Post by cam83 on Oct 30, 2003 1:21:51 GMT -5
1969 was the year that siblings Richard and Karen Carpenter signed to a small, but higly respected record label: A&M Records. Finally their years of longing for someone to appreciate their brand of music were over. Still, they only had a few chances to prove themselves worthy of belonging to Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss' recording company...and they were going to take the chance. Being avid BEATLES fans since day one, they went into the studio and recorded a softer, slower, but gentle version of TICKET TO RIDE. Their debut album was released titled OFFERING. The single TICKET TO RIDE hit # 54 on the charts and on the strength of this minor hit, they decided to retitle the OFFERING album to TICKET TO RIDE. They had also been unhappy with the OFFERING cover and so a new album cover was made up, although the music stayed the same...gentle, harmony-laden, and wonderfully put together. Another important note was that this album featured Karen performing bass guitar on 2 of the songs in addition to singing lead and doing background harmonies and flailing away at the drummers with expertise.
They headed back to the studio and began to work on album number two...and were encouraged by Herb Alpert to record a Hal David-Burt Bacharach tune named THEY LONG TO BE CLOSE TO YOU...and so they recorded it. Richard aptly shortened the title to (THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU...and the song became known as just CLOSE TO YOU...this song was released and hit NUMBER ONE for 4 weeks and sold a million plus copies, earning them their first gold single. It was a hit by the summer of 1970...why do birds suddenly appear, everytime you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you... Their next single was taken from the Crocker Bank Commercial titled WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN. Richard had seen the commercial one night and knew it would be perfect for Karen to sing. They quickly recorded it, and it landed at Number Two position, becoming their second gold single, and proved to others that this was no one fluke wonder...This song would go down in history as a highly popular wedding standard.
Their second album CLOSE TO YOU was released and sold over 5 million copies and was very successful, spawning 2 hit singles...and was also nominated for a Grammy Award...at the 1970 Grammy Awards, Karen and Richard won for "Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by A Duo, Group or Chorus" for "CLOSE TO YOU" album...and also nabbed the award for "BEST NEW ARTIST." The Carpenters were here to stay.
While on tour in Toronto, opening for singer Englebert Humperdink, in Canada...one night they had an evening off, they went and saw the movie Lovers and Other Strangers...and were taken by the song FOR ALL WE KNOW...and when they got back to LA they recorded their version, and upon release, it landed at Number Three on the Billboard Top 100, and also sold a million copies. As a result of this song becoming a huge hit, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song in 1970...and won.
While the Carpenters were extremely busy doing promotional tours, television guest appearances, charity events, concert tours, photo sessions, radio sessions...they were given stacks of record demos from songwriters hoping one of their songs would be recorded by the superstar Carpenter brother and sister duo...and one song caught their attention...RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS...a gorgeously song full of pathos, depression, melancholy and Karen got right to the heart and core of it...adding her feeling, and giving the song a life of it's own...neat to mention that this dark song hit Number Two on the charts and sold a million copies...Karen also added her unmistakable touch...giving it a bluesy quality...this was no ordinary song and also this was no ordinary singer...Karen was dynamite...and Richard's arrangements wonderful.
Their next release was a song SUPERSTAR which Richard had seen a relatively unknown BETTE MIDLER singing it, who was guesting on the TONIGHT SHOW...and once again, Richard felt it would be natural for her...another neat bit of information...the recorded vocal you hear of her singing is the first time she attempted to sing it, while reading the lyrics from a napkin...her version and vocal quality were so perfect that Richard released it like that...SUPERSTAR hit Number Two and sold a million records worth...adding another gold record to their collection, which by this time was ever growing. The Carpenters weren't just popular, they exploded!
Album # 3 in 1971 titled CARPENTERS sold over 4 million copies, and had 3 hugely hit singles on it...throwing the album into the Top 3 Album Charts...this album also in 1971 would win at the Grammy Awards for "BEST CONTEMPORARY VOCAL PERFORMANCE BY A DUO, GROUP or CHORUS" for the album "CARPENTERS."
The next single is HURTING EACH OTHER which hits the #2 spot and becomes another gold single. This single was origionally recorded by Ruby and the Romantics.
They began to work on Album # 4 in 1972 and their next single was IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME. This song was origionally from Carole King's MUSIC album and the Carpenters were taken with it that they recorded their version...this single cracked the TOP 20, hitting # 12.
They headed back to the studio and began to work on album number two...and were encouraged by Herb Alpert to record a Hal David-Burt Bacharach tune named THEY LONG TO BE CLOSE TO YOU...and so they recorded it. Richard aptly shortened the title to (THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU...and the song became known as just CLOSE TO YOU...this song was released and hit NUMBER ONE for 4 weeks and sold a million plus copies, earning them their first gold single. It was a hit by the summer of 1970...why do birds suddenly appear, everytime you are near? Just like me, they long to be close to you... Their next single was taken from the Crocker Bank Commercial titled WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN. Richard had seen the commercial one night and knew it would be perfect for Karen to sing. They quickly recorded it, and it landed at Number Two position, becoming their second gold single, and proved to others that this was no one fluke wonder...This song would go down in history as a highly popular wedding standard.
Their second album CLOSE TO YOU was released and sold over 5 million copies and was very successful, spawning 2 hit singles...and was also nominated for a Grammy Award...at the 1970 Grammy Awards, Karen and Richard won for "Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by A Duo, Group or Chorus" for "CLOSE TO YOU" album...and also nabbed the award for "BEST NEW ARTIST." The Carpenters were here to stay.
While on tour in Toronto, opening for singer Englebert Humperdink, in Canada...one night they had an evening off, they went and saw the movie Lovers and Other Strangers...and were taken by the song FOR ALL WE KNOW...and when they got back to LA they recorded their version, and upon release, it landed at Number Three on the Billboard Top 100, and also sold a million copies. As a result of this song becoming a huge hit, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song in 1970...and won.
While the Carpenters were extremely busy doing promotional tours, television guest appearances, charity events, concert tours, photo sessions, radio sessions...they were given stacks of record demos from songwriters hoping one of their songs would be recorded by the superstar Carpenter brother and sister duo...and one song caught their attention...RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS...a gorgeously song full of pathos, depression, melancholy and Karen got right to the heart and core of it...adding her feeling, and giving the song a life of it's own...neat to mention that this dark song hit Number Two on the charts and sold a million copies...Karen also added her unmistakable touch...giving it a bluesy quality...this was no ordinary song and also this was no ordinary singer...Karen was dynamite...and Richard's arrangements wonderful.
Their next release was a song SUPERSTAR which Richard had seen a relatively unknown BETTE MIDLER singing it, who was guesting on the TONIGHT SHOW...and once again, Richard felt it would be natural for her...another neat bit of information...the recorded vocal you hear of her singing is the first time she attempted to sing it, while reading the lyrics from a napkin...her version and vocal quality were so perfect that Richard released it like that...SUPERSTAR hit Number Two and sold a million records worth...adding another gold record to their collection, which by this time was ever growing. The Carpenters weren't just popular, they exploded!
Album # 3 in 1971 titled CARPENTERS sold over 4 million copies, and had 3 hugely hit singles on it...throwing the album into the Top 3 Album Charts...this album also in 1971 would win at the Grammy Awards for "BEST CONTEMPORARY VOCAL PERFORMANCE BY A DUO, GROUP or CHORUS" for the album "CARPENTERS."
The next single is HURTING EACH OTHER which hits the #2 spot and becomes another gold single. This single was origionally recorded by Ruby and the Romantics.
They began to work on Album # 4 in 1972 and their next single was IT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME. This song was origionally from Carole King's MUSIC album and the Carpenters were taken with it that they recorded their version...this single cracked the TOP 20, hitting # 12.