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Post by shalalala on Mar 11, 2005 0:21:15 GMT -5
Greetings from the Bluegrass State! It's nice to find a forum dedicated to my new favorite musical group.
I downloaded my first Carpenters song on iTunes about a month ago and am now obsessed with them! My iPod contains just about every song they ever recorded, and just a few days ago I purchased six of their vinyl LPs at a local resale store. I just love their sound. Richard in my view is a musical genius on par with Brian Wilson. And Karen ... what can you say about the most beautiful voice the world has known?
It boggles my mind that the Carpenters were labeled "easy listening" in their hey-day and were ridiculed by some music critics. In my book, their songs were -- are -- pop perfection. They pick me up when I'm feeling blue and can even make me cry -- when I put on headphones and listen to Solitaire, it brings tears to my eyes every time.
Anyway, it's great to be on board!
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Post by cam83 on Mar 11, 2005 14:34:19 GMT -5
WELCOME It's good to have you hear. I am glad you mentionned SOLITAIRE. I always think it is Karen's crowning achievement at that time. That song is so high and so low and she handles it like a canary. She adds the right amount of pathos and sadness. Funny though, she never liked that song, even after she recorded it, but I believe it showcases her voice to a tee. Karen's voice is like honey. Pure crystalline. Sunshine. Vanilla. Those are some words to describe her voice. Have you had a chance to listen to her solo album titled KAREN CARPENTER? It's a great album! Anyways, welcome!! Cameron
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 11, 2005 21:58:18 GMT -5
Welcome Shalalala. Wonderful to have you here. I also love "Solitaire" and feel certainly it's a highlight of Karen's finest vocal performances. You've got to hear this song from the actual discs such as wonderfully sounding "Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition". This is a fine collection with some outstanding liner notes. I agree also with the "easy listening" label that was put on the Carpenters. Richard Carpenter's arrangements were far too sophisticated to simply be called easy listening. I call their music "classic". Anyway Welcome Shalalala hope you enjoy this forum.
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Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Mar 12, 2005 8:35:52 GMT -5
$% $% A hearty welcome to you Shalalala. Where in KY are you from? I have some "folk" in KY as well - Henderson, Owensboro, etc. I hope you enjoy this forum as much as I do - it's a fantastic place to find out great historical information about Karen and Rich, as there are a lot of Carpenters officianados in the group. It's a fun place to be. I find it very cool that you've only just discovered Carpenters music, yet you've obviously found the genius in the duo. There is something in each and every tune worth exploring. Karen's vocals/Richard's arrangements, etc. It's all good, and it makes for wonderful discussion. Welcome aboard. Looking forward to some great dialogue with you. Tim (AKA YesterdayOnceMore) @@
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Post by shalalala on Mar 12, 2005 16:00:25 GMT -5
I live in Lexington.
I think it's a testament to the Carpenters' brilliance that I seem to have a new favorite song every week. I started out listening to their hits -- Close to You, Rainy Days and Mondays, We've Only Just Begun -- but have since mined a lot of their lesser-known songs that are just as good if not better.
Like you said, there's so much to explore in every song and every album.
Right now I seem to be playing "Baby It's You" quite a bit. Karen just sounds great on this song. It's funny how the Carpenters can play Bacharach better than Bacharach.
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 12, 2005 16:27:30 GMT -5
I live in Lexington. I think it's a testament to the Carpenters' brilliance that I seem to have a new favorite song every week. I started out listening to their hits -- Close to You, Rainy Days and Mondays, We've Only Just Begun -- but have since mined a lot of their lesser-known songs that are just as good if not better. Like you said, there's so much to explore in every song and every album. Right now I seem to be playing "Baby It's You" quite a bit. Karen just sounds great on this song. It's funny how the Carpenters can play Bacharach better than Bacharach. Interesting comments here. I'm the same way with the Carpenters. My favorites are always changing. Though after 30 some years of listening to Carpenters I've settled in to my two favorites which always remain "Only Yesterday" and "Road Ode". The rest of my big favorites change every so often. Right now my favorites seem to be "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye And I Love You", "I Just Fall In Love Again", "B'wana She No Home", "I Believe You", "Ordinary Fool", and "Remember When Lovin' Took All Night (from Karen's solo). I agree the Carpenters definitely do Bacharach better than Bacharach himself. I believe Bacharach made a comment about how Richard Carpenter's arrangement of "Close To You" was far superior to his own.
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