Carpenters and ABBA

[Christian]

I have the 1978clip from the Tonight Show where they have just returned from Germany after doing the StarParade show together with ABBA. Apart from being funny and cool on the show, Karen sings Thank You For The Music so beautifully. Such a shame it is still kept in the Vaults at A&M, it should have been released instead of I Believe You.
Must have been great to see that show with 2 such great acts on it. I always think of Karen when Frida sings Super Trouper, my favourite ABBA song, as Karen truly was a Super Trouper!

Just a little trivia, ABBA didn`t release Thank you For The Music as a single in that many countries although it is one of the best known ABBA songs. Therefor The Carpenters version would have even bigger hit potential as it did not have the ABBA version to compete with to such an extent.

We must fight to get this great song released!!! It is finished in the vaults, just waiting to be released. It was planned for As Time Goes By but was held back at the last moment!

[Rick Henry]

Another song that was recorded and completed in the same 1978 sessions as "Thank You For The Music" and "I Believe You" is the full version of "Dancing In The Street", hopefully someday some of these songs will see the light of day.

[cam83]

Yes, I have that particular tape on video, and it is neat. To see Karen wearing that outfit from her Space Encounters tv special in 1978. Karen's hair looked lovely, wearing those combs. She looked radiant and I love it when she sings "live." Then she went on to sing a segment of Superstar and Rainy Days and Mondays.
I love it when Elke Summer, the actress was pronouncing the word Star Parade, and Karen tried to say it that way too, and made a funny eye movement and kinda laughed, but it wasn't done to be mean. It was just Karen being Karen...hamming it up! And when she sings in Japanese, a version of Sing...and then everyone claps and she gets up and bows...that is sooo cute. I also love her frozen expression, when they say Achtung, or Attention in German...when she is in front of the camera and can't move. She really had a great sense of humor. I wish though, that she had sat next to John Davidson, not Richard. I think Richard should have let Karen sit there...oh well. I always find Richard's storytelling to forced and not really genuine...but I think he is a great producer, arranger, composer, conductor...he was very fantastic at those things.

My jumbled thoughts,
Cameron
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[glow=red,2,300]I gotta see your sweet sweet smile every day[/glow]

[Christian]

The video is great Cameron! I also love the little dance Karen does after the song(haven`t seen it for a while and can`t remember if it is after Thank You...or the medley) That is so cool! She is a ball on the show and seems to be in a great mood. If I am not mistaken, the Las Vegas performance at MGM is where Richard collapsed and they quit half way thru it. It was also their last televisionappearance for a long time I believe because of what ultimately happened with Rich.