The Carpenters Story

[spectoremg]

Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre. An excellent show and surprisingly enjoyable experience c/o ms emg. 

The singer's voice was spot on. Snag was, she looked and was built like Lisa Riley, which I couldn't fit to Karen's anorexic tradegy. 

[barneyg42]

How Lisa Riley used to look maybe, she's a shadow of her former self now! 

Glad you enjoyed the show, always a guilty pleasure to an old rocker the Carpenters, along with Eva Cassidy possibly the best female singer ever to live. 

[spectoremg]

Fair one 're ms Riley. Actually their musical director made a reference to rocker 's guilty pleasures! 

[SpondonBassed]

I don't mind admitting to enjoying some of the Carpenters' music.

I'd like to have heard Karen's voice without the chorus effect on it however.  Did the vocalist use chorus too?

Edited March 31, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[spectoremg]

Yes defo chorus on her vocals. 

[SpondonBassed]

Hahahahaha!

Nice of you to illustrate the chorus effect so literally.

[Mykesbass]

Did they do the guitar solo in Goodbye to Love?

[ahpook]

I always thought the 'chorusing' on Karen Carpenter's voice was just very tight double-tracking or ADT...was I mistaken ?

Anyhow....any excuse to post this...beautiful singing.

 

Joe Osbourn's bass is a joy as usual...and nice smooth creamy overdriven guitar too

Edited March 31, 2018 by ahpook

[EssentialTension]

No need for guilt at the pleasure of brilliant arranging, brilliant singing and, if that wasn't enough, brilliant Joe Osborn on bass.

[spectoremg]

2 hours ago, Mykesbass said:

Did they do the guitar solo in Goodbye to Love?

Yes, last song of the show. 

[SpondonBassed]

24 minutes ago, ahpook said:

I always thought the 'chorusing' on Karen Carpenter's voice was just very tight double-tracking or ADT...was I mistaken ?

Anyhow....any excuse to post this...beautiful singing.

 

Joe Osbourn's bass is a joy as usual...and nice smooth creamy overdriven guitar too

From this it looks like you are right.

"Carpenters’ version was punchier than the original, with a swinging harmony and shorter pauses. Richard used a click track to synchronise the vocals (masterfully arranged into four-part harmonies tripled into 12 overdubbed vocal parts) and achieve the right effect. It took 47 takes just to get the extended “wahs” the way he wanted on the closing chorus."

[spectoremg]

Also the drummer had a clear vistalite Ludwig kit with that awesome concert tom sound - a tena pants experience!

[PaulWarning]

surprisingly I've always enjoyed some of the  Carpenters output, once saw a tribute in Tenerife, same thing, voice was spot on but she too was on the large side, wonder if it's the same woman  

[spectoremg]

4 minutes ago, SpondonBassed said:

From this it looks like you are right.

"Carpenters’ version was punchier than the original, with a swinging harmony and shorter pauses. Richard used a click track to synchronise the vocals (masterfully arranged into four-part harmonies tripled into 12 overdubbed vocal parts) and achieve the right effect. It took 47 takes just to get the extended “wahs” the way he wanted on the closing chorus."

The kind of detail I love! Well done. 

[SpondonBassed]

It's an interesting topic.  You're welcome.

[spectoremg]

There's bugger all on their website about the backing band and I can't remember his name. Had a we'll worn pinkish red Jazz with tort guard and bridge and pickup covers. Face on he was the spit of David Icke (the lizard king).

[GBH]

That is Jon Bower, also of The Real Thing and Counterfeit Quo.

[LeftyP]

I saw the Carpenters' Story last year sometime and thought they made a really good job of it.  You need to be very brave to tackle Karen's vocals.  I have the boxed set of Carpenters CDs and I can listen to any one of the albums and not be tempted to skip any of the tracks.  Karen's voice was just magic and Richard's musical arrangements sublime.