I grew up 2 streets behind the Carpenters in Downey and me and everyone else used to ride by the house on our schwinns all the time trying to catch a glimpse of Karen. Two things: Karen always looked exactly like she did on TV, and her family gave out full size candy bars at Halloween.
Herb Alpert of A&M Records was the guy who let Richard Carpenter do most of the production lifting as he knew what made his sister sound best with his arrangements. Looping in their own voices for backup was guinius too. Paul Williams later owned up in an interview years later to the fib he told Richard when asked if there was a full version of the song since it came from a TV commercial sound track. Paul had to "create a bridge and another verse" to give them a full length song over a long weekend. The lead in instument was not a flute. It was a clarinet.
Yes, the multiple male voices you hear are Richard laying down different harmonies on different tracks in the recording. Now, what they did on tour, I have no idea, they would have to have had other men singing those other parts obviously.
This is the studio version put to video to promote the Close to You album. Believe it or not, the only vocals you hear are done by Richard and Karen. The vocals are multi tracked. All the female harmoniies are done by Karen and all the male vocals harmonies are done by Richard.
My mom said when the Carpenters would come on i would sit down in front of the radio and look at the speaker and smile . I only stopped when I started kindergarten .. I still get a feeling of calm when I hear her voice.
I love your heartfelt feelings towards Carpenters especially Karen. There are not enough words to describe Karen Carpenter. She was wholesome, kind, caring, gorgeous and real. As far as backing vocals the studio overdubbing recordings were just Richard and Karen. Richard Carpenter is a genius arranger. The tour band when live sang backup. The tour band were very talented musicians. This is a 1971 video. They succeeded even when rock critics were bashing them for being to clean cut. History shows Carpenters won that battle with 150 million in record sells and growing.
Yep, her voice and loss STILL brings a tear to my eyes at 63 (I have one NOW)!! Such a TERRIBLE loss, a BEAUTIFUL voice SILENCED by Anorexia. When she was the groups drummer, she didn't have a problem (because she sat comfortably BEHIND the drums), but after becoming a "front line" singer in the group her "body image" was destroyed when she saw a promotional picture that she THOUGHT she looked fat in. Once that happened, her anorexia took over and she started "purging" to lose weight. That's what led to the loss of one of the most beautiful voices this planet ever had the PRIVILEGE of hearing. R.I.P. Karen. We still miss you!!
Richard was talented at arranging and a first class pianist. His vocals may not have the quality of Karen's but, still pleasant and perfect as a backing vocal. He did a little composing as well. Karen was also a fine drummer and if it wasn't for the fact her vocals were just so special, she would have happily stayed behind the drums but, the powers that be after hearing her voice had other ideas. There are some videos of Karen playing the drums. You should seek them out.
The genius of Richard's recording abilities. Richard was very gifted ... Richard multi-tracked (stacked) Karen's and his vocals for that "full" Carpenters sound. Utilizing the "Wrecking Crew" for all of their session projects. Check out The Wrecking Crew documentaries ... Absolutely brilliant .
Richard would record himself and Karen singing the background vocals, then double the track several times. So you end up with the equivalent of something like 11 Richards and 11 Karen’s singing together. He explained it in detail on a video I saw one time.
What I loved about the Carpenters is that they seemed to be absolutely normal and down to earth people. She sang in her natural voice and her natural voice was as good as they come. No falsetto or anything that was out of the natural. She and her brother are American icons.
Yes. Especially the 1971 live (really live, not "TV live" like this one) outdoor Bacharach medley taped at the Walter Reed military hospital for Ed Sullivan...Karen singing and drumming up a storm simultaneously. Fire.
This is the epitome of 60’ 70’s am easy listening. Paul Williams was a superstar writer producer who wrote for everyone. He probably looped the background. That was the studio style of the time. It was the wall of sound that made the Motown sound.
The magic was Richard's song choices, arrangements, keyboard skills and recording the two of them as backing vocals and stacking them, and that let Karen's magnificent voice and her world class drumming skills shine through.
Finally someone else mentioning the sets. I often think about that when watching these variety show clips on youtube. I grew up watching the Jackson Five, the Osmond's, Dean Martin, Laugh In, The Monkeys, HR Puff n Stuff. All the special effects where physical. All the sets had the sixties vibrant colors, and geometric shapes. Color TV was new and they probably wanted everything to pop.
Paul Williams was a prolific song writer in the 60s and 70s. He wrote several hits for Bobby Goldsboro among others. He was also a pretty good actor. He played Little Enis in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies and 'Swan' in "Phantom of the Paradise". (a lesser-known movie. A modern, (early 70s) mash-up and take of "The Picture of Dorian Grey" and "The Phantom of the Opera".)
Very true and he is quite alive and well. On i gee he’s paulielama2 (I guess paulielama1 was taken?) he recently saw a Short video of a young singer covering Rainy Days. He commented on her video and gave her many praises for what she did, including “I love your voice.” Needless to say that young singer was effervescent in her reply. It was quite nice, I must say. Oh and a clue. See my post for a 2 year younger version. 😉 Joe
I remember a comic, (Fred Travalina?), on a TV show doing an impression of Paul. He put a pair of tennis shoes on the stage, knelt into them, and sang "Little Green Apples".@@jbs256
Paul Williams wrote other songs recorded by Carpenters ("Rainy Days and Mondays", "I Won't Last a Day Without You"). He also co-wrote "Evergreen" with Barbra Streisand. That song won an Oscar.
just an fyi - they had access to a 16 track recording studio, which means they could go back and add extra vocal tracks to the song. That's why it sounds like so many guys on the backing vocals - he put down a few vocal tracks, and a few were used in the final mix. They were a fine group! And yes this song shows up at a lot of weddings, but for good reason!
I performed this song at my 8th grade graduation in 1978. I'm not crying, you're crying! Note: Woodwinds are a family of instruments including flutes, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, and bassoon... There are brass, strings, and percussion families (for orchestra) and keyboards, guitars, and electronic are the others. More than you wanted to know I'm sure. 🙂
Andrea, i 😘 ve that, my sister had the voice of Karen and didnt do much with it because her lack of self confidence from our horrible childhood...and then she died at 38, hospitals fault. Its sad the world didn't get to see what she could do...including her! Have you been a singer? Should you? Hopeyou say something back. Hey, i saw them in 74!!!
@@michaelasay8587 Sorry about your sister. That's deeply painful. Yes, I did become a singer for a while there. I trained for opera at one time, did weddings, etc, but life took over and singing went to the sidelines. About a year and a half ago I joined a local small choir and am getting some of my skills back, but I've probably lost almost an octave, mostly from the top. I'm not a high soprano anymore, that's for sure! 🙂
@@andreasmith6528Gosh thank you for writing! When you said life took over...sounds like maybe you could have done more. Do you have anything I could listen to? My sister didn't have the confidence. I just feel like singing is such a talent and people should do what they can to express their talent. I don't know about you but all of a sudden I feel that every time I hear Karen it just gets better. You know I feel her Mother was at fault. Telling her to not eat too many cookies. I don't remember her being much overweight. Maybe for a short time. I don't know if I told you but I saw them in 74! The only good thing my parents did for us. Right now I just feel. I can't wait to see my sister and Karen in heaven. I hope it's possible. So please let me know if I can hear you singing. Did you ever get to see them live?
My dad is a drummer and he always said that girls can't play them because we aren't strong enough. I saw Karen behind them and OMG was she good. She's the reason I started playing them and my dad is proud to say now that I have surpassed his talent.
I have to break it to you. ALL the background singers were Karen and Richard. Stacked and layered. Richard did all that stuff based on his love of Les Paul and Mary Ford. Richard orchestrated, composed and is a genius. That YOU set was used a bunch by Carpenters. I’m going to try and link a young lady who demonstrates her trying to replicate the We’ve Only… harmonies. She did good. Very good demo. I will return to her later. This video is 2 years old now. Her name is Tori Holub. th-cam.com/video/vaqOlvQOkzA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=S6H9FfJcYPtzqCvG As for Carpenters, here’s live performance from November 1970. They did this on The Ed Sullivan Show where they introduced The Bacharach/David Medley. Burt Bacharach seeing what Richard was doing to his Close To You song asked him to take some of his hits and make a Medley, Richard, did. Karen is live drumming and singing simultaneously here. The bamnd and K & R do all the harmonies live. It’s so magical. Generally you don’t have to fade Carpenters songs but I’ve heard some are trouble. This Medley isn’t, I’ve recommended it many times all are up and uncovered. You WANT to clearly see Karen doing her thing. No one puts Karen under a mask. ❤️ th-cam.com/video/yrsuLCF9FtI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ZvsV8Bk3pR29DtSk I hope my links work. Joe
I was born and raised in So. Cal, and clearly remember the Crocker Bank commercial that featured this song (I was about 12 at the time). Then sometime later the Carpenters' version was filling the airwaves. I didn't really listen to them or their style of music at the time, but as with others from that era have really come to appreciate them.
The very first "record" I ever purchased was the "Close To You" album, their very first album, in 1970, and "We've Only Just Begun" was the first track on the album (sorry, I'm probably using jargon most don't understand anymore), and is why I bought the album. I was privileged to see the Carpenters in concert while a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy in 1976--they performed in Arnold Hall, the Academy's Social Center. The late, great Ms. Karen Carpenter was once quoted as saying she wished she were as good a singer as she was a drummer--imagine that.
Have you seen Karen play the drums? She was a good drummer. Here’s a video where moves around to different drum sets: th-cam.com/video/sdHyzGXAJPg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RvFyISFFFmHmd_pc
Watch "Karen Carpenter - The Drummer" on TH-cam I think this is the best compilation out there. It includes the one you're talking about or at least parts of it
Those harmony vocals you like so much are multitracked Karen and Richard alone. Richard got the idea from the late 1940s recordings of Les Paul (of guitar fame) and Mary Ford, who pioneered the technique. Particularly in the early part of their career Carpenters did loads of that, and it's marvelous. Check out some of the other tracks from Close To You, especially Mr Guder, Another Song, and Crescent Noon. After Karen's passing Richard revisited the technique on his 1987 solo album Time. On the song When Time Was All We Had, he multitracks himself into an a cappella choir...in one chord of the arrangement you would swear Karen was there too...
It was overdubbing their own voices more. Richard carpenter's voice Karen Carpenter had a god-given gift. And I believe that's why she left this earth comma if you know what I mean🤔❤️🙏🕊
Thanks! Karen was an angelic voice.. and this song was great.. I always get a laugh out of the tambourine player in the foreground... lol... very "cheesy" video.. but so much fun! (Richard was key background.. don't know about others.. could have been "dubbed")
Great reaction. Paul Williams and Roger Nichols wrote it. As you said, from a bank commercial. Here is the link to a clip from Paul Williams interview with David Pomeranz on how “We’ve Only Just Began” became a hit. Enjoy! th-cam.com/video/F11_WATtnog/w-d-xo.htmlsi=YxcEkzpGeB42_1dZ
They did a beautiful cover of the Beatles' " Ticket to Ride" off their first album ( released before they became really well known ). It has a completely different 'vibe' from the original ; pretty sure you'd like the hell out of it.
I always liked the song - YESTERDAY ONCE MORE from the Carpenters in 1973 as another great that went to #2. For a upbeat more early Rock N Roll 50s early 60s happy song - Please Mr Postman from the Carpenters is one that DID go to #1 in 1975 for them....
Ya, this brought back tears too. Took me right back to high and an impossible relationship. But at the time, we Had only just begun. Oh to be that young and healthy again.
You need to watch a documentary on the carpenters, and that will explain so much to you A. Bout Richard carpenter and his brilliance but even more so. His sister's natural gift which I believe comes from god
Wonderful reaction sir. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a marvelous musical age! The arrangements, composing, stacking and harmony are a testament to Richards tremendous talents. What he did by adding the Philharmonic Orchestra to " Superstar " created a masterpiece! I'm sure you received comments about Karen's drum playing. Hope you check out some of her works behind a kit. Impressive, and she is always so happy!
Someone's probably already said it, she was a great drummer. She plays in a few clips/songs. Also, check out the song Superstar by them, but find the version where she's wearing a long sleeved white top with a multi colored pastel wrap/dress.....that version is a true live version. It's a great version
They did backtrack layering on their voice to make it sound like several singers. Fun fact. This was actually a jingle for a bank commercial. They bought the rights to it, and made a complete song out of it.
The tambourine player on the floor is the clarinet player. He plays it in the beginning and end. It is setting on the floor beside him while he plays the tambourine. The Carpenters spent more time on the background singing then on the solo part (which as often as not was done in one take). They would sing the background from 3 to 30 times and then stack the tracks. On tour they often used a band and background vocals track and only Karens mic was live.
The Carpenters is a deep rabbit hole just like The Bee Gees. Richard and Karen stacked their vocals, I think that Richard said they stacked them 4 times. Richard arranged most of the songs.
Good artist do this; they record their own voices in different octaves. Those multiple men’s voices are Richard’s and any multiple females voices are Karen’s.
I sang this song many times at weddings back in the day. Lovely Paul Williams song sung by the incomparable Karen Carpenter. Wonderful. Have a listen to their version of the Leon Russell masterpiece - A Song For You.
That's so funny. I had a Crocker Bank teddy bear (part of some promotion) when I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade, and their commercials used to be ubiquitous. Yes, she was great, and she died way too young. Some a-hole magazine (I can't remember which one) made comments about her being chubby and it made her so insecure (she really was a clean, sweet, of middle-class antecedents kind of girl) that she contracted an eating disorder and got soooo skinny. People commented on it, but no one really addressed it. she ended up dying of heart failure. It was really, really sad. She was the drummer too.
Wood winds are a group of musicians instruments thar use either a single or double Reed to produce the sound These include flutes. Files, recorders. Basson, oboe, and Saxaphone. Some are made out of metal but the sound is generated by a wooden Reed. Other horned instruments like trumpet are called brass instruments and the sound is generated by the players lips vibrating then amplified by thr instrument.
I actually remembered the commercial before the Carpenters got involved with the song. Maybe that's why this piece has always seemed more interesting and a bit more special to me.
There is a channel here on YT called Wings of Pegasus, and on it he does a fantastic job of illustrating the vocal capabilities of various artists. He does one showing that Karen's vocals live are even more pitch perfect than her vocals on the recorded version. She and Richard were legendary!!
This was the number one wedding song throughout the 1970s and early 80s. Everyone I knew who got married during that time had this song at their wedding.
Lots of musicians and singers didn't get credited in songs until the 70s. For example, the Funk Brothers (Motown) were never credited until 1970. I think the first might have been What's Going On by Marvin Gaye. In the 60s & 70s there were groups of session musicians associated with the studios. Richard did the arrangements but if he needed an instrument he could get one from the studio. "The Wrecking Crew" in Los Angeles are who the Carpenters would have called on for extra musicians. The Wrecking Crew included Leon Russell, Glen Campbell became successful artists in their own right. Leon Russell was also a great song writer and his songs have been covered by many artists
Richard and Karen would do multiple overdubs on their backing vocals, it really is just the two of them. Richard was actually a genuis with arrangements.
Karen never lip synced her music. Also it’s been proven her studio track were never as good as her live performances. We was actually more pitch perfect during her live performances than her studio sets.❤ She was definitely ahead of her time and a true loss to the world when she passed away. This is my first of your videos I’ve watched. So I’m not sure if you know she also played the drums! 😊👍❤️❤️❤️ You also need to research Paul Williams! He wrote and sang many great hits of the 60’s and 70’s. Check out some of his TH-cam videos. I think you’ll enjoy him too.
Sorry, most recorded versions had to be lip synced . There are no microphones, not all instruments are on stage( no drums or trumpets.). Technology wasn't advanced enough early on to make it possible.
You found it man, the Carpenters best. Well done. Studio session members. They probably changed between most songs. This song was sung during the beginning of my life. It's extra special to me. Thank you for validating my life. Yep, the song was from a commercial! Amazing. Richard the arranger. He was the "brains" if you want to put it like that. Karen was the soul. They were quite a team.
Back in this time, there was an organized group of session players, called The Wrecking Crew. It was a group of 'musicians for hire', that either hadn't gotten their big break yet, or couldn't commit to going on the road for long periods of time. Karen and Richard utilized them to fill out their needs at specific times. Many big names got there start in The Wrecking Crew.
Most songs these days are covers or samples of songs that were written & recorded by other artists decades ago. It might be a complete cover, or they use sound bites of melodies and/or old lyrics. Very few recording artists, especially in pop music today, actually compose their own original songs. I've lost count on how many "new songs" I've heard that contain the same words or music from stuff I listened to back in the 70's, 80's, 90's, & early 2000's... Similar to Patsy Cline, Karen Carpenter's voice is iconic, sliky smooth, & like no other. Patsy is my #1 favorite, followed closely by Karen in the #2 spot. No one else can compare or compete and both taken away from the world far too soon. Just imagine the vast library of wonderful music we would have received from these two naturally talented ladies, had life not been so cruel. Please check out Karen's last recording titled "Now" (1983). It makes me cry every time I hear it as her voice is so hauntingly beautiful...
In 1970 it was a tape recorder with multi track capability. That tech was growing just as Richard was really making use of it. 4-8-12-16 track and beyond. Then now we got digital.
They were famous for doing the voice over dubbing. Another one that did it successfully is Freddie mercury in the beginning of bohemian rhaspody. Everyone thinks it's the full band - but it's only Freddie
So many excellent Carpenters' song suggestions in these comments. Most of their songs are covers but they did have some hits written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis you might check out: Goodbye to Love, Top of the World, Only Yesterday and Yesterday Once More.
You need to hear Delaney & Bonnie - Groupie (Superstar) ,it is great and Luther did a great cover of it ,I agree .. The Carpenters "Rainy Days and Mondays" check it out
I grew up 2 streets behind the Carpenters in Downey and me and everyone else used to ride by the house on our schwinns all the time trying to catch a glimpse of Karen. Two things: Karen always looked exactly like she did on TV, and her family gave out full size candy bars at Halloween.
Paul Williams was in the movie "Smokey And The Bandit"!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now that’s cool
What a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing that! What a singer! RIP Karen. Peace from Northern Michigan.
I just watched the Carpenters Live at Budokan 1974 on youtube. Karen Carpenter did not need a studio to sound great she had an unbelievable voice.
WOW!! That's cool! Totally Awesome!!👍✌️
Its not multiple men - it is multiple tracks from Richard and Karen. The production was genius.
^ this. It is ALL Richard and Karen, in vocal layers.
Herb Alpert of A&M Records was the guy who let Richard Carpenter do most of the production lifting as he knew what made his sister sound best with his arrangements. Looping in their own voices for backup was guinius too. Paul Williams later owned up in an interview years later to the fib he told Richard when asked if there was a full version of the song since it came from a TV commercial sound track. Paul had to "create a bridge and another verse" to give them a full length song over a long weekend. The lead in instument was not a flute. It was a clarinet.
Karen and Richard did all the background vocals, something Richard perfected in all their songs.
When recording, Richard used the same over-dubbing that Les Paul first did for his wife Mary Ford.
Yes, the multiple male voices you hear are Richard laying down different harmonies on different tracks in the recording. Now, what they did on tour, I have no idea, they would have to have had other men singing those other parts obviously.
This is the studio version put to video to promote the Close to You album. Believe it or not, the only vocals you hear are done by Richard and Karen. The vocals are multi tracked. All the female harmoniies are done by Karen and all the male vocals harmonies are done by Richard.
Exactly right!👍✌️
The kive show vocals were from the band minus the drummer.
This became THE wedding song back in the day ❤
That played at my wedding!
My mom said when the Carpenters would come on i would sit down in front of the radio and look at the speaker and smile . I only stopped when I started kindergarten .. I still get a feeling of calm when I hear her voice.
I love your heartfelt feelings towards Carpenters especially Karen. There are not enough words to describe Karen Carpenter. She was wholesome, kind, caring, gorgeous and real. As far as backing vocals the studio overdubbing recordings were just Richard and Karen. Richard Carpenter is a genius arranger. The tour band when live sang backup. The tour band were very talented musicians. This is a 1971 video. They succeeded even when rock critics were bashing them for being to clean cut. History shows Carpenters won that battle with 150 million in record sells and growing.
Rainy Days and Monday’s is a great song of theirs too. She plays the drums and sings in that video. Love the Carpenters ❤
Yep, her voice and loss STILL brings a tear to my eyes at 63 (I have one NOW)!!
Such a TERRIBLE loss, a BEAUTIFUL voice SILENCED by Anorexia.
When she was the groups drummer, she didn't have a problem (because she sat comfortably BEHIND the drums), but after becoming a "front line" singer in the group her "body image" was destroyed when she saw a promotional picture that she THOUGHT she looked fat in. Once that happened, her anorexia took over and she started "purging" to lose weight. That's what led to the loss of one of the most beautiful voices this planet ever had the PRIVILEGE of hearing.
R.I.P. Karen. We still miss you!!
Richard was talented at arranging and a first class pianist. His vocals may not have the quality of Karen's but, still pleasant and perfect as a backing vocal. He did a little composing as well. Karen was also a fine drummer and if it wasn't for the fact her vocals were just so special, she would have happily stayed behind the drums but, the powers that be after hearing her voice had other ideas. There are some videos of Karen playing the drums. You should seek them out.
This was my parents wedding song 😍 I've grown up with The Carpenters!
The genius of Richard's recording abilities. Richard was very gifted
... Richard multi-tracked (stacked) Karen's and his vocals for that "full" Carpenters sound. Utilizing the "Wrecking Crew" for all of their session projects. Check out The Wrecking Crew documentaries
... Absolutely brilliant .
Richard would record himself and Karen singing the background vocals, then double the track several times. So you end up with the equivalent of something like 11 Richards and 11 Karen’s singing together. He explained it in detail on a video I saw one time.
Multitrack recording...they did it a lot.......to perfection. ❤
What I loved about the Carpenters is that they seemed to be absolutely normal and down to earth people. She sang in her natural voice and her natural voice was as good as they come. No falsetto or anything that was out of the natural. She and her brother are American icons.
Karen started out as the drummer...she's an amazing drummer. I think there are videos of her doing it and she rocks it.
Watch "Karen Carpenter - The Drummer" on TH-cam
It is the best compilation
Yes. Especially the 1971 live (really live, not "TV live" like this one) outdoor Bacharach medley taped at the Walter Reed military hospital for Ed Sullivan...Karen singing and drumming up a storm simultaneously. Fire.
This is the epitome of 60’ 70’s am easy listening. Paul Williams was a superstar writer producer who wrote for everyone. He probably looped the background. That was the studio style of the time. It was the wall of sound that made the Motown sound.
The magic was Richard's song choices, arrangements, keyboard skills and recording the two of them as backing vocals and stacking them, and that let Karen's magnificent voice and her world class drumming skills shine through.
Finally someone else mentioning the sets. I often think about that when watching these variety show clips on youtube. I grew up watching the Jackson Five, the Osmond's, Dean Martin, Laugh In, The Monkeys, HR Puff n Stuff. All the special effects where physical. All the sets had the sixties vibrant colors, and geometric shapes. Color TV was new and they probably wanted everything to pop.
they did all of the background vocals karen and Richard, by dubbing their voices in different octaves/tones....
Paul Williams was a prolific song writer in the 60s and 70s. He wrote several hits for Bobby Goldsboro among others. He was also a pretty good actor. He played Little Enis in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies and 'Swan' in "Phantom of the Paradise". (a lesser-known movie. A modern, (early 70s) mash-up and take of "The Picture of Dorian Grey" and "The Phantom of the Opera".)
Very true and he is quite alive and well. On i gee he’s paulielama2 (I guess paulielama1 was taken?) he recently saw a Short video of a young singer covering Rainy Days. He commented on her video and gave her many praises for what she did, including “I love your voice.” Needless to say that young singer was effervescent in her reply. It was quite nice, I must say. Oh and a clue. See my post for a 2 year younger version. 😉
Joe
I remember a comic, (Fred Travalina?), on a TV show doing an impression of Paul. He put a pair of tennis shoes on the stage, knelt into them, and sang "Little Green Apples".@@jbs256
He was also a pretty dang good singer himself.
@@toodlescae that he is. It’s his voice in the Crocker Bank commercial. It’s on TH-cam.
Paul Williams wrote other songs recorded by Carpenters ("Rainy Days and Mondays", "I Won't Last a Day Without You"). He also co-wrote "Evergreen" with Barbra Streisand. That song won an Oscar.
just an fyi - they had access to a 16 track recording studio, which means they could go back and add extra vocal tracks to the song. That's why it sounds like so many guys on the backing vocals - he put down a few vocal tracks, and a few were used in the final mix.
They were a fine group! And yes this song shows up at a lot of weddings, but for good reason!
I performed this song at my 8th grade graduation in 1978. I'm not crying, you're crying! Note: Woodwinds are a family of instruments including flutes, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, and bassoon... There are brass, strings, and percussion families (for orchestra) and keyboards, guitars, and electronic are the others. More than you wanted to know I'm sure. 🙂
Andrea, i 😘 ve that, my sister had the voice of Karen and didnt do much with it because her lack of self confidence from our horrible childhood...and then she died at 38, hospitals fault. Its sad the world didn't get to see what she could do...including her! Have you been a singer? Should you? Hopeyou say something back. Hey, i saw them in 74!!!
@@michaelasay8587 Sorry about your sister. That's deeply painful. Yes, I did become a singer for a while there. I trained for opera at one time, did weddings, etc, but life took over and singing went to the sidelines. About a year and a half ago I joined a local small choir and am getting some of my skills back, but I've probably lost almost an octave, mostly from the top. I'm not a high soprano anymore, that's for sure! 🙂
@@andreasmith6528Gosh thank you for writing! When you said life took over...sounds like maybe you could have done more. Do you have anything I could listen to? My sister didn't have the confidence. I just feel like singing is such a talent and people should do what they can to express their talent. I don't know about you but all of a sudden I feel that every time I hear Karen it just gets better. You know I feel her Mother was at fault. Telling her to not eat too many cookies. I don't remember her being much overweight. Maybe for a short time. I don't know if I told you but I saw them in 74! The only good thing my parents did for us. Right now I just feel. I can't wait to see my sister and Karen in heaven. I hope it's possible. So please let me know if I can hear you singing. Did you ever get to see them live?
My dad is a drummer and he always said that girls can't play them because we aren't strong enough. I saw Karen behind them and OMG was she good. She's the reason I started playing them and my dad is proud to say now that I have surpassed his talent.
I have to break it to you. ALL the background singers were Karen and Richard. Stacked and layered. Richard did all that stuff based on his love of Les Paul and Mary Ford. Richard orchestrated, composed and is a genius. That YOU set was used a bunch by Carpenters. I’m going to try and link a young lady who demonstrates her trying to replicate the We’ve Only… harmonies. She did good. Very good demo. I will return to her later. This video is 2 years old now. Her name is Tori Holub.
th-cam.com/video/vaqOlvQOkzA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=S6H9FfJcYPtzqCvG
As for Carpenters, here’s live performance from November 1970. They did this on The Ed Sullivan Show where they introduced The Bacharach/David Medley. Burt Bacharach seeing what Richard was doing to his Close To You song asked him to take some of his hits and make a Medley, Richard, did.
Karen is live drumming and singing simultaneously here. The bamnd and K & R do all the harmonies live. It’s so magical. Generally you don’t have to fade Carpenters songs but I’ve heard some are trouble. This Medley isn’t, I’ve recommended it many times all are up and uncovered. You WANT to clearly see Karen doing her thing. No one puts Karen under a mask. ❤️
th-cam.com/video/yrsuLCF9FtI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ZvsV8Bk3pR29DtSk
I hope my links work.
Joe
Great Reaction!!!!’ Love the Carpenters!!!
She was Awesome. I saw them in London UK in 1976 and the show was amazing. Another unique voice that is greatly missed.
I was born and raised in So. Cal, and clearly remember the Crocker Bank commercial that featured this song (I was about 12 at the time). Then sometime later the Carpenters' version was filling the airwaves.
I didn't really listen to them or their style of music at the time, but as with others from that era have really come to appreciate them.
The very first "record" I ever purchased was the "Close To You" album, their very first album, in 1970, and "We've Only Just Begun" was the first track on the album (sorry, I'm probably using jargon most don't understand anymore), and is why I bought the album. I was privileged to see the Carpenters in concert while a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy in 1976--they performed in Arnold Hall, the Academy's Social Center. The late, great Ms. Karen Carpenter was once quoted as saying she wished she were as good a singer as she was a drummer--imagine that.
Have you seen Karen play the drums? She was a good drummer. Here’s a video where moves around to different drum sets: th-cam.com/video/sdHyzGXAJPg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=RvFyISFFFmHmd_pc
Watch "Karen Carpenter - The Drummer" on TH-cam
I think this is the best compilation out there. It includes the one you're talking about or at least parts of it
Those harmony vocals you like so much are multitracked Karen and Richard alone. Richard got the idea from the late 1940s recordings of Les Paul (of guitar fame) and Mary Ford, who pioneered the technique. Particularly in the early part of their career Carpenters did loads of that, and it's marvelous. Check out some of the other tracks from Close To You, especially Mr Guder, Another Song, and Crescent Noon. After Karen's passing Richard revisited the technique on his 1987 solo album Time. On the song When Time Was All We Had, he multitracks himself into an a cappella choir...in one chord of the arrangement you would swear Karen was there too...
It was overdubbing their own voices more. Richard carpenter's voice Karen Carpenter had a god-given gift. And I believe that's why she left this earth comma if you know what I mean🤔❤️🙏🕊
Thanks! Karen was an angelic voice.. and this song was great.. I always get a laugh out of the tambourine player in the foreground... lol... very "cheesy" video.. but so much fun! (Richard was key background.. don't know about others.. could have been "dubbed")
I suggest these Carpenters songs: Rainy Days and Mondays, Yesterday Once More & This Masquerade
The guy playing the flute and tambourine is a background singer also... in some of their other videos you'll see him harmonizing...
Great reaction. Paul Williams and Roger Nichols wrote it. As you said, from a bank commercial. Here is the link to a clip from Paul Williams interview with David Pomeranz on how “We’ve Only Just Began” became a hit. Enjoy!
th-cam.com/video/F11_WATtnog/w-d-xo.htmlsi=YxcEkzpGeB42_1dZ
The perfect wedding song about a young couple starting married life together.
They did a beautiful cover of the Beatles' " Ticket to Ride" off their first album ( released before they became really well known ). It has a completely different 'vibe' from the original ; pretty sure you'd like the hell out of it.
I would recommend Carpenters Solitaire for you. It 's hauntingly beautifuil and really shows off her voice.
A lot of people used this as their wedding song!
I used it as my wedding song.
@@Tessiefayeme too! 1977
You should do "Rainy Days and Mondays" next.
Acording to the Book "Carpenters The Musical Legacy" Karen played the tamborine on the studio track.
I always liked the song - YESTERDAY ONCE MORE from the Carpenters in 1973 as another great that went to #2. For a upbeat more early Rock N Roll 50s early 60s happy song - Please Mr Postman from the Carpenters is one that DID go to #1 in 1975 for them....
The backing vocals are all Richard and Karen Over dubbed multiple times.
I believe that the backing vocals are Richard and Karen only, but several layers of them dubbed together.
Ya, this brought back tears too. Took me right back to high and an impossible relationship. But at the time, we Had only just begun. Oh to be that young and healthy again.
This song was in every wedding in the 70s lol. She had such a rich, velvety tone. No one like her.
You need to watch a documentary on the carpenters, and that will explain so much to you A. Bout Richard carpenter and his brilliance but even more so. His sister's natural gift which I believe comes from god
Wonderful reaction sir. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a marvelous musical age! The arrangements, composing, stacking and harmony are a testament to Richards tremendous talents. What he did by adding the Philharmonic Orchestra to " Superstar " created a masterpiece!
I'm sure you received comments about Karen's drum playing. Hope you check out some of her works behind a kit. Impressive, and she is always so happy!
Someone's probably already said it, she was a great drummer. She plays in a few clips/songs. Also, check out the song Superstar by them, but find the version where she's wearing a long sleeved white top with a multi colored pastel wrap/dress.....that version is a true live version. It's a great version
They did backtrack layering on their voice to make it sound like several singers. Fun fact.
This was actually a jingle for a bank commercial. They bought the rights to it, and made a complete song out of it.
The tambourine player on the floor is the clarinet player. He plays it in the beginning and end. It is setting on the floor beside him while he plays the tambourine. The Carpenters spent more time on the background singing then on the solo part (which as often as not was done in one take). They would sing the background from 3 to 30 times and then stack the tracks. On tour they often used a band and background vocals track and only Karens mic was live.
The Carpenters is a deep rabbit hole just like The Bee Gees. Richard and Karen stacked their vocals, I think that Richard said they stacked them 4 times. Richard arranged most of the songs.
Good artist do this; they record their own voices in different octaves. Those multiple men’s voices are Richard’s and any multiple females voices are Karen’s.
Backing vocal credits in the record version is different than the live version. You can do things in the studio that you cannot do live.
I've read that, though uncredited, the tambourine player was... Karen Carpenter.
Carpenters/Desperado (Deep album cut : Eagles cover)😮😊!
Karen’s voice was spectacular. Lovely reaction! ❤
Growing up in the 70's we would make fun of the Carpenters because non of us would admit we really did love them. We have no problem admitting it now.
I sang this song many times at weddings back in the day. Lovely Paul Williams song sung by the incomparable Karen Carpenter. Wonderful. Have a listen to their version of the Leon Russell masterpiece - A Song For You.
Great song and Richard figured a way to use multiple tracks to make Karen and Richard’s voice sound bigger!Yes Richard was a force behind the scenes!
Karen had the voice of an Angel. One of the greatest female singers of all time.
If silk could sing, it would sound like Karen
That's so funny. I had a Crocker Bank teddy bear (part of some promotion) when I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade, and their commercials used to be ubiquitous. Yes, she was great, and she died way too young. Some a-hole magazine (I can't remember which one) made comments about her being chubby and it made her so insecure (she really was a clean, sweet, of middle-class antecedents kind of girl) that she contracted an eating disorder and got soooo skinny. People commented on it, but no one really addressed it. she ended up dying of heart failure. It was really, really sad. She was the drummer too.
She a drummer as well. Very very Great😊
This was THE wedding song back in the day.
This was the top wedding song at the time!
Wood winds are a group of musicians instruments thar use either a single or double Reed to produce the sound
These include flutes. Files, recorders. Basson, oboe, and Saxaphone.
Some are made out of metal but the sound is generated by a wooden Reed.
Other horned instruments like trumpet are called brass instruments and the sound is generated by the players lips vibrating then amplified by thr instrument.
That guy is her brother, Richard.
I actually remembered the commercial before the Carpenters got involved with the song. Maybe that's why this piece has always seemed more interesting and a bit more special to me.
Leon Russell wrote Superstar (Groupie) Paul Williams wrote Close To You, Rainy Days & Mondays, & this
My cousin had this song in her wedding. I had For All We Know.
I believe they had background singers, but I also believe Richard would do like 16 layers of their voices, I think he really went crazy with that
There is a channel here on YT called Wings of Pegasus, and on it he does a fantastic job of illustrating the vocal capabilities of various artists. He does one showing that Karen's vocals live are even more pitch perfect than her vocals on the recorded version. She and Richard were legendary!!
This was the number one wedding song throughout the 1970s and early 80s. Everyone I knew who got married during that time had this song at their wedding.
Lots of musicians and singers didn't get credited in songs until the 70s. For example, the Funk Brothers (Motown) were never credited until 1970. I think the first might have been What's Going On by Marvin Gaye. In the 60s & 70s there were groups of session musicians associated with the studios. Richard did the arrangements but if he needed an instrument he could get one from the studio. "The Wrecking Crew" in Los Angeles are who the Carpenters would have called on for extra musicians. The Wrecking Crew included Leon Russell, Glen Campbell became successful artists in their own right. Leon Russell was also a great song writer and his songs have been covered by many artists
Now you should check out one of the greatest singers ever who was over-looked in the great Phyllis Hyman singing "Living All Alone"
Richard and Karen would do multiple overdubs on their backing vocals, it really is just the two of them. Richard was actually a genuis with arrangements.
Her brother is a genius arranger
Karen never lip synced her music. Also it’s been proven her studio track were never as good as her live performances. We was actually more pitch perfect during her live performances than her studio sets.❤ She was definitely ahead of her time and a true loss to the world when she passed away. This is my first of your videos I’ve watched. So I’m not sure if you know she also played the drums! 😊👍❤️❤️❤️ You also need to research Paul Williams! He wrote and sang many great hits of the 60’s and 70’s. Check out some of his TH-cam videos. I think you’ll enjoy him too.
Sorry, most recorded versions had to be lip synced . There are no microphones, not all instruments are on stage( no drums or trumpets.). Technology wasn't advanced enough early on to make it possible.
❤❤
You found it man, the Carpenters best. Well done. Studio session members. They probably changed between most songs. This song was sung during the beginning of my life. It's extra special to me. Thank you for validating my life. Yep, the song was from a commercial! Amazing. Richard the arranger. He was the "brains" if you want to put it like that. Karen was the soul. They were quite a team.
Karen was a great drummer. John Bonam of Zeppelin he knew she was great.😊😊
Her brother back singer of her. Richard Carpenter.
Back in this time, there was an organized group of session players, called The Wrecking Crew. It was a group of 'musicians for hire', that either hadn't gotten their big break yet, or couldn't commit to going on the road for long periods of time. Karen and Richard utilized them to fill out their needs at specific times. Many big names got there start in The Wrecking Crew.
Most songs these days are covers or samples of songs that were written & recorded by other artists decades ago. It might be a complete cover, or they use sound bites of melodies and/or old lyrics. Very few recording artists, especially in pop music today, actually compose their own original songs. I've lost count on how many "new songs" I've heard that contain the same words or music from stuff I listened to back in the 70's, 80's, 90's, & early 2000's...
Similar to Patsy Cline, Karen Carpenter's voice is iconic, sliky smooth, & like no other. Patsy is my #1 favorite, followed closely by Karen in the #2 spot. No one else can compare or compete and both taken away from the world far too soon. Just imagine the vast library of wonderful music we would have received from these two naturally talented ladies, had life not been so cruel.
Please check out Karen's last recording titled "Now" (1983).
It makes me cry every time I hear it as her voice is so hauntingly beautiful...
There's members in the group that are singing backup too.
This one is special. It was played at my mom and dad’s wedding.
They had a machine that made the vocals sound like 10 people instead of just Karen and Richard
In 1970 it was a tape recorder with multi track capability. That tech was growing just as Richard was really making use of it. 4-8-12-16 track and beyond. Then now we got digital.
This was my senior class song, she's amazing, but a pretty sappy song for 1972. heh
Hey now, this is catchy.
Liked the hook, fell in love with the voice. My mom was correct.
Great reaction🤟
Underrated Carpenters song: Only Yesterday
They were famous for doing the voice over dubbing. Another one that did it successfully is Freddie mercury in the beginning of bohemian rhaspody. Everyone thinks it's the full band - but it's only Freddie
Nope, its just them....multi tracked and stacked and this works as this isnt live, it is lip synching which was so common in the seventies.
My wedding song in 1983.
Richard was playing the tambourine in the video too. They used special effects because all the men in the video were him. Camera tricks.
If you want to know who Paul Williams is, just watch Smokey and the Bandit. He's the little short man. He wrote a lot of good songs.
So many excellent Carpenters' song suggestions in these comments. Most of their songs are covers but they did have some hits written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis you might check out: Goodbye to Love, Top of the World, Only Yesterday and Yesterday Once More.
Watch out. Carpenters are a wonderful rabbit hold.
You must hear goodbye to love
You need to hear Delaney & Bonnie - Groupie (Superstar) ,it is great and Luther did a great cover of it ,I agree .. The Carpenters "Rainy Days and Mondays" check it out