process began tentatively when she ventured out to do the solo album and grew from the experience. |
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Post by Rick Henry on Jan 6, 2007 18:30:35 GMT -5
...That was the beginning of six months of nightly dreams, some tragic, some fun, some profound. For instance, I dreamt that she and I were walking along the beach at Cocoa Beach, Florida. We walked northward at sunset, and the spotlights illuminated a Space Shuttle on the launch pad in the distance. She looked at me, and asked "Why do you call me 'Karen Carpenter?'" I replied "Because that's your name, silly!" She looked at me and said "'Karen' is who I am. 'Carpenter' is who I used to be". Think about the meaning of that simple statement. To me, it says that who we are *here* means nothing in the afterlife... "'Karen' is who I am. 'Carpenter' is who I used to be" seems like such a profound statement. My interpretation of it is that Karen was acknowledging that she was finally forming her own identity as an independent woman — an individual distinct from the "Carpenter" family from which she came and the "Carpenters" public persona professionally. In her lifetime, this process began tentatively when she ventured out to do the solo album and grew from the experience. This is a very interesting passage to quote from Dave's Dreams.
I see it as Dave realizing that Karen was really struggling back in her time. His thoughts about her struggles and wanting to be "who she really is" manifested in his dreams.
As you mentioned GoodOldDreams, with her solo album, Karen finally had a chance to be identified as an independent woman - and even further also an adult human being. The only problem was that all her attempts were quashed by the powers that be. Very, very sad. |
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Dave
Ultra Emissary
"sleeping in the arms of the cosmos..."
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Post by Dave on Jan 6, 2007 22:41:44 GMT -5
You can't be sad about something that none of us knew was happening, let alone had the ability to change anything.
What the common thread between myself, rmjoots, and the dreamer on Van Praagh's site was was that during the first "contact", none of us were able to speak or move in her presence. It was almost as if we needed to show that we were not a threat to her. I found it puzzling because I am normally quite lucid in my dream state, and here I was paralyzed and unable to wake myself up.
Rick, if it wasn't for you and this site, I would know nothing about Karen's life. I came here to try to find answers, because I didn't have any clue as to why someone I never cared about when she was alive suddenly showed up in the middle of my "great adventure". I was all about science, you know, the physical things, and here I was being confronted with something that not only didn't fit in but it made absolutely no sense at all. She had as much to do with my world of science as I had in her world of music. Talk about opposite poles of the magnet!
That dream happened in September 2004, almost two months before we went to Florida on our 25th anniversary.
In the beginning, after I wrote my "Frequency" story, I was beginning to become uncomfortable with this. I was no longer sleeping at night, I was plugging into another world, a world where I had little control, and considered a mental exercise to construct a "dream firewall" to keep her out, and regain my sanity. That week, I had to travel to Philadelphia, and the night before I dreamt of sitting at the dining room table, eating breakfast with my wife. My wife, speaking in KAC's voice, begged me not to block her out. I found that to be odd...
The next morning, my wife sat in that exact same position, wearing the same nightgown! I went to Philly, and that night dreamt of a snowy TV picture with the message "unable to lock" on it. The next day I went home, and that night dreamt of KAC and myself walking around the Mall of America. She bought me a chocolate ice cream cone, and as we walked around she was happy. She thought that I'd blocked her out.
As a control, my sister asked me to describe what I saw. She's been there, but I haven't, and I've never watched any TV shows about it. I got about halfway through before she stopped me, saying "You've definitely been there."
I still didn't understand it, but I resolved to go with the flow, and be a friend. In return, I've seen things I never saw in life, and she got to go to the Field of Dreams with Philip and I when we went there a year earlier. She showed an affinity towards him, and may even be his guardian angel for all I know.
When she and I first met, she was extremely angry towards me. By the time she moved to the next level, she was happy, and I felt that perhaps some things aren't meant to be understood while we are alive. But I will remember and cherish each moment we spent "together", such as this one...
"Touch Me When We're Dancing" was playing as we danced among the clouds. She looked up at me and said "You're a lousy dancer!", and I replied "I'm a better driver." "I know", she sighed. Then she said "I wish I'd known you when I was alive." This was early on, and I was feeling like I was being unfaithful to my wife for some reason. "Karen," I said, "you should know God's plan better than anyone, and you know that you can't mess with it." She sighed, leaned her head against my chest, and said "I know. It would've made things a lot easier..."
The dream interpreters on Van Praagh's site are flummoxed by this. The only thing they can tell me is that it might be someone else coming to me in a form that I would be comfortable with. But why pick someone like KAC, and then act like her, and tell me things that only she knows?
In the end, I kept an open mind about it, and tried to learn as much as I could from her. I treated her with simple kindness and respect. I listened to her, and tried to do what she asked me to do. I would have dreams where I was standing beside Richard's bed, trying to awaken him, while she stood behind me. I had a dream while we were at Disney World where she softly sang "Silent Night" as Richard played his piano. When the song ended, she had tears in her eyes as she looked at me and said "He can't see me. He doesn't know I'm here. I miss him so much..."
Richard, this is the message I have for you: Karen loves you and misses you, and she's with you every day. I don't pretend to be a medium, all I know is that for six months your sister was my friend.
Lives can touch other lives, even from beyond this life.
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Post by Rick Henry on Jan 7, 2007 2:39:32 GMT -5
You can't be sad about something that none of us knew was happening, let alone had the ability to change anything. I may not have known about it when it was happening - but that doesn't change the fact that it did happen. Karen knew what was happening - all involved knew what was happening. Of course none of us can change the way things happened - and I don't think any of us are trying to do that. I am not sad per se, but it's the way that things came around - that's what's sad - especially with the solo album. And it is sad the way Karen's life was governed by this big machine called A&M Records. The writing's on the wall - we all know the story - and it makes for interesting conversation. |
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Post by Ming on Jan 7, 2007 11:14:23 GMT -5
I listen to the Carpenters when I want to listen.  It is wonderful to listen to Carpenters songs after a long day's work. I cannot think any dream that I see Karen or Richard in it. But I remember I sometimes hear Carpenters' songs in my dreams.  Ming |
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Dave
Ultra Emissary
"sleeping in the arms of the cosmos..."
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Post by Dave on Jan 7, 2007 11:21:41 GMT -5
You can't be sad about something that none of us knew was happening, let alone had the ability to change anything. I may not have known about it when it was happening - but that doesn't change the fact that it did happen. Karen knew what was happening - all involved knew what was happening. Of course none of us can change the way things happened - and I don't think any of us are trying to do that. I am not sad per se, but it's the way that things came around - that's what's sad - especially with the solo album. And it is sad the way Karen's life was governed by this big machine called A&M Records. The writing's on the wall - we all know the story - and it makes for interesting conversation. Rick ol' buddy, what you described has happened so often in the entertainment industry that it's almost a cliche, if it isn't in fact one. Let's look at this phenomenon from some other vantage points. It won't help anyone feel better about what happened a lifetime ago, but perhaps it might. The Steelers head coach, Bill Cowher, just resigned on Friday. His stated reasons are a desire to spend more time with his family. He had a playing career before coaching the Steelers for 15 years, and in that time, two of his three daughters have grown up and currently attend Princeton. His third daughter is still in high school. Money may certainly play a part, because the Rooney family (the Steelers owners) would not pay Cowher what he asked. But on the other hand, perhaps at age 49 Cowher is realizing that his daughters are almost grown, and soon their footfalls will no longer echo in his ears. He had decided to take a year or so off, and savor what remains of their childhoods. For that I cannot blame him. My friend Sean O'Keefe left NASA for much the same reason. His family never left Baton Rouge when he went to Washington, and he longed to be home. He told President Bush that he would only stay for a few years, and he was true to his word. Today, he is Chancellor of LSU, and at home with his family. Likewise with former NASA astronaut and Assistant Administrator for Human Spaceflight William "Reads" Readdy. He retired from NASA after a long and distinguished career, because he felt that he'd spent too much time away from his family. So, you ask, what does all that have to do with what happened to Karen? Anyone who knows anything about the entertainment business knows that all they do is sell "fresh meat". Executives don't care about their performers, who they consider to be "consumables". Combine this fact with the Carpenters' family background, being middle class, and having their children have a chance for untold riches. This resulted in a situation where between the record company and the parents the children were playing 300 dates a year, and sacrificing their personal lives upon the altar of rock n' roll. We now see what the result was. This is one reason why Richard is as protective of his children as he is. I believe that he is a very good student of history, and he will not allow his children to be exposed to the entertainment industry in the same manner as he and his sister were. But, we still persist in "what might have been" debates, and that's only natural and good. Around here, there are those who believe that the Steelers would have won four Super Bowls in a row if Terry Bradshaw hadn't gotten involved with JoJo Starbuck. Richard can be quoted as believing that he and Karen would have done four Christmas albums by now. The truth is that we'll never know. All we can do is savor what we have, whether it's two Christmas albums, or watching your children grow up. Do-overs are hard to come by sometimes. |
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Post by Rick Henry on Jan 7, 2007 15:43:06 GMT -5
I listen to the Carpenters when I want to listen. It is wonderful to listen to Carpenters songs after a long day's work. I cannot think any dream that I see Karen or Richard in it. But I remember I sometimes hear Carpenters' songs in my dreams. Ming I like the way you put it Ming - you listen to Carpenters when you want to listen - that's pretty much the same with me. Seems that happens about two or three times a month. Though, there was a time from 1975 until about 1989 I would listen to Carpenters on a daily basis - just couldn't get enough.
Like you Ming - I have also heard a few Carpenters songs in my dreams - for some reason though they always seem to sound a bit different in my dreams.
Here's another dream I had. This one happened in 1978 - I think it was somewhere in the middle of the year like July.
I don't remember much - but Carpenters were playing a concert at an outdoor arena - maybe a stadium. I was there - I believe at one point I was on the stage. I never spoke with them - but I had a good vantage point on watching things get set up. I remember Tony Peluso plugging his electric guitar into the amplifier.
The group began to play - but shortly after the music started there was some sort of hard wind (or maybe a loud explosion) and a fire erupted which spread over to Richard and began burning him. Karen was untouched but looked shocked.
After this I woke up. |
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Dave
Ultra Emissary
"sleeping in the arms of the cosmos..."
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Post by Dave on Jan 7, 2007 21:39:27 GMT -5
"Here's another dream I had. This one happened in 1978 - I think it was somewhere in the middle of the year like July. The group began to play - but shortly after the music started there was some sort of hard wind (or maybe a loud explosion) and a fire erupted which spread over to Richard and began burning him. Karen was untouched but looked shocked."
Let's see...wasn't that about the time Richard was battling his addiction to painkillers?
You're more plugged in than you might think, I believe.
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It is wonderful to listen to Carpenters songs after a long day's work. 