@@robertreese3523 Linda is very good but didn't quite find the right character for her talent. She's nowhere close to the icon that is Karen and her voice. I'll look it up but I'm guessing that Karen beat her record sales ten to one.
@@TheLarryBrown That’s like comparing Mozart to Salieri. Linda could sing anything Karen could sing equally as well. Karen however would not be remotely able to cover the various genre’s of music that Linda did. I’m a fan of Karen’s myself but overall musically, she doesn’t hold a candle to Linda.
Paul McCartney has said that she had "the best female voice in the world: melodic, tuneful and distinctive". She has been called "one of the greatest voices of our lifetime" by Elton John....Google.
Once Karen was leaving a restaurant while John Lennon was walking in. He said to her, "I want to tell you love, I think you've got a fabulous voice." And he just walked on. Surprisingly, she asked her friend if he thought he really meant it. He kept telling her, yes, he really meant it.
This was a live performance. While most singers only sound good with the help of a studio engineer, her voice was near perfect straight out of her mouth. Amazing!
My grandmother grew up with Karen and Richard Carpenter in Downey, California and always told me nothing but good stories about them. RIP Grandma and Karen.😢
Born and early raised in New Haven Connecticut..parents move to Downey California in 1963…about 20 minutes from my neighborhood in Connecticut..I loved playing their tunes when I was in radio in Hartford..a pleasure..😊
I lived in Downey too. I met Karen twice in the last two months before she died. The second time was the week before. I worked at the Los Cerritos Mall. I helped Karen and her mother shop for presents for her father. She seemed really shy and humble when I complimented her.
@@nashvillesoup8820 WHAHA!!! You're offended because I speak the truth!!! You are offended because you probably have tattoos yourself. I grew up in an era where it was only the criminals in jail who got tattooed. I grew up in an era when we were wearing a collar and tie to work. You are right that ship has sailed, long gone. NOW it is torn jeans, hanging on your knees, as many tattoos as possible and an overall look to rather shock people. It is a rebellion against what is/was normal and correct. One's circumstances and/or status in life does NOT force you to get down on a tattoo artist's bed and get colored in like a comic book. It is group pressure and own weakness. Nor is it a "nose in the air" attitude. Read my whole sentence. You will see I judge not only tattoos, but also female artist who are popular for their vulgarism and the obsession of people to see a female naked on a stage, rather than listening to pure music talent.
No backing tracks, no auto-tune, no computer generated sounds, everyone playing instruments, and it still sounds better than today’s music 😂. It’s mind boggling that she was only 22 during this performance
I can literally "smell" the 70's in this. Sitting on my couch with my grandmother, watching late night TV on a wildly flowered sofa, the smell of linoleum from the kitchen flooring, wood paneling in the living room. Would love to go back to a much simpler time and place.
And here I am, 70 years old in 2024, still infatuated with this beautiful woman. A very long love affair with Karen's voice and genuine, vulnerability & charm. Thanks to Richard for so selflessly promoting her as the uniquely talented musician & singer loved by so many.
Real music real people, no computers. Gone forever. I am so grateful to have lived during this time. It was nothing at all like today. Those who were not there, can not even begin to understand how much better everything was.
Voice of the century. Every time I hear her, my heart soaks it in. Loved her since the first time I heard her and became a lifetime fan. I pray she is resting in peace ❤
Yeah she’s the best they’re the best. But it’s bittersweet listening to their music knowing everything she went through. I remember hearing it on the radio when she passed away. Some guys I was riding with were chuckling and I thought that was so horrible that they would laugh at that. Anyway, you know it was a men’s world back then and that’s another reason that she had to get off the drums I think. And they wanted her to just perform mainly you know take that microphone, but they also weren’t very familiar with good women drummers either
Agree. The Warning is a hard rock band from Monterey, Mexico, comprising the three Villarreal sisters. Paulina ("Pau"), the drummer, can play percussion and sing like nobody's business. It's a different genre, but her talent is the closest I've seen to Karen Carpenter's in the past 50+ years. Pau currently is 22, about the same age as Karen when this Tonight Show appearance was recorded.
She could play odd time signatures and sing perfectly on time in another time signature... It was absolutely insane... If you know anything about drumming, you know, when you play odd time signatures, counting is incredibly important. Well, Karen could keep time on drums and with her Vocals at the same time... Truly, TRULY breathtaking musician and talent.
I feel the exact same, pure chills. She was one of a kind and no one will ever compare. She had a God given talent… you don’t experience that these days.
yeah absolutely I’ve been married for 32years I was 22 and he was 26. he got cancer in 2020 I was totally lost without him. He took a major hit the treatment was horrible for him. I could not do nothing to change any thing so I felt helpless I miss Him everyday.. seeing this makes me miss him even more I come to this page all the time just to have that nostalgia
yeah absolutely I’ve been married for 32years I was 22 and he was 26. he got cancer in 2020 I was totally lost without him. He took a major hit the treatment was horrible for him. I could not do nothing to change any thing so I felt helpless I miss Him everyday.. seeing this makes me miss him even more I come to this page all the time just to have that nostalgia
They should have let Karen play the drums as much as she wanted. She LOVED playing drums and not allowing her to drum was a serious amount of stress on her. The sessions drummer, Hal Blain, sure was an excellent drummer though.
@@lisaburns8597 Karen got upset when she couldn't play drums. She loved playing drums, almost more than singing. The record companies gave her a hard time, they wanted her to stand there and sing only. It caused stress that she didn't need.
I know... So sad. I've read the Ray Coleman book, and 'Little Girl Blue' by Randy Schmidt. It's a tough read in some places that will bring a tear to your eyes. I recommend it.
Watching this and knowing she has only 9 years left, combined with her sweetness, causes me sadness. Funny that I should have these emotions evoked 41years later
@@MrAdvance2go Only 4 days in losing 4 icons I know by memory, and I'm sure you know who each one is: Feb. 3, 1959. Sep. 20, 1973. Dec. 8, 1980. Feb. 4, 1983. "Rainy Days and Mondays" and 'Goodbye to Love" are my favorites of those she sings here, and her Christmas classic, "Merry Christmas Darling" of all she did. "Goodbye to Love" and "Merry Christmas Darling" almost always sends me to tears, and that was when I heard the songs in the early-1970s. I never feel that way from any song in the pop-rock era, but her exquisite, 3-octave, rare contralto voice does that to me. An expert drummer, that people forget she was praised by many of the best, but it was her voice that was the best of any female singer I've heard, or ever will hear. She deserved better in her marriage, never having the children she desperately wanted, and then losing her life over something almost nobody heard of until that day I'll never forget where I was, hearing it on the radio news.
Live.. In front of the mix - not buried.. No reverb, no pitch correction, no effects of any kind. Pure talent is no longer a prerequisite for being in the music business.
One minute into the medley and I'm reduced to teary eyed goosebumps, which is something that Karen's voice has been doing to me since I was 11 years old... She was definitely blessed with a kiss on the cheek from God, that's for sure... Rest In Paradise, little drummer girl... ❤🥁
I cry not because she died so young but because her vocal timbre just reaches all humanity. Everyone cries when they hear her sad 😢songs cuz she's amazing. No one can touch her where she takes in a song.
How can you not love the Carpenters, with Richard's talented arrangements and Karen's angelic voice! I'm glad there are plenty a videos in existence of Karen's drumming so people can see how incredible she was. What a talent!
Lots of people can sing well and play an instrument as well. Ronnie James Dio was told that he can be a good singer and bass guitarist or he can be great at one. He chose to be one of the greatest metal vocalists. Karen dropped drums to sing better than anybody in recordings and stage. There are probably so many more like them out there.
Awe!!! Precious. I was a young mother of a toddler and a 7month old. Watched Johnny Carson at 11 or 11:30 pm with fresh drip coffee as my babies were asleep. I miss yesteryears immensely. The world has become painful ♥️🌹
Llamapajama If there was a way to get back to that era, I'm sure there would be multitudes of people that would go and never come back. A very descriptive way of putting it----The world has become painful.
Karen was SO beautiful at that point in time. It's so sad that she had no one in her life to tell her how beautiful (inside & out) she was everyday. Such a sad little girl with an angel's voice. LOVE you Karen.
She truly was a beautiful woman and singer. I had heard that her mother was very hard on her..always putting her down for her "weight" and pretty much telling her she was no one without Richard.
I'm 63 years old. I was 13 when this was recorded. My late sister was a HUGE Carpenters fan. I never really appreciated them back then as Carpenters weren't one of the "cool bands". As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate them, especially Karen's amazing voice. Unfortunately, my sister died when we were both in our early 30's. I'd give anything to sit down with my sister now and listen to them.
Richard Carpenter was vital to her success. He selected the songs, wrote the arrangements, and oversaw recording sessions. He deserves far more credit than he gets.
Richard Carpenter was a pop music genius musician as far as I’m concerned, almost on a level if not equal to ( just different music genre style wise) Brian Wilson as an arranger/ producer- he clearly is/ was the maestro of the Carpenters, who were all obviously top level musicians- what skill on display here. Karen was an absolute wonder as a drummer and vocalist of course, her once in a lifetime voice was the shining jewel at the center of all those great Carpenters songs, something in her vocal tone was universal,anyone who heard it felt it.. even if they weren’t consciously aware of it.
@@tonyparrish9216 What are you going on about? Karen and Richard were very close. They had a great working relationship into the bargain. He was very protective of her image so yes, he was a tad controlling to that extent. But she looked up to him as a role model, and had massive respect for his talents.
Never knew they were THAT GOOD on instruments, I knew they were pros but, super pros? So flawless and tight and perfect pitch and ALWAYS her emotion wrenching pristine angelic voice and and and.......forget it. Breathtaking. With just that touch of melancholy for dear Karen. How sweet and beautiful she was.
I remember seeing this when it originally aired. Karen was special.. and she was 22 or 23 at the time I was so excited that my wife started laughing right along when she realized what she was seeing which Honestly has been a really good source of happiness for me ever since I lost my wife so many years ago i was married for 42years I was 24 and she was 20. She got cancer in 2020 I was totally lost without her. She took a major hit the treatment was horrible for her. I could do nothing to change any thing so I felt helpless I miss her everyday. Mothers are the glue that holds everyone together.. it broke me to pieces so seeing comments like this makes me smile.
Had the pleasure to meet Karen while on a service call to repair a video projector she owned... Sometime in 1980. She was very friendly and seemed very interested on what I was doing. As I was leaving, she asked me if I would like a picture oh her, which she signed. Wish I still had it! There was void left in this world since she passed.
Thanks for sharing. Can you remember where this occurred? Was it at the house in Downey or her apartment in Century City? Not really important I guess, I'm just curious 😆
Such a warm and wonderful brother and sister. The genuine real deal. These days, that magic is gone from the "music" scene. I was glad to have been around when their songs came out in real time.
Definitely a LIVE performance, which was rare on national television even back then. Richard is an amazing musician and arranger. Karen’s voice was and is still incomparable.
I was 13 years old when this show aired live, and I was already a Carpenters fan. We were singing their songs in Choir all the time in the 1970's. Now 50 years later I'm even a bigger Carpenters fan! 🌹💕🌹💕
Karen Carpenter had a voice that's inimitable - warm, fresh and natural tone. Richard's arrangements were impeccable. Together, they crafted classic and sophisticated pop music tunes that will be loved and respected forever.
Karen Carpenter had a voice that's inimitable - warm, fresh and natural tone. Richard's arrangements were impeccable. Together, they crafted classic and sophisticated pop music tunes that will be loved and respected forever.
Karen Carpenter had a voice that's inimitable - warm, fresh and natural tone. Richard's arrangements were impeccable. Together, they crafted classic and sophisticated pop music tunes that will be loved and respected forever.
Karen Carpenter had a voice that's inimitable - warm, fresh and natural tone. Richard's arrangements were impeccable. Together, they crafted classic and sophisticated pop music tunes that will be loved and respected forever.
Oh yes! 'Now & Then'' was released in 1973. As was, ELP's 'Brain Salad Surgery'. Interestingly enough, I saw the Carpenters on February 2nd, 1974 at the Tucson Community Center, and ELP there on February 22nd, 1974. 🤠 I've often wondered how many other people attended both of those shows.
Richard and Karen Carpenter.❤ Absolute Geniuses in the music industry. The right people, the right place, and the right time. New styles and sounds from Southern California to the entire world! 🇺🇸 So proud to have been able to enjoy and experience the magic of the Carpenters as it was happening in the 1970's. Be thankful for the music lessons that your parents made you take. 🎹🎺🥁🎻
Karen Carpenter was an Angel 😇 sent from Heaven and left us way too soon! One of the most beautiful voices ever heard! The compositions are the direct result of her brother Richard Carpenter who really played to Karen’s strengths as a singer! I LOVE ❤️ the music of The Carpenters! RIP Karen! I’m a drummer and I tell you Karen was right in there with all the great jazz and rock drummers of her day! I loved that she played traditional grip with the left stick on the snare and the hand speed she demonstrated around the kit! Of course most know her for her outstanding alto vocals but don’t be fooled because Karen was also a marvelous drummer! I learned a lot by watching her performances! Hats off to Karen Carpenter: drummer and singer 🎤🥁extraordinaire!
Richard was 27 (b. Oct. 15, 1946 New Haven, CT), Karen 23. One of the rare times I've seen her sing and drum at the same time. She called herself, "a drummer who sang." Her drumming was praised by Hal Blaine, Cubby O'Brien, and Buddy Rich. You can't get much higher praise than that! As for her singing: her exquisitely gorgeous voice was beyond superb! No other female singer (my opinion) can touch how deeply her songs hit your emotions, as if she believed exactly what she was singing. Her rare contralto (lowest-range for female singers), gave her that emotional power, and 3-octave range made their songs that more emphatic. Richard is now 77. Karen only had a little more than 9 years after this performance, where she looked sensational. Only 32,, the world misses her singing more than ever! Karen Anne Carpenter, 32 (Mar. 2, 1950 New Haven, CT -Feb. 4, 1983 Downey, CA).
What a great looking young lady. On top of that an awesome drummer. To top that, I think her voice is probably one of the top voices in my lifetime. I am 63 now. Like someone mentioned before, just instruments, and voices. No computer generated additives. Music from deep inside and true talent. What an era of true, down to earth music!!!!!!!! These folks now a days think they have music. Well they are entitled to their opinion. Thank The Good Lord, I grew up in the best musical era. 60 s and moving forward!!!!
Karen was a world class drummer. She had such a great command of the drums and she played with such feeling. It's surprising she didn't play more on the Carpenters recordings. Most of the drum work was played by session drumming legend Hal Blaine.
They wouldn’t let her. She was THE voice and they needed her out front. She wanted to play the drums because it kept her “hidden”. Her anorexia became worse when they put her out front with the increased exposure. You can tell it in this video. She was magical. I cried for hours when I heard she had passed. Her and Jim Croce. ❤️❤️
@@kathyporter9193It's true that Richard didn't let her drum on the records, but not for the reasons you mentioned. Since they are multi-tracking the record she could have played drums and then sang on another take, which is how they did it anyway. Your reasons are why she didn't drum in concert. as shown in this video, yes, she needed to be out front. As for why she didn't drum on the records, it's because she was deemed as not experienced enough in the studio to give the needed result. That was a big mistake because 1: on the records where she does drum, she sounds great. 2: Hal Blaine is not "all that." She would have been better than him because she's a genius, she's an artist, and she's a Carpenter. 3: Many drummers were green in the studio when starting out recording, even Gene Krupa and Ringo, But with time the world gains a great drumming talent. and 4: She sounds like Karen Carpenter. I guess it's the age old concept of "how am I going to become experience in the studio if you don't let me drum on the record?"
I have always loved The Carpenters - she had voice from Heaven and he harmonized beautifully - plus I thought Richard Carpenter was an amazing composer and arranger.
I cried when I heard she died. It was as memorable as when John Kennedy died. I remembered what I was doing when I heard it on the radio. Can you imagine what music Karen & her brother would have continued to put out if she hadn’t died. Her song was sung at my wedding as I know it was for many. Such an earth shaking loss. Heartbreaking! 💔
There’s nothing more beautiful than a woman on drums. She looked so happy. When I see her in heaven I’m giving her the biggest hug from one drummer to another.❤❤❤
Do I ever agree! The closest in talent I've seen since Karen Carpenter is Paulina "Pau" Villarreal, drummer and vocalist for the three sisters who comprise the hard rock band The Warning from Monterey, Mexico. A different, hard-driving style, but Pau can bring it on the drums and singing as if Karen's soul is with her.
The voice that launched a thousand tears and the best vocalist/drummer combination in pop music. Yes, that includes Don Henley, Phil Collins, Levon Helm....sorry rock fans, her voice transcended everything.
Are you familiar with the “Mandela effect” ? Did you notice how Johnny introduced them as “Carpenters” instead of “The Carpenters” ? Well , I remember them as The Carpenters and I see you do too . Because that was hat they called themselves before the “change” .
I was 13 years old in 1970 when I met Karen and got her autograph after concert at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium! Still love her so much perfection! ❤
"Why do ANGELS always fly away... and leave us when there's so much more to say - the pieces of my heart... now falling apart... will never be the same... while she's away" RIP Angel Karen - you are always REMEMBERED.
The last song would fit in perfectly with the British Prog Rock Scene. Yes....ELP....King Crimson!!!!!! Karen was a really good drummer. The main drummer is really good. The band is really tight and you can see Richard is conducted them all. Then there is Karen's voice. So special and unique. Like she and JOhnny said....there would have been nothing better than seeing and hearing them live to see how truly great they were.
If memory serves, the comedy duo of Skiles & Henderson opened for them. We had floor seats which were great. They sounded great, and Karen was wearing a similar outfit. Very tight sound without any effects, lights show, etc,,,. Just the music which of course is what it's all about! She played drums on most of the up tempo songs, and was at the mic up front for those beautiful ballads! Cubby O'Brien was on drums every time I saw them, and they mirrored one another very well! All 3 times I saw them, it was pretty much the same show offering their latest & older songs as the time went on. Regarding Skiles & Henderson, they opened all 3 concerts that I attended, I'm pretty certain. They were fantastic with sound effects, and when the Carpenters sang "Dead Man's Curve" (from 1973's 'Now & Then'), they made the sounds of the squealing tires, & crashing car. 👍 They enhanced the show for sure!
WOW, this was GREAT to see 51 years later! So wonderful to hear their biggest hits performed live and that last song had a bit of a jazz flair mixed in. Their interview was quite interesting and I NEVER knew that VERY scary airplane incident they experienced. OMG, it brought memories to me of airplane crushes that took the lives of some legendary musical performers like Buddy Holly's plane crash. Thank God the Carpenters lived to see another day and keep their musical magic going for many more years until we lost Karen. And the drummer in this video is Cubby O'Brien of the Mouseketeers fame since he played drums for them for a time. Ahh, what memories of yesteryear when REAL music was being played by some VERY talented people. 😎
@@floydholder597 You are very welcome. I just remember him performing with them on the drums for a time. Karen also did a GREAT job on her drumming with that final song on this show while she was singing. OMG, she could do it all and how sad that she left this life so soon. She had the voice of an angel AND could play the drums really well. She is dearly missed by her family, friends and fans! 😢😞
Karen Carpenter was a musical goddess. Her vocal precision is unmatched to this day. And many of us were heart broken to hear of her premature passing.
