Richard Carpenter back with new solo album
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Carpenter
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March 23, 1998
Web posted at: 2:30 p.m. EST (1930 GMT)
By Paul Freeman
Half of one of the best-selling recording duos of all time,
Richard Carpenter has managed to make his life whole again.
After his sister Karen died of heart failure in 1983
following a long struggle with anorexia nervosa, he waited
four years to release his first solo album. Now, A&M is
unveiling his second, "Pianist-Arranger-Composer-Conductor."
Carpenter has kept busy over the years. He served as
executive producer on the TV movie, "The Karen Carpenter
Story" and supervised compilations of the Carpenters' hits.
He produced albums for other artists. He cooperated with a
biographer and recent Carpenters documentaries made for PBS,
VH1 and A&E. He also got married and collaborated on four
children, ages 10, 8, 5 and 3.
During the Carpenters heyday, there was little time for a
personal life. "It was a whirlwind," Richard Carpenter says.
"But it was what we had dreamed of and worked toward.
"On the whole, we had a very good time. But I don't feel that
all the touring and studio time is conducive to raising a
family. I wanted to do this and do it right."
Though he tries hard to be a successful husband and father,
Carpenter remains a perfectionist in the studio. The new
album features orchestral reworkings of favorites such as
"Bless the Beasts and the Children" and "We've Only Just
Begun," plus his previously unavailable "Karen's Theme" from
the TV movie.
Of the hits, he says, "My challenge was to interpret them,
with rare exception, a whole different way. Burt Bacharach
used to do that. He'd produce a number of hits, especially
for Dionne Warwick and then, every year or so, put out an
instrumental album, where he took the same charts and did
different arrangements with them.
"After giving it some thought, I didn't want this to be one
of those assembly line instrumental piano albums where you
hear the little rhythm section in the background and just
play a little melody over the top. With my training, I wanted
to approach this more in a classical mode -- very little
strict tempo and a lot of quasi-symphonic. It worked very
well, because a lot of the songs we introduced have a lot of
melodic sweep."
He always had a knack for choosing the right songs for the
Carpenters. "That's something you're born with. Granted,
environment can play some part, but I'm a firm believer in
genetics.
"A person can learn technically to orchestrate. But the stuff
it takes to make a really terrific arrangement, that can't be
taught, just as you can't teach someone to write a memorable
song. Karen's gift was natural too, as it was with Sinatra,
Crosby and all the great singers."
Though he fashioned the Carpenters' sound and wrote such hits
as "Yesterday Once More" and "Top of the World," he wasn't
given enough credit for the act's phenomenal popularity.
"The average person didn't really know what my role was,"
Carpenter says. "Obviously, on stage, Karen was the star of
the duo. I urged her to go out in front of the group, when,
of course, she loved to drum and sing at the same time.
"Until we were playing venues big enough to get the 9-foot
Baldwin in there, we were using my little Wurlitzer electric
piano. (There had been) so many people standing behind one of
those and they couldn't really play very well. So most people
thought, 'Here's another guy sitting behind one of those
little things; he probably doesn't do much at all.'
"I did want a certain amount of recognition for what I did,
even though, being a student of the industry, I knew I wasn't
going to get that much of it."
With the passage of time, more recognition has come.
Carpenter's lush ballad arrangements continue to influence
modern producers.
"The laymen still may not be able to tell you what the record
producer does or pay much attention to arrangement," he says.
"But they can sense when something is done well. The
Carpenters songs had a lot of melody. And people have always
liked a good melody."
Growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, Richard Carpenter
enjoyed finding good melodies in his father's extensive,
eclectic record collection. At 16, he studied piano at Yale.
Because of the youngster's outstanding musical ability, the
family moved to Downey, California, where he would be closer
to show business opportunities.
His jazz trio, with Karen on drums, earned a record deal, but
didn't go anywhere. Finding his forte in pop, Carpenter
uncovered engaging songs, showcased Karen's heartfelt vocals,
then overdubbed the siblings' rich harmonies. Their polished
presentations contrasted with the garage rock bands popular
at the time.
"There were a hell of a lot of doors slammed in our faces,"
Carpenter recalls of the time. "Every major record label,
including two people representing A&M, just plain weren't
interested. They all said, 'It's too soft. It'll never sell.'
Herbie took a different view, and it worked out well for all
concerned."
Herbie was Herb Alpert, co-owner of A&M. His discerning ear
detected magic in the Carpenters' performances. In 1969,
their debut album was released and a single, a cover of the
Beatles' "Ticket to Ride," reached the Top 100 charts. Then,
with "Close to You," the duo became a sensation.
Of the act's appeal, Carpenter says, "It's the combination of
memorable songs, a timeless voice, well-crafted arrangements,
well-engineered records and nothing trendy. (A) few times I
fooled around with synthesizers back then, and when I hear
those recordings today, they haunt me, because that's a
trendy thing. Real instruments don't go out of date. Effects
can wear on one."
The Carpenters' music has never worn out its welcome. Recent
reissues became blockbusters in Britain and Japan. Seventies
nostalgia is growing, and the duo was one of that decade's
best-selling groups, topping 100 million records worldwide.
"Time flies. The '70s weren't that long ago." Carpenter
chuckles. "Actually, it's not one of my favorite decades for
a number of reasons, the clothing to begin with. The kids are
wearing bell bottoms and hip-huggers, all the things that my
generation swore we'd never go near again. Everything old is
new again."
Music fans who weren't yet born in 1969 are discovering the
Carpenters' songs. "It's very rewarding to know that
something we did nearly 30 years ago is still fresh-sounding
and appreciated today."
Carpenter is performing songs from
"Pianist-Arranger-Composer-Conductor" with symphony
orchestras across the globe. The concert includes film clips
of his sister. For him, the experience is simultaneously
uplifting and unsettling. "It's always been both, working
with this material over the years. It reminds me time and
time again of just how marvelous a talent Karen was. And yet,
of course, it always is tinged with melancholia."
Copyright © 1998, Paul Freeman
Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate