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The Carpenters

Word Smith Sr

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I discovered The Carpenters a few days ago thanks to a member called "Aviator" on Maxjax. Excuse my english, my mother tongue is French, what word is more appropriate than "brilliant" when it comes to Karen's voice ? Watch the following videos and you will understand why i'm asking this:

[youtube]kwqbKzH_cYw[/youtube]

[youtube]W7eaxxUBLSI[/youtube]

Fast forward to 0:50 to see them perform, she plays the drums while singing in this one:

[youtube]Yt5mBWzu72M[/youtube]

May you R.I.P Karen Carpenter, *sending you love, kisses and hugs from France*, though you're not here you're still here.
 
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I'm glad you guys like their music. I'm 23 and wonder how many young people like their music or even know about them. By the way, i just modified the first post, there are 3 videos now, enjoy. :)
 
I've heard about them, and I know Karen Carpenter passed away from anorexia. I'm not sure I've heard their music.. but I'll listen now. I know my mum liked them because every time they are mentioned on tv she says so.

You know on The Jackson Family Dynasty, the brothers said they took some influence from The Carpenters. I can't remember what it was now.. the way they harmonise or something? IDK.. :/
 
Karen Carpenter wasn't just a girl who could sing, she was the model of modern pop vocals. Her phrasing was impeccable, her intonations were superb and her pitch was as close to perfect as humanly possible. You see there's everyday singing, and then there's the way Karen sang. I can't think of a female who put more feeling into her syllables. Every delicate note she killed, the music truly mattered to her.

During MJ's adolescent years, when his voice was maturing into manhood, you can hear his vocals clearly influenced by Karen's style.

'One Day In Your Life' (1974)
[youtube]44_qWFAdjqQ[/youtube]

'Superstar' (1971)
[youtube]7-nlLQEfxx8[/youtube]

Marty In LA
 
I agree she was one of the best female vocalist around and her brother was very talented too, very sad end to her life. i watched the film only a couple of weeks ago and that got me looking up all her videos again.
 
I love their song Rainy Days And Mondays. Karen's vocals are so awesome in that song alone. No one like her will ever be in my lifetime again.
 
She had a special and unique voice. Very talented. So many hit songs.
 
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Marty In LA said:
Karen Carpenter wasn't just a girl who could sing, she was the model of modern pop vocals. Her phrasing was impeccable, her intonations were superb and her pitch was as close to perfect as humanly possible. You see there's everyday singing, and then there's the way Karen sang. I can't think of a female who put more feeling into her syllables. Every delicate note she killed, the music truly mattered to her.
Marty In LA
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I could not have described her better. Karen had one of the greatest pop vocals ever. Dare I say that remains to this day. I grew up listening to the Carpenters and watching them on TV just like with the Jacksons. I can hear so much of the Carpenter's style in "one day in your life". I can imagine Karen singing that song.

Oh, you young people who haven't heard all of her music...you are in for a treat. Geez, once again I feel so old, lol. I guess their music may seem a little "syrupy" and laid back compared to today's crazy music. They were mocked for that even in the 70's. But it's Karen's excellent vocals that truly make the songs (and her brother Richard's backing vocals and keyboard/piano). I loved how she used her lower register.

I think my favorite Carpenters songs are "Goodbye to love" (so sad and so relatable for me), "Close to you" and "superstar". I love them all though.

 
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Rockin. said:
You know on The Jackson Family Dynasty, the brothers said they took some influence from The Carpenters. I can't remember what it was now.. the way they harmonise or something? IDK.. :/
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I think it was either Jermaine or Tito that mentioned the Carpenters, but I don't recall what the context was. Apparently the family also liked America (70's light rock band), because Let's Wait Awhile (Daisy Jane), A Place With No Name (Horse With No Name), and Someone To Call My Lover (Ventura Highway) are based on their tunes.
 
I like the carpenters, I dont listen them a whole lot but there pretty good.
 
DuranDuran said:
I think it was either Jermaine or Tito that mentioned the Carpenters, but I don't recall what the context was. Apparently the family also liked America (70's light rock band), because Let's Wait Awhile (Daisy Jane), A Place With No Name (Horse With No Name), and Someone To Call My Lover (Ventura Highway) are based on their tunes.
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America...another great band/sound from the 70's/80's. I saw them in concert touring with Chicago (my ultimate favorite band) a few years ago. I miss the mello 70's!!! :D
 
suzynyc said:
America...another great band/sound from the 70's/80's. I saw them in concert touring with Chicago (my ultimate favorite band) a few years ago. I miss the mello 70's!!! :D
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U and I both.

I love the other bands that u mentioned as well. Very good times indeed.
 
She had a beautiful voice, but does anyone else feel the carpenters' songs were quite melancholy? I've always felt you could hear/feel sadness in her voice.
 
A '70's youngster, the Carpenters were one of the most played and heard when I was growing up. My mother used to turn on the easy listening radio stations when it was time for me to take a nap and I used to hear "We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and my all time favorite "Sing A Song". That song (along with Neil Dimond's "Heartlight") reminds me so much of Michael--especially when the part comes where the children starts singing. I always wished he would have done a remake of that song.
 
Love.him said:
She had a beautiful voice, but does anyone else feel the carpenters' songs were quite melancholy? I've always felt you could hear/feel sadness in her voice.
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Yes, I could hear a lot of sadness in her voice. That's what I loved about her vocals. I love sad songs. It's strange though because I remember listening to a radio interview she gave with her brother not long before her death and she said she was a happy, optimistic person (or something to that effect).
 
enlightenu said:
A '70's youngster, the Carpenters were one of the most played and heard when I was growing up. My mother used to turn on the easy listening radio stations when it was time for me to take a nap and I used to hear "We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and my all time favorite "Sing A Song". That song (along with Neil Dimond's "Heartlight") reminds me so much of Michael--especially when the part comes where the children starts singing. I always wished he would have done a remake of that song.
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"Sing a Song" reminds me so much of playing outside with my friends as a kid because I remember all of us singing that song together (picture this happening in a pretty tough neighborhood in Brooklyn). I would have loved to hear Michael sing it too.
 
suzynyc said:
Yes, I could hear a lot of sadness in her voice. That's what I loved about her vocals. I love sad songs. It's strange though because I remember listening to a radio interview she gave with her brother not long before her death and she said she was a happy, optimistic person (or something to that effect).
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Yes, she was very optimistic then. She was just getting her life back together and was at a healthy weight, I believe an article said after her death.

I just wish she were still with us, because she could have done sooooo much more.
 
Love.him said:
She had a beautiful voice, but does anyone else feel the carpenters' songs were quite melancholy? I've always felt you could hear/feel sadness in her voice.
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Most certainly! Every hauntingly beautiful word was drenched in an almost tangible sadness. Karen's voice was perfect. Never did you hear her hit a bad note. She was the most perfect vocalist I have ever heard. That need for perfection unfortunately transcended in to her personal life and we all know how that ended. So sad. So tragic. That's another one of those things you wish you could have a time machine to go back and change the outcome.
 
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