Hi All
Andy140
25 Apr 2007
I've been invited to introduce myself so I will! Having watched a recent documentary on BBC1, my admiration and appreciation of the Carpenters superb music has once again been brought to the fore, hence my appreciation of their work, and attempt at poetry(!) at:
http://www.leadsister.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7856
The first LP I ever bought as a 12 year old in 1973 was "Now and Then", and it's true to say I have bought, and continue to buy every Carpenters DVD or CD released in the UK. Despite the "non-coolness" of being a fan of the Carpenters in my teenage years, and ever since, their sound was exquisitely unique. Karen Carpenter was quite simply the best female vocalist ever, bar none. Her tragic death, and her mental torment cast a profound poignancy on her superb music.
I have always enjoyed most genres of music, including recently classical music, but Karen's inspiring performances and wonderful singing voice to me remain unequalled. There are some wonderful opera singers, and some wonderful operas, especially by Mozart, but nothing reaches out to me, a "man in the street" like the music of the Carpenters.
People joke about knowing exactly what they were doing when Kennedy was assassinated or when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Well I remember February 4, 1983, the day the world lost a superb performer and singer. It coincided with a particular low point in my life, and to have a superstar of mine die of such an awful illness - well, it was just heartbreaking.
Outside family and friends, we all have people outside such close circles who have had a great and profound impact on us. Often we may not have had the opportunity of meeting any of them. If we were able to meet any of them to say "thank you" for their impact on the arts or science we could all draw up a list.
Mine would be Karen Carpenter, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the late NASA astronomer and cosmologist, Dr Carl Sagan.
All three of my heroes had something in common, brilliance, genius and hence the poem - and they all tragically died before their time.
Andy Fleming
Stockton-on-Tees
UK
http://www.leadsister.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7856
The first LP I ever bought as a 12 year old in 1973 was "Now and Then", and it's true to say I have bought, and continue to buy every Carpenters DVD or CD released in the UK. Despite the "non-coolness" of being a fan of the Carpenters in my teenage years, and ever since, their sound was exquisitely unique. Karen Carpenter was quite simply the best female vocalist ever, bar none. Her tragic death, and her mental torment cast a profound poignancy on her superb music.
I have always enjoyed most genres of music, including recently classical music, but Karen's inspiring performances and wonderful singing voice to me remain unequalled. There are some wonderful opera singers, and some wonderful operas, especially by Mozart, but nothing reaches out to me, a "man in the street" like the music of the Carpenters.
People joke about knowing exactly what they were doing when Kennedy was assassinated or when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Well I remember February 4, 1983, the day the world lost a superb performer and singer. It coincided with a particular low point in my life, and to have a superstar of mine die of such an awful illness - well, it was just heartbreaking.
Outside family and friends, we all have people outside such close circles who have had a great and profound impact on us. Often we may not have had the opportunity of meeting any of them. If we were able to meet any of them to say "thank you" for their impact on the arts or science we could all draw up a list.
Mine would be Karen Carpenter, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the late NASA astronomer and cosmologist, Dr Carl Sagan.
All three of my heroes had something in common, brilliance, genius and hence the poem - and they all tragically died before their time.
Andy Fleming
Stockton-on-Tees
UK
Pookeysmom
25 Apr 2007
Hi, Andy.
Welcome to the land of NOKS(nuts over Karen Syndrome) Hope you find lots of neat things around here. We're a pretty friendly bunch.
Cheryl...48...South Carolina
Welcome to the land of NOKS(nuts over Karen Syndrome) Hope you find lots of neat things around here. We're a pretty friendly bunch.
Cheryl...48...South Carolina
Andy140
25 Apr 2007
Thanks ever so much for the lovely welcome to this forum.
Meant to say that ironically the Carpenters have a HUGE following in the UK, especially amongst youngsters. My 11 year old son saw the BBC documentary, and of course afterwards the CDs and DVDs came out!! Their songs are very frequently played on BBC Radio 2 (the nation's most popular station) and all of the AM commercial locals and are staple favourites on the BBC local stations, such as Radio Cleveland (Middlebrough, Teesside).
25 years after Karen's death, a little lad born in 1996 feels her loss and ADORES the Carpenters music - his fave is the Crocker Bank song "We've only just begun". He is amazed by the sheer quality of the music and Karen's stunning voice. My wife's a big fan too.
One of the big influences in my childhood enjoyment of the Carpenters was my mother, who at 85 still enjoys their music. As a classical pianist and primary school music teacher, she has always liked the Carpenters, identifying Karen's voice in the early 70s as totally unique in the pop world. Any popular music artists a classical musician really likes must be CLASS!!!
It goes without saying that as a teenager I had a real crush on Karen. If she had really felt inside how much the world really liked and loved her as she was....
Meant to say that ironically the Carpenters have a HUGE following in the UK, especially amongst youngsters. My 11 year old son saw the BBC documentary, and of course afterwards the CDs and DVDs came out!! Their songs are very frequently played on BBC Radio 2 (the nation's most popular station) and all of the AM commercial locals and are staple favourites on the BBC local stations, such as Radio Cleveland (Middlebrough, Teesside).
25 years after Karen's death, a little lad born in 1996 feels her loss and ADORES the Carpenters music - his fave is the Crocker Bank song "We've only just begun". He is amazed by the sheer quality of the music and Karen's stunning voice. My wife's a big fan too.
One of the big influences in my childhood enjoyment of the Carpenters was my mother, who at 85 still enjoys their music. As a classical pianist and primary school music teacher, she has always liked the Carpenters, identifying Karen's voice in the early 70s as totally unique in the pop world. Any popular music artists a classical musician really likes must be CLASS!!!
It goes without saying that as a teenager I had a real crush on Karen. If she had really felt inside how much the world really liked and loved her as she was....
CarpsButtonFan
25 Apr 2007
Hi Andy!!! 
I'm Mafer, 16, from Ecuador.
Have lots of fun and enjoy your your stay.
Looking forward to reading your posts
I'm Mafer, 16, from Ecuador.
Have lots of fun and enjoy your your stay.
Looking forward to reading your posts
puppy
25 Apr 2007
HI Andy, thanks for sharing your stories and your passions with us! That's quite an interesting set of people to admire. 
I'm Linda, 31, from Canada (somewhere near the Detroit border). Have fun on the forum!
I'm Linda, 31, from Canada (somewhere near the Detroit border). Have fun on the forum!
polarbear
25 Apr 2007
Hi Andy, welcome to the forum!! That was a great intro
It's interesting that the Carpenters have such a following in the UK, because unfortunately that's not even close to being true here in North America. Half the people my age, if not more, have no idea who they were.
Anyway, I'm Annie, 25, from Canada, but living in Maryland. Have a great time!!
It's interesting that the Carpenters have such a following in the UK, because unfortunately that's not even close to being true here in North America. Half the people my age, if not more, have no idea who they were.
Anyway, I'm Annie, 25, from Canada, but living in Maryland. Have a great time!!
AngryLadybug
25 Apr 2007
Hi Andy!
I'm Chris, 26, from Rhode Island. See you around the forum!
I'm Chris, 26, from Rhode Island. See you around the forum!
Andy140
25 Apr 2007
What a lovely friendly crowd to go with the great music. Hi again to you all. One of my interests is radio (done hospital and community radio in the past and in my spare time help out with an FM station in Hartlepool, County Durham). It's true to say that most stations here give the Carpenters air-time, the most important being BBC Radio 2 which is national FM and has a 45% audience share. Most people listen as the commercial radio playlists are so restrictive. Children grow up listening too - so a new generation gets to hear the Carpenters music.
All of the big record stores such as HMV and Virgin etc thus have large collections of DVDs and CDs due to demand. For example, the HMV store in Durham City which we visited last week had a great collection.
Anyway goodnight all, as it's 1am and the wife wonders where I've got to!
All of the big record stores such as HMV and Virgin etc thus have large collections of DVDs and CDs due to demand. For example, the HMV store in Durham City which we visited last week had a great collection.
Anyway goodnight all, as it's 1am and the wife wonders where I've got to!
puppy
25 Apr 2007
QUOTE(Andy140 @ Apr 25 2007, 08:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
What a lovely friendly crowd to go with the great music. Hi again to you all. One of my interests is radio (done hospital and community radio in the past and in my spare time help out with an FM station in Hartlepool, County Durham). It's true to say that most stations here give the Carpenters air-time, the most important being BBC Radio 2 which is national FM and has a 45% audience share. Most people listen as the commercial radio playlists are so restrictive. Children grow up listening too - so a new generation gets to hear the Carpenters music.
All of the big record stores such as HMV and Virgin etc thus have large collections of DVDs and CDs due to demand. For example, the HMV store in Durham City which we visited last week had a great collection.
Anyway goodnight all, as it's 1am and the wife wonders where I've got to!
All of the big record stores such as HMV and Virgin etc thus have large collections of DVDs and CDs due to demand. For example, the HMV store in Durham City which we visited last week had a great collection.
Anyway goodnight all, as it's 1am and the wife wonders where I've got to!
It's interesting how the Carpenters are finally, after 30-40 years, being recognized as talented in their own right. They emerged on the scene when the social climate was less than accepting of traditional values... or, at least, that seems to be my take on it. (That was a label attributed to them, not their own doing) ... But they went ahead and did their thing, and, now in retrospect, we can all appreciate the timelessness and beauty of their work.
I grew up on the Carpenters but didn't really fanify myself until 2001.
Guilty of believing the stereotype... 
paddy
26 Apr 2007
Hi Andy,
I'm paddy from Bury, Lancs, you bought the same LP as me & at the same time.
Not sure about Radio 2 or Cleveland though.
There are plenty of UK Carpenters fans on this site, so enjoy.
I'm paddy from Bury, Lancs, you bought the same LP as me & at the same time.
Not sure about Radio 2 or Cleveland though.
There are plenty of UK Carpenters fans on this site, so enjoy.
cazzy79
26 Apr 2007
Hi Andy and welcome. I'm Carolyn, 28 from Birmingham UK. Haha, I need to tune into radio 2 more often!! 
Anyways, enjoy urself and look forward to 'seeing' u around the forum.
Anyways, enjoy urself and look forward to 'seeing' u around the forum.
Andy140
26 Apr 2007
QUOTE(cazzy79 @ Apr 26 2007, 09:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi Andy and welcome. I'm Carolyn, 28 from Birmingham UK. Haha, I need to tune into radio 2 more often!! Anyways, enjoy urself and look forward to 'seeing' u around the forum.
Anyways, enjoy urself and look forward to 'seeing' u around the forum.Hi Caroline. Jeremy Vine even played Yesterday Once More before he went on holiday on Friday lunch time at 12.30pm on BBC R2. The Magic AM Commercials are good for the Carpenters - Magic 1152/1170 plays them alot here in the north east, now since they're mainly 60s and 70s.
To all forum members, if you're tired of the Top 40 or whatever, BBC Radio 2 is free to listen on the internet both in and outside the UK at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/
Carpenters tracks turn up anytime between 0500 and 1800 GMT. Enjoy!
(PS I do not work for the BBC!!!)
