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A while back I read an interview from Elton John...it had been from several years earlier. In it he talks about Karen, saying that he thinks she was one of the best female singers, but he hated the Carpenters.

Has anyone else read that article or know where to find it??
Jonathan

It seems odd for someone to say he appreciates Karen's voice, while hating the Carpenters. Maybe he's one of those who's afraid to admit his appreciation.
There's a quote from Elton John in the write-up about Karen in the "Rolling Stone" ranking of the 100 greatest singers of all time in which Karen is at 94 . I suppose it's from the interview you're looking for.... He's quoted as saying she had "one of the greatest voices of our lifetime". There are others in the music industry, such as Paul McCartney, who would be likely to rank Karen much higher....

Karen at 94? Who did that ranking? People with plugged ears?
As far as I remember Elton spoke well about Karen's voice, but didn't like at all what Richard did with it.
I believe that after 3 decades Elton is still jealous of Karen's voice, and for all those times the Carpenters were higher than he in the charts...

Hi
I knowoll lifestyle and partiess that karen and Elton john both attended a party at Neil sedakas in London in early 1974,i wonder if they actually spoke to each other.I think they were polar opposites personally as Elton is much into Rock and roll lifestyle and parties while karen was more of a down to earth person.

Good point!

It IS possible to like a voice and dislike the songs...

Yes, I guess that's true, but in the start to this thread, Song for You man says Elton John said he hated the Carpenters....

Hi
Sorry to dissapoint but as much as i love The Carpenters,Elton john had more chart success and higher ranking records and sales than The Carpenters did in the 1970s

Well, yes... Elton has stated he loved Karen's voice and hate the "artistic entity" the CARPENTERS. He may hate their songs, even their MUSIC, the way it's arranged, etc, and still love Karen's voice, what means he thinks she'd have bone detter doing her thing with some other team other than Richard and company.

I must desagree with Elton's thoughts. Just take a listen to what Karen and Phill Ramone did. I think Richard got out of Karen the best she could ever be with her gift. There's no way -I believe- Karen would have been greater artist than she was. The Carpenters took a song, and got the best out of it, taking that song to the highest level it could possibly reach. No one will ever do a better version of Close To You, We've Only Just begun, Yesterday Once More, etc.....
Richard did exactly the same with Karen.

i saw that article and then forgot about it.....and then couldn't find it anywhere......googled Elton JOhn / Karen Carpenter thinking I would find it again....no such luck.

jonathan

Not the one I was looking for, but here is something..

wonder where you think you fit into rock history. You arrived during the sensitive-singer-songwriter era, but then you became the sensitive singer-songwriter in a Donald Duck suit.

I was hip for a while, and then I started wearing the clothes. I'm never going to be thought of in the same terms as David Bowie or Lou Reed. I'm a different animal. But then you get Michael Stipe telling me he used to go around L.A. with Courtney Love in a limo listening to Yellow Brick Road. I guess I'm not the sort of artist people are writing in their top-ten list, but...

You're in their cars.

Yeah, like you would never say, "I like the Carpenters." Yet Karen Carpenter is one of the greatest voices of our lifetime. You would slip Led Zeppelin on and put the Carpenters in the closet. I accept that.


http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/eltonj...r_bitch_is_back

Yeah. Elton shares something with the Carpenters whether he likes it or not. Here where I live, as in many countries in the world, whether you say "I like Elton" or "I like the Carpenters", they would stare at you and say "What!!, Are you gay?"
You have to be an "in the closet" fan. , which is not my case.

I agree!

All the same , if the Carpenters had a song at #1, he didn't....