Karen Carpenter -- one of the best voices of all time
Music on Saturday @ The Reaction
I have a lot of fun kibitzing with younger colleagues about the fact that I apparently haven't listened to any new music for the past 30 years.
Now, of course, it's not really true, but my musical sensibilities are older, to say the least.
Just for fun, I've decided to post a video to make my "critics" crazy. Certainly there will be no shortage of razzing, but who cares? Bring it on.
In my defence, my choice was voted #94 on Rolling Stone's list of greatest all-time singers. Hard to believe, but we are talking here about Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters.
Crazy, I know. But the girl could flat out sing.
The Rolling Stone article about this is fascinating. You can find it here.
Among those providing testimonies are Elton John, Madonna, and John Fogarty, although Fogarty admits that as great as her sound was, you might not want to say so in public -- just wouldn't be cool.
Sorry, John. I'm going to publicly admit that I have always been a Carpenters fan. Lucky for me, I have no cool to lose.
The song below is "We've Only Just Begun," from 1970. I guess you'd have to call it their signature hit. Her voice is incredible; the harmonies exquisite.
(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)
Labels: music, Music on Saturday
posted by Richard K. Barry at
4:00 PM
2 Comments:
I have several of her songs on the pod and every time one comes on I think "damn, that woman could sing!" My personal favorite is Superstar, We've Only Just Begun reminds me too much of the Crocker Bank commercial.
As a young girl she was a role model and trail blazer, the only woman who played the drums. Forty years later it is hard for most people to remember that at that time women sang backup and stood behind a microphone looking pretty. She and Judy Collins had beautiful voices and a touch of class that is sorely missing in the American Idol performers of today.
Looking at the video you posted it is easy to see in hindsight that she was struggling with anorexia long before she died. What a tragic waste.
By
Deb, at 12:42 AM
Karen was an exquisite singer, and I would rate her in the top 10 of all time. It's sad that she never got the respect she deserved when ahe was alive.
By
Diane Sampson, at 1:26 AM
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