Tony was an LA studio guy, but not one of the Wrecking Crew. When the band was running through rehearsal, Peluso began adding a rock edge to his solos. Richard Carpenter loved it and urged the guitarist to push it heavier. The combination of easy rock ballads with heavy guitar became a staple of 70s pop. Note: Peluso also voiced the radio DJ on the "oldies" side of the "Now and Then" album.
@dhouse I was a wee lad when this came out too. My mom was a HUGE Carpenters fan, and I remember hearing that solo and thinking, "wow, this is cool. A rock solo in an easy listening tune". 👍🎸🤟
Tony asked Richard how do you want me to play it and Richard said I want you to go stratospheric with it . Richard said that in an interview . One of my all time favourite guitar solos , makes me shiver .
Don't overlook Richard Carpender...none of this would've happened without him. They have so many iconic songs but THIS song here is and has always been my favorite. Back in the day....who' would've thought the Carpenders would have one of the best guitar solos in the history of music.
@@michaelangel2492 Yes you are absolutely correct! Richard was a master at arranging and putting elements together and he doesn't and never did really get the full credit due.
One of the greatest guitar solos of all time, not the normal for the carpenters, but Tony Peluso absolutely brilliant, and compliments that song perfectly. The best carpenters song. Take a bow Tony Peluso
Agreed. When you listen to her, its sheer perfection. Every single note is pitch perfect , she was phenomenal, and deserves to be recognised alot more than they are for the brilliant work they gave us.
Karen Carpenter was one gem that will never be duplicated. And the guitar solo at the end, simply one of the best ever regardless of the style, pop, rock, or whatever.
@@Bob31415 Richard’s music, John Bettis’s lyrics, Karen’s incredible & angelic voice, Richard & Karen’s beautiful harmonies, the band’s tightness, and then - the icing on the cake - Tony Peluso’s rocking fuzz guitar solo in the middle and at the end. Yes, it was Richard’s brilliant idea, but it was Tony’s fingers doing the singing! This is quintessential Carpenters stuff right here!
Yes, he does a good job there. The gentleman explains his work on this song in the documentary on the Carpenters, circa 1997. -------------------------------------------------------------- Richard said he got the idea from watching an old movie where this songwriter talks of the finest hit he ever wrote, "Goodbye to Love", but you actually never hear the song.... So Richard thought... "That's a great title, 'Goodbye to Love' " ... and so he started composing the literal song... his song! Explained in the documentary too.
helder sufiano Tony Peluso kills it on 6 strings. Altho on this recording the solo is double tracked, and I've never heard it double tracked before. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye_to_Love
The totally beautiful and timless, never to be forgotten, voice of Karen combined with the greatest guitar riff will never permit this song to be forgotten. RIP Karen we love you xx
I went to high school with Tony Peluso he was born an amazing talent. He grew up in a family of musicians. His parents were opera singers. He never used drugs his entire life and still God took him so early.
@Maidenpatrol This video is mashup, not a "real" event. The sound you hear is the album track (Track 4 from the album "A Song for You"-1972). The album track sound replaces whatever sound was on this video of the group playing the song. The person that created this video just faded the album track sound out before it was done--I presume because the video doesn't last as long as the album track. If you want to hear the entire solo, listen to the actual album track.
How big would the Carpenters be today if dear Karen were still with us?? Let's not forget Richard though, he's the genius behind their success...anyone agree?
They heterodyned. Richard wrote the songs that showcased Karen's voice. They were both great and talented musicians, but together they just pow! True synergy at work. I had such a big girlcrush on Karen, still do today.
Genius production as Richard Carpenter invents the "power ballad". Karen's impeccably lush harmonies swirl underneath Tony Peluso's stratospheric yet melodic phrasing. Truly a milestone for all fans of genre music; this one broke all the rules.
@SouthVA 757 Yeah, apparently the Carpenters copped a bit of stick for this song. Some of their 'fans' accused them of selling out. Laughable nowadays of course.
Yes Andrew, the carpenters lush harmonies under the seering, country/ rock guitar is such a cool integral part of the song. The Carpenters were superb.
+Michelle Marie The jazzy rock guitar was Richard Carpenters idea. Karen does not need any props or whatever, but it is Richard who does the arrangements for them.
She has a lovely voice but she does need arrangement and, perhaps more so than most on this one, instruments. It is the whole and no-one understood that more than Richard, her brother.
@@Supersweetguy Richard Carpenter's production on this song and their albums was genius. The mic'd Karen really close because her voice wasn't strong, but it was absolutely pure and in the pocket. The harmonies are sooooooo tight.
Karen Carpenter, she has the clearest most beautiful voice anyone has ever heard. Such a graceful singer. Sometimes you think to yourself The Sounds coming from her just can't be real. Karen Carpenter gone but never ever forgotten.
If you like Karen I suggest you listen to Judith Durham of the Seekers, e.g. The Carnival is Over. Her voice was the best imo and Celine Dion the pick of today's female singers
The greatest Guitar riff ever. Brilliant. Many good guitarists have performed this but none have ever reproduced Tony's Tone, and sensitivity,. That is the difference from being a good performance and the performance of a maestro.
I believe this song was what started his career with the Carpenters. Richard and Karen remembered him from being part of an opening act band from a couple of years earlier. Karen, whose voice he idolized, called him to say they wanted to do a fuzz guitar solo for this song. That had never been done for a ballad before, but he said yes, and remained with the Carpenters until Karen's death. I think a few years ago he said that that he had heard virtually every recorded song going back to a Edison's "Mary Had A Little Lamb". He considered Karen Carpenter to be the greatest singer that ever lived.
2024 Karen is still the best, it took me a while to realize it (when you are a teenage boy cooler to like Aerosmith and Blue Oyster Cult), but it just seems to get better with time.
+Steve South I might be wrong here (according to the wife I usually am) but I think that the album had Tony Peluso actually credited with "Fuzz Guitar"
To me, Karen has the best female voice to have ever entered my ears. I get the goose bumps every time I hear her sing. I also have always loved that guitar solo, very unexpected. It helped me to decide to begin playing the guitar in the 70's.
She's been gone now for as many years as she lived. And even after she's been gone for 33 years, the Carpenters still hold the title of the most successful Pop Duo of all time.
Used to work behind the bar in a shitty pub where the music was just wallpaper. I put on an eight track of this album all night every night. This guitar solo is my best of all time especially as it's such a fuzzy surprise, endlessly melodic and good. The drinkers never seemed to notice five hours of non-stop Carpenters and the owners didn't care. No bloody wonder I got into punk!
She was so tortured - her whole life. I grew up with the songs that Karen Carpenter sang to me and I didn't realize until years later how profound those songs were. Her voice resonates throughout generations. xoxoxo
+Karen Berino Now we know just maybe why Karen always seemed that her very heart and soul was in the songs she sang. And it makes me wonder if it had not been for her inner torture and pain, would she have even sounded as good as she did. It's sad to think about, but in retrospect, seems that may have contributed to her amazing and soulful delivery of hey singing.
You're right. I think maybe everyone has a bit of pain inside just for living in this crazy world. You could probably write a song or two yourself about your experiences I'm sure : ) Remember Billie Holiday? She was another tragic soul who sang with the same heartfelt vocals that resonate with any generation. I'm grateful that God had given both of these beautiful women the talent to express that in a way we all can relate to.
The musical director of the Heavenly Choir ran into GODs throne room and said O Holy One, my lead alto singer was just reassigned and I have no one to lead the alto section. God looked at his director and said "Don't worry musical one, I have just the voice for you" and the Lord looked to earth and said, "Karen, my child, you have done enough in that world and it is time for you to come home" and our beautiful Karen was gone. Maybe if we listen hard enough we can still hear her in the wind or on a softly snowy day.
She has a beautiful, warm, melodic voice that makes even this incredibly depressing song feel comforting somehow. So sad that the men in her life destroyed her.
Stockwell santley her breath control is the best--like Sinatra....that whole lyric is three lines without a breath--amazing...perfect pitch...emotional bloom...masterful and effortless
+Elaine Dotson It might be, Elaine. I dont speak from true experience. So the reason I say it is because I have thought I have been in love a few times since that first debilitating heartbreak. It never worked out. I was crushed and hurt again and again. But...I was able to feel that bubbly feeling again. Maybe we can find it for the long haul. Maybe not. But I think it might be possible, so why not try? It is better than looking back and thinking "what if?''
I love the way they sing and play: simple and natural. It is not a show, they are not pretending. They perform because they feel the music and express it with her voice and their instruments, not with fake actions. Excellent!
Karen was our SUPERSTAR. She had ONLY JUST BEGUN and it seems like ONLY YESTERDAY that she was on TOP OF THE WORLD. Karen, even NOW we still long to be CLOSE TO YOU. RIP Karen and Tony.
I'm 60 years old now, but I can't help thinking if someone had just held her tightly and told her how much she was loved and adored, it could have made all the difference..... ? I guess we'll never know, now..... 😢❤
Karen’s voice and sound were beyond compare. She was pure singer/musician. Even Ella Fitzgerald said how beautiful her voice was. She was so true to her song.
During my early teen years The Carpenters were admired by so many people. People of all ages so enjoyed and respected these two amazing talents. Karen must have suffered so much emotionally. But she was a beautiful lady with a beautiful soul. And I do not think ANY female voice can be compared to Karen.
I often wonder if Karen had any idea, had any clue, as to how much happiness she brought into peoples lives with that exquisite voice. if she only knew how much she made people smile at very the sound of her voice, perhaps she would have stayed with us longer.
Michael Pantyhose Yeah, I think that was part of her divine destiny, her purpose. She had to have this sickness and suffer, and eventually die, so that others wouldn't have to go through what she went through.
Joe, you are right on. I heard them play at NMSU in 1972. My girl friend and I loved their music,.....plus all of my friends. To me, hers is one of the most soothing voices I have ever heard. I play the piano........and 6 of their hits. thanks for postin'. Allen
Some say that the electric guitar in the middle and at the end is inappropriately harsh and discordant to the song but I say it just adds to its intensity
Karen Carpenter was a beautiful addition to what we consider what makes life worth living. Think about her voice and try to hear it tonight while you fall asleep. You'll see.
cobrabill1 i listen to this beautiful singer every night -she is an Angel -i can down load forever and never get enough of that beautiful voice -its heaven on earth -i love her -
At the time this song was released, the Carpenters did receive hate mail (claiming that the Carpenters had sold out and gone hard rock) because of Richard's idea for a fuzz guitar solo in a love ballad, and some Adult Contemporary (AC)-oriented radio stations refused to play the song because of this solo (which may have kept it from reaching #1 on the AC chart, becoming the first Carpenters A-side since "Ticket to Ride" not to be a #1 AC hit). However, many Carpenters fans today still admire the song for its respectful uniqueness.
@@Supersweetguy Just read this. Incredible that they'd get hate mail over such a cool guitar solo. It did not take away from the ballad, it enhanced it.
Whenever Karen opened her mouth and sang she always had a way of making people happy I was around 19 going on 20 at the time of her passing and when she passed away it was the saddest times for all her friends and family and legions of fans around the world I try too keep all the fond memories of Karen and the Carpenter's alive by listening and enjoying the sweetest songs ever sang by the Carpenter's
I met and got to know Tony when I worked at Disney. He was an executive with Pleasure Island,,,the night club facility at Downtown Disney in Orlando. He told me I was the first person to talk to him about being the guitarist for the Carpenters in a very long time. He was a really nice guy. Died of cancer later I think.
If only this angel knew how beautiful she was -seriously how did she not know it -i think people were bringing her down -and once that happens its over -I love you Karen -you sing me to sleep every night -you were such a good person and so damn pretty all natural -we gonna be hangin out in hevean -singing takin care of all the innocent animals -its going to be profound -
Her passing was a Great loss to all of us that loved her and her voice that was taken to soon . Her legacy of songs keep her alive and memorys of our own loves that are lost and whats to come , which is unknown to us All . Thank you Karen .
Tremendous song. Brilliant harmony, melody, lyric, lead vocal and guitar solo. This transcends MOR and all categorisations, The best thing the Carpenters ever did IMHO.
I was 10......first concert I ever went to.....with my parents.....The Carpenters....a magician we'd seen on the Ed Sullivan show opened........I loved the song Goodbye to Love.....when Tony Peluso played his solos.....the hair stood up on the back of my neck....I knew I wanted to play the guitar from that moment on......Jimmy Page may have taught me how to spank the plank but Tony started my obsession....
