My girlfriend in '70 loved the Carpenters and Bread and I had to just grit my teeth and put up with it. I can't deny the talent but it was just a sucrose overload that got played to death. Every time I left her place, I had to plug James Gang or Led Zeppelin into the ol' 8-track to cleanse my soul.
@@davecummings2424 What’s funny is that, generally speaking, the wild rock stars of the era put on an act of being too cool for the clean cut acts and the clean cut acts put on an act of being clean cut, but often they were all partying together.
Facts. ...but also as you grew a bit, things like The Carpenters, which are undeniably magnificent (yet seem to "not fit in" with any sense of "cool" of the times), become: "so uncool it's cool." 🤷 ...like me, wearing the Old Bridge Militia Tee or classic Sabbath shirts and then them getting into my car and me having Nat "King " Cole or Prince cued-up! 🤪😋🤘🤘 It was always considered "shocking," somehow, but all it was was: Great music is great music. And: The more you know the better things will go. 🤷 🤘🤘
I don't know if they kept track of it, but I'll bet this song topped sales of sheet music in the '70s (precisely because so many artists played it at weddings).
Just in case you don't know, her voice seems to have been reincarnated. A young singer named Tori Holub sounds ridiculously like her. And she has posted a lot of Carpenters covers, as well as other songs. She sang at a tribute show and got to meet Richard awhile ago.
I had the muscle car back in the 70's and I listened to the Carpenters....because my girlfriend liked them. Now that I'm in my 60's, I have to admit, Karen Carpenter had one hell of a voice.
Hmm, that's a challenge. I would have to go with Barbra Streisand. Can't forget about Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, for their astounding tone. Roberta Flack. Keely Smith. Celine Dion does some remarkable power things, like k. d. lang, Whitney Houston. Sade, Anita Baker. Carly Simon.
I know a lot of people consider The Carpenters the ultimate in cheesy 70s soft rock, but I consider myself a rocker and I've always enjoyed how talented they were. Karen's voice was absolutely stunning. It helps when there are great songwriters, as in this case, and of course her brother Richard, too.
@@nyrocks5580 On a different side of the trying to be cool spectrum, I had a friend who eschewed pretty much all pop, rock and country, and listened to Dylan, Doc Watson, Arlo Guthrie, Willis Alan Ramsey and people like that, but he liked the Carpenters.
Soft rock? I'd call them adult contemporary or pop. Pop rock isn't really a genre that the Carpenters could fit snugly into...(It's kind of an oxymoron.) One can be a rocker and appreciate any good music...but they WERE cheesy AND likeable.
Actually, the bank commercial referenced was for Crocker Bank, not Bank of America. Paul Williams also worked for A&M records, and was friends with Richard and Karen since they had signed with A&M in 1969. Richard reached out to Paul and asked him if there was bridge and a third verse to the song, and Paul confirmed that it was already written as a complete song. Paul had said in interviews that even if it hadn't been a complete song, that he would have lied about it, and then would have scrambled to finish the song for the chance of having the Carpenters record it. Richard had an uncanny knack for recognizing the potential in certain songs to be hits with the right arrangement, and he was a genius arranger.
Yes Crocker bank, official name Crocker National Bank. It was the 1st bank I ever had an account in. When you open an account you get a free stuffed animal. A toy dog called a Crocker Spaniel
I thought I heard him (Paul) tell the story that he assured him there was more to the song and then hurriedly wrote the remainder on his way to meet with Richard.
I remember that Crocker Bank commercial. I was about 10 years old and we lived in Northern California where they had a big presence (before a merger). If you search on UA-cam the commercial is posted somewhere. But yeah, Karen's voice is just about perfect. One of the greatest female singers of all time.
The song was actually originally used for California's Crocker Bank. Paul Williams would later say, "I wrote this song for a bank commercial, and it went nowhere beyond that. Then an angel sang my song and changed my life forever."
I was watching The Muppets Christmas Carol and loving all of the sweet music by the wonderful Paul Williams. How blessed of a life and career to have given us so much lovely music. Karen Carpenter was a gift taken away too soon.
1972 High School Graduation, Class Song "We've Only Just Begun" Thank's for the memories, The Carpenter's it doesn't get better! Peace 😊✌️ Gary your 70 year old forever Young Hippie Gary💃🕺 😂
When I first listened to them as a kid, I liked them. Then I was too cool when I was teen and in my 20s and 30s. Now, I'm fully back in Camp Carpenter to stay. This song is pop perfection. Not everything needs to be kick-ace rock to be "good."
Some of their songs were cheesy (Remember Sing?), but they also had an incredible collection of immaculately produced gems- Superstar, Rainy Days & Mondays, We’ve Only Just Begun, Close To You. I always viewed them as a singles band, not sure if they have deep cuts that are gems.
This is literally the definition of Perfect pitch. They were legendary in the '70s, I was a kid. I remember hearing it all over the place, makes you wish you had that for romance.
A&A, best female soft rock singer of all-time! Warm, soothing, perfect pitch. This was the wedding song of the 70s!!! You'll love their “Close To You” and many more!!!
The Carpenters were a couple of nice kids from California who didn’t pretend to be anything else. They didn’t try to he cool. They were true to themselves, and that’s what resonated with listeners. There is nothing like family harmony. Richard was an extremely talented arranger and their records were always beautifully produced.
They were from Connecticut originally but their parents moved to California because they saw that Richard had great potential of making it big in the music business and California was the place to be.
Congrats, Alex. You finally "get it" about the Carpenters. I was a kid when they were big, and yes, it was music my mom listened to, so definitely not cool at the time solely for that reason. But with the benefit of five decades since their heyday, when I look back now without all the baggage, this was some stellar music and out-of-this-world talent. There's a reason it has persisted all these years and is so fondly remembered by so many. Karen was a once-in-a-century talent, gone too soon.
I love JJ’s explanation about how the Carpenters weren’t “cool.” Richard’s arrangements were crazy good. But, Karen’s voice, though- the breath control alone was unmatched, and her tone so warm. One of the best ever!
Yes! Her timing and phrasing are phenomenal, beyond belief. Loved them when they came along, however uncool others thought they were, and love them more now. Every now and then, I simply have to listen to Make Believe It's Your First Time again, or Where Do I Go From Here. Her timbre and phrasing send me.
I was a teenager in the 70's. He's right I was way to cool for the Carpenters. Listening to it now you do realize what huge talents they were doing perfect songs.
I was a hard rock fan back in the '70s, but it was always okay to listen to Karen Carpenter's voice. One of the best and purest vocalists in pop history.
Great reaction!! Hard rock, prog & metalhead here, The Carpenters are spectacular in all their schmaltzy glory. Karen (RIP) could sing the phone book and I'd be here to listen! Her voice is smooth, silky velvet saturated in butter - and singing was her second best talent - drumming was #1 (but pressures to make her the 'face' of the Carpenters put her out front of the kit) - no knock on Hal Blaine - one of THE best session drummers ever. Harmonies, production, music - it's all there. Talent is talent, and they had it in droves! Cheers!
Those first notes always brings a tear to my eyes. It could be at least partly from knowing about her sad affliction but mostly because she was able to reach down to her soul and make you feel her sadness.
The next Carpenters song should be "(They Long to Be) Close to You". Alex, another Paul Williams composition that I think you've heard is "An Old-Fashioned Love Song" by Three Dog Night. I'm impressed by JJ; his comments are informed and show insight.
As I'm getting older (almost 60), I have to increasingly fight to keep from weeping when I listen to the Carpenters. So much promise from Karen - - and gone at 32. It's still such a shame.
Karen Carpenter has been at the VERY TOP of my list of fav female singers ever since I heard her voice when I was about 5 years old. No one has been able to top her in my book. For me, she will always be the GOAT. Great reaction! ☺️
It was a Crocker National Bank commercial, not B of A. Crocker was a California bank that was acquired by other banks, and eventually became part of Wells Fargo. Crocker is known for a couple of other things. One of their branches was held up by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1975, and Scott Adams based the humor in his comic strip Dilbert on his experiences working at Crocker. I think The Carpenters would have been even bigger if they'd started in the 40s or 50s instead of the 70s. They were out of step with the times, a kind of throwback to an earlier era.
Paul wrote many songs, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", “The Family of Man,” and "Out in the Country", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World", and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun", “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” and "Rainy Days and Mondays". He also wrote "Cried Like a Baby" for teen idol Bobby Sherman. song He wrote "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie, and writing the lyrics to the #1 chart-topping song "Evergreen", the love theme from the Barbra Streisand film A Star Is Born, for which he won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He wrote the lyrics to the opening theme for the television show The Love Boat, with music previously composed by Charles Fox. I think his last hit was “You're Gone" for Diamond Rio…though he co-wrote and sang on the Daft Punk song “Touch” in 2013.
And don't forget "Phantom of the Paradise" the '70s tock opera based on The Phantom of the Opera--the movie and soundtrack are still favourites of mine. Paul Williams wrote the music and played the devil in it!
They loved minor key verses and major key choruses, voice of an angel. I drove a Camaro Limited and I still loved the Carpenters. Even then we knew her voice was the best.
The voice for sure goes without saying…but damn, that production is out of this world. The layers of complimentary sound and the instrumental arrangements and the harmony choices…that is the chef’s kiss. Perfection. This was a great reaction video, thank you!
It definitely was not cool to be a male Carpenters fan as a teenager in the 70s but I've always loved their music ("Superstar" is my favorite of about dozen classic songs of theirs that I never tire of hearing). I personally outgrew my need to hide my love for the Carpenters in my 20s.
I think you should check out The Carpenters - Goodbye To Love. Rock guitarist Tony Peluso provided a phenomenal fuzz guitar solo that made this song arguably the first power ballad to chart. It demonstrates their talent and Tony was so impressed working with them that he became their regular guitarist and became a phenomenal producer in his own right after the untimely death of Karen.
50 years on and this song still give me chills. I wasn’t cool in the 70s and didn’t pretend to be so I could unabashedly love The Carpenters, John Denver, etc.
Thanks for holding down the fort Alex, and thanks for bringing such an informed and interesting guest! Sending all good vibes to Andy, hope he's doing well. Great reaction, glad you went back to the Carpenters!
I'm so glad I'm just a girl and can like any kind of music anywhere and any time!! I loved Carpenters I loved The Archies and I loved Zep!! Which is probably why I have tinnitus, but it was worth it!
Paul Williams wrote songs such as Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and another Carpenter's smash, "Rainy Days and Mondays," plus countless others. Karen's voice just melts me every time. Nothing like sibling harmonies, either.
The Paul Williams (writer of the song) version is just as good. He also wrote the song Rainy Days and Mondays that the Carpenters also recorded and wrote Old Fashion Love Song that was recorded by Three Dog Night.
Extra great watching one who knows the song and one who doesn’t! Like I’m getting the feels of that first listen but also the depth of the knowledge of years of listening at the same time😄😄
Angelic voice. Beautiful harmony of sibling voices. And I didn’t realize until recently that she was highly regarded as a drummer. One of the best at the time. That can be seen on youtube videos of The Ed Sullivan show. So very sad she internalized a criticism that led to that beast of a disease, Anorexia Nervosa. What a loss. A life cut far too short. A gorgeous voice silenced. Thank you for your guest contributor today.
Great song and listening to her play the drums while singing is so great. I just adore her. We lost her so soon but how wonderful we have this music to listen to. Great reaction. 😊
The early 70s rockers didn't let their friends see them listening to the Carpenters, but Karen's voice was undeniable.
My girlfriend in '70 loved the Carpenters and Bread and I had to just grit my teeth and put up with it. I can't deny the talent but it was just a sucrose overload that got played to death. Every time I left her place, I had to plug James Gang or Led Zeppelin into the ol' 8-track to cleanse my soul.
@@davecummings2424 What’s funny is that, generally speaking, the wild rock stars of the era put on an act of being too cool for the clean cut acts and the clean cut acts put on an act of being clean cut, but often they were all partying together.
She was a great drummer too.
@@davecummings2424I think everyone’s girlfriends had the Carpenters and Bread albums. 😂
Facts.
...but also as you grew a bit, things like The Carpenters, which are undeniably magnificent (yet seem to "not fit in" with any sense of "cool" of the times), become: "so uncool it's cool."
🤷
...like me, wearing the Old Bridge Militia Tee or classic Sabbath shirts and then them getting into my car and me having Nat "King " Cole or Prince cued-up!
🤪😋🤘🤘
It was always considered "shocking," somehow, but all it was was: Great music is great music.
And: The more you know the better things will go.
🤷
🤘🤘
Karen the GOAT!!! She was an amazing drummer as well. RIP Karen.
No doubt. Richard is amazingly talented too. But Karen's voice is a gift.
I would have assumed she was the drummer in this song.
Hal Blaine is the drummer in all Carpenters' songs, per Herb Alpert, their producer, and the founder/owner of A&M Records. @carla68
This was a time before Karens were Karens.
@WarrChan best reply ever!!🤣
Number 1 wedding song of the 70s....she was truly an angel
Millions of happy wedding tears!
They should also Check out "the wedding song" by Paul Stookey.
Prom theme, too ...
I don't know if they kept track of it, but I'll bet this song topped sales of sheet music in the '70s (precisely because so many artists played it at weddings).
Graduation song in 8th grade- made such an impact
her voice brings tears to eyes
Word.
Just in case you don't know, her voice seems to have been reincarnated. A young singer named Tori Holub sounds ridiculously like her. And she has posted a lot of Carpenters covers, as well as other songs. She sang at a tribute show and got to meet Richard awhile ago.
KC was incredible beyond words. Let's never forget just how phenomenal Richard is as a arranger and composer. Pure magic these two.
I like this guy as a co-host. Nice balance of informed experience on one hand and a younger, receptive ear on the other.
And, no excessive head bobbing.
@@vidpiethe head bobbing and swaying out of time to the music always gets me 😂
Ok. I get it. However, this channel needs Andy. He started it in his student bedroom, if I remember correctly. Stay well fella.
It was Crocker Bank! A California based bank at that time…
@@5oclockhero542what’s up with Andy? Sick? Hospitalized? Jail?
Really an S tier song. It is iconic.
I agree ❤
Yes, it’s iconic I want to play it on my wedding day
She is in a class by herself
He doesnt mention that Karen was the drummer ALSO WHY NOT ?
@@theodoreritola7641 He did.
I love the way she rounds out and hits on the vibrato just right. Beautiful.
Her voice was so beautiful
Karen Carpenter... one of the most beautiful and mesmerizing voices ever. Eternally S-tier.
I had the muscle car back in the 70's and I listened to the Carpenters....because my girlfriend liked them. Now that I'm in my 60's, I have to admit, Karen Carpenter had one hell of a voice.
I agree. So clear, so beautiful.
Thank you so much Alex for helping Andy out on his sabbatical. You are an awesome friend and business associate!
Appreciate that! Andy will be back soon
Her voice simply perfect. My mom and aunts cried when she died. Very sad, so young. 😢
Finest female voice ever.
Best voice ever....such a loss...love Karen
The Carpenters "RAINY DAY AND MONDAYS" ❤❤❤ (original video you can see Karen playing drums)
Which was also written by Paul Williams.
Always loved the Carpenters.
... and her voice is beyond compare.
WHY DOESENT HE NOW THAT KAREN WAS THE DRUMMER ALSO
@@theodoreritola7641 Not on this song she wasn't. It was the great Hal Blaine, session drummer extraordinaire.
O OK Usualy she was though
Compared to what? A robot?
Her voice instantly brings tears to my eyes. No matter how many times I hear her. Every bloody time 😢
So glad you gave the Carpenters another chance!
Best female voice - EVER!
Hmm, that's a challenge. I would have to go with Barbra Streisand. Can't forget about Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, for their astounding tone. Roberta Flack. Keely Smith. Celine Dion does some remarkable power things, like k. d. lang, Whitney Houston. Sade, Anita Baker. Carly Simon.
Ann Wilson
@@stevenmix3723there are a few select amazing voices over the past 4 decades to be sure. Karen’s voice, talent and delivery do stand alone among them
HER AND Carly Simon 70s Gold
@@stevenmix3723 Eva Cassidy phenomenal voice.................................tragic story.
Her voice is supernatural
Chills every damn time
I know a lot of people consider The Carpenters the ultimate in cheesy 70s soft rock, but I consider myself a rocker and I've always enjoyed how talented they were. Karen's voice was absolutely stunning. It helps when there are great songwriters, as in this case, and of course her brother Richard, too.
@@nyrocks5580 On a different side of the trying to be cool spectrum, I had a friend who eschewed pretty much all pop, rock and country, and listened to Dylan, Doc Watson, Arlo Guthrie, Willis Alan Ramsey and people like that, but he liked the Carpenters.
Even with a capable singer like Karen, cheesy soft rock is still...cheesy. This is the one song they truly knock out of the park.
Soft rock? I'd call them adult contemporary or pop. Pop rock isn't really a genre that the Carpenters could fit snugly into...(It's kind of an oxymoron.) One can be a rocker and appreciate any good music...but they WERE cheesy AND likeable.
Actually, the bank commercial referenced was for Crocker Bank, not Bank of America. Paul Williams also worked for A&M records, and was friends with Richard and Karen since they had signed with A&M in 1969. Richard reached out to Paul and asked him if there was bridge and a third verse to the song, and Paul confirmed that it was already written as a complete song. Paul had said in interviews that even if it hadn't been a complete song, that he would have lied about it, and then would have scrambled to finish the song for the chance of having the Carpenters record it. Richard had an uncanny knack for recognizing the potential in certain songs to be hits with the right arrangement, and he was a genius arranger.
Yes Crocker bank, official name Crocker National Bank. It was the 1st bank I ever had an account in. When you open an account you get a free stuffed animal. A toy dog called a Crocker Spaniel
And, of course, the "A" in A&M is Herb Alpert!
I thought I heard him (Paul) tell the story that he assured him there was more to the song and then hurriedly wrote the remainder on his way to meet with Richard.
I had to search for this comment before posting it myself. Good work.
I remember that Crocker Bank commercial. I was about 10 years old and we lived in Northern California where they had a big presence (before a merger). If you search on UA-cam the commercial is posted somewhere. But yeah, Karen's voice is just about perfect. One of the greatest female singers of all time.
The song was actually originally used for California's Crocker Bank. Paul Williams would later say, "I wrote this song for a bank commercial, and it went nowhere beyond that. Then an angel sang my song and changed my life forever."
I know it was a bank, at least! Thank you.
Paul Williams of Smokey and the Bandit fame.
Didn’t know that! Great story.
I was watching The Muppets Christmas Carol and loving all of the sweet music by the wonderful Paul Williams. How blessed of a life and career to have given us so much lovely music.
Karen Carpenter was a gift taken away too soon.
@steveandme63
One of my favorite Paul Williams songs is "Old Souls" from Phantom of Paradise. People seem to have forgotten that one.
Karen was such a top notch drummer that Richard had said that she thought of herself as a drummer first and singer second.
Hauntingly beautiful harmonies- lost to us way too soon from anorexia RIP Karen
This is S tier for me baby.
1972 High School Graduation, Class Song "We've Only Just Begun" Thank's for the memories, The Carpenter's it doesn't get better! Peace 😊✌️ Gary your 70 year old forever Young Hippie Gary💃🕺 😂
Mine too!!
5th grade Glee club, we learned and sang "Sing" in 1973
Mine too, 1977.
It was our 6th grade graduation song in 1971
he should have known that Karen was also thier drummer or am I TRPPEN ?
One of my all time favorites. It still holds up some 50 + years later.
The Carpenters were what they were, and they were the best at it.
GOAT
Also a favorite of Ghost Rider!
Us "normal" people never viewed The Carpenters as "cheesy". We appreciated their songs and Karen's incredible singing.
I thought they were kind of cheesy, but I loved them!
lol I’m old and yeah they were cheesy as fuck, but yeah I loved them
Queso Supremo
When I first listened to them as a kid, I liked them. Then I was too cool when I was teen and in my 20s and 30s. Now, I'm fully back in Camp Carpenter to stay. This song is pop perfection. Not everything needs to be kick-ace rock to be "good."
Some of their songs were cheesy (Remember Sing?), but they also had an incredible collection of immaculately produced gems- Superstar, Rainy Days & Mondays, We’ve Only Just Begun, Close To You. I always viewed them as a singles band, not sure if they have deep cuts that are gems.
She was also a solid drummer.
I MENTION THAT 10 times that he never mention that UN BELIEVABLE LOL
There will never be a voice like that ever again.
This is literally the definition of Perfect pitch. They were legendary in the '70s, I was a kid. I remember hearing it all over the place, makes you wish you had that for romance.
Hearing the voice of Karen Carpenter always leaves me speechless so I’ll leave it at that⚛❤
The Carpenters never get old
HUGE wedding song back then. Love Karen!
A&A, best female soft rock singer of all-time! Warm, soothing, perfect pitch. This was the wedding song of the 70s!!! You'll love their “Close To You” and many more!!!
Angelic voice
And she often did it in just one take!
@@sallyphillips9175 Wow! I did not know that!
@@catbutte4770 Yeah, I saw it on a "Behind the Music" type documentary where they interviewed people who worked in the studio with her.
@@sallyphillips9175 I need to check out that "Behind the Music"! Thanks.
The Carpenters were a couple of nice kids from California who didn’t pretend to be anything else. They didn’t try to he cool. They were true to themselves, and that’s what resonated with listeners. There is nothing like family harmony. Richard was an extremely talented arranger and their records were always beautifully produced.
They were from Connecticut originally but their parents moved to California because they saw that Richard had great potential of making it big in the music business and California was the place to be.
She was the angel 😇 of my 70's! ❤
Close to you is a must listen!
I love Karen Carpenter's line about why she would sing with her contralto range: "The money's in the basement."
Voice of an angel! She and Eva Cassidy were BLESSED beyond measure with those voices!!!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Why didnt he mention that Karen was their DRUMMER ALSO ?
Eva Cassidy phenomenal voice.................................tragic story.
Congrats, Alex. You finally "get it" about the Carpenters. I was a kid when they were big, and yes, it was music my mom listened to, so definitely not cool at the time solely for that reason. But with the benefit of five decades since their heyday, when I look back now without all the baggage, this was some stellar music and out-of-this-world talent. There's a reason it has persisted all these years and is so fondly remembered by so many. Karen was a once-in-a-century talent, gone too soon.
I love JJ’s explanation about how the Carpenters weren’t “cool.” Richard’s arrangements were crazy good. But, Karen’s voice, though- the breath control alone was unmatched, and her tone so warm. One of the best ever!
Yes! Her timing and phrasing are phenomenal, beyond belief. Loved them when they came along, however uncool others thought they were, and love them more now. Every now and then, I simply have to listen to Make Believe It's Your First Time again, or Where Do I Go From Here. Her timbre and phrasing send me.
I was a teenager in the 70's. He's right I was way to cool for the Carpenters. Listening to it now you do realize what huge talents they were doing perfect songs.
WHAT. JJ -- you're *everywhere*!
A favorite. Her voice is like molten chocolate, and the arrangement is perfect. Nice choice.
I was a hard rock fan back in the '70s, but it was always okay to listen to Karen Carpenter's voice. One of the best and purest vocalists in pop history.
Her voice could melt just about anything. It's on a GOAT list for sure.
Great reaction!! Hard rock, prog & metalhead here, The Carpenters are spectacular in all their schmaltzy glory. Karen (RIP) could sing the phone book and I'd be here to listen! Her voice is smooth, silky velvet saturated in butter - and singing was her second best talent - drumming was #1 (but pressures to make her the 'face' of the Carpenters put her out front of the kit) - no knock on Hal Blaine - one of THE best session drummers ever.
Harmonies, production, music - it's all there. Talent is talent, and they had it in droves!
Cheers!
One of the greatest voices in the music industry to this day. R.I.P. Karen.
And their drummer that he did NOT MENTION @ ALL UN BELIEVABLE
Those first notes always brings a tear to my eyes. It could be at least partly from knowing about her sad affliction but mostly because she was able to reach down to her soul and make you feel her sadness.
"Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" is a Carpenters must A&A!! Be prepared to board the Mothership fellas!
a cover of a Klaatu song....very unexpected combo for sure
I actually want the guys to listen to the Klaatu version.
Karen Carpenter had the best & unique voice on the planet, we loved her!👍♥️🌹
The next Carpenters song should be "(They Long to Be) Close to You". Alex, another Paul Williams composition that I think you've heard is "An Old-Fashioned Love Song" by Three Dog Night. I'm impressed by JJ; his comments are informed and show insight.
As I'm getting older (almost 60), I have to increasingly fight to keep from weeping when I listen to the Carpenters.
So much promise from Karen - - and gone at 32. It's still such a shame.
Karen Carpenter has been at the VERY TOP of my list of fav female singers ever since I heard her voice when I was about 5 years old. No one has been able to top her in my book. For me, she will always be the GOAT. Great reaction! ☺️
I feel like I’m in 7th grade again driving in our station wagon with my mom with this on the radio. 😅
You'd be amazed by "Merry Christmas Darling" and it's getting to be the season...
My fave
@@TracyfromNCMine, too!
When you revisit the Carpenters again, I suggest the song "Goodbye to Love." It's a bit different from their usual soft-pop sound.
My favourite Carpenters song.
And those solo's!!!!
Agree
Oooh man, that’s a good one.
One of the finest guitar solos in pop-rock history from Tony Peluso.
It was a Crocker National Bank commercial, not B of A. Crocker was a California bank that was acquired by other banks, and eventually became part of Wells Fargo. Crocker is known for a couple of other things. One of their branches was held up by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1975, and Scott Adams based the humor in his comic strip Dilbert on his experiences working at Crocker.
I think The Carpenters would have been even bigger if they'd started in the 40s or 50s instead of the 70s. They were out of step with the times, a kind of throwback to an earlier era.
The commercial ua-cam.com/video/97X9huy7pHQ/v-deo.htmlsi=R9JGiJ8UhuvVmCx-
I have a 7os muscle car now and love the Carpenters. Karen leaves an indelible mark whereever she is heard.
such wonderful harmonies. She had the voice of an angel. Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
For a few years you couldn't attend a wedding without hearing this song.
Karen is like a warm hug when hearing her voice when you really need one.
This was our wedding song. 1989. 🙂 I've always loved it.
This was the bride and groom’s dance at every wedding in the 70s. A truly beautiful voice and song. ✌️❤️
Yes.... Every Single One
LOVE this reaction!!!
Paul wrote many songs, including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", “The Family of Man,” and "Out in the Country", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World", and the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun", “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” and "Rainy Days and Mondays". He also wrote "Cried Like a Baby" for teen idol Bobby Sherman. song He wrote "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie, and writing the lyrics to the #1 chart-topping song "Evergreen", the love theme from the Barbra Streisand film A Star Is Born, for which he won a Grammy for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He wrote the lyrics to the opening theme for the television show The Love Boat, with music previously composed by Charles Fox. I think his last hit was “You're Gone" for Diamond Rio…though he co-wrote and sang on the Daft Punk song “Touch” in 2013.
The seventies would have been VERY different without Paul. Add in his film roles: Smokey and the Bandit, Phantom of the Paradise...
And don't forget "Phantom of the Paradise" the '70s tock opera based on The Phantom of the Opera--the movie and soundtrack are still favourites of mine. Paul Williams wrote the music and played the devil in it!
@@ChadSmith-ef4lu And his ubiquitous appearances on game shows, talk shows, and variety shows.
He wrote "out in the country", that is one of my most favorite songs of that era.
They loved minor key verses and major key choruses, voice of an angel. I drove a Camaro Limited and I still loved the Carpenters. Even then we knew her voice was the best.
The voice for sure goes without saying…but damn, that production is out of this world. The layers of complimentary sound and the instrumental arrangements and the harmony choices…that is the chef’s kiss. Perfection. This was a great reaction video, thank you!
It definitely was not cool to be a male Carpenters fan as a teenager in the 70s but I've always loved their music ("Superstar" is my favorite of about dozen classic songs of theirs that I never tire of hearing). I personally outgrew my need to hide my love for the Carpenters in my 20s.
Actually I love almost everything they did. Best female vocalist of all time imo.
I think you should check out The Carpenters - Goodbye To Love. Rock guitarist Tony Peluso provided a phenomenal fuzz guitar solo that made this song arguably the first power ballad to chart. It demonstrates their talent and Tony was so impressed working with them that he became their regular guitarist and became a phenomenal producer in his own right after the untimely death of Karen.
Goodbye to Love is quintessential Carpenters. Absolutely the best one to hit.
Oh that voice 😍
A voice for the ages, smooth as butter
Oh, cool! LOVE the Carpenters 😍
50 years on and this song still give me chills. I wasn’t cool in the 70s and didn’t pretend to be so I could unabashedly love The Carpenters, John Denver, etc.
Written by the great Paul Williams.
Thanks for holding down the fort Alex, and thanks for bringing such an informed and interesting guest! Sending all good vibes to Andy, hope he's doing well. Great reaction, glad you went back to the Carpenters!
I'm so glad I'm just a girl and can like any kind of music anywhere and any time!! I loved Carpenters I loved The Archies and I loved Zep!! Which is probably why I have tinnitus, but it was worth it!
Whatever genre we listen to the talent always drives the performance, and we hear this with great vocalists and musicians timeless 👏👌
Goosebumps all over...
Nice to have an old guy that remembers the 70s in the 60s he explained it quite well
"... old guy ..."
He doesn’t look old
@@tracycampbell3060 I’m older
Who was their drummer LOL He got that rong HUGE and i have no ida how ,
@@Grovesgeo you don’t look old either. They say 60 is the new 40. I feel young at heart and I’m very thankful for my life experience. ☺️
Gets to the Center of the Heart...
Every time .
The Wrecking crew - yes again...
Paul Williams wrote songs such as Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and another Carpenter's smash, "Rainy Days and Mondays," plus countless others. Karen's voice just melts me every time. Nothing like sibling harmonies, either.
was he OLIVERS DAD on The Brady Bunch or was that JOHN DENVERS SON LOL
Don't forget his role in Smokey and the Bandit.
The Paul Williams (writer of the song) version is just as good. He also wrote the song Rainy Days and Mondays that the Carpenters also recorded and wrote Old Fashion Love Song that was recorded by Three Dog Night.
Extra great watching one who knows the song and one who doesn’t! Like I’m getting the feels of that first listen but also the depth of the knowledge of years of listening at the same time😄😄
Angelic voice. Beautiful harmony of sibling voices. And I didn’t realize until recently that she was highly regarded as a drummer. One of the best at the time. That can be seen on youtube videos of The Ed Sullivan show.
So very sad she internalized a criticism that led to that beast of a disease, Anorexia Nervosa. What a loss. A life cut far too short. A gorgeous voice silenced.
Thank you for your guest contributor today.
Best easy listening band ever
We sang this for our 6th grade closing exercises. Along with "Tomorrow" and "The Way We Were"...
One of, if not the sweetest female voice of the R&R era.
Great song and listening to her play the drums while singing is so great. I just adore her. We lost her so soon but how wonderful we have this music to listen to. Great reaction. 😊
Best voice ever ❤