Artists you have come to like because of the Carpe

[ThomB]

After hearing Help from the Close To You album I loved it so much that it made me want to learn more about the Beatles, so I bought a few of their records back in the mid 70's and ended up becoming a big fan.

I also became a Barry Manilow fan when he recorded Can't Smile Without You I ofcourse knew of him, but didn't really pay attention until he covered that song, which was originally a Carpenters song.

[Boat2Sail]

Leon russell. By 1973 Carpenters had recorded three of his songs. So I went out and bought his album Carney. I really did not care for it much at first, but it grew on me and it is now one of my favorite albums. I also like Russell's own hit singles Lady Blue and Tight Rope quite a bit.

[Rick Henry]

The Beatles were the first I caught on to because of K&R. I already knew and loved many of their songs before K&R ever hit the scene, but it was K&R's love for The Beatles and Beach Boys that made me like both groups even more than I already did. I was ten years old in 1970, so I really didn't notice most of the music of the 60's. It really wasn't until 1971 that I really took note of any music and that music that really hit me first was the Carpenters, so it's only natural that the C's influenced me in so many different directions, as they touched on so many different styles and different artists.

Klaatu - After hearing Carpenters' "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Kraft" I just had to find out who Klaatu was, so I bought their album with the original version of the song on it. I ended up liking all but one or two of the songs on the album. I eventually bought all 5 studio albums Klaatu released. They even mention the name "Karen" in one of the songs named "A Routine Day".

Leon Russell - For similar reasons that Boat2Sail mentioned in the previous post. "Lady Blue" is one of my all-time favorite top 40 hits of the 70's.

Randy Edelman - I bought two of his albums in the 70's because one had the original version of "You" on it. I liked that album so much that I bought a second which had his version of "Concrete And Clay" on it. One of the two albums also had "Weekend In New England", which was cover by Barry Manilow.

The Marvelettes - I loved "Please Mr. Postman" so much that I had to buy as many different version of it as I could. I bought the Beatles and the Marvelettes. I liked the Marvelettes so much that I bought several more of their singles on double sided oldies and then eventually bought their Greatest Hits. I really like the song "Too Many Fish in The Sea".

The Motown Sound - Sounds funny to say that The Carpenters were my influence that got me to like Motown, but they were. after hearing them perform "Dancing In The Street" on the TV special in 1977 I went out and bought several Martha and The Vandella records, which were right next to the Marvelettes records I bought a year earlier. From their I bought Smoky Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Mary Wells, Stevie Wonder and several others.

My love of the Carpenters has lead me in many different musical directions.

[Sammy]

The Beatles, Rita Coolidge (she was on A&M same label as Carps).

[Boat2Sail]

Because of instrumentals like Caravan, Iced Tea, Flat Baroque, I've come to like jazz artists like Dave Brubeck and Duke Ellington.

[ThomB]

Dusty Springfield. I always knew who she was and some of her songs, but after hearing her on Richard's first solo album I just fell in love with her voice and started buying more of her works.

[Moe]

I had listened to Sandi Patty on the radio back home, but I never bought any thing of hers. Then one night, I heard an exerpt of her live album. In this song medley, Sandi talks about her different musical influences. Karen was the first singer she try to immitake. Knowing that Sandi grew up listening to the Carpenters, I was sold. She obviously was a person with taste!

[Moe]

I forgot one...I think Martina McBride would do an awesome job with a song. Maybe Richard Marx or Celine Dion take a turn with a song, too.

[Superstargal]

Well, I don't really have any artists that I've come to like because of the Carpenters, but I DO like a lot of easy listening rock that is like the Carpenters. I enjoy groups like "Air Supply" and "Bread" and I also love to listen to female singers like Helen Reddy and Petula Clark. Of course, Karen is the best!!

[smoothie2]

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
I kind of agree with Superstargal on this topic too. The 70's especially brought out some really great music pop, and country and soft rock. I always loved Bread and air Supply also, and Anne Murray.
I do think that as I have come to listen more of the Carps music, I have come to appreciate the wide variety of different music and songs they came out with. I especially appreciate even more the choral voices and sort of harmony that comes out of such songs as Piano Picker, All of My Life, and Eve. It just blows me away when I think of how great a composer Richard was and how great he and Karen and the rest of their band came out with such incredible music.

[smoothie2]

Of course, I still love Herb Alpert and the Tijiuana Brass which were and still are terrific back before Herb discovered Richard and Karen. My brother played the coronet in hi sch. and Herb was really a role model for how he wanted to play. So, at our house we had all of Herb and the Brass's records as well as the group The Ventures who were great instrumentalists during those times.
Anyway, I guess because of Herb, I instantly became a Carpenters fan. And of course Burt Bacharach...was a tremendous influence for Richard and Karen too.
I think for the present day, I like Kenny G. and Harry Connick Jr. because their music certainly has touched many like the Carpenters. They don't have Karen though!

[Rick Henry]

I felt this was an interesting enough topic to bring up again, now that we have more members on the forum.

What are your thoughts.

[enigma]

Well there is no artist that I liked due to the fact I liked the Carpenters. I was a Beatlemaniac before my love for Karen and her and Richards music, I also liked quite a bit of the Beach Boys as well; both were already major players in the 60s music scene and had a whole wealth of material before the Carpenters even recorded a record. It is interesting that my favorite group The Beatles recorded their last album Abby Road the same year my second favorite group The Carpenters released their debut effort Offering; for my musical taste it was as if a torch had been passed.

What I did find was a new found respect for songwriters like Leon Russell, Burt Bacharach and Paul Williams / Roger Nichols they had such a wealth of material that suited the Carpenters so well and their songs were really good.

I think it is so cool that both The Beatles and The Carpenters had such a mutual admiration for one and other it just makes it all the sweeter when I listen to them because I love both artists so much.

[Rick Henry]

This statement I made in my first post in this topic:

I was ten years old in 1970, so I really didn't notice most of the music of the 60's. It really wasn't until 1971 that I really took note of any music and the music that really hit me first was the Carpenters, so it's only natural that the C's influenced me in so many different directions, as they touched on so many different styles and different artists.