Why are Carpenters now accpeted?

But Karen's voice was lovely, it's true.

You say that like it's a bad thing!

But it's the same thing with Morrison, Tupac, Cobain and Joplin. They're just famous because they died. If they were still around, no one would really care that much.

The rest, yeah, not so good.

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd400/d408/d408694w966.jpg

I remember how their faces used to seriously creep me out (I wish I could find a bigger scan, but trust me -- they're freaky).

For reals.

in the 70's their music was generally panned

Get the fuck out of here.

The Carpenters were critically rehabilitated well over ten years ago. Any music journalists now rushing to call their music 'classic', as if it's an original observation or something, have missed the fucking boat.

What prompted this thread?

ahahaha this gives me an idea for a question

...so I don't know how people reacted to them.

http://atdpweb.soe.berkeley.edu/quest/images/Karen5.jpg

A quick Google:

They were the #1 best-selling American group between 1970 and 1980. In their first year, from July 1970 to June 1971, the Carpenters had four Top 5 hits (twice the number of any other artist during that period) Second on the list of "Artists With The Most #2 Hits"
(Carpenters had five, Elvis Presley had six.) The Singles 1969-73, became one of the best-selling albums of all timeand was on the LP charts for an amazing 115 weeks. Conjured a total of 12 Top ten Hits, a consecutive string of 16 TOP TWENTIES Hits and 20 TOP FORTIES Hits.

3 Grammy's
15 Grammy Nominations
8 Gold Albums
10 Gold Singles
5 Platinum Albums

Totally OTM as to why it's now cool to admit to liking the Carpenters whereas earlier it wasn't. Hard to imagine e.g. Sonic Youth covering "Superstar" with the way the Carpenters were generally regarded b4 the Haynes film.

and there ARE people who genuinely adore the carpenters who have never seen a todd haynes film and have never heard a single note played by sonic youth. i know this for a fact, b/c my ex-boss was one such person (he also loved celine dion and yes).

this is total bullshit - anyone who cares at all about pop production knows that the Carpenters made some of the smartest records of the entire decade

A great moment in the just-released MirrorMask involves a scene where a slew of weird flower/dolls sing "Close To You" in a sequence that is simultaneously soothing and hella creepy...

I guess I'm just lucky I was exposed to them while I was still in a relatively naive state of innocent popism. I didn't bother with them from the age of 12 through about my mid-20s, but I found I still liked them when I dipped back into them in my later 20s/early 30s (during which my taste has, I think, been closer to what it was when I was a kid).

I think my favourite songs from the singles comp are "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Hurting Each Other". I don't like "Sing" that much.

xpost

-- Banana Nutrament (straightu...), October 16th, 2005 10:48 PM. (link)

Hey, me too! Who are you talking about?

(ducks)

I find it weird that not one person mentions the Simpsons on this thread.

blasting "rainy days and mondays" in alex-in-nyc's honor right now

Carpenters are accepted by certain people on ILM. I never have. They are boring, and the lack all of the musical sophistication found in the music of the otherwise comparable ABBA.

u guys wtf are u on about the crapenters were hauntingly discordnat beauty wrapped around a melody of sad. srsly wake up

you kinda had to be there...

I'm sorta surprised Geir hates the Carpenters

Sonic Youth repping Carpenters. That is all.

http://www.kentjapan.com/hs/sd/cart/up_img/802C-32259.jpg

http://www.geocities.com/jperk3/space.jpg

Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft - youtube

"lack all of the musical sophistication found in the music of the otherwise comparable ABBA"

it's pretty predictable that you'd think that despite your supposed fixation on song compositiion. 'goodbye to love' is some next level cole-porter leve of songwriting, and you could say the same about at least a dozen more (regarless of the writers).

I like the Carpenters but I also find them kind of creepy. I think their music works on a level they didn't intend (in addition to being just plan old very-well-done AM pop). I think the creepiness is something that was tapped into a bit more later.

I've never been a huge Carpenters fan but I love Karen's voice.

The one song that depresses me to no end is that "why do birds" song, because it reminds me that everybody in the world but me is happy.

my mum always played the carpenters a lot when i was a kid and it was the only thing she played i liked. I probably preferred them to abba at the time.

I think the creepiness is something that was tapped into a bit more later.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/aa/Fourteen_hundred_and_eight.jpg

dear geir:

http://benjskramer.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/businessman-banging-his-head-against-the-wall-ispc026073.jpg

love,

amateurist

The only originally composed great Carpenters track was "They Long To Be Close To You", which was one of Burt Bacharach's best moments. Later they would degenerate into boring country-tinged three chord songs and way too many cover versions. Of course "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" is a great song, but the ultimate version is the original by Klaatu.

Samuel L. Jackson's in that film for about five minutes! I'd be pissed if I saw it expecting as much of him as the poster implies. Or expecting to enjoy it.

geir why don't you write the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF GEIR and find another outlet for your would-be authoritative declamations?

Geir's love of pop music ends when the pop music starts to actually get good

we've only just begun

Geir never ever ever breaks his own rules. Oh no he doesn't.

he does, and then does backflips to rationalize it. i guess what bugs me most is the crypto-racist underpinnings of his flaky aesthetic program. not that this explains his dislike of the carpenters...

gier is raceless

would geir blap annie from norway?

C'mon Geir, we KNOW you really like 'em! (But can't bring yourself to admit it, lest you risk eroding your precious contrarianist facade.)

ABBA=very European
Carpenters=very American

Which is why I like ABBA and not Carpenters. I despise American music (black or white) while I love European music.

I mean, with the exception of the odd single track such as "Hole In Your Soul", "Rock Me" and some of the disco numbers on "Voulez-Vous", ABBA sound like American music never happened. Which is part of why they were so great.

Geir, what on earth are you talking about?

great, Geir is about to lead an american music holocaust

Which is why I like ABBA and not Carpenters. I despise American music (black or white) while I love European music.

I mean, with the exception of the odd single track such as "Hole In Your Soul", "Rock Me" and some of the disco numbers on "Voulez-Vous", ABBA sound like American music never happened. Which is part of why they were so great.

Before Elvis, there was nothing. -- John Lennon

I learned music listening to Elvis' records. His measurable effect on culture and music was even greater in England than in the States. -- Mick Fleetwood

Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jagger and all the others only followed in his footsteps. -- Rod Stewart

Elvis goobla goobla goobla. -an infant

Elvis was a hero to most but he never meant shit to me - Chuck D Geir H

I despise American music (black or white) while I love European music.

-- Geir Hongro, Saturday, 19 July 2008 09:24

Geir is full of bullshit, even about himself.

The Nightfly Poll

hý Geir ý thýnk you should read thýs n lern about our great nation:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Anti-American

Elvis gets on my nerves now but I'll gladly admit his influence was immense.

Why do the Carpenters get a pass now? I don't know. They're okay I guess.

I have yet to unlock the mystery of what makes Abba so special. I know I said it on another thread but this new movie "Mamma Mia" of Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan et al singing their songs in a broadway-ish musical format was absolutely unbearable to sit through, and I thought it devalued whatever worth there is in Abba songs. If I hadn't wanted to disappoint my ex-girlfriend, I would have left the theater after about 5 minutes. Instead I sat politely and grit my teeth the whole time.

Mamma Mia is a joke of musical theatre. "Revue" shows in which they use pre-existing songs and then develop a plot around them usually suck. Hard.

Thank you, Bo. That brings me peace.

and that stupid young girl COULD NOT ACT I DON'T CARE IF SHE WAS PRETTY IF SHE CAN'T ACT WHAT IS SHE DOING IN A GODDAMN MOVIE???

they should have just made "My Two Dads" into a musical instead, with that plot...