How did you get into "Carpenters"

[DJS]

Answering the album cover thread led to me to think about how I became involved with the Carpenters and their music, and I'd love to know how other forum members did so as well.

My story.

I was born in 1966 and my Father, being 7 years older than my Mum was a fan of the crooners and jazz, I guess he was already set in in his ways before Rock n Roll took off. So the family record collection was fairly diverse, Dads' Sinatra, Crosby, Como, Doris Day and the Mum's Elvis, Everley Brothers, Neil Diamond etc.

Like a certain RC, I was always fascinated by my parents record collection, and the difference in the types of music probably had a lot to do with this.

I clearly remember at the age of 6, my Dad coming home one evening with a brown LP record (no picture on the front just a logo saying Carpenters). No excitement there I thought, just another bunch of jazz musicians .

After tea, my Dad put the the record on and I still remember - honestly
(I was only 6 and a half years old !) just standing and looking at the speakers as this incredible sound came out.

It was of course the "Singles 1969-1973", where the first track begins with the first few lines of "Close to You" leading into "We've Only Just Begun".
Whether this has anything to do with "We've Only Just Begun" still being my favourite song of all time I'm not sure, but I've a sneaking suspicion it might have.

As a youngster my favourites apart from "We've Only Just Begun" were "Ticket To Ride" and "Hurting Each Other", to this day I have always loved the songs where Richard's vocals are more prominent.

This record got flogged to death over the next few years and certainly saw out a few turn table stylus' I doubt it is barely playable now !.

Suffice to say that "Now and Then" followed within a matter of weeks and my sisters and I fell in love with the oldies medley and then I suppose the year after came "Horizon" which went to No.1 in England AND THE REST AS THEY SAY IS HISTORY !!!

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Great story, David..

I remember that my father had a reel-to-reel deck when I was a kid and my mother had this tape they'd use to keep me calm. One of the songs on the tape was "We've Only Just Begun". I heard it quite often and always liked it but didn't know why.

Years later (when I was in high school), I heard them again on an Easy Listening station and figured out what it was I liked. I did, of course, like Karen's voice, but what really stuck out were the backgrounds. I decided to get "Singles...". I got it home and basically couldn't turn it off for about three months. I needed more. My mother got me the first two albums on cassette. After a month or so, I needed more...and so on and so forth. I now have them all and...there it is.

Ed

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

The album that got me into the Carpenters initially was the album-Singles 1969-1973. That album left a huge impression upon me and ultimately got me into the Carpenters. It still remains to this day I feel one of the most perfect albums from start to finish not only because of all the hits but each song just blends perfectly into the next. I still can't understand why this CD went out of print. I think it was a mistake to allow this album to go out like that. I guess Richard has replaced it with the more current singles CD but for me, nothing can replace the original Singles 69-73 album/CD.

I can still remember having my old Technics turntable in my bedroom as a kid sitting on my brown plush bean bag chair with my headphones on looking at the cover as Karen sang these awesome tracks. Her voice touched me in a way that no other artist has ever done.

As I remember because of these songs such as Rainy Days and Goodbye to Love, I then searched out the other albums that contained these tracks, that led me deeper into their music and I just became hooked on Karen's vocal. Back then I couldn't afford to just go out and buy them all so I got what I could. Now I have collected just about everything released, I have many diff artists of music I collect but the Carpenters is probably my largest with Olivia running a quick 2nd and that's because Olivia hasn't re-released her back catalog like Richard has over the years with bonus material and such, I know Olivia has so much like that but she just doesn't release it, last she did was the Festival releases but they were just ok.

My only regret is I never saw the Carpenters in concert, I had wished Richard would perform one more time sorta like a tribute concert before he retired touring across the US and then to Japan, that would have been something he could have done but that time pretty much has passed, I'm just glad he has given to us what he has over the past 20 years, were fortunate he has given to us some gems since Karen passed.

In my life now, I consider Voice of the Heart to be one of my most favorite Carpenters album although for me it seems like Karen's album. Karen's solo album would be my next. If I could only have 3 albums, it would be those 2 and the Singles 69-73.

 

[Harry]

I'll repost this from a 2003 thread when Carpenters CLOSE TO YOU was our album of the week:

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My remeniscences:

The first album that I owned by Carpenters was this 1970 entry, our Album Of The Week. I'd remembered hearing a really nifty version of "Ticket To Ride" by some choral group, Carpenters maybe(?) back in the fall of 1969 on the radio. I liked it a lot but never managed to get a recording of it on my reel-to-reel tape recorder (early piracy!). Then in the summer of 1970, another record came out, "(They Long To Be) Close To You", a Burt Bacharach song in the height of HIS popularity. At the record department of some discount-type store, while being dragged along to the Jersey shore by my parents, I saw the 45 of "Close To You" in the singles bin - and discovered it was on my beloved A&M Records. Purchasing it right then and there was a no-brainer, and I eagerly awaited the accompanying album. Once it came out, I remember discovering that "Close To You" was even longer on the album, and though disappointed that "Ticket To Ride" was among the missing (not realizing that it came from a prior album!), I thoroughly enjoyed the album, and continue to do so to this day. Sometime after I'd had the album for awhile, a buddy of mine managed to drop something on the vinyl, effectively ruining it, but he replaced it for me. One thing to notice there was the change from a silver-colored jacket cover to a more flat grey color.

As CDs were being issued in the '80s, I remember that CLOSE TO YOU was one of the last of the Carpenters' titles to be issued, and as Jim mentioned, it's of course been remastered as of a few years ago, with all of the original recordings sounding better than ever.

I loved the heavy dose of Bacharach on the album, as well as the tunes by that up-and-coming songwriting duo of Nichols and Williams.

It was after falling in love with this album that I discovered that the prior album existed. I couldn't find it the local record stores, but my sister found a copy for me as a Christmas present that year - the original, and then withdrawn OFFERING - now a prize in my collection today.

Harry
...harkening back to 1970, online...

(Harkening? Who talks like that?!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry

 

[song4u]

My earliest memory of the Carpenters was at the age of 10, listening to the radio and waiting for Close to You to come on. My parents bought me the album and then I had to save my money and buy every single and album that came after.

I was privileged to see them in concert in 1972 and in 1974 and I wish I had a better memory of those concerts. I do remember that in 1974 they were doing the oldies medley with Skiles and Henderson joining in.

I also joined the fan club for the newsletters, which I received right up until the very last one.

Their music was like the soundtrack to my young life, I guess you could say. It played a big part in my teenage years, even though it wasn't cool to like their music. I guess it's the same "something" that reached each one of us here. I have always loved it and appreciated everything that Richard has released since Karen passed away.

 

[Dave]

I've heard these two since Childhood, myself... --Long Story...



Dave

 

[Dave60640]

OK. Kind of a hokey story, as Richard knows, but here goes...
As a young boy of 3, I was watched after by my grandmother while my mum had to work. Needless to say, being a "momma's boy" without Momma always had a devastating effect. To help calm me during the stressful separation (and several other situations as time went on) my grandmother would rock me in her lap and sing some lines from "Close To You." As I grew up in the mid to late 70's Karen became (unknown -thankfully- to her) as "Dave's girlfriend." ANY time K&R would be on television or radio -no matter how briefly- the world ceased for those few moments and then it would be just me, my "best friend" Richard and my "girlfriend" Karen and all was right with the world.
I still get that way when I play Carpenters music; still a boy in my grandmother's lap, listening to my best friend and girlfriend, feeling content and , OK I'll say it, "loved."

 

[Mike Blakesley]

The first Carpenters song I heard was "Close to You," on the radio. I liked it immediately and thought that was Herb Alpert playing the trumpet solo (wrong).

Then my younger sisters got into the group via the next hit, "We've Only Just Begun," so in my efforts to be 'cool,' I wrote the Carpenters off as icky fluff.

But I still liked "Close to You" a lot, and on a couple of car trips with the family we played the tape in the car tape deck, and I discovered the uptempo songs on the record. That was what finally hooked me...the variety in the sound. It wasn't just one voice all the way through, and it wasn't all just sappy ballads.

By this time the CARPENTERS album came out and one of my sisters got it for a Christmas gift. I liked it right away, even the much-disliked "Saturday," but still my public "story" was that the Carpenters were uncool.

Then came A SONG FOR YOU, and this time I bought the album for myself after hearing the single "Hurting Each Other." Needless to say, that album grabbed me from start to finish. I particularly liked the way some songs would segue into others (another thing I liked about CLOSE TO YOU), and the more daring sound of the record -- the guitar on "Goodbye to Love," the instrumental song, the novelty tunes "Piano Picker" and "Intermission," the sax solo in the title tune, the aggressiveness of "Road Ode," and so on. In other words, there wasn't one wrong step on that album. So I was firmly hooked by this time.

I've bought every album released since. The first song I liked, "Close to You," is probably still my #1 favorite of their singles, but there are other strong contenders. A SONG FOR YOU is still my favorite Carpenters album.

 

[carrpentersboy1]

I discovered the Carpenters by watching the Karen Carpenter Story in 1990 when it aired on TV in South Africa. I was 15 and from the first few bars of Rainy Days and Mondays I was hooked and in love with Karen. I went out the next day and bought Only Yesteday - Richard and Karen Carpenter's Greatest Hits, with my pocket money, on tape as we didn't have a CD player yet.

South Africa didn't sell Carpenters CDs but I did manage to find all the albums on vinyl, including Offering which I got for less that $1. I wrote in to the Downey Fan Club and the lovely Evelyn Wallace sent me the last newsletters and a copy of Decade, the Now & Then concert book and three posters for free plus information on where to contact other fans and buy Carpenters CDs.

Over the next few years I joined the internet forums/groups and "met" loads of wonderful people, became addicted to buying Carpenters items on eBay and collected all the studio CDs, 45s with sleeves, concert books, fan club posters, memorabilia, video appearances, DVDs etc. My 35th Anniversary and Japanese Singles box sets are my treasures.

I wish that Richard would release the 5 ABC TV specials on DVD with the Carpenters only Make Your Own Kind Of Music clips as bonus clips, a complete From The Top 40th Anniversary box set featuring RCA, Your Navy Presents, CSULB, Magic Lamp and other unreleased recordings, TV appearances, selected radio interviews, alternate takes, greatest hits, jingles, unreleased solo songs, and a medley of incomple songs segued together as a final fitting tribute. He could also release a Live DVD set, like the absent Live at the BBC DVD and a US singles box set. Then I'd be a happy bunny Karen's 25th Anniversary is next year and the Carpenters 40th in 2009, so hopefully he has some nice treats in store for his loyal fans.

I also wish he'd rerelease selected fan club memorablia as I never managed to belong to the fan club and have only managed to find very few items on eBay over the years at very high costs and that is where my collection now falls down.

I now live in London, England after moving here 6 years ago. I plan to make a Carpenters trip to the USa soon before any other Carpenters related sights disappear like the Newville Ave house and A&M Records.

Not a day goes by that I don't listed to their music and I often wonder what might have been if things had worked out differently, but I have the music which I love and that is wonderful to me.

 

[Rudy]

My parents owned their first three albums, and somehow, "A Song For You" was one that ended up in my own collection, followed by all the rest. I also had the 45RPM single of "Close To You". Pretty boring, but that's how it went.

 

[Chris_Sydney]

OK. Kind of a hokey story, as Richard knows, but here goes...
As a young boy of 3, I was watched after by my grandmother while my mum had to work. Needless to say, being a "momma's boy" without Momma always had a devastating effect. To help calm me during the stressful separation (and several other situations as time went on) my grandmother would rock me in her lap and sing some lines from "Close To You." As I grew up in the mid to late 70's Karen became (unknown -thankfully- to her) as "Dave's girlfriend." ANY time K&R would be on television or radio -no matter how briefly- the world ceased for those few moments and then it would be just me, my "best friend" Richard and my "girlfriend" Karen and all was right with the world.
I still get that way when I play Carpenters music; still a boy in my grandmother's lap, listening to my best friend and girlfriend, feeling content and , OK I'll say it, "loved."

Dave, I think that's a lovely story! My introduction to the Carpenters' music came through my family too. My Dad is a big music fan and I was 8 years old or so when I first started rifling through his record collection. He had a couple of Carpenters albums, but I most vividly remember listening to 'Now & Then' in front of our old stereo (which at the time seemed ENORMOUS). That album still makes me think of my Dad. We both still adore the Carpenters and have spent a lot of good times listening to their music together. It's so awesome that the music he listened to when he was younger can be passed on from one generation to another.


x

 

[newvillefan]

Mine is probably the same as a lot of people. I was 16 in 1990, studying for my school exams with the radio in the background, when I heard the opening bars of 'Only Yesterday'. I remember sitting there totally mesmerised, wondering whose voice that was. I thought it was a chart number by a modern group and even went downstairs to ask my mam if she recognised it. Of course that's when I found out the rest of the story...

Although the station was a chart/commercial one, they were playing the song because it had been released in the UK as a double A-side with 'Close To You' to promote the compilation.

On the strength of that one listen, I went out and bought the compilation on cassette, CD and video, and went on to seek out the entire back cataloue, starting with 'Close To You', 'Carpenters' and 'A Song For You'. Great memories of discovering fantastic album after album.

Stephen

 

[Actorman]

The first exposure I had to anything Carpenters was when we sang “Top of the World” in an elementary school music concert. This was probably around 1980 or ‘81. I knew it was a song by a group called the Carpenters (because my teacher told us) but that was all I knew about it. I never heard the actual record nor did I know if the Carpenters were two people or ten. Not too long after that we were visiting my aunt and I was looking through her album collection and came across “The Singles: 1969 – 1973.” I didn’t get to actually play the album, but I remember flipping through the booklet and seeing the lyrics for not only “Top of the World” but also “Sing” which I recognized from an old Sesame Street album I had. I also found out that they were a duo (from the photo in the booklet). I don’t think I knew at that point they were brother and sister, but I doubt I really thought much about a detail like that. I still had not yet actually heard them though.

Not too long after that, I heard my first actual Carpenters record - “Touch Me When We’re Dancing.” It was their latest single at the time and got a lot of airplay on the radio station I listened to in my hometown. Also, sometime between this point and 1983 I became vaguely familiar with “We’ve Only Just Begun” but I have no idea how. I say vaguely because the only part I really knew was the first couple of lines.

Unfortunately, the reason I remember all this is in context with Karen’s death. When I heard she had died, these were the only things I knew of her at that point.

Fast forward to 1989… I was spending a couple days over New Year’s with my aunt and uncle. (Different aunt than the one mentioned above.) They wanted to watch “The Karen Carpenter Story” which was on that evening. We watched it and that was the night I fell in love with Karen’s voice. When I went back to my after school job, I couldn’t stop talking about her and found out that one of my co-workers had videotaped the movie. She let me borrow the tape and I watched it another three or four times that week before I gave it back to her. I also went our local music store and ordered the “Yesterday Once More” double album. When it came in, I played it non-stop for weeks (even made a cassette copy for my car) until I had every song memorized. After that, I was not only in love with Karen’s voice, but with Richard’s arrangements and production as well.

The rest, as they say, is history. I started tracking down the studio albums. Then “Lovelines” was released. Then the first box set which came out right after I got my first CD player. Then Karen’s solo album. And then one day I found a happy place called A&M Corner where I was finally connected to others who love them as much as I do!

 

[Captaindave]

I first became aware of the Carpenters music with the song Close to You back in 1970. I was 19 at that time. I had no idea they had anything to do with A&M or Herb Alpert. I knew nothing about their history to that point in time. They were simply another pop artist that got into the Top 40 radio playlists of the time.

The follow up song We've Only Just Begun was also a big Top 40 radio hit, and it became one of those "wedding reception standards." As I was playing a lot of receptions at the time, I found myself playing the song quite a bit.

I probably began to take them a little more seriously with the song Rainy Days and Mondays. Of course, over the years as they continued to make hit records and produce quality music, I began to regard them as much more than one or two hit wonders and see they had staying power in pop music.

 

[Harry]

Now that I have a little bit of time, I'll expand upon that old post above.

I distinctly remember hearing Carpenters "Ticket To Ride" played on the radio as a single in the late summer/early fall of 1969. It was on our local soft-rock FM station with automated announcers, and they always identified as being by "The Carpenters." Back in those days, I just assumed it was a group known as "The Carpenters" featuring multiple people doing all of those lush harmonies.

As I mentioned, I tried in vain to capture that song on my reel-to-reel tape recorder - my way of getting music for my very own that I wasn't prepared to go out and buy. At this time I had no idea that "Ticket To Ride" was by an overdubbed duo, nor that it was a brother-sister act, nor that they recorded for my beloved A&M Records. Had I known any of those facts, I probably would have searched for the record itself and perhaps the album.

In the late spring of 1970, I took note of a new song by this mysterious group, "The Carpenters", called "Close To You". It was noted in the announcers' backsells that the song was another from the long list of hits by Burt Bacharach. At that time in history, you could hardly listen to the radio without hearing two or three Bacharach songs just about every hour. This seemed like another one in a long string of hits, and I still had no idea that "The Carpenters" were a sibling duo nor that they recorded for A&M. I probably had no trouble recording that song on my reel-to-reel recorder.

Then came that fateful day as my parents dragged me off to the Jersey shore for a weekend stay. I would have rather stayed at home listening to "my music" but they decided it would be better if I went along. For some reason, I can't recall now, we stopped on the Black Horse Pike or the White Horse Pike - at a shopping center that had a big discount department store, kind of like a K-Mart or a Wal-Mart, but this was before their time. It could have been a Kresge's or a Woolworth's, but anyway they had a record department.

While my parents shopped for whatever it was that they were looking for, I browsed through the records, looking for any new releases by my favorites, Herb, Sergio, etc. It was in the singles section that I spotted "(They Long To Be) Close To You" by Carpenters on A&M Records. What a thrill it was to discover that this nifty song I'd been hearing on the radio was on my favorite label! Naturally I plunked down the 69 or 79 cents plus tax or whatever it cost and couldn't wait to get it home to listen to.

I remember playing it quite a bit, enjoying both the a-side and the b-side of "I Kept On Loving You". That b-side kind of confirmed in my mind the "group" concept for Carpenters as it had what sounded like multiple male singers in the lead.

Then the word must've begun spreading through the trade magazines that this new "Carpenters" group was a duo, siblings yet, brother and sister, and got their sound through the use of overdubs. Those little factoids began to be mentioned in the backsells by the DJ's of the day. Finally we learned that Karen was only 19 or 20, and Rich was just a little older. The more facts that I learned, the more impressed I became.

Then it was time to wait for the album to appear. I still had no clue that the prior single, "Ticket To Ride" was from an entirely different album, and I fully expected that song to be included in the new album when it came out.

On the day that I heard this radio station begin playing tracks from the new CLOSE TO YOU album, I rushed out to the store to find a copy. Near home we had a record store called CANSO RECORD DISTRIBUTORS. They always got every record in first and were the distributors to many of the other record stores in the area. So anytime I got wind of a new album being released, I'd head over to CANSO and grab it.

I remember getting the CLOSE TO YOU album and though I was thrilled with the way it sounded, I was puzzled by the lack of "Ticket To Ride" on it. But I played the album endlessly and continuously throughout that fall of 1970.

Somehow, I turned up the information that "Ticket To Ride" had appeared on a previous album. I don't know how I got that info - perhaps calling a radio station - maybe reading an article in a paper - maybe just hearing about it on the radio. Anyway, I now knew that it existed. Searches in record stores turned up nothing, but a mention of it to my older sister turned up the fact that she had seen this mysterious "OFFERING" album somewhere in her travels. She asked me if I wanted it for a Christmas present, to which I eagerly answered "yes."

That Christmas, when our family went to her house for Christmas dinner, I received OFFERING. Again I couldn't wait to listen, and even subjected the family to listening to it on my sister's stereo. And when I got it home, it too got the endless repeat plays on my system. I was perhaps even more impressed with Richard Carpenter as he'd written a great many songs on that earlier album. A truly talented gentleman, I thought. And FINALLY, I had that nifty "Ticket To Ride" track!

As each subsequent single and album became available back in the '70s, of course I purchased them just as soon as I could. I was now a confirmed Carpenters junkie, and life would somehow never be quite the same as before.

Here I am, 37+ years later, telling the story, and still listening to the great recordings of Karen and Richard Carpenter.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Harry's post reminded me that I, too, thought "the Carpenters" were a traditional "band" with a female lead singer and a backup group. I'm not sure how I deduced that the vocal sound was provided through overdubs, but by the time I did, I was pretty familiar with recording technology (being in the biz already at that time) so it didn't surprise me too much. I was probably more surprised that it WASN'T Herb Alpert doing the trumpet solo on "Close to You!"

 

[Geographer]

It's been slow around here for a while, so I'll go ahead and post my story regarding how I "discovered" the Carpenters.

I was but three years old when Close to You came out and like many others here, I was introduced to their music through my family. I have five older brothers and sisters, and I was the youngest by seven years to my next closest sibling. When Close to You came out, three of my brothers and sisters were already in high school and so I was exposed at a young age to the music of that time. I have distinct memories of hearing Close to You, WOJB, Rainy Days, Top of the World, Goodbye to Love, Yesterday Once More, and Sing, etc. but, oddly enough, have no memories of Hurting Each Other, For All We Know, Superstar, and I Won't Last a Day Without You. I became familiar with those songs long after their releases. On a side note, for some reason, I do remember "I Kept on Loving You" and "Let Me Be the One" so one or more of my older siblings must have had and played the albums. I distinctly remember being about eight or so and me and my brother requesting Please Mr. Postman over and over again to our local radio station at the time, KSOM (no longer exists); however, I have no distinct memory from that time of Only Yesterday. Additionally, I have memories of A Kind of Hush and Sweet Sweet Smile but no memories of any of the other singles out around the same time.

Flash ahead to around '79 or '80. While in Junior High, most of my peers were become more aware of the popular music scene, which is normal for that age, and discovering their own generation of popular music. I was not much a fan of the "new wave" music that was becoming popular at the time as it wasn't very positive nor, in my opinion, did it sound good. When was asked by a peer what music I did like, all I could remember was "that voice" and more importantly, "that sound" and blurted out The Carpenters! Even then, like others here, I only knew they were a "family" group, but was unaware it was only a brother and sister. There were so many voices in those songs, that obviously there had to be more than just two of them!

It was then that any musical interest I had was awakened. My first album that was my very own, was "Live at the Palladium." It was a gift from a friend and I remember listening to the Live Medley and being so surprised that it was the Carpenters that sang so many of the songs I remembered from my early childhood. Not long after that, I obtained my own copy of Close to You and Carpenters. While returning from a camping trip in '81, I heard a radio commercial for Made in America and begged my mom and dad for the $10 to go and buy it! From then until early 1983, I collected every studio album of theirs, including Ticket to Ride. A mere month after I bought my copy of Passage, well, Karen died and I was devastated. Not quite 16, I ditched school and convinced my brother's girlfriend to drive me to Downey for Karen's funeral. Until that time, I thought I was the only person in the world who liked, and listened to, the Carpenters. I did not know of one other person who shared my enthusiasm. It was good to meet other, although significantly older, "fans" while waiting in line to be seated for Karen's funeral.

Buy this time, I had been a member of the Fan Club since the release of Made In America and had mailed in my "renewal" fee just before Karen died. It took forever to get my renewal "package" from the fan club, which always included some posters or other "memorabilia" at Evelyn's whim. Finally, the renewal package arrived, not only with a bunch of great "stuff" but a personal note from Evelyn explaining the delay (Karen's passing, duh). In the note she made mention of the Walk of Fame star ceremony coming up in Hollywood. By this time I was driving so I ditched school AGAIN, and drove to Hollywood arriving at 6:00 a.m. for the 2:00 p.m. dedication. I was the only one there! Fortunately, more people came later, but again, I wondered, "am I the only Carpenters fan left in the world?" It was there I got to meet Richard for the first time. I also got to talk to one of his "people" who asked me what albums I didn't have. I blurted out "Live in Japan" and much to my amazement, a week later, a copy of "Live in Japan" arrived in my mail box along with some other "interesting" international releases.

Since then, I have met Richard at least a dozen more times, got a tour of his Lubec home where he made me my own copy of "Canta" on a cassette tape. Evelyn Wallace was wonderful too, through the years, giving me a personal tour once of the Newville home and even writing me on occasion while I was away at Graduate School in South Dakota so I didn't get homesick. On two other occasions, Agnes and Harold also gave me a tour of their Newville Avenue home. Harold was especially a great man with, incidentally quite a life story. I can't express enough how really nice and "real" the whole Carpenter family and their associates have been. It is one reason why I defend Richard so much when some in the circle of "fans" accuses him and/or Agnes of "killing Karen" or somehow being responsible for her problems. I just can't see it.

Anyway, I think I have posted too much already. So that's my story. I welcome any comments.

 

[Chris_Sydney]

Shannon, what a phenomenal story! Richard has always seemed to go out of his way to give back to fans, and your post exemplifies that. How amazing to actually spend time with him in his house... just amazing.

Thanks for sharing your memories. I loved reading them.


x

 

[Geographer]

Thanks, Chris! As I look back on it, I sure did have a lot more "nerve" back then than I do today. Most of my meetings with Richard were back in the day after the disbanding of the original fan club and during my involvement on the old AOL music site devoted to the Carpenters....late '80's/early 90's. Back then, there was no amcorner or official website, so in an attempt to keep things "active" on the AOL site, I would often just stop buy Richard's house on Lubec, knock on the door, and ask "what's new?" I do not recommend this, however (what was I thinking!) Richard was always very gracious, as was Mary, and he would provide any information that was "newsworthy." Evelyn Wallace would also respond to "rumors" that would pop up from time to time on the old AOL site often setting the record straight. I've only met Richard again one time in the last 10 or so years; however, with the advent of places like this and the official website, the latest information is a lot easier to come by. It was confirmed once back then that Richard did, indeed, stop by and read the old AOL site. Because of this, I am certain in my own mind that he does the same here as this site, other than the official site, is the the best place for information regarding the Carpenters.

On a side note, one thing that always stuck with me about Richard, and maybe others who have met him can attest, is that he is a real "thinker." I could always see that little squirrel in his mind constantly running on that wheel. One could tell just by conversing with him. The term "genius" is often used to describe him and I'm sure that isn't too far from fact. He comes off quite intelligent for sure.