Post by John in Phoenix on May 6, 2004 2:02:57 GMT -5
Hi all -
I hope that I am not intruding here by adding this thread, but I thought that perhaps it would be helpful to all of us to know that your requests to the new website that Tony so kindly gave us are actually about some of what we have all been asking for of Richard. I have pasted a copy of my email to the webmaster of the KARENANDRICHARD.COM email that I composed this evening. I hope that I have hit upon some our concerns and requests by way of this email. I hope that I haven't let any of you down in this email. Please let me know. I LOVE the C's and I have wanted to voice the requests in this email for so long to Richard. Let's hope that he see's it and responds in a positive manner. *Crossing my fingers*
Good morning Webmaster and hopefully Richard as well !
Sorry to write to you again so quickly, but I belong to several of the Carpenter's ' Unauthorized' websites created by us die hard fans (CARPONLINE and A&M Corner) and the buzz about this new and fully Authorized website under Richard's direction has become a topic of huge discussion. Most of it very positive I'm happy to report. Again, my personal thanks to you Richard for this undertaking to present all of the Carpenter's fans a new home on the web dedicated to you and your music. Karen would be tickled to see this. I know that I have been hoping to see this website for many years now.
My main reason for this email to you, the Webmaster (whoever you may be) is to pass along some suggestions from the fans that have no doubt relentlessly asked of Richard again and again as to what we hope to see available regarding the hard-to-come-by material of the Carpenters that has only been available in the past through bootlegging and fans swapping material. It is the hope of many of us that this website will become a new portal for seeing these requests come to fruition on this website in a legitimate form.
I only hope that I am not adding to the din of demands by writing you this email. That is not my intention, I promise you.
I for one have been looking on the web for the special goodies done by Rich and Karen that are not available to the general buying public and so far have been fortunate enough to purchase a few gems through Ebay to round out my own personal collection of C's music and video. Now that this website is up and running and evolving on an almost daily basis I can see that a venue is being created for ALL of us under Richard's direction that can perhaps fulfill a lot of our requests, if not through the record and video companies, then by Richard himself. It's been a long wait but I think this may be well worth it. I do want to thank all of the other websites out there that have been set up for us fans. We are a relentless group to say the least... LOL !!!!!
I can only hope that you are reading these Webmaster emails Rich. If not, I don't doubt that this site is in very capable hands. Thank you again so much for doing this for everyone.
Personally, my main request and that of SO MANY of us out here is that you somehow, some way, allow us access to streaming video of your television specials or even of snippets from your personal collection of your concerts that purportedly were videotaped at almost every turn. I don't know this for a fact, but enough people have yapped about it that I can only speculate that perhaps a good portion of the concerts were taped in some way for your and Karen's own viewing pleasure. You know how important they are to you and how they were to Karen, so you can only imagine where we stand not having access to those wonderful moments.
I know that my main thrust would be seeing a good clean copy of 'Music Music Music' available in some form through this website if even on a pay-per-view basis only. Obviously none of us on the outside of the business have even a remote clue as to the legalities involved in your being able to share these televison programs with us through this website, but if you can.......PLEASE Richard, let it happen. It would be wonderful to see these shows as they were/are intended to be viewed. Not the grainy 7th generation copies purchased through the back door of EBAY. The copies that I have purchased (And I would GLADLY pay you the royalties on my copies) have given me a great deal of pleasure, but it's just not the same as the real deal coming from you. By the way, I LOVE dizzy fingers and the way you ran like Hell to hit each keyboard without falling on your keister. LOL.! My own copy is so bad that all I really see is a red-ish screen and lines everywhere. Truly sad to see, but I have synched up my CD player to run concurrent to my copy of the video (If you can call my copy a video...) so I can at least hear the music properly. Necessity being the mother of invention and all of that business. Anyway, I know that all of us on the main chat/fan sites are really champing at the bit to see these videos being presented for all of us to see and enjoy in a format that isn't 3rd rate or lower. EBAY has been a great outlet, but I always feel somehow dirty for getting my videos in this manner. Just doesn't seem right.
God - I am rambling....forgive please.
Second request:
Obviously you are well aware of the bootleg online versions of the tracks that were not released on Karen's Solo album to the general public. Some of them are so-so, but a few are just wonderful to listen to. The main thing missing from them is Richard's remixing and added background vocals to polish the songs up. Something tells me that Richard has already done some work on these songs and has toyed with the idea of letting them be heard as they were intended to be....Perhaps one song every two months being presented on this website in a pay-per-listen setting or even a one time purchase would be an outright Nirvana for the Carpenters fans. I know it's asking one Hell of a lot, and again I know nothing of the legal aspects of this request, but it would certainly make a lot of people VERY happy indeed. Your call obviously. Perhaps a legit album release of the remaining songs is coming down the road that we don't know about....?
So - I guess that is my two cents worth. Richard must be really tired of the outright harassment of some of the more vocal fans demanding releases that may or may not even exist, but I as a fan from the beginning (1970 - I was 10 years old !) would be so very grateful if any of these requests could perhaps be fulfilled through the use of this website. If not, then I will wait for future releases through the record company, and hope for the best. The collections of the 'Best of' were all right in the beginning but now they are wearing very thin. Sorry...had to be honest about that. It may not even be your decision to release them like that again with only one or two songs punched up a bit so they sound a bit tighter. (Please don't hate me for saying that !) The new song versions actually sound great, but to purchase an album for one or two songs that have been redone is asking a bit much anymore for all concerned. Again - sorry for the honesty, but it needs to be said.
Thank you so much for all that you have given us Richard. You and Karen have always been a constant source of musical gold in my life and have influenced my music in countless ways, as you have for so many people around the globe.Your skills as an arranger and composer are absolutely world class without exception. I will always be a fan of the music, voice(s) and sound of the Carpenter's. Your music has NEVER let me down and it never will. Thank you for that Rich (assuming you ever see this email).
Best to you and your family, and a continued BRIGHT future for you as such a powerful musician in this jaded industry. Keep making the music Richard - you have the gift to do so without any question whatsoever. You are very sorely needed and missed in this era of overblown glamour music that we are faced with. (Brittany Spears comes to mind).
Keep the music that you do so well flowing Richard. You are SORELY missed these days.
John in Phoenix
i once lived in Phoenix and miss it very much 
(Arizona Dreamin) Thanks again
very interesting, I might try it , maybe
