|
Subject |
Ed. |
?# |
Fans Ask: |
Richard Answers: |
|
Arranger |
5 |
1 |
“Richard, you write the most beautiful orchestrations I
have ever heard. Do you ever plan or have been asked to write movie
scores?” |
“I don’t plan to write movie scores; I think that is a
talent in itself. I consider myself more of a song writer, arranger,
producer - a record maker.” |
|
College |
5 |
3.1 |
"What college courses did Karen and Richard take?" |
“Karen and I took all the usual pre-reqs, and as music
majors, had to select an instrument, as well as take the required music
courses. Obviously, I went for a piano major. What one would do the
first semester, no matter how well or poorly he or she played, was
perform a “closed recital” for 1, 2 or 3 of the faculty, and if they
deemed you worthy, you got to play for your peers at the next recital
(“open recital”, one each semester). I got “open recital”, which I was
certain I would; however it’s a double-edged thing, because most of us
got nervous playing for our peers. “Karen was a vocal major of course,
but the trouble with that was she was a “pop” singer, and they (faculty)
didn’t want to know from that. They had her singing using her “head
voice”, not the “money voice” – the instantly identifiable chest voice
of hers, because it didn’t work for the traditional classical repertoire
required. They had her singing things she really wasn’t born to sing.
“As a music major one was required to take Harmony I and Harmony II
(Music Theory) |
|
College |
5 |
3.2 |
(Continued) |
learning correct 4-part voicing and how to diagram a
selection. Another course was, to me, a misnomer, Musicianship. It
really was ear training. I’m a firm believer that there is no such thing
as “ear training”; you’re either born with it or not. You can’t teach
someone to sing in tune, or write a memorable melody. People can be born
with perfect pitch and not be musical at all. As long as they know a C
or A for example, a car horn will sound and they will know what note it
is. I do not, nor did Karen, have perfect pitch. We have relative
perfect and sang perfectly in tune. Once it was established what the
first note was, we could tell what any note was after that. The teacher
would play little motifs, or “melodies”, and we were supposed to write
them down. It was really simple stuff (if you could do it!). |
|
College |
5 |
3.3 |
(Continued) |
I can play almost anything by ear; no bragga docio,
it's something I was born with. One had to take one semester of that,
and take Counterpoint and Music History, and, if you weren’t a piano major, four semesters of piano. A music
major had to be a member of a performing group; there were two of each,
two instrumental, two choral, and one of them in each was the better of
the two. You had to have some 'chops', relatively speaking, to be
accepted in the better ensembles.” |
|
DVD |
6 |
1 |
What Carpenters DVDs have been produced and which are available? |
"Gold", "Interpretations", and "Close To You: Remembering
The Carpenters". |
|
DVD |
6 |
2 |
Will Richard ever release another DVD of Carpenters songs…besides
repackaging of Yesterday Once More and Interpretations? |
No, nothing much left! |
|
Grammy |
5 |
4 |
“Are there any other songs that you believe will be
inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, other than ‘Close To You’ and
‘We’ve Only Just begun’?” |
“Probably ‘Superstar’, one of these days.” |
|
Hits |
5 |
5 |
“Did you think that ‘Close To You’ was going to be as big
of a hit as it was?” |
“No, honestly, never thought it would be as big a hit as
it was. Thought it would be either #1 or a stiff. Not like ‘Ticket To
Ride’, which stayed on the charts for months and peaked at #54.” |
|
Influence |
5 |
6 |
“I would like to know your piano musical influences.” |
"George Shearing." |
|
Influence |
5 |
7 |
"Who would you name as your most notable influence in the
area of musical arrangements?" |
“Not all my influences, but listed chronologically: 1.
Jud Conlon – He rose to prominence in the 40s as a visionary vocal
arranger, credited with what’s known as 'tight' or 'close' harmonies for
use in mainstream popular music (as opposed to barbershop), leader of
the Rhythmaires who backed Bing on a number of hits. 2. Les Paul and
Mary Ford – Ford’s 4-part 'close' harmonies and Les’s development of
overdubbing. 3. Hugo Winterhalter – arranger/orchestrator, conductor.
4. Burt Bacharach.” |
|
Instrument |
5 |
8 |
"In the liner notes of the album 'Offering' it states
that Karen played electric bass on two of the songs. Which two songs are
these?" |
“ 'All Of My Life' and 'Eve' ” |
|
Instrument |
5 |
9 |
“I know you are fond of the Baldwin piano and used it
regularly on recordings, but was this also the same piano used on ‘(They
Long To Be) Close To You’, and the original piano track (’70) for ‘We’ve
Only Just Begun’? If so, it was a grand, I assume?” |
“Most recordings, except the ‘A Song For You’ album, were
done with Steinway A (one of four), which was an A&M Studios piano; I
think it was terrific. My only complaint was that it was 'well-worn' and
creaked, like in ‘Merry Christmas Darling’, which starts with just Karen
and piano. When the pedal was pushed the assembly which goes up into the
piano (lyre) creaked. Steinway model 'B', 7 footer.” |
|
Instrument |
5 |
10 |
“What made you decide to switch from the frequent use of
the Wurlitzer Electric on the records to using more of the Fender Rhodes
sound around ’75 and on?” |
“The Fender Rhodes has a nice tremolo if one controls it
properly, and it breaks into stereo which would fill out some of the
recordings. I first noticed the full effect in 1975 in ‘Only Yesterday’
– there also is some Wurlitzer on that, a fill that breaks out of the
sax solo and into the guitar solo. Every now and again, like on ‘Those
Good Old Dreams’ and some of the others, I would use the Wurlitzer. But
for an actual backing in the rhythm for the chords the Rhodes has a
fatter or prettier sound, whereas the Wurlitzer for certain breaks and
fills has a funkier or rastier sound." |
|
Instrument |
5 |
11 |
“It would be interesting to know what kind of keyboard
Richard played back in the early days, and if Karen preferred one type
of drum or snare over another.” |
"Spinet: Baldwin Acrosonic. Grand: Baldwin. Electric
Piano: Wurlitzer, models 140B or 200. Drum kit: Ludwig, with Karen
preferring a Ludwig 'Supersensitive' snare, complete with all chrome
plating and adjustable snares." |
|
Instrument |
5 |
12.1 |
"What Instruments did Karen and Richard play?” |
“Drums and piano, respectively. I learned piano on a
Baldwin Acrosonic, a spinet; at the time the best available. Joanie, my
cousin, was raised from age 18 months by my folks, and at 18 when she
graduated from high school in 1954, she immediately got a good job with
Bell Telephone and bought the Acrosonic; we both used it. Joanie
eventually got married and moved out, with the piano, so my parents
(always believing in us) and I picked out another Acrosonic. We had that
until 1964 when I was starting to make some money by teaching piano and
playing church organ and nightclubs. We all pitched in, traded the
Acrosonic, and purchased the piano I have now in my sitting room -
forty-one years later! It’s a Baldwin Model L, 6’3” parlor grand, and a
very good piano. “I now have a couple of Baldwins and a couple of
Steinways (big house, you understand!) In concert I play a Baldwin
concert grand, as I am a Baldwin Artist; they send one to each
performance. In addition, I'd play a Wurlitzer electric piano. And
starting around 1975 or ’76 we added a Rhodes |
|
Instrument |
5 |
12.2 |
(Continued) |
electric piano, so that made three different keyboard
sounds. Karen immediately liked the sound of Ludwig drums. One person
she looked up to was Jim Squeglia, a high school pal of mine in New
Haven who owned a set of Ludwigs. At the time Ludwig, Rogers and
Slingerland were arguably the best, with a couple of people Karen looked
up to playing Ludwigs; Joe Morello who played with the Dave Brubeck
Quartet, and Ringo Starr, who played with some group who’s name I can’t
quite remember. She was 14 years old, telling my folks she wants to play
drums. We weren’t “in the chips” and were already paying on the Baldwin.
Nevertheless, they bought her an entry-level Ludwig set. She proved
immediately that she could play. What she really wanted was the big set
in silver sparkle (Karen’s original silver sparkle Ludwig set is on
display at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center). It was the full size
with two top toms and dual floor toms. She liked, of course, Zildjian
cymbals. She also liked the Rogers “high hat”, and a Rogers kick-drum
pedal; that’s what she always used. |
|
Instrument |
5 |
12.3 |
(Continued) |
The snare she really wanted, but we couldn’t afford, was
the Supersensitive top-of-the-line Ludwig with adjustable snares, all
chrome. We started with getting the penultimate L 400, and she had that
a little while, but soon we all broke down and got her the
Supersensitive. Then of course, as soon as we hit it big it was like a
dream come true in a number of ways. Wurlitzer was sending me every new
model of electric piano for free, and sending out to California from
Illinois the fellow who actually invented the electric piano, Cliff
Anderson, who would do special modifications. Ludwig was sending Karen
every drum set she wanted. It was really something.” |
|
Karen |
5 |
13 |
“How close were Olivia Newton-John and Karen?” |
“Karen and Olivia were very close, and I considered
Olivia a genuine friend.” |
|
Karen |
5 |
14 |
“Were you pleased with the outcome of the 1989 ‘The Karen
Carpenter Story’?” |
“Heavens no, I was not pleased. It’s not a good film. One
of the biggest mistakes I ever made was agreeing to cooperate in the
making of it. It brings to mind the old adage 'The road to hell is paved
with good intentions'.“ |
|
Karen |
5 |
15 |
“At Karen's funeral there was an anthem sung called "Give
Me Jesus" arranged by Fleming. Who was the author of the song and is
there a score of the arrangement?” |
“The song ‘Give Me Jesus’ was written by Larry Fleming
(now deceased) and published by Augsburg Fortress, Minneapolis, MN.
CSULB has a score in their music department library. Frank Pooler at
CSULB called two nights before the funeral, and asked if we would like
the choir to sing, and suggested this and others. In addition, I got a
chart of “Ave Maria” from our Christmas album and transposed it, and our
pal Dennis Heath sang. It was quite a moving experience.” |
|
Karen |
5 |
16 |
“Is the Karen Carpenter Memorial Foundation still in
progress, and where can we send donations?” |
“Yes. It’s been renamed 'Carpenter Family Foundation'.
There is a description of the Foundation and contact information in the
CFF section of this website.” |
|
Karen |
6 |
3 |
After Karen came back from New York in 1982, did she do any singing at
all, other than her last performance at Buckley School for her god
children? |
With the exception of "Now", no. |
|
Live Release |
5 |
17 |
"There has never been a live Carpenters album released in
the U.S. I am sure you have many live shows recorded. Any chance of a
new live CD, or box set of live concerts?" |
"Not many live shows were recorded, only two: 'Live in
Japan' (1974) and 'Live at the Palladium' (1976). Both have been
released on CD, but the former will probably be easier to obtain. Japan
is the source to look for both - through Tower or Virgin imports, of
course. These were never released in the U.S. at my request, as I'm just
not much on live albums by anybody." |
|
Logo |
5 |
18 |
“The ‘Carpenters’ logo has worn very well over the years
and has become one of the most recognizable icons in the world of
popular music. Who was responsible for designing the logo? How much
input had Karen and Richard in the selection? Also, why was there no
logo on the ‘PASSAGE’ album?” |
“Craig Braun and Associates designed the ‘Carpenters’
logo. They were hired by the A&M graphics department to do the whole
package on the Carpenters third album. We had no input on the design. I
recognized it to be a great logo as soon as I saw it. There is no logo
on the front of the ‘Passage’ album due to a ‘transition idea’ by all of
us at the time. To keep things consistent, though, every Carpenters
album from the logo’s inception shows the logo; it’s on the back of the
‘Passage’ album, bottom center.” |
|
Misc |
5 |
19 |
“Do you still listen to your recordings?” |
“Every third blue moon, and of course, when we’re working
on some project, the SACD being the most recent.” |
|
Misc |
5 |
20 |
“I would be interested to know if there are any artists
on the charts today whose work Richard admires?” |
“I think Sting is really a talented fellow, but he’s been
with us many a year, along with Steely Dan and U2. As for the new crop
of artists, I’m not particularly impressed. Norah Jones is, at least, a
genuine singer.” |
|
Misc |
5 |
21 |
“Do the artists winning Grammys today impress you as much
as your own music did?” |
“No, even if you take Carpenters out of the equation and
look at some other people winning Grammys then, they were much more
talented than now. The records now, with rare exception, are
'manufactured'.” |
|
Misc |
5 |
22 |
“What are Richard’s memories of his encounter with Frank
Zappa at the Billboard Forum in June 1975? I wish I’d been there to see
my two musical heroes together!” |
“Frank was a talented fellow. I really liked the way he
played the guitar, and I liked his take on certain cultural and
sociological issues; he had a marvelously sardonic sense of humor. We
saw each other very briefly in the 'Green Room' before going out to
answer a few questions.” |
|
Misc |
5 |
23 |
"What was Carpenters’ biggest ever gig?" |
“ 'One-nighter': Ohio State Fair, summer of 1971,
approximately 50,000.” |
|
Misc |
5 |
24 |
“Do your children enjoy the music you created?” |
“Yes, they hear it now and then, but I’ve never sat them
down in a concerted effort. They are kids and, of course, like certain
of our songs more than others, as do adults!” |
|
Misc |
6 |
4 |
I am very familiar with A&M Studios and it's layout and have heard
different theories over the years while recording there as to where you
and Karen liked recording certain things. How did you normally select
your rooms (i.e. tracking, string dates, vocal overdubs, etc.)? |
Tracks usually in Studio B and later Studio D. Strings,
horns et al, A or D. Vocals B, C & later D. D was Karen's favorite as it
has a vocal booth. |
|
Misc |
6 |
5 |
Did you think Akiko Kobayashi sounded a lot like Karen? Did she remind
you of it? |
At times, and she wanted my production of her album to be
reminiscent of Made In America. |
|
Misc |
6 |
6 |
Is it true that Frank Sinatra said he wanted to sing with Karen
Carpenter? |
Not to my knowledge. |
|
News |
5 |
25 |
"We would like to have updated new reports on what
Richard is doing and where the Carpenters music is currently heading." |
“I am raising a large family with my wife Mary, involved
in community and school activities, the Carpenter Performing Arts Center
in Long Beach, CA, and continuing to write songs. I’m still with A&M
Records, and am always working sometime or other on a request for a
Carpenters' package, i.e. the 5.1 Surround Sound project. The catalog is
available in its entirety in the US and Japan. One of the newest
requests is for a double-CD plus DVD 'Gold' package, which will be
granted; I like the idea.” |
|
News |
5 |
26 |
"Is there a future-talent amongst the Carpenter family?” |
“Time will tell; you do mean musical talent?” |
|
SACD |
5 |
27 |
“Having recently re-mixed ‘The Singles 1969-1981’ for
SACD/DVD-Audio release, was there anything about the process which
surprised you?” |
"Not really; it all seemed as natural as mixing in
stereo." |
|
SACD |
5 |
28 |
"Will the new surround mixes use the original
instrumentation, or will some of the later re-recorded instrumentation
be used?” |
"Both, depending on the particular track." |
|
SACD |
5 |
29 |
"Will the stereo layer of the upcoming SACD or DVD-A
compilation have the original stereo mixes?” |
"Some, along with remixes from various years.” |
|
SACD |
5 |
30 |
"Is Richard considering using recordings used for the
Quad mixes from some 30 years ago on the new SACDs? Fans would simply
eat that up.” |
"No, no, no, no. Quad was a dubious experiment, and Karen
& I were on the road and had no time to oversee the quadraphonic mixes
ourselves. An A&M staff engineer - not Ray Gerhardt - did the remixes
and I was anything but happy with them. Technology has come light years
and I can guarantee the 5.1 remixes will be far superior to the Quad." |
|
SACD |
6 |
7 |
Just wondering if there is any likelihood of another 5.1 release as
there are so many more Carpenters songs that would be great to hear in
surround, ie, "Those Gold Old Dreams" & "Let Me Be The One". |
There are currently no plans for additional SACDs. The
record company is the one to decide if the format is economically worthy
to produce another. |
|
Song |
5 |
31 |
“Did you select the second to last track in ‘Gold’ with
the phrase ‘and when my life is over…’ because she is no longer with
us?” |
“The song title ‘A Song For You’ serves as a metaphor for
the whole set and that line works very well. I also wanted to end the
tune stack with Karen’s Theme, which also happens to be in the same key
as ‘A Song For You’.” |
|
Song |
5 |
32 |
"I really love the solo on 'Goodbye To Love'. It sounds
to me like an electric guitar played directly into the sound board and
overdriven onto analog tape. I would love to know more about it. Who
played it? how exactly was it recorded? .Who decided it should have such
a raucous sound? It was a great call!" |
"It's an electric guitar, Gibson, vintage 1957. Tony
Peluso played the solo, done in the 'good old days' when all he used was
a crude little fuzz unit called a 'Big Muff'. He hooked his guitar into
the Big Muff and our engineer Ray Gerhardt took it into the board. It
was recorded in Studio B at A&M Studios. The song and arrangement,
including the 'raucous' fuzz guitar solo, are mine." |
|
Song |
5 |
33 |
“Regarding ‘The Rainbow Connection’ - My question is
whether there may be a leakage of a sound where Karen sings 'dreamers
and meeeeee'. I'm not sure if this is the reason why you left it out as
an outtake to begin with. I was guessing her lead was only partial so
you thought it had better be untouched. But now with your effort and
enthusiasm, we are able to listen to this beautifully arranged song with
previously unreleased vocals by Karen." |
“This was originally written for Kermit the Frog
(Muppet), with some accents on the wrong syllables. I took some artistic
license and changed the melody a bit. Still, Karen just didn't like the
song, and it didn't make the album. For years fans kept requesting the
recording, so I completed the chart and put it out. In the matter of
leakage, there is none.“ |
|
Song |
5 |
34 |
“We all have our favorite songs of the Carpenters. What
song was YOUR favorite of all the songs you and Karen recorded together,
and why? What was Karen’s favorite song that the two of you recorded?” |
"To me, there's a difference between ‘song’ and
‘recording’. My favorite song would probably be either 'For All We Know'
or 'Superstar'. Favorite recordings would be 'Ticket To Ride' (1973,
remix), 'Close To You' or 'Merry Christmas, Darling'. Karen's favorite
was 'I Need To Be In Love'." |
|
Song |
6 |
