Wow. Live singing. No lip syncing. No fooling the audience. True talent on two legs. Rest in peace, Karen. You were one of a select few who could do it.
@GhostSpectre I agree with you about true talent, but only the short "close to you" part wasn't the record version and thus lip-synching. She could have done them great live, but she wasn't here.
@watersong111 The clarinet was hooked up to a "Maestro Unit". It was an early synthesizer (sp?) for woodwind instruments. There was a pick-up built into the barrel joint and you could select what instrument you wanted to make your clarinet sound like. I know - it fooled me for a long time.
By 1970, the Carpenters had achieved fame and glory, leaving the Bricklayers, Plumbers and Electricians to wander forever into anonymity and oblivion.
@elsandobottoms I cry too. I was 17 when she died, and the shock of it is still staggering. No telling how many hundreds or thousands of great songs she could have come up with had she not been sick. Her music is one of the few that I can actually sing to with any kind of acuracy and being on key. RIP Karen!
Karen still gives me chills when I hear her sing. Such sweet and pure soul. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't love her. I guess there are trolls everywhere.
Everyday, I wake up trying to reconcile with myself the fact we've gone from Johnny Cash introducing the Carpenters to the American public on his Variety Show, to American Idol introducing Karaoke singers to the American public.... no way... no how.....
Awesome video! I met Johnny Cash and what a wonderful man he was. Karen was one of the most beautiful singers that ever came to this planet. There are very very few that dare compare.
No Autotune on these songs! Pure talent and genius is what The Carpenters were. I miss those days so much. These songs were the soundtrack to my childhood. Thanks for posting!
Is Karen your favorite vocalist? And why wouldn't she be!? Please go to this web site: the-top-tens.......search for "best female singer of all time" and "greatest singer of all time" and cast your vote! Bring karen to #1 where she belongs!
People may make fun of the 1970s because of the clothes, hair, music, etc but people looked good and clean and stylish and didn't have to pierce their faces and lips. Or wear jeans that are falling down and T shirts that are too big. Today people are just lazy and fat. The 70s were a fantastic time in the USA.
I really is so terrible Karen died. I guess everybody knows. Something was teribly wrong with the 60's andm70's hippy generation.It was evil and greed. Karen was somebody's cometition. They needed her out of the way. I was totally in love w/ Karen. I ALWAYS prefered the Carpenters to the Grateful Dead. I guess some people had a problem with that. WHAT COULD I DO???
My record collection in the 70s consisted of everything from the Carpenters and John Denver to Rush and Black Sabbath. All great and looking back, Karen and Richard were among the best there ever was. I wish I could find a real actual performance of the Carpenters somewhere. They all seem to be lip-synched as is this one.
@mrsgstd here's one. search for "carpenters thank you rock and roll" When the results come up, click on the video titled "carpenters - thank you rock 'n' roll" by XqueenringX
Karen is such a remarkable talent. The maturity of her voice at age 21 (the time of this recording) is truly amazing. I can only imagine what she would sound like 20 years later. Talent is talent and she had far more than most. I'm not sure most of us realized just how talented she was in the 70's but we sure miss her talent today.
Karen Carpenter was such a unique voice in the business. It's too bad we never got to see her grow with her music. It's great to see one of the first performances of this song, and it's not everyday you see a woman singing lead AND playing drums at the same time, especially on a soft balad !
Herb Alpert gave them their first big break by signing them to A&M Records and sticking with them and going with Richard's instincts on the recording of "Close To You"
Funny, the Carpenters were a part of my growing up. I was a rocker, thought they were doofy and "square," but now I appreciate their music and especially Karen's extraordinary voice. May she rest in peace.
There are many good female vocalists today...but none have a voice like this. When she left us that voice went away forever. Thank heaven for YouTube and all of you who allow us all to relive this brilliance. I think I could easily spend a day here in front of my computer watching this excellence.
I can still remember the first time I heard "Close to You" and it immediately captured my heart. My parents were driving us kids, I was nine, around Miami Beach sometime in 1971. I loved it then and I love it now.
This may be lip-synched, however I read in the biography that they were super perfectionist and worked to reproduce the song just as on the record (including inflections) during live performances. If someone was even a little off, they were reprimanded.
Karen was one of a handull of the greatest voices of the 20th century...Hint of pain in that voice that sort of draws one like a maganet...She was wonderful, underrated but loved by those who saw past the bullshit and listened with their hearts...Unique national treasure...
I've never been too impressed with lyp syncing especially someone who had a voice that great! I always felt this was a terrible trend on TV and now even on tour. And could those clothes be any more 70's and square?
@STEVEMOR909 Lip Syncing was unfortunately a byproduct of of technological
restraints that were present during the time that this was shot. Fold back systems were not yet in use, rendering the performers unable to hear themselves. And considering this was shot in 1971, I wouldn't expect them to be dressed in 1980's attire. :D
Well I have watched some of the live videos of The Carpenters and they are GREAT! I like them because it's a slightly different performance and version of a song I've heard a thousand times. It's very sad now that lip syncing is even done at live shows. I seen ELO during their Time tour (great concert) but they were sued the next year for lip syncing the entire tour. They won the suit due to lack of evidence. Today nobody would be suing anyone, ask Brittney Spears and so on.
sorry to re-inform you @hartley8184, this is totally lyp synced. No microphones in front of any other band members, but a "chorus" of backup singing going on, some of it is Karen herself. I'm a studio and live professional musician, I can spot these things easily, so don't feel embarrased that you are wrong. I still like their music. Steveatl40 is totally correct. There is no way they would be able to reproduce a song live that sounds that close to the original.
Karen actually sings a few lines live from close to you at the beginning, but yeah - the Carpenters were known for doing mostly lip synching during their tv appearances.
@savvydoody Obviously, it's not very easy for you to spot. It was obviously a lip synced performance, like practically all their "live" performances. When the song sounds EXACTLY as the studio recording, that's a dead giveaway.
You must be thinking of some loser like "Lady GaGa" or "Britanny Spears". Janis Joplin wouldn't even stand on the same stage with these corporate candy rockers.
@hartley8184 - sorry to inform you but most of the videos you see with them appearing on various shows are all lip synched. That being said, I still think the Carpenters are awesome. Also, I have seen several lady gaga performances on tv, and none of them were lip synched, the girl's got chops, and writes her own stuff as well. Carpenters were mostly a cover band. Criticism is ok, but give credit where credit is due.
I was front row center of the Ryman Auditorium for this 1971 taping. Karen's voice in the acoustically perfect Ryman was a glorious experience. Luckily for us, there was an audio glitch during the taping and they had to do their set twice! And Karen was NOT lip-synching as some have suggested here. I'll never forget that night.
I believe this is live due to Karen playing the drums on Rainy Days and Mondays. The drums are one instrament that cannot be fake played and her drum strokes matched perfectly with the drum sounds in the song
some people think karen had a freakish perfect consistency, as if she was some human studio sound board, but for one thing, the instrument interlude at 2:14 through 2:28, is, as anybody can tell an oboe and this guy is playing a clarinet. richard isn't singing into a mic, yet his backups are in a voice multiplier with karens backup vocals mixed in as well. i think it is lip-synched because you can't really hear karen's percussion on rainy days.
If it is a live version how is it possible that Karen duplicated the crack in her voice on "get me down" at the end of the song, to be EXACTLY like the original recording. This is definitely lip syncing, which was acceptable in those days. They did it all the time. Now today you just can't get away with it.
To be accurate they did 3 songs, but just the intro to Close To You. The "2nd song" I menioned was where she played drums but the 2nd song was actually Love, Look At The Two Of Us. She sang that live with a minus-1 track and Richard plus-one-ing his Wurli comp parts. 3rd song Rainy Days and Mondays was lip synced. Sorry for the confusion.
If you look at the close up at 4:43. The word "blues", she stops singing the "ss" from "blues" and opens her mouth and basically stops singing..She had no idea how close the camera was going to be so she just did the best she could. Karen is one of the greatest voices around. No doubt she would do a real concert totally live. But lip syncing is a record company idea to increase sales. People dont know the logistics, they only know the song. Bad performances bec of technical problems hurt sales.
@chromiumveins Exactly! She is singing live! You can also hear a slight echo in her voice.The same echo heard when Johnny Cash breaks in and speaks. It is easily discernable that Johnny's voice and KC's voice are speaking from the same place. Dragongoff has been fooled by the background music. Perhaps they did not have enough time to acoustically arrange their desired sound to the tv studio setting. Who knows?
Ok here we go. We're both right. The 1st song you can hear wind blast on "appear." She did sing that first song live. Most of the track- minus-1. Oboe, backups, strings, drums.The piano trills is on the track, its not a Wurlitzer. Richard playing over his Wurli comp parts. 2nd song was lip synched. The drum hits dont match and if her mic was live it would pick up her drums. Her vox sounds too close to the orig release. What I meant by look at her vowel shapes, they dont match the track.
This is not live, it's LIP SYNC. There is not enough musicians on stage to represent the music on the track. The Carpenters sang their own backups. Richard doesn't evn have a mic. When Karen hits the toms on the next song, the hit and the sound are not together. The harmonica player's hand vibratos not together with the track. Use your eyes people.
No it isn't. You must not be a singer then. Look at the shape of her mouth when she's singing, it does not look like the tones coming from the vocal track. The track sounds like studio, not live. No live sound was added to the mix. So how can you say the mic was "live?" Many acts lip sync as its easier to control the performance. Richard's backups were picked up by Karen's mic then? And their backups which is their signature sound was done how? Fooled the audience then and NOW.
you are completely wrong and cannot hear very well or maybe you've never head the studio version. You can hear the "p" sound muffled through the PA or amp in the very first line in the word "appear" which clearly shows it's a live singing. And that's only one of many determiners that it is live. As for the music, I can't say. But, the singing is 100% live.
...hmmm. I may be wrong about the live comment. Anyway, Jose Feliciano had recorded a guitar intro to this song but then his manager pissed off Richard and they went with a harmonica.
For all we know could be live. @1:51 she gasps for air. There are some parts where she makes the "sshhh" with the mic. Sometimes I hear two voices and one echoing and sometimes until the end I hear just the record.
With Rainy Days, it sounds exactly like the record. It is obviously lip sync. Her live performances of Rainy Days usually sounds close but she changes some stuff. And there are overdubbed background vocals of Karen and Richard!
The music on the Johnny Cash show was usually - and I believe always - live. Many mistakes occured on this show and were often left in to give authenticity. Karen Carpenter sang it live and always sounded like KC no matter what kind of mic. Totally pure voice.
There is a live vocal track by KC here. People talk about the Carpenters as though they never did truly live music when it is the reason they were signed in the first place. She was able to sing and play without the exhertion apparent in her voice. Ok, she wasn't a forceful drummer but her vocals didn't suffer and her drumming was competent.
I know she is an amazing live singer. I have been a fan for a time now and she can sing in perfect pitch while drumming.
But I'm talking about this video. Close To You was the only thing obviously live. The 2 other songs sound exactly like the record. The overdubbed vocals are even there!
First, you'd have to know music, second, the way ppl move. The first song is very soft, so it picks up a TON of back ground noise, if you notice, the other two songs are almost overpowering, this was to block out back ground noise. some things that give away it is live; Karen's cymbols move heavily when moved, this does not happen with lip sync, her voice fluctuates and is exact with the carpenter speech issue, which was a little shuushng on words, also, this was the late 60's-70's, not 50-60's.
I agree that Karen sings "Close to You" live and that the other two songs were lip synced. This is a great example of the legacy of the Johnny Cash Show performances on video.
I don't know why some earier posts state that Karen's performance was lip-synced. It is obvious to me that Karen was singing live on all 3 songs. It shows what a great performer she was. It's possible that backing was pre-recorded but not the vocals.
You can tell she is singing live on the 1st song because of the mic noise at the beginning. The second song is all lip-synched. It was pretty common for 'bands' to do their songs karaoke style on 'live' shows in the 60's. Sometimes they would re-record the instrument tracks in-house and sing over them. Check out The Who playing My Generation on The Smother's Brothers. The TV networks had better equipment and engineers than recording studios of the time, so it sounds bettern than the original.
The Carpenters are dismissed as 70's lightweights,but how is it that songs such as this one,Sing,Close To You,& We've Only Just Begun are still enjoyed by younger generations along with myself?
Music that is good enough for the soul to actual hear can never die. This music touches the soul, and for many us it is also part of the soundtrack of our lives. As for Karen Carpenters voice, it is considered one of the most beautiful and genuine voices in all of music history.
@Vulcan621 Whether one actively listened to the Carpenters or grew up with their music as part of the background of daily life, Karen's sound was a beautiful part of the culture of our generation. . . .
. . . . . A beautiful part of our generation died with Karen Carpenter.
@Vulcan621 Whether one actively listened to the Carpenters or grew up with their music as "part of the soundtrack of our lives," all of us lost a beautiful part of our generation when Karen Carpenter died.
Starlifter, if it was '72, it was probably Jim Anthony... he was their drummer during that time..... I honestly never liked him.... I play drums too, and on some of the specials they were on that used syncing for whatever reasons, he never seemed to be able to match Karen's beats!
The first part of CLOSE TO YOU is not a lip sync...that part is live. The rest is lip sync...it was normal in that day to do that....as it took too much effort to do it LIVE on tv guest appearances....usually the songs were just to promote a single or an album I think....
Great voice and great arrangements of great songs. Definitely lip-synch, though, check out the guy holding a clarinet during the oboe solo and someone faking the harmonica and sax solos behind a screen.
But I imagine that she would've played the drums on the earlier recordings right? Before they were a big hit I mean. All I know is she did most of the drumming in the earlier gigs.
Wow...15! I have T-shirts older than 15! Seriously! I don't know about their first album, but CLOSE TO YOU, their second album, Hal Blaines was already the drummer on the recording. Hal was an accomplished studio drummer...probably much better than Karen. I saw Carpenters in 73 live, and Karen was not playing drums. I believe Richard wanted Karen to be out front and focused on her vocals instead of drumming.
Yes, I think it was only in the first one or two years that Karen played the drums live. As for Blaine being better than Karen, I don't know much about him, but I do know that Karen is regarded as one of the best female drummers of all time (although there havent been that many female drummers :P).
But, from my obsessiveness with the Carpenters I do know that she had mastered even the most complicated of drum beats within a year of playing, but I can't compare her to Blaine, who I know very little about.
I wish I had been able to see the Carpenters live, but all I can do now is play out their songs on my little wurlitzer piano; the same kind that Richard so often used on stage.
When I was your age ( a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away), I had to defend the Carpenters as being my favorite act, because it was "uncool" to like the Carpenters and their music at that time. Hopefully, you don't have to do that nowadays.
I am not a drummer, but I don't think the drumming Carpenters used in their songs were really that difficult or challenging for a professional musician. Blaine was one of the most prolific drummers in the studio; he must have been very good.
Yes, I agree with you that most of the drumming in their songs wasn't too difficult. But I must say that some of the drumming in their "jazz" instrumental pieces in their very early days was more complex.
Also, I do have to "defend" the Carpenters so to say. They're not exactly popular nowadays - but I like them :D. Correction. I LOVE them =]
people were just amazed not because their songs were hard to drum but because she could do lead vocals and drum at the same time and never miss a beat.
I heard an interview with Burt Bacarach and he said as easy as it looks it's quite diificult to play the drums an sing ( especially live) at th same time and karen go it right everytime.
I'm 29 and I love the carpenters everybdy thinks I'm mad though I don't care.
Singing and playing drums at the same time seems awfully difficult to me, if not impossible. But Don Henley, Phil Collins, etal do it, so it may not be as difficult as it loo for a professional drummer. It's probably like typing and talking at the same time (which I can do if I really concentrate), except more difficult.
You know, I used to sing quite seriously -- mostly classical and Broadway stuff, before a partially paralyzed vocal cord shut me down -- and I also studied drums in high school. I can't begin to imagine singing and drumming at the same time. Then again, I never reached the point of second nature with the drums (although I did with the voice). That's probably a requirement for singing/playing, whether with drums, the piano or guitar --
The Carpenters' first single TICKET TO RIDE came out in 1969. Every other big single and album came out predominantly in the 70's. I lived through that period, so I know. If you don't believe me, do some research.
I don't know what your argument is. The original discussion was drummers who also sang. There was no time frame discussed. As for your assertion that Phil Collins made no music in the 60's, you are wrong there too. Phil Collins was the drummer for the band Genesis, which started in the 60's.
Actually that is wrong.. The Carpenters 1973 album " Now and Then" was all Karen's own drumming except for one song.. " Jambelya " sorry for the spelling, witch Hal Blaine was brought in for.. Otherwise the entire album is Karen's work.. Including the drums for " Yesterday Once More, Sing, and This Masqurade.. amoung others... Karen also did some drum work in the later 70's in the studio too. But after 1974 she started to concentrate on her vocal work more so.
I saw the Carpenters at Norfolk Scope in November, 1972, and Karen played the drums in a perfect synchopation with some guy. I had never seen that before. And I cannot remember what the guy even looked like, but as I said, Karen was there. As a matter of fact, I was only vaguely aware of Richard . . . . I think the transition you refer to occurred immediately after the November, 1972 concert. But what a talent!!!!!
Sweet memories, made extra special because I never saw this performance before! Thanks so much for sharing it. The outfit Karen is wearing is the same one she wore the first time I saw her and Richard in concert, back in May, 1971...
Her voice is like a perfectly produced studio recording ,even live. I hate when critics call them corny. The feeling behind this music is pure emotion and bliss...You Rule Carpenters!!! We Love You!~Lexy
I saw The Carpenters back in 1975 with aunt and my cousin at the Sahara hotel here in Vegas... one of the best voices I ever heard! I thought she was pretty, Richard seemed a bit creepy though.
poor Red Lane, how the fawck you going to follow up to The Carpenters!?!
ghostrid3 2 months ago
Wow. Live singing. No lip syncing. No fooling the audience. True talent on two legs. Rest in peace, Karen. You were one of a select few who could do it.
GhostSpectre 5 months ago
@GhostSpectre I agree with you about true talent, but only the short "close to you" part wasn't the record version and thus lip-synching. She could have done them great live, but she wasn't here.
tubiebrother 4 months ago
Funny...the guy in back is playing the oboe part...on a clarinet!!!
The magic of lip-syncing !!
watersong111 6 months ago
@watersong111 The clarinet was hooked up to a "Maestro Unit". It was an early synthesizer (sp?) for woodwind instruments. There was a pick-up built into the barrel joint and you could select what instrument you wanted to make your clarinet sound like. I know - it fooled me for a long time.
glockonthehip 3 months ago
By 1970, the Carpenters had achieved fame and glory, leaving the Bricklayers, Plumbers and Electricians to wander forever into anonymity and oblivion.
moproducer 6 months ago
real class act
mamdosyc1000 6 months ago
Most beautiful female voice of all time! ❤
TCBabe1 6 months ago 3
@TCBabe1: Most beautiful voice (male, female, other?) of all time.
Raughwe 5 months ago
@Raughwe, hey what's this 'other' u speak of ;)
TCBabe1 5 months ago
What a voice. Like an echo for the seasons, a lost place in the heart. So touching.
aoxomoxoa88 8 months ago
Karen had the voice of an angel. As an old cat, I bawled when she died. I cry still when I hear her angelic voice. I cry still.
elsandobottoms 9 months ago 5
@elsandobottoms I cry too. I was 17 when she died, and the shock of it is still staggering. No telling how many hundreds or thousands of great songs she could have come up with had she not been sick. Her music is one of the few that I can actually sing to with any kind of acuracy and being on key. RIP Karen!
Pilotpatty1 8 months ago 2
She could sing AND play the drums...at the same time! Martin Mull once said that he happened to know that it took her weeks to learn how to do that.
moproducer 9 months ago
They think yelling is singing??? think again after you hear Karen's voice!
evbenitez 9 months ago
Amazing talent, how easy she made it all look.
elugeus 9 months ago
One of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard still to this day.
donontheradio 9 months ago
Karen still gives me chills when I hear her sing. Such sweet and pure soul. I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't love her. I guess there are trolls everywhere.
sqweezel 9 months ago
Even after all the years since Karen died her voice still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up
seadragon01 10 months ago
Absolutely the voice of an angel...I don't know what else to say.
YeahRightInc 10 months ago
Haunting. A talent and songwriting from the past...sadly, never to be repeated. This was music!
amigabean 10 months ago
Everyday, I wake up trying to reconcile with myself the fact we've gone from Johnny Cash introducing the Carpenters to the American public on his Variety Show, to American Idol introducing Karaoke singers to the American public.... no way... no how.....
earjwee 11 months ago
Is Johnny rollin' a joint as he introduces "The Carpenters"? Watch closely...awesome!!!
996joe 11 months ago
Awesome video! I met Johnny Cash and what a wonderful man he was. Karen was one of the most beautiful singers that ever came to this planet. There are very very few that dare compare.
GreatestSingerEver01 1 year ago 3
No Autotune on these songs! Pure talent and genius is what The Carpenters were. I miss those days so much. These songs were the soundtrack to my childhood. Thanks for posting!
CaddoMuzik 1 year ago 2
Is Karen your favorite vocalist? And why wouldn't she be!? Please go to this web site: the-top-tens.......search for "best female singer of all time" and "greatest singer of all time" and cast your vote! Bring karen to #1 where she belongs!
No1KCfan6 1 year ago
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No1KCfan6 1 year ago
Fabulous voice, but what tattoo is she is supposedly beating on that drum?? It's so out of sync. Curious..
MrArcati 1 year ago
People may make fun of the 1970s because of the clothes, hair, music, etc but people looked good and clean and stylish and didn't have to pierce their faces and lips. Or wear jeans that are falling down and T shirts that are too big. Today people are just lazy and fat. The 70s were a fantastic time in the USA.
johnbrowneyes 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
i love karen so much
garebear1015 1 year ago
Why does the American lifestyle KILL its most precious gifts?
gooty64 1 year ago
I really is so terrible Karen died. I guess everybody knows. Something was teribly wrong with the 60's andm70's hippy generation.It was evil and greed. Karen was somebody's cometition. They needed her out of the way. I was totally in love w/ Karen. I ALWAYS prefered the Carpenters to the Grateful Dead. I guess some people had a problem with that. WHAT COULD I DO???
RIchardEPfeifer 1 year ago
Karen Carpenter had a tear in her voice.
jkoff76 1 year ago
@jkoff76 wow, that is so insightful. very true.
No1KCfan6 1 year ago
My record collection in the 70s consisted of everything from the Carpenters and John Denver to Rush and Black Sabbath. All great and looking back, Karen and Richard were among the best there ever was. I wish I could find a real actual performance of the Carpenters somewhere. They all seem to be lip-synched as is this one.
mrsgstd 1 year ago
@mrsgstd Yep. just like me. I could yank out my Master of Reality 8-track, & listen to Carpenters, Bread & John Denver.
WileERobby 1 year ago
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No1KCfan6 1 year ago
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No1KCfan6 1 year ago
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No1KCfan6 1 year ago
@mrsgstd here's one. search for "carpenters thank you rock and roll" When the results come up, click on the video titled "carpenters - thank you rock 'n' roll" by XqueenringX
No1KCfan6 1 year ago
beautiful. there is no word or sentence worthy enough to describe her singing.
BBQFanNo1 1 year ago 9
Karen is such a remarkable talent. The maturity of her voice at age 21 (the time of this recording) is truly amazing. I can only imagine what she would sound like 20 years later. Talent is talent and she had far more than most. I'm not sure most of us realized just how talented she was in the 70's but we sure miss her talent today.
TexasJim1956 1 year ago 19
Karen Carpenter was such a unique voice in the business. It's too bad we never got to see her grow with her music. It's great to see one of the first performances of this song, and it's not everyday you see a woman singing lead AND playing drums at the same time, especially on a soft balad !
bradinca 1 year ago 2
Herb Alpert gave them their first big break by signing them to A&M Records and sticking with them and going with Richard's instincts on the recording of "Close To You"
Thank you Herb! They are Music Legends.
casey3234 1 year ago
I just had a funny thought. Johnny Cash had a hit song called "If I Was A Carpenter." Here he has the Carpenter's on his show. Seems funny to me.
layton59 1 year ago
Funny, the Carpenters were a part of my growing up. I was a rocker, thought they were doofy and "square," but now I appreciate their music and especially Karen's extraordinary voice. May she rest in peace.
beautifulady2003 1 year ago
like buttah!
unclegruncle 1 year ago 2
like croce and so many others ,gone way too soon.she had a quality of voice that is seldom matched
2dogsaf 1 year ago
I never did like For All We Know,but that performance of it was great.
rematpac 1 year ago
Absolutley wonderfull, Music the way it should be. What a great time to grow up. Karen is perfection.
Mork007 1 year ago
There's Judith Durham, Karen Carpenter and Pasty and then all the rest!!
blueticecho 1 year ago
@blueticecho whatever... dont agree with you, sorry
islezeus 1 year ago
There are many good female vocalists today...but none have a voice like this. When she left us that voice went away forever. Thank heaven for YouTube and all of you who allow us all to relive this brilliance. I think I could easily spend a day here in front of my computer watching this excellence.
tomnanD3 1 year ago
I can still remember the first time I heard "Close to You" and it immediately captured my heart. My parents were driving us kids, I was nine, around Miami Beach sometime in 1971. I loved it then and I love it now.
buzzintexas 1 year ago
Amazing vocal harmony, bravo!
DiatonicSoul 1 year ago
spoke too soon. for all we know - live. rd&m - lipped.
oranger2525 1 year ago
This may be lip-synched, however I read in the biography that they were super perfectionist and worked to reproduce the song just as on the record (including inflections) during live performances. If someone was even a little off, they were reprimanded.
claretea 1 year ago 3
@claretea no wonder she became an anorexic if perfection was shoved down their throats!
tabitwin 1 year ago
@claretea i believe Karen is singing live to a tape back up.
oranger2525 1 year ago
Karen, ill always love you, you were fantastic....looking like the girl next door was part of your charm, RIP !
ronnied828 1 year ago
Karen was one of a handull of the greatest voices of the 20th century...Hint of pain in that voice that sort of draws one like a maganet...She was wonderful, underrated but loved by those who saw past the bullshit and listened with their hearts...Unique national treasure...
JWirtel 1 year ago 3
I've never been too impressed with lyp syncing especially someone who had a voice that great! I always felt this was a terrible trend on TV and now even on tour. And could those clothes be any more 70's and square?
STEVEMOR909 1 year ago
@STEVEMOR909 Lip Syncing was unfortunately a byproduct of of technological
restraints that were present during the time that this was shot. Fold back systems were not yet in use, rendering the performers unable to hear themselves. And considering this was shot in 1971, I wouldn't expect them to be dressed in 1980's attire. :D
parab121 1 year ago
Well I have watched some of the live videos of The Carpenters and they are GREAT! I like them because it's a slightly different performance and version of a song I've heard a thousand times. It's very sad now that lip syncing is even done at live shows. I seen ELO during their Time tour (great concert) but they were sued the next year for lip syncing the entire tour. They won the suit due to lack of evidence. Today nobody would be suing anyone, ask Brittney Spears and so on.
STEVEMOR909 1 year ago
sorry to re-inform you @hartley8184, this is totally lyp synced. No microphones in front of any other band members, but a "chorus" of backup singing going on, some of it is Karen herself. I'm a studio and live professional musician, I can spot these things easily, so don't feel embarrased that you are wrong. I still like their music. Steveatl40 is totally correct. There is no way they would be able to reproduce a song live that sounds that close to the original.
goner2008 1 year ago
@goner2008
Karen actually sings a few lines live from close to you at the beginning, but yeah - the Carpenters were known for doing mostly lip synching during their tv appearances.
steveatl40 1 year ago
Karen had an angelic voice so sad she passed way before her time.
johncrosetto 1 year ago
The intro was live (Close to You one verse), but this is lip synched. It's what they did those days due to the poorer live technology.
steveatl40 1 year ago
CARPENTERS forever :)
mnlght0snt 1 year ago
Lady Gaga is a joke compared to Karen Carpenter!
padude64 1 year ago
@padude64, I agree. This is TRUE and PURE Music :)
mnlght0snt 1 year ago
Lip-synching is very easy to spot. Karen WAS NOT lip-synching here. She didn't need to anyway.
savvydoody 1 year ago
@savvydoody Obviously, it's not very easy for you to spot. It was obviously a lip synced performance, like practically all their "live" performances. When the song sounds EXACTLY as the studio recording, that's a dead giveaway.
infinera06 1 year ago
Karen Carpenter's voice is still AMAZING!!!!
Blackorpheus68 1 year ago
Kids, Karen Carpenter didn't need to lip synch.
You must be thinking of some loser like "Lady GaGa" or "Britanny Spears". Janis Joplin wouldn't even stand on the same stage with these corporate candy rockers.
hartley8184 1 year ago
@hartley8184 Corporate candy rockers. LOL! By the way, I agree.
MrCombat1965 1 year ago
@hartley8184 - sorry to inform you but most of the videos you see with them appearing on various shows are all lip synched. That being said, I still think the Carpenters are awesome. Also, I have seen several lady gaga performances on tv, and none of them were lip synched, the girl's got chops, and writes her own stuff as well. Carpenters were mostly a cover band. Criticism is ok, but give credit where credit is due.
goner2008 1 year ago
@goner2008
Your "inform" is mis-informed.
hartley8184 1 year ago
karen AND johnny... yep, heaven sure do have a helluva band :)
MrBuckwilliam 1 year ago
I was front row center of the Ryman Auditorium for this 1971 taping. Karen's voice in the acoustically perfect Ryman was a glorious experience. Luckily for us, there was an audio glitch during the taping and they had to do their set twice! And Karen was NOT lip-synching as some have suggested here. I'll never forget that night.
madman37115 1 year ago
@madman37115
Wow! I envy you!
hartley8184 1 year ago
who would give this a thumbs down? i know who , a fuckin dbag!
astrofan777 1 year ago
I believe this is live due to Karen playing the drums on Rainy Days and Mondays. The drums are one instrament that cannot be fake played and her drum strokes matched perfectly with the drum sounds in the song
kevinvisaman 1 year ago
ive played this with the orignal and this version is faster.i really believe its live
valkour22 1 year ago
let's not forget Richard. His great arrangements.
frank47hammer 1 year ago 3
some people think karen had a freakish perfect consistency, as if she was some human studio sound board, but for one thing, the instrument interlude at 2:14 through 2:28, is, as anybody can tell an oboe and this guy is playing a clarinet. richard isn't singing into a mic, yet his backups are in a voice multiplier with karens backup vocals mixed in as well. i think it is lip-synched because you can't really hear karen's percussion on rainy days.
turquoise770 1 year ago
i mssssssssssssssss this lady
mizzy05F 1 year ago
Karen no matter what you idiot skeptics say is the best female vocalist of all time!
padude64 1 year ago 2
If it is a live version how is it possible that Karen duplicated the crack in her voice on "get me down" at the end of the song, to be EXACTLY like the original recording. This is definitely lip syncing, which was acceptable in those days. They did it all the time. Now today you just can't get away with it.
dropover 1 year ago
Downey CA
LAMF1968 1 year ago
dragenoff,the song you mean is called "for all we know" not love look at the 2 of us!
jonnykk2 1 year ago
To be accurate they did 3 songs, but just the intro to Close To You. The "2nd song" I menioned was where she played drums but the 2nd song was actually Love, Look At The Two Of Us. She sang that live with a minus-1 track and Richard plus-one-ing his Wurli comp parts. 3rd song Rainy Days and Mondays was lip synced. Sorry for the confusion.
dragongoff 1 year ago
If you look at the close up at 4:43. The word "blues", she stops singing the "ss" from "blues" and opens her mouth and basically stops singing..She had no idea how close the camera was going to be so she just did the best she could. Karen is one of the greatest voices around. No doubt she would do a real concert totally live. But lip syncing is a record company idea to increase sales. People dont know the logistics, they only know the song. Bad performances bec of technical problems hurt sales.
dragongoff 1 year ago
@chromiumveins Exactly! She is singing live! You can also hear a slight echo in her voice.The same echo heard when Johnny Cash breaks in and speaks. It is easily discernable that Johnny's voice and KC's voice are speaking from the same place. Dragongoff has been fooled by the background music. Perhaps they did not have enough time to acoustically arrange their desired sound to the tv studio setting. Who knows?
emerging2012 1 year ago
Ok here we go. We're both right. The 1st song you can hear wind blast on "appear." She did sing that first song live. Most of the track- minus-1. Oboe, backups, strings, drums.The piano trills is on the track, its not a Wurlitzer. Richard playing over his Wurli comp parts. 2nd song was lip synched. The drum hits dont match and if her mic was live it would pick up her drums. Her vox sounds too close to the orig release. What I meant by look at her vowel shapes, they dont match the track.
dragongoff 1 year ago
This is not live, it's LIP SYNC. There is not enough musicians on stage to represent the music on the track. The Carpenters sang their own backups. Richard doesn't evn have a mic. When Karen hits the toms on the next song, the hit and the sound are not together. The harmonica player's hand vibratos not together with the track. Use your eyes people.
dragongoff 1 year ago
The voice on that MIC was live without question.She was not lip syncing just because there was live music being played. The music was piped in.
emerging2012 1 year ago
No it isn't. You must not be a singer then. Look at the shape of her mouth when she's singing, it does not look like the tones coming from the vocal track. The track sounds like studio, not live. No live sound was added to the mix. So how can you say the mic was "live?" Many acts lip sync as its easier to control the performance. Richard's backups were picked up by Karen's mic then? And their backups which is their signature sound was done how? Fooled the audience then and NOW.
dragongoff 1 year ago
you are completely wrong and cannot hear very well or maybe you've never head the studio version. You can hear the "p" sound muffled through the PA or amp in the very first line in the word "appear" which clearly shows it's a live singing. And that's only one of many determiners that it is live. As for the music, I can't say. But, the singing is 100% live.
chromiumveins 1 year ago
...hmmm. I may be wrong about the live comment. Anyway, Jose Feliciano had recorded a guitar intro to this song but then his manager pissed off Richard and they went with a harmonica.
earcandy2008 1 year ago
...Karen is love. I can tell from the slight nuances.
earcandy2008 1 year ago
One thing is true, though, she had an incredible voice!
leonhardtk 2 years ago
Karen Carpenter didn't need to lip sync...
TheSami1973 2 years ago
For all we know could be live. @1:51 she gasps for air. There are some parts where she makes the "sshhh" with the mic. Sometimes I hear two voices and one echoing and sometimes until the end I hear just the record.
With Rainy Days, it sounds exactly like the record. It is obviously lip sync. Her live performances of Rainy Days usually sounds close but she changes some stuff. And there are overdubbed background vocals of Karen and Richard!
benjsinister 2 years ago
The music on the Johnny Cash show was usually - and I believe always - live. Many mistakes occured on this show and were often left in to give authenticity. Karen Carpenter sang it live and always sounded like KC no matter what kind of mic. Totally pure voice.
crosscatch 1 year ago
She could've sung it live but maybe they edited the audio out and changed it when it aired.
benjsinister 1 year ago
There is a live vocal track by KC here. People talk about the Carpenters as though they never did truly live music when it is the reason they were signed in the first place. She was able to sing and play without the exhertion apparent in her voice. Ok, she wasn't a forceful drummer but her vocals didn't suffer and her drumming was competent.
crosscatch 1 year ago
I know she is an amazing live singer. I have been a fan for a time now and she can sing in perfect pitch while drumming.
But I'm talking about this video. Close To You was the only thing obviously live. The 2 other songs sound exactly like the record. The overdubbed vocals are even there!
benjsinister 1 year ago
First, you'd have to know music, second, the way ppl move. The first song is very soft, so it picks up a TON of back ground noise, if you notice, the other two songs are almost overpowering, this was to block out back ground noise. some things that give away it is live; Karen's cymbols move heavily when moved, this does not happen with lip sync, her voice fluctuates and is exact with the carpenter speech issue, which was a little shuushng on words, also, this was the late 60's-70's, not 50-60's.
jenorwagrl79 2 years ago
I agree that Karen sings "Close to You" live and that the other two songs were lip synced. This is a great example of the legacy of the Johnny Cash Show performances on video.
parthenopeogelthorpe 2 years ago
Johnny Cash was really legendary to gather so many great talents on his show.
DarthSeptic 2 years ago
I don't know why some earier posts state that Karen's performance was lip-synced. It is obvious to me that Karen was singing live on all 3 songs. It shows what a great performer she was. It's possible that backing was pre-recorded but not the vocals.
macmerc2 2 years ago
rabid carpenters fans know she is lip-syncing here. many of these tv shows were lip-synced. but she sang live at concerts and on some other tv shows.
AnotherCompartment 2 years ago
She is singing "Close to You" live, but the rest is lip-synching.
entertainer106 2 years ago
I agree, she is singing live. (and sounds great...)
Alvin4NY 2 years ago
That's because you are not very good in lip-sync detection, and Karen was a very good lip-syncher.
infinera06 2 years ago
You can tell she is singing live on the 1st song because of the mic noise at the beginning. The second song is all lip-synched. It was pretty common for 'bands' to do their songs karaoke style on 'live' shows in the 60's. Sometimes they would re-record the instrument tracks in-house and sing over them. Check out The Who playing My Generation on The Smother's Brothers. The TV networks had better equipment and engineers than recording studios of the time, so it sounds bettern than the original.
DasBlood 2 years ago
Definitely lip-syncing the last two songs - sorry, but that's the way it is/was.
stellagranos72 2 years ago
The Carpenters are dismissed as 70's lightweights,but how is it that songs such as this one,Sing,Close To You,& We've Only Just Begun are still enjoyed by younger generations along with myself?
landrykkb 2 years ago 3
Music that is good enough for the soul to actual hear can never die. This music touches the soul, and for many us it is also part of the soundtrack of our lives. As for Karen Carpenters voice, it is considered one of the most beautiful and genuine voices in all of music history.
Vulcan621 2 years ago 32
@Vulcan621 Amen, I totally agree.
larryboyofok 1 year ago
@larryboyofok Karen Carpenter was the real thing... I totally agree.
WritingJenny73070 1 year ago
@Vulcan621 extremly well said
MJSpiritual 1 year ago
@Vulcan621 Surely when we pass from this life, Karen will be singing as we pass through the Pearly Gates. Talent like hers is once in a life time.
cruisebruisedotcom 1 year ago
@Vulcan621 Whether one actively listened to the Carpenters or grew up with their music as part of the background of daily life, Karen's sound was a beautiful part of the culture of our generation. . . .
. . . . . A beautiful part of our generation died with Karen Carpenter.
fidwap 1 year ago
@Vulcan621 Whether one actively listened to the Carpenters or grew up with their music as "part of the soundtrack of our lives," all of us lost a beautiful part of our generation when Karen Carpenter died.
fidwap 1 year ago
@Vulcan621 Words sometimes fall short of the undescribable but your first sentence was well written!
GameLevelEditor 1 year ago
Starlifter, if it was '72, it was probably Jim Anthony... he was their drummer during that time..... I honestly never liked him.... I play drums too, and on some of the specials they were on that used syncing for whatever reasons, he never seemed to be able to match Karen's beats!
MKBaughan 2 years ago
Great stuff. The Cash show is practically a chronicle of American popular music from the late 1960s to the early 70s --
stevevandien 2 years ago
KAREN IS A LEGEND
pornokingish 2 years ago 20
It is indeed a shame this was lip-synched. It would have been nice to hear Karen sing live.
Scotter1971 2 years ago
The "Close to You" snippet is live. "For All We Know" & "Rainy Days & Mondays" are both lip-synched.
TBoneinNYC 2 years ago
The first part of CLOSE TO YOU is not a lip sync...that part is live. The rest is lip sync...it was normal in that day to do that....as it took too much effort to do it LIVE on tv guest appearances....usually the songs were just to promote a single or an album I think....
longodebbie 2 years ago
Great voice and great arrangements of great songs. Definitely lip-synch, though, check out the guy holding a clarinet during the oboe solo and someone faking the harmonica and sax solos behind a screen.
jdusek05 2 years ago
so was she really playing the drums on rainy days and mondays?
cjh661 2 years ago
karen played the drums on 99% of the carpenters studio recordings and in most of their earlier live performances.
samuelishmedia 2 years ago
Actually, Karen rarely played the drums on their studio recordings. Hal Blaine did the drumming.
infinera06 2 years ago
never knew that. :)
But I imagine that she would've played the drums on the earlier recordings right? Before they were a big hit I mean. All I know is she did most of the drumming in the earlier gigs.
I'm only 15 anyway so I wasn't around to know :P
samuelishmedia 2 years ago
Wow...15! I have T-shirts older than 15! Seriously! I don't know about their first album, but CLOSE TO YOU, their second album, Hal Blaines was already the drummer on the recording. Hal was an accomplished studio drummer...probably much better than Karen. I saw Carpenters in 73 live, and Karen was not playing drums. I believe Richard wanted Karen to be out front and focused on her vocals instead of drumming.
infinera06 2 years ago
Yes, I think it was only in the first one or two years that Karen played the drums live. As for Blaine being better than Karen, I don't know much about him, but I do know that Karen is regarded as one of the best female drummers of all time (although there havent been that many female drummers :P).
samuelishmedia 2 years ago
But, from my obsessiveness with the Carpenters I do know that she had mastered even the most complicated of drum beats within a year of playing, but I can't compare her to Blaine, who I know very little about.
I wish I had been able to see the Carpenters live, but all I can do now is play out their songs on my little wurlitzer piano; the same kind that Richard so often used on stage.
samuelishmedia 2 years ago
When I was your age ( a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away), I had to defend the Carpenters as being my favorite act, because it was "uncool" to like the Carpenters and their music at that time. Hopefully, you don't have to do that nowadays.
I am not a drummer, but I don't think the drumming Carpenters used in their songs were really that difficult or challenging for a professional musician. Blaine was one of the most prolific drummers in the studio; he must have been very good.
infinera06 2 years ago
Yes, I agree with you that most of the drumming in their songs wasn't too difficult. But I must say that some of the drumming in their "jazz" instrumental pieces in their very early days was more complex.
Also, I do have to "defend" the Carpenters so to say. They're not exactly popular nowadays - but I like them :D. Correction. I LOVE them =]
samuelishmedia 2 years ago
people were just amazed not because their songs were hard to drum but because she could do lead vocals and drum at the same time and never miss a beat.
I heard an interview with Burt Bacarach and he said as easy as it looks it's quite diificult to play the drums an sing ( especially live) at th same time and karen go it right everytime.
I'm 29 and I love the carpenters everybdy thinks I'm mad though I don't care.
we like what we like is what I say.
pornokingish 2 years ago 4
Singing and playing drums at the same time seems awfully difficult to me, if not impossible. But Don Henley, Phil Collins, etal do it, so it may not be as difficult as it loo for a professional drummer. It's probably like typing and talking at the same time (which I can do if I really concentrate), except more difficult.
infinera06 2 years ago 2
You know, I used to sing quite seriously -- mostly classical and Broadway stuff, before a partially paralyzed vocal cord shut me down -- and I also studied drums in high school. I can't begin to imagine singing and drumming at the same time. Then again, I never reached the point of second nature with the drums (although I did with the voice). That's probably a requirement for singing/playing, whether with drums, the piano or guitar --
stevevandien 2 years ago
Why do you include Phil Collins?!? He's not of the 60s era. John Cowsill was a youngster who could sing while drumming.
Khultan 2 years ago
No one was talking only about drummers/singers from the 60's. In fact, Karen Carpenter was not from the 60's era. Her work was predominantly 70's.
infinera06 2 years ago
Karen Carpenter along with her brother ARE from the 60s era.
Khultan 2 years ago
The Carpenters' first single TICKET TO RIDE came out in 1969. Every other big single and album came out predominantly in the 70's. I lived through that period, so I know. If you don't believe me, do some research.
infinera06 2 years ago
Well, I'm not instigating anything, it's just that mention of Phil Collins, for starters, who made no music in the 60s.
Khultan 2 years ago
I don't know what your argument is. The original discussion was drummers who also sang. There was no time frame discussed. As for your assertion that Phil Collins made no music in the 60's, you are wrong there too. Phil Collins was the drummer for the band Genesis, which started in the 60's.
infinera06 2 years ago
I You are correct.
Khultan 2 years ago
Peter Gabriel was the Singer in Genesis. Phil Collins didn't take over the singing till Gabriel left in '76...
dabluz1125 2 years ago
The Carpenters produced some damn good popular music. Your appreciation of them demonstrates your good taste:) --
stevevandien 2 years ago 5
Actually that is wrong.. The Carpenters 1973 album " Now and Then" was all Karen's own drumming except for one song.. " Jambelya " sorry for the spelling, witch Hal Blaine was brought in for.. Otherwise the entire album is Karen's work.. Including the drums for " Yesterday Once More, Sing, and This Masqurade.. amoung others... Karen also did some drum work in the later 70's in the studio too. But after 1974 she started to concentrate on her vocal work more so.
Carpentersfan2003 2 years ago
I saw the Carpenters at Norfolk Scope in November, 1972, and Karen played the drums in a perfect synchopation with some guy. I had never seen that before. And I cannot remember what the guy even looked like, but as I said, Karen was there. As a matter of fact, I was only vaguely aware of Richard . . . . I think the transition you refer to occurred immediately after the November, 1972 concert. But what a talent!!!!!
Starlifter88 2 years ago
No...the entire song was from the studio recording.
infinera06 2 years ago
2 of my favorite artists of all time. *Johnny Cash and The Carpenters* I deeply appreciate your uploading
thgil567 2 years ago
The song close to you always made me fall asleep! I loved it!
Karen and Richard will never be forgotten!
padude64 2 years ago
Karens voice was like golden honey. Truly immortal.
atomic3939 2 years ago
Poor Karen .What She would have been today?..We'll never know . Wev'e all been robbed of her phenominal talent...MAkes me really sad
acdeucee 2 years ago
Wow! Two legends on one stage.. let's hope those two are making beautiful music in heaven!
vegas787 2 years ago
very talented singer... great and so beautiful voice.
ricardochu64 2 years ago
the best the carpenter
saopaulopitbull 2 years ago
Inesquecível voz, para mim que na juventude foi fã dessa grannnnnnnnnde cantora....ninguém, hoje, consegue passar tanto sentimento na voz...
modestomor 2 years ago
Hey there is not back track or lip syn'n??? I guess they are fo-real. RARE TIME!
jedimedia 2 years ago 2
...back track, lip syncing, or for real...just to watch this is beautiful enough---if you ask for my opion!
Wow; she was so beautiful in many ways!
fambothexterminator 2 years ago
amazing...it's killing me right now
notesleb 2 years ago
First of all, She has the best voice EVER,(she died when I was 19...I am 46 now), I will never forget her..Rest In Peace
ebadeeba 2 years ago
they dont do songs like that any more
09torez 2 years ago
Sweet memories, made extra special because I never saw this performance before! Thanks so much for sharing it. The outfit Karen is wearing is the same one she wore the first time I saw her and Richard in concert, back in May, 1971...
jnvecc 2 years ago
She was (and still is) the greatest female vocalist EVER.
I miss her......
Tommyr 2 years ago 6
Pretty amazing footage and fashion. They were a great group.
forkguru 2 years ago 3
Her voice is like a perfectly produced studio recording ,even live. I hate when critics call them corny. The feeling behind this music is pure emotion and bliss...You Rule Carpenters!!! We Love You!~Lexy
lexarquette 2 years ago 6
I saw The Carpenters back in 1975 with aunt and my cousin at the Sahara hotel here in Vegas... one of the best voices I ever heard! I thought she was pretty, Richard seemed a bit creepy though.
vegas787 2 years ago
Lucky you. Hopefully you weren't crammed in the sardine method we saw John Pinette in. He was great but hated the seating there.
forkguru 2 years ago