As a pianist and producer, Richard's is a rare talent. It was by his talent and ability that the foundation was laid for the subsequent success of the Carpenter's Musical Family. When we think of Carpenters it is most likely that we would identify Karen's amazing voice as the dominate "sound" of the group, however, it was Richard's contributions which truly allowed them to achieve that unique sound. A good example of this is the album "Lovelines". It includes some Karen's solo works with Phil Ramone in 1979. While Karen's voice is as clear and beautiful as ever, the tracts produced by Mr. Phil Ramone do not have the same quality, or true "Carpenters Sound" as those produced by Richard. Richard and Karen's relationship to their music is as inseparable as that of "Cinematography" and "Soundtrack" to a motion picture.
Karen Carpenter (1950-1983)
Karen possessed every bit as much talent as Richard, however, hers was a talent that did not show at an early age like her brother's. Her first musical interest was as a drummer and it wasn't until later that her pure, natural vocal talent surfaced. A record company producer was the first to realize that Karen possessed a unique, and utterly beautiful voice, likening it to the finest of musical instruments. The most fascinating thing about Karen's voice is that it is completely pure and natural, without the benefit of formal training. Richard's talent was the foundation for Carpenters, but Karen's wonderful voice quickly became the reason for the group's existence. Karen passed away at the age of 32 on February 4th, 1983. She died of heart failure which was caused by complications from a long battle with anorexia nervosa. When Karen's heart stopped, millions more throughout the world were shattered with it.
The Carpenters (1969 - ?)
After being rejected by other record producers for being too "Soft" for the market at that time, Richard and Karen's demo-tape attracted the attention of Herb Alpert, one of the manager of the A&M(Alpert & Moss)record company. "Carpenters" signed their first recording contract with A&M in April of 1969, and began a long and fruitful relationship with Herb and the company. They made their debut in November of the same year and with only their second release, "Close to You", reached the top of the American charts. In a career which saw them win 3 Grammy's, Carpenters never broke up, though Karen has gone...
What is "Carpenters" sound ?
"The Carpenters" won and kept the public favor for more than 20 years. Richard sites the ongoing popularity of the group to its "Timeless" sound. Why is their music timeless? Richard's sense of arrangement and song selection were perfect for both he and Karen's talents. His arrangements were never influenced by popular music trends but rather by an undatable sound created with timeless instruments. The Grand Piano rather than the synthesizer, for example leaves Carpenters sound as fresh today as it was then. Richard's tireless work on songs, even those already released is another reason. Some cuts would require additional recording, on others he used remixing or overdubbing to create a "Choir-like" sound. Carpenters sound was "crafted" to play to all ages with complete acceptance. Then, of course, there was Karen's amazing voice. A voice so distinctive, warm and soothing that few could ever tire of it.
Albums
1970 TICKET TO RIDE 1971 CLOSE TO YOU 1971 CARPENTERS 1972 A SONG FOR YOU 1973 NOW AND THEN 1975 HORIZON 1976 A KIND OF HUSH 1977 PASSAGE 1981 MADE IN AMERICA 1983 VOICE OF THE HEART 1989 LOVELINES
1975 LIVE IN JAPAN 1977 LIVE AT THE PALLADIUM 1978 CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT 1984 AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS
1991 FROM THE TOP 1994 INTERPRETATIONS 2000 EVERGREEN
1992 ORIGINAL MASTER KARAOKE 1995 22HITS OF THE CARPENTERS 1998 BLACKBOX
Grammy Awards
1970 Best New Artist Best Contemporary Vocal Group 1971 Best Vocal Group
Gold Discs (a million sales)
JAPAN Singles:
1972 Superstar 1974 Jambalaya 1974 I Won't Last A Day Without You 1974 Top Of The World 1974 Yesterday Once More 1976 Only Yesterday 1976 Please Mr. Postman
Albums(*=Japanese issue)
1972 *Golden Prize Vol. 1 1973 Now And Then 1974 *Golden Prize Vol. 2 1974 Live In Japan 1976 Horizon 1996 *Their 22 Hits
AFRICA Album:
1978 The Singles 1969-1973
AUSTRALIA Single:
1972 Close To You
DENMARK Album:
1977 Now And Then 1977 The Singles 1969-1973
HONG KONG Album:
1978 The Singles 1969-1973
NETHERLANDS Albums:
1973 The Singles 1969-1973 1973 Now And Then 1977 Ticket To Ride
UNITED KINGDOM Singles:
1973 Yesterday Once More 1973 Top Of The World 1975 Only Yesterday Albums 1973 The Singles 1969-1973 1973 Now And Then 1974 Close To You 1974 A Song For You 1974 Carpenters 1975 Horizon 1976 A Kind Of Hush 1977 Live At The Palladium 1977 Ticket To Ride 1979 The Singles 1974-1978 1990 Only Yesterday
CANADA Albums:
1978 Now And Then 1978 A Song For You 1978 The Singles 1969-1973 1978 Carpenters 1978 Close To You
USA Singles:
1970 Close To You 1970 We've Only Just Begun 1971 For All We Know 1971 Rainy Days And Mondays 1971 Superstar 1972 Hurting Each Other 1973 Sing 1973 Yesterday Once More 1973 Top Of The World 1974 Please Mr. Postman
Albums:
1970 Close To You 1971 Carpenters 1972 A Song For You 1973 Now And Then 1973 The Singles 1969-1973 1975 Horizon 1976 A Kind Of Hush 1978 Christmas Portrait 1990 Christmas Portrait -SPECIAL EDITION-