Carpenters

[montage]

 [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ]



The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter.

Producing a distinctively soft musical style, they became one of the best-selling music artists of all time. During their 14-year career, The Carpenters recorded 11 albums, 31 singles, five television specials, and a short-lived television series. Their career ended in 1983 by Karen's death from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia. Extensive news coverage surrounding the circumstances of her death increased public awareness of eating disorders.

The duo's brand of melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, and they became leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary genres. The Carpenters had three No. 1 singles and five No. 2 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen No. 1 hits on the Adult Contemporary chart. In addition, they had twelve top 10 singles. To date, The Carpenters' album and single sales total more than 100 million units.

Richard Carpenter was the creative force behind The Carpenters sound. An accomplished keyboard player, composer and arranger, Richard Carpenter was called by music critic Daniel Levitin "one of the most gifted arrangers to emerge in popular music."  In a period when contemporary music was dominated by heavy rock, their smooth harmonies were not in step with the trends of the day. The sound the Carpenters were going for was rich and melodic, along the same vein as the harmonies found in their contemporaries The Beach Boys and the The Mamas & the Papas, but with greater fullness and orchestration.  Most of Richard's arrangements were classical in style, with frequent use of strings and occasional brass and woodwind instruments as well.

Richard's work with Karen was heavily influenced by the music of Les Paul, whose overdubbing of the voice of partner Mary Ford allowed her to be used as both the lead and harmonizing vocals.  By use of multi-tracked recordings, Richard was able to use Karen and himself for the harmonies to back Karen's lead. The overdubbed background harmonies were distinctive to the Carpenters, but it was the soulful, engaging sound of Karen's lead voice that made them so recognizable.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDPMmaHWj1I


"Top of the World" is a 1972 song written and composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. It was a Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit for two weeks in 1973 for The Carpenters.

Originally intended to be only an album cut for them, country music singer Lynn Anderson covered the song and was the first to release it as a single. Her version nearly topped the US Billboard Hot Country singles chart, reaching No. 2.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6inwzOooXRU

T5

Close to You is the second studio album by Carpenters, released in August 1970.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 175 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album contains the hit singles "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun". "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was the duo's song that gained the Carpenters an international reputation for a decade. The album topped the Canadian Albums Chart and peaked at #2 on the US Billboard albums chart.

It was also successful in the United Kingdom, entering the top 50 of the official chart for 76 weeks during the first half of the 1970s.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHD5dBHdoFo

This article is about the song. For the Herman's Hermits album, see There's a Kind of Hush All Over the World. For the Carpenters album, see A Kind of Hush (album).

"There's a Kind of Hush" is a popular song written by Les Reed and Geoff Stephens which was a hit in 1967 for Herman's Hermits and again in 1976 for The Carpenters.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9CvY9b7vg0

Sweet, Sweet Smile" is a C&W song composed by Otha Young and Juice Newton introduced by The Carpenters on their 1977 album Passage. The track features drummer Ronnie Tutt who regularly backed Elvis Presley.

"Sweet, Sweet Smile" is one of the few songs recorded by the Carpenters which was chosen by Karen Carpenter rather than Richard Carpenter. Juice Newton and her bandleader Otha Young had written "Sweet, Sweet Smile" for Newton herself to record but Newton's label Capitol Records was not interested in the song. Newton's manager, who was a friend of the Carpenters, was playing the demo of "Sweet, Sweet Smile" at his home while Karen Carpenter was visiting. Karen Carpenter liked the song and brought it to the attention of her brother Richard Carpenter who'd recall: "I liked it immediately...now there's one that, to me, should have done better than it did" referring to the track's January 1978 release as the third single from Passage. Acknowledging the Carpenters' career decline, Richard Carpenter would add: "I think if someone else had done ['Sweet, Sweet Smile'] at that time, it would have been a bigger hit."

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D993OdK3tU

"Can't Smile Without You" is a song written by Christian Arnold, David Martin, and Geoff Morrow, and recorded by various artists including Barry Manilow and The Carpenters.

The version recorded by Manilow in 1977 and released in 1978 is the most well-known version, though it was not the first to be recorded or released.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwfhbAligAo

"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is a song written by Lonnie Donegan and Jimmy Currie, and first released by Donegan as a single in 1962. Its most commercially successful recording was by Tom Jones in 1967.
According to Jones:
"I did some shows with Lonnie and we became friends.... One night he said: 'Look, I have this song, you'd sing the pants off it. I've recorded it, but I can't really sing it. It's a sort of a rewrite of a song from the Thirties when the Depression was going on, called 'I'm Never Going To Cease My Wandering.' I knew that song, because a lot of guys used to sing it in pubs in Wales. I went to his house in Virginia Water, and he got this record out to listen to.... With the big chorus on it, it sounded fantastic. He was singing it Lonnie Donegan style, completely different from the way I did, like somebody busking..."

On first release, Tom Jones' recording reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart but was less successful in the United States where it peaked at number 49 on the Hot 100, and number 28 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

As the follow-up to Jones' "Love Me Tonight", "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" was reissued in 1969 in the US, reaching number six on the Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.

This song was covered in 1978 by the Filipino singer Sam Sorono (1950–2008) on his Sings Tom Jones' Greatest Hits album with EMI Records.

The song was also covered by Elvis Presley on the From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee album in 1976.

It was also recorded by Richard Marx (B-side to "The Way She Loves Me"), Timi Yuro (Something Bad on My Mind album, 1968), Lena Martell and Marco T

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5ImncN-rQc


"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Hank Williams that was first released in July 1952. Named for a Creole and Cajun dish, jambalaya, it spawned numerous cover versions and has since achieved popularity in several different music genres.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jixeE8gkT-s

"Goodbye to Love" is a song composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. It was released by The Carpenters in 1972. On the Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters documentary, Tony Peluso stated that this was one of the first power ballads, if not the first, to have a fuzz guitar solo.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BURIAZwJkPc

Love Will Keep Us Together" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield.

It was first recorded by Sedaka himself in 1973 and was released as a single in France. American pop duo Captain & Tennille covered the song in 1975, with instrumental backing by L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew and had a worldwide hit with their version.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GChYjK8rIk


This Masquerade" is a song written by Leon Russell. The song appeared on the B-side of the single for Russell's 1972 hit "Tight Rope" and on his Carney album. The song has also been recorded by many other artists, most notably George Benson.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHfddvbKb4w

Please Mr. Postman" is a song written by Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, and Robert Bateman. It is the debut single by the Marvelettes for the Tamla (Motown) label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well.

"Please Mr. Postman" became a number-one hit again in early 1975 when the Carpenters' cover of the song reached the top position of the Billboard Hot 100. "Please Mr. Postman" has been covered several times, including a 1963 version by the English rock group the Beatles.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKomWBuEXe4

"Sing" is a 1971 song written by Joe Raposo for the children's television show Sesame Street. In 1973, the song gained popularity when performed by the Carpenters, who made it a #3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Raposo was one of the staff songwriters on Sesame Street, and the song became one of the most popular on the program, sung in English, Spanish, and sign language. In its initial appearance, the song was sung by adult human cast members of the show (the most frequent lead singer was Bob McGrath[citation needed]) and Muppets, including Big Bird.

Barbra Streisand's 1972 version of "Sing" was released as a single, reaching number 28 on the Easy Listening chart and number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100. Many other versions of the song have since been recorded by a variety of artists.

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJmmaIGiGBg

Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell (with a songwriting credit also given to Delaney Bramlett ) that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best-known version is by the Carpenters in 1971

[montage]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTaWayUE5XA

T5

"Yesterday Once More", written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, is a hit song by The Carpenters from their 1973 album Now & Then. Composed in the key of E, "Yesterday Once More" features a long middle section, consisting of eight covers of 1960s tunes incorporated into a faux oldies radio program. The work takes up the entire B-side of the album.

The single version of the song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart becoming their 5th number two hit and making them the act with the second most number two hits on the chart behind only Madonna. The song also peaked at number 1 on the easy listening chart, becoming their eighth number 1 on that chart in four years. It is The Carpenters' biggest-selling record worldwide and their best-selling single in the UK, peaking at number 2.

Richard Carpenter admitted, on a Japanese documentary, that it was his favorite of all the songs that he had written. He has performed an instrumental version at concerts.
According to Cash Box, on June 2, 1973, "Yesterday Once More" was the highest-debuting single at No. 71. By August 4, it had reached No. 1.

Dionne Warwick, a close friend of The Carpenters, performed the song live in Las Vegas the night before Karen Carpenter's death in 1983.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw_1iUh72hY

"All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" is a song composed by Steve Eaton. Previously recorded by The Righteous Brothers in 1975, it was popularized by the Carpenters in 1977. It was released to the public on May 21, 1977. Its B-side was "I Have You", a song released on the A Kind of Hush album in 1976. The song was also included on their 1977 album, Passage.

In the late 1970s, this particular track appeared in a Top 10 of misheard lyrics (and is often on similar forums online).  This was compiled by Noel Edmonds and the misheard lyric sounds like: "Because the best love songs are written with a broken arm," as opposed to the correct lyrics "Because the best love songs are written with a broken heart."

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqkVNHwJfKc

"Hurting Each Other" is a song popularized by The Carpenters in 1972.

It was written by Gary Geld and Peter Udell in 1965,  and was recorded multiple times by artists from Ruby & the Romantics to Rosemary Clooney.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n2-gODo7S8

"I Believe You" is a love ballad composed by Don and Dick Addrisi which was a 1977 single for Dorothy Moore; taken from her self-titled Dorothy Moore album. "I Believe You" reached #5 R&B and crossed over to the Pop Top 30 at number 27. The track also reached number 20 in the UK.

The song was recorded by The Carpenters and released as a single in June 1978. While it reached number 9 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, it peaked at a disappointing #68 on the Billboard Hot 100, owing significantly to the fact that its accompanying album was delayed indefinitely (it would be three more years until their next album was released), reportedly due to Karen's health issues, although Richard at the time was also dealing with his own addiction to quaaludes.

In June 1981 the album Made in America—which included "I Believe You"—was finally released.

The potential success "I Believe You" might have had it been issued in conjunction with an LP was underscored when the album's eventual lead single, "Touch Me When We're Dancing", became the first Carpenters hit to reach the Hot 100's Top 20 as well as number 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart since "There's a Kind of Hush" did the same in early 1976.

"I Believe You" was also featured on the 1978 album Moods by Barbara Mandrell.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exhiNToY3eI

"For All We Know" is a soft rock song written for the 1970 film Lovers and Other Strangers, with music by Fred Karlin and lyrics by Robb Wilson (Robb Royer) and Arthur James (Jimmy Griffin). Both Royer and Griffin were founding members of the soft-rock group Bread. It was originally performed by Larry Meredith.

It is best known for a cover version by American pop duo Carpenters in 1971, which reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and No. 1 on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart. The song was also a hit for Shirley Bassey at the same time in the United Kingdom. It has since been covered by a large number of artists.

The song became a Gold record. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1971.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjFoQxjgbrs


"Rainy Days and Mondays" is a 1971 song by The Carpenters, with instrumental backing by L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew,  that went to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and it was the duo's fourth number 1 song on the Adult Contemporary singles chart.  However, the song failed to chart in the United Kingdom until it went to number 63 in a reissue there in 1993. "Rainy Days and Mondays" was certified Gold by the RIAA.

The song was composed in 1971 by the then-fairly unknown composers Roger Nichols and Paul Williams. It was released as the first track on the album Carpenters, popularly known as the Tan Album, and the B-side on the single is "Saturday", written and sung by Richard Carpenter.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__VQX2Xn7tI

"We've Only Just Begun" is a hit single by Carpenters written by Roger Nichols (music) and Paul Williams (lyrics). Ranked at No. 405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", it is frequently used as a wedding song.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0tUHbMnBNI

"Solitaire" is a ballad written by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody. Cody employs playing the card game of solitaire as a metaphor for a man "who lost his love through his indifference"—"while life goes on around him everywhere he's playing solitaire". The song is best known via its rendition by the Carpenters.

The Carpenters recorded "Solitaire" for the 1975 Horizon album; Richard Carpenter, familiar with the song via the versions by Neil Sedaka and Andy Williams, was "not crazy" about the song but felt it would showcase Karen Carpenter's vocal expertise and Richard Carpenter would assess Karen Carpenter's performance on "Solitaire" as "one of [her] greatest" adding "she never liked the song [and]...she never changed her opinion."

"Solitaire" was issued as the third single from Horizon; for the single version a guitar lead was added between the first verse and chorus. It hit number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, their least successful single since "Bless the Beasts and Children" in 1971; it signaled a downturn in the group's popularity which, consolidated by the Top Ten shortfall of the lead single and title cut of the 1976 album A Kind of Hush, would prove irreversible. "Solitaire" did afford the Carpenters their twelfth of fifteen number 1 Easy Listening hits.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk3fExOEKdA

Make Believe It's Your First Time" is a song written by Bob Morrison and Johnny Wilson, and recorded by Bobby Vinton and later by The Carpenters.

Vinton's version was released as a single in late 1979 (b/w "I Remember Loving You") and reached No. 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 17 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It is Vinton's last Billboard Hot 100 entry to date.

The song was also recorded in 1979 by Karen Carpenter as a track intended for her debut solo album, which was ultimately shelved until 1996, with the release of her eponymous album, Karen Carpenter. After Karen's death in 1983, the re-recorded version from the Made in America sessions two years earlier - with its B-side, "Look to Your Dreams", were included on the duo's first posthumous album, Voice of the Heart.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfbkN_rxKuk

Let Me Be the One" is a song written in 1971 by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams. It first appeared on the 1971 album Carpenters by the Carpenters.

[admin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvZcLSFIYKo

"Our Day Will Come" is a popular song composed by Mort Garson with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was recorded by American R&B group Ruby & the Romantics in early December, 1962, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

[admin]

Masquerade

[admin]

T4 - Carpenters - Hurting Each Other

[admin]

Top of the world X9

[admin]

:s_cool: