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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 7, 2003 18:48:58 GMT -5
I'm one of those oddball Carpenters fans who primarily likes male vocalists and mainly 70's classic and progressive rock. I like Pink Floyd, Adrian Belew, Moody Blues, Steely Dan, the Cars, Electric Light Orchestra, Queen and many others. Of my top 10 alltime favorites two are female vocalists those being #1 The Carpenters and then Donna Summer. Don't get me wrong I enjoy female vocalists - but myself being a typical American male I love my rock and roll.
I find it interesting to find out about some of the different male musicians and music related people either Karen or Richard or both have met.
Here's a brief list: Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) - Karen met him at a party and they were supposed to go out on a date which never happened. they could have done an excellent duet together.
Paul McCartney - K&R met McCartney in 1974 in England while McCartney was in the studio recording a new album.
John Lennon - Lennon came up to Karen on the sidewalk to compliment her.
Gene Simmons (Kiss) - I believe it was in 1976. The Carpenters were playing the same arena as Kiss but the following evening. Karen went to the concert out of curiousity. After the show she called Gene Simmons to tell him she thought it was an interesting show and that she never saw anything like it before, but that she really enjoyed it. Karen went to his room to talk, Gene had other ideas on his mind, but Karen only wanted to talk. Simmons said he really liked Karen that her conversation was intelligent and interesting.
Art Garfunkel - Karen met Garfunkel I believe in 1980 while he was recording an album produced by Phil Ramone and Karen suupposedly sang on a track with Garfunkel.
Mike Curb - Karen dated Curb in the early mid 70's. Curb had his own group called The Mike Curb Congregation which had a few semi-hits around 1971-1973.
John Denver - Of course we know Denver was on one of their TV special and also joined them at an awards shows and other events.
BeeGees - Karen met the BeeGees at dodger stadium in Los Angeles in 1979 with Olivia newton-John before a concert.
Frank Zappa - Richard sat next to Zappa at an awards ceremony. Richard was a big Frank Zappa fan.
Quicy Jones - The Carpenters met Jones on several occassions. Jones known for his hit "Ai No Corrida" and "Stuff Like That" recorded for A&M during the 70's and 80's - he's best remembered for working on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album. I believe Jones was around during Karen's solo album sessions.
Rod Temperton - Rod Temperton was a member of the R&B disco group Heatwave, best remembered for the songs "Always And Forever" and "Boogie Nights". Temperton worked on Karen's solo album, he did several of the vocal arrangements and also wrote a few of the songs.
Terry Ellis - Karen dated Terry in mid 70's. ellis was associated with the record label chrysalis and was the personal manager of rock groups like Jethro Tull, Procol Harum and Ten Years After .
are there any others?
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Post by cam83 on Oct 7, 2003 18:53:59 GMT -5
Well we all know she dated Alan Osmond for a while there...and then she dated briefly actors TONY DANZA and MARK HARMON. I cannot remember other celebrities she dated...
Cam
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 7, 2003 21:01:48 GMT -5
Speaking of Tony Danza, has anybody heard his recently released CD "The House I Live In". It's actually very good. He does a very Carpenteresque rendition of "I'll Be seeing You" and a snappy version of "Pennies From Heaven". He sings in style I would describe as a cross between Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick Jr.
I'm always interested in the variety of people K&R met or worked with along the way. richard had such diverse tastes in music. He liked everything from Spike Jones to Les Paul and Mary Ford to Frank Zappa to The Beatles and The Beach Boys to Klaatu to old Motown to elvis and more. I really enjoy that eclectic side of Richard which shows through in the music. That's just one more aspect of The Carpenters that endears me to them. They were more than your average easy listening group. Their music was diverse, they tackeld several genres of music and was successful in all they did.
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Post by Sammy on Oct 7, 2003 21:59:51 GMT -5
How about Mark Lindsay he sang with the group Paul Revere & The Raiders remember the song Indian Reservation and he also had his own solo hits like Arizona. I believe Mark Lindsay toured with the Carps in 1970.
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Post by Rick Henry on Oct 19, 2003 11:10:45 GMT -5
Here are two more for the list:
JUSTIN HAYWARD: Karen met Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) at a party in 1981 to celebrate the release of "Made In America".
NICKY CHINN: Karen dated Englishman Chinn in 1973. chinn is best known for the many hits he wrote with writing partner Mike Chapman. Here is a brief list of some of their hits: Little Willie - The Sweet Ballroom Blitz - The Sweet Stumblin' In - Suzi Quatro She's In Love With You - Suzi Quatro Can The Can - Suzi Quatro Living Next Door To Alice - Smokie Kiss You All Over - Exile Mickey - Toni Basil
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Post by smoothie2 on Oct 19, 2003 19:46:34 GMT -5
:)No, I didn't know all of that ..and it is interesting. Hey, if you're back Cam welcome and hope your trip was a good one!
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 17, 2007 23:46:37 GMT -5
This is another topic which I felt had the potential to be a good topic. Just to add another tidbit about Paul McCartney when Karen and Richard visited him in 1974 he was working on the album "Band On The Run" - I believe. McCartney commented that if he hadn't been working on a rock song that day he would have invited Karen to sing on the album... too bad... that would have been great for Karen to be involved in such a classic album. Another one is Art Garfunkel... whatever happened to the song Karen sang on with him? Does anybody know anything about this? I can't believe that I forgot to mention Peter Cetera... he sang harmony vocals on Karen's solo "Making Love In The Afternoon"... Cetera (from the group Chicago) also wrote and arranged the song. Are there any other "classic rock" related males out there that had a connection to Carpenters or Richard or Karen?
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 18, 2007 9:35:34 GMT -5
Another interesting thing is the amount of songs Karen sang either with Carpenters or on her solo album which were originally sung by a male vocalist or were written for a male to sing. A few that come to mind right off the top of my head of course are the two Beatles songs "Ticket To Ride" and "Help"... both sounded completely different as recorded by the Beatles. Carpenters took each song and made them their own. In "Help" they didn't have to change any lyrics but in "Ticket To Ride" they changed it from "she's got a ticket to ride" to "he's". Another one is from Karen's solo album "Guess I Just Lost My Head"... songwriter Rob Mounsey said he wrote the song from the male perspective and when Karen recorded it they had to change a few of the lyrics. Karen actually came up with the lyric change which is now part of the song. (I will dig up the actual part of the lyric which had to be changed. I have this in my files somewhere). "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song" was written by Steve Eaton about the rocky relationship he had with his girlfriend. Righteous Brothers recorded the song three years before Carpenters. I will be back with others.
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Post by enigma on Sept 18, 2007 18:29:32 GMT -5
well Kenny Rogers (more classic country/pop than Rock) had a connection in that he and/or someone who made decisions for the first edition rejected Karen when she auditioned for a vocalist. Oh well their loss As for Art Garfunkel I have heard the song Karen sang with him was recorded and does exist but no cofirmation as to whether this is a fact or someones wishful thinking apparently Art Garfunkel was contacted about this by a Carpenters fan but never got back to them. Rick what you said about the solo records songs only goes to prove Karen can sing anything male or female oriented she was a truely versitile and gifted artist who could sell a song from any point of view male or female.
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Post by smoothie2 on Sept 18, 2007 22:26:42 GMT -5
???I do believe the C's spent time with Paul Williams also.... Really amazing to think of K. and R. connecting with such diverse artists...but, that's probably exactly why they liked all kind of music. Also amazing to think that they beat Simon and Garfunkel (Bridge Over Tr. Water), The Beatles (Let It Be), and someone else at the Grammys with Close to You! I mean they were up against very Heavy Competition there! Of course, Close to You was just the start for them as far as awards I suppose. I know they recorded some Beach boys tunes, but I don't think Karen dated any of them. AND WHEN HE SMILES, was recorded from a group called The Wildweeds(right?) which was written by Alan C. Anderson (right?) BARRY MANILOW....who I saw on The Today Show this morning promoting his new cd of hits of the 60's and 70's. I thought he sounded pretty good. I had heard that Tony Danza did some recordings, but didn't know the details. He just seems like the nicest guy...similar to Karen and Richard ...not so much "celebrity".
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 18, 2007 22:27:40 GMT -5
well Kenny Rogers (more classic country/pop than Rock) had a connection in that he and/or someone who made decisions for the first edition rejected Karen when she auditioned for a vocalist. Oh well their loss As for Art Garfunkel I have heard the song Karen sang with him was recorded and does exist but no cofirmation as to whether this is a fact or someones wishful thinking apparently Art Garfunkel was contacted about this by a Carpenters fan but never got back to them. Rick what you said about the solo records songs only goes to prove Karen can sing anything male or female oriented she was a truely versitile and gifted artist who could sell a song from any point of view male or female. Boy Enigma... you are hitting the nail on the head today with your comments. I guess that's why I found interest in this topic because Karen was so very versatile and she could take a song which was written from the male perspective and put her female turn on it... while still somehow maintaining a tad bit of that male perspective. Yes, Kenny Rogers did audition Karen for the First Edition... he even commented that she had a fine voice... but not right for the First Edition. I believe Rita Coolidge also auditioned... her voice was more suited. As for the Art Garfunkel song it is mentioned in the Ray Coleman book... so it does exist. I guess we need to keep bugging Art Garfunkel until he answers us... who knows if we bug him enough the song might even see the light of day some day. There are even songs written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis which were written through the eyes of a male... "One Love" was written in 1966 (or 1967) when Richard and John worked at Disneyland (here is Anaheim, California). The song was originally named "Candy" after a girl they both had an eye for. Several years later they rewrote the main chorus for Karen to sing... changed "Candy" to "One Love" and hence a beautifully classic song came to be. "Ordinary Fool" is another. In the lyric Karen sings... "like an ordinary fool when his ordinary dreams fall through". Paul Williams wrote this song and recorded it previous to Carpenters recording it. When Carpenters recorded it they kept the lyric as is instead of changing the "his" to "her". Could this be why the song was not released on the "A Kind Of Hush" album in 1976... were they afraid to release a song in which Karen used the word "his" as a reference to herself? there are more... I'll be back... I promise... Rick the shark...
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 18, 2007 22:40:25 GMT -5
I had heard that Tony Danza did some recordings, but didn't know the details. He just seems like the nicest guy...similar to Karen and Richard ...not so much "celebrity". Yeah, Tony Danza seems like an okay chap... I mentioned him in my story "Karen" A Superstar's Life"... It's in the chapter titled "Windmills In Holland" which touches a bit on the environment and what has now become known as global warming. If you read my entire story you will notice there is quite a bit social commentary in it... everything from religion to abortion to the environment to unwed pregnancy to abduction to drug addition to prostitution to codependency and dealing with a psychotic fan... it's a pretty well rounded story... of course I do not profess to be a good writer and I make many grammitical mistakes and several typos... I just do it because I'm enjoying writing this story... here's the link for a reread of the chapter where Tony Danza is mentioned... carponline.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=ricksstory&action=display&thread=1135873303I am currently working on a new chapter in which some very shocking things will be happening... the story has already been pretty shocking with the recent abduction of Karen Carpenter by the jealously crazed fan... but now comes something even more shocking in her dealings with a friend. And yes, Tony Danza is slated to come back into the picture as Karen and Frenda (Karen's friend) run into Danza when they are shopping at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. This new chapter should be ready for posting in another month.
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Post by smoothie2 on Sept 19, 2007 23:15:44 GMT -5
I had heard that Tony Danza did some recordings, but didn't know the details. He just seems like the nicest guy...similar to Karen and Richard ...not so much "celebrity". Yeah, Tony Danza seems like an okay chap... I mentioned him in my story "Karen" A Superstar's Life"... It's in the chapter titled "Windmills In Holland" which touches a bit on the environment and what has now become known as global warming. If you read my entire story you will notice there is quite a bit social commentary in it... everything from religion to abortion to the environment to unwed pregnancy to abduction to drug addition to prostitution to codependency and dealing with a psychotic fan... it's a pretty well rounded story... of course I do not profess to be a good writer and I make many grammitical mistakes and several typos... I just do it because I'm enjoying writing this story... here's the link for a reread of the chapter where Tony Danza is mentioned... carponline.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=ricksstory&action=display&thread=1135873303I am currently working on a new chapter in which some very shocking things will be happening... the story has already been pretty shocking with the recent abduction of Karen Carpenter by the jealously crazed fan... but now comes something even more shocking in her dealings with a friend. And yes, Tony Danza is slated to come back into the picture as Karen and Frenda (Karen's friend) run into Danza when they are shopping at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles. This new chapter should be ready for posting in another month. img.photobucket.com/albums/v468/folder/earthspin.gif [/IMG] thanks for the link Rick, I will have to read it...I must admit also that I think I was impacted by the abduction of Karen, and I think, I did not like those images at all in my mind, (even though, it's so well written and only a story), but I quit reading somewhere through there, BUT Keep in mind, that on the whole, I'm not a reader, so when I start reading something, it'll take some effort for me to finish it. ANYWAY, I really have intended to finish what you've written, and from this added info., it sparks my interest even moreso. When I was in Jr. hi, I wrote a few short stories to mainly kill time ...I didn't keep any of that, thankfully...but my interest greatly went to the way side after Having To Write papers in college and etc...! I can't believe this shark is still around....!wow! kinda gives me a boost tonight as I ramble around with thoughts... ha Thanks for all the info. everyone....I always enjoy reading posts on the site...believe me on that...very well put Enigma...
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 22, 2007 21:59:01 GMT -5
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 24, 2007 21:33:09 GMT -5
Leon Russell is another "classic rock" male artist which Carpenters had an affiliation with. It all started in 1971 when Carpenters recorded the now classic "Superstar" one of Leon Russell's greatest compositions. This song, unlike others of his, was actually written in the female perspective (as the lyrics were written by Bonnie Bramlett of Delaney and Bonnie fame). Leon and Bonnie wrote the song for Rita Coolidge to sing on Joe Cocker's famous "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" album. Next came "A Song For You" another one of Leon Russell's finest compositions. This one Leon wrote for himself to sing and it first showed up on his 1971 album. I personally do not care for his very gritty performance of the song - but somehow Richard heard the potential in the song and recorded it - and aren't we the lucky ones to benefit from Richard's good ear. Before Carpenters recorded the song Bill Medley took a shot at the song - but it went nowhere for him. As you may recall from an earlier post in this thread this is not the only song which Bill Medley recorded before Carpenters... the other was Steve Eaton's "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song" which Bill recorded with Bobby Hatfield as the Righteous Brothers. And if "Superstar" and "A Song For You" were fantastic enough Carpenters did it one more time by recording Leon Russell's fabulous "This Masquerade". "This Masquerade" is another Leon wrote to record himself. Again another very gritty performance but somehow Richard heard the potential... again aren't we the one's to benefit. But the Leon Russell connection doesn't stop there... Leon Russell has the distinction of being one of the few artists whose songs were covered by Carpenters that also performed with the Carpenters on one of their albums. In 1977 Leon Russell played keyboards on "Man Smart, Woman Smarter"... I just love that quirky song... leave it to Carpenters to be so bold as to record something like that and do such a fantastic job with it.
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Post by YesterdayOnceMore on Sept 25, 2007 13:02:47 GMT -5
Rick, Enigma, Katt: Not a conversation I can contribute much to, as this was a subject I knew very little about. I didn't have the wherewithall at the time this all happened, to find out anything about the Carpenters except what was said on television - I knew they lived in Downey, and that Richard liked cars. Other than that, I knew precious little about their private lives. I do recall once getting a People Magazine that showed Karen's new Condo in it - at a time when they were trying to break free of their milk and cookies image. I thought that was really great, and as you know, I now have seen where that Condo was located in Century City. But I had no clue who KC dated, etc., especially when it happened. I knew a bit more about collaborators, musically - and I believe you all have done a wonderful job of describing each of those I have ever known about. As we know, for Karen's solo record, she used members of Billy Joel's backing band - some of the best studio musicians in the world.....but I don't guess they really count in this particular thought - they were not the actual male vocalist. And oh how I wish Karen and Billy would have done something together. I could only imagine how cool that would be. Thanks for all of this amazing information.
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 25, 2007 20:18:35 GMT -5
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 28, 2007 10:48:04 GMT -5
Hello all... hope you are having a beautiful day. It's 8:35 a.m. here in sunny Southern California. I'm back to continue our history lesson on the Carpenters connection with the "male" side of the music industry... I know it sounds a trife silly... but I guess I am interested in this as Carpenters have always been labeled as being a "female" thing... so I am here to burst that myth... seems there's many myths about Carpenters that need to be confronted... oh well... here I am on my mission of myth busting. Carpenters have an almost even amount of male fans as they do female fans... in some cases I think they have a slight bit more male fans. Goes to show their brand of silky tender music doen't only appeal to the female listener. In this thread I will continue to explore some of the musicians Richard employed that were counterpart to the so called "adult contemporary" set. I will also include quotes Richard has made revealing his love for "rock" music and his desire to add aspects of "rock" into Carpenters' music. Tony Peluso will show up in this thread also... his story is an interesting one. Right now I am in the process of reorganizing my archives and was unable to find my Carpenters connection to Jethro Tull... but when I find it I will post it in this thread. On with my research and today's lesson. As we all know Richard was a fan of Frank Zappa... That one always struck me as odd... but this is reality. In the late 70's or possibly in 1980 he met Ian Underwood... who was a member of Frank Zappa's band from 1969 throughout the entire 70's. Ian Underwood is a talented saxophonist, flautist and pianist. He is also known for his proficiency on the Minimoog synthesizer. It is for this talent that Richard hired Underwood. Along with Daryl Dragon (Captain of Captain and Tennille) Underwood did the synthesizer programming for the 1981-82 song "(Want You) Back In My Life Again". Richard was trying to create a new sound (I think he was somehow... maybe not realizing it at the time following on Karen's lead from her at that point shelved album). The new sound was called "electro-pop"... although it did not catch on for the Carpenters. Maybe it was just a tad bit too lightweight and too formulaic. Regardless of the lack of success for this song Richard did again manage to employee someone from outside of the "adult contemporary" world to perform on a Carpenters song... that being Ian Underwood... one who's talents Richard long admired from his affection toward Frank Zappa's music. Will come back with more.
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