Karen Carpenter Happy 68th Birthday: Michael Bangar

2 March 2018.

Hi, Bro' Andy! 

I hope it's not late to give tribute to one of The Greatest Female Voices In Popular Music Of All Time: Miss Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters singing duo made up of herself on drums, her brother Richard on keyboards and a few more musicians backing them. 

She would have celebrated her 68th. Birthday on the 02/03/18. But she passed away on 04/02/1983 at her mum's house. She had the whole package: a great voice that can sing almost any genre of music, a loving brother she sings with, great looks, a great personality, a fantastic band to back her superb singing and a very successful recording and concert career.

During The Carpenters chart-topping days, all she had to do was stand and just sing with her band and sway to the rhythm of the melody. She needn't have to prance around on stage in revealing outfits. Just her angelic voice was enough for us to enjoy the classic music of The Carpenters.

Tribute from:
Michael Bangar.

Images: Google.

Michael Bangar's afterthought:

As in the current era, there is hardly any musical stuff being released to suit the taste for us from those times, I just want to highlight how they, The Carpenters gave us those wonderful songs. She, her brother Richard and their band began giving us those great tunes when they came on the scene in the late 70s, till Karen's demise in 1983. 

They wrote and produced the bulk of their hits which we are still listening to, today. Richard was a superb producer, arranger and a master at maximising all that's musically available to him.

Their first hit was a Bacharach and David song Close To You. They took other artistes hits and gave them their personal touch. Nat King Cole's: When I Fall In Love, Neil Sedaka's: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do and Solitaire. Leon Russell's: A Song For You and Masquerade, Herman's Hermits: There's A Kind Of Hush, The Mamas' and The Papas': California Dreamin', The Eagles: Desperado. Hank William's C/W classic: Jambalaya. 

The Rainbow Connection which Kermit The Frog made a hit of in The Muppet Movie. Even a Soul hit, Martha & The Vandellas': Dancing In The Street.

It's a well-known fact that its tough to do The Beatles Music better than The Beatles. Yet, they did classy takes of Lennon & McCartney's: Ticket To Ride and Nowhere Man. 

And the excellent way they handled their individual instruments.  Karen and her great job on Drums. Richard (image above), marvellous on his Keyboards. Great and grossly under-rated guitar player, the late Tony Peluso. You can hear his wonderful solos on most of their songs especially Jambalaya & Mr Postman ( The Beatles did a cover too). 

And also on quite a number of tracks, great saxophone and flute solos. Players are Joe Messanger, Jim Horn & Deano The Saxman as listed on album sleeves.

Lastly just to mention, what a great musical entity - The Carpenters, the music world lost upon the demise of Karen Carpenter: an extraordinary musical talent. It's just wonderful that we still have access to their timeless hits & videos to keep their music alive for generations to come. Just like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Chuck Berry and the rest. Keep On Rocking, All!