Carpenters "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" FULL

[TheLeeb1972]

Such a fantastic voice ,and Richard's arrangements just perfect.

[hasanrolf]

theseustoo. lol aye it was in 77 ish??

[hasanrolf]

am a rock/ blues  fan but this song gets me..

[theseustoo]

Haven't heard this since it was No1 in the UK... a looooooooooong time ago! So good to hear it again! Thank you!

:)

[Keezie27]

Karen's voice is so beautiful. One of the best and purest i've ever heard.

[mpjgbx]

Can you believe this song went to #1 in Ireland? LOL

[AIKevorkian]

My God! I'm 8 yrs. old again! And I'm playing the ancient video game "Breakout". Thanx for the memory!

[infinitepowerofgod]

Karen was so amazing, her voice is magical.

[quizman1967]

Fantastic!

Takes me right back.

Karen Carpenter had such an incredible voice, sad that she passed away so young.

A little question:

Is it me, or at 0:15-0:17, does the alien say "We AM observing your Earth"?

Some-one goofed with the grammar when they wrote the song!

[cameraman618]

@quizman1967

Yes, it takes me back too. Re: 'We am observing your earth' I think it might be deliberate, with the idea that aliens haven't quite got the hang of the language yet. As at the end where there is a pause and says....'Baby'.

[ThePROTO1TYPE]

Besides singing Carpenters' originals, Karen was the ultimate interpreter of other people's songs - I think the Carpenters had every right to cover this Klaatu song and they do an admirable job too. Karen's voice is so pure, so clear, so unique, she could cover anybody's work and still make it her own.

[LogoAttitude]

4:40 - 4:44 reversed becomes "that's not the way and video sends the message" - as if Karen Carpenter knew listeners were going to reverse this line to look for the message

[TheSienna29]

Karen Carpenter is the voice of peace in the universe!

[ifhgsfj]

This doesn't even compare to the original.

[PrideofWhitey]

@ifhgsfj I agree. Of all songs to cover, why did the Carpenters do THIS one? Now, I can understand if they'd done a remake of Captain & Tennille's "Muskrat Love," but they weren't the least qualified to cover something by Klaatu. What else was planned? Karen Carpenter sings Quadrophenia??? Maybe anorexia has its own silver lining.

[ifhgsfj]

@PrideofWhitey The main problem with this is her voice.

dat voice

It works for some songs, but not others.

It might be decent if they covered something off of Magentalane, but this just doesn't work. It's like Bieber. Bieber has a good voice, but the music he sings is just horrible. Why even do a cover of a Klaatu song anyway? Unless you do a new arrangement of it (change instrumentation, or drastically alter it) there's no way you can live up to the original.

[susparkles]

@PrideofWhitey You bring up Anorexia..really!??? There are singers these days who wish they had the singing voice that Karen Carpenter had!!!! I've yet to hear a singer today that had the purity to their voice like hers! I love Klaatu and I certainly appreciate Karen Carpenter! You're an Ass!!

[HighArchDruidMorph]

I love this song.It always spoke of hope in a world that appeared hopeless.

[etbella3]

@HighArchDruidMorph For me the song is Opposite Day. Karen Carpenter is on a different planet warning the Earth to clean up its barbaric, flesh-eating, planet-destroying ways. And I am always right. Heil me!

[HighArchDruidMorph]

@etbella3 Must be so nice to be a legend in your own mind :o)

Peace: Morph

[itsadeadmansparty]

Ohh missing Karen! Pure Genius

Talent like no other

[veeganboy]

This is the most bizarre (and most epic) Carpenters song, but I love it!

[etbella3]

@veeganboy I think it's bizarre that ALL songs don't try to contact extraterrestrials.

[7beers]

I can't decide whether I like this version better or Klaatu's.

[aindiandog]

My favorite part of this song are the ahh ahhh ahhh ahhh vocals @ 5:35 toward the end (classic Carpenters here). Thanks for the full song as opposed to the single version which left this out.

[DaveWollenberg]

Hit #18 AC, #32 pop in Billboard. God bless! RIP, Karen.

[bonol888]

I was at sea training college Gravesend, someone must of liked it on the jukebox in the mess. I remember listening to this sonng watching ships sailing up the Thames with all my dream in the future, they are know the past,lol, one of them song that reminds you of a time and a place.

[SCANDIN3]

i wish we could bring her back

[ll071290]

I'm 19 now, but when me and my sister were younger, this song used to scaaaare us sooo much, haha, my dad raised us on the absolute best music, the beatles, the carpenters, ELO, and this is just an amazing tune...it's just the "alien" voices in the beginning that would freak us out and make us freeze in our tracks. Lol.

-Lisa

[asl126]

Along with LONETTE McKEE, SYREETA WRIGHTand JEAN TERRELL, I remember a rumor that KAREN CARPENTER was asked to temporarily replace DIANA ROSS of THE SUPREMES until Barry Gordy could find a permenant replacement for her when she left the group

[maleficentdiva]

Love this! WOW! its so magical! Karens voice is so magical, when she sings she takes you into a magical world, her voice is so powerful. No other singer will ever reach her standards! I can't believe she is gone! I am 26 years old, and I think my generations singers are horrible! Karen will outshine ALL SINGERS EVER, SHE IS SO TIMELESS! she is an angel! I can't wait to meet her in heaven LOVE YOU KAREN :)

[CathrinefromSweden]

It´s rare nowadays to hear songs like this. I am so happy I found it..

[earcandy2008]

...I actually remember when I first heard this on the radio. I wasin a car with friends on the way to the mall. It stunned us all and everyone bought the single that afternoon.

[ghodium]

we you friendies but we irish komodo dragons an we bin drinkin ouzo an we lost at snooker gainst a fat git who smiled too much and ate wrong crisps, but we meet you fer a little chat, ok?

[thatsmisterrobert2u]

Thanks for this, the unedited version, and for the rare pics. I had almost forgotten how beautiful both Karen and Richard were back then. I've been a fan of theirs since the first time I heard Ticket to Ride on the school bus in the spring of 1970. I was in college when "Occupants" came out in 1977. Great song, great stretch for the Carpenters. I particularly love the strings behind Karen at 5:30 and 6:07. And I love the pic of Karen at 5:30. God, I had a crush on both of them!

[Matty4]

omg!! i LOVE this song

[Kfedsucks]

At the risk of revealing my true age, it is my understanding that this song was actually written and sent as a recording & put in a time capsule in one of the unmanned spaceships which were sent out (together w/ various other typical time capsule items: American Flag, Newspaper, etc.) wayyyyy back (I'm thinking the Nixon administration, but I could be wrong) to outerspace....just to see.... So, if it's any consolation, Karen's voice is permanently out in space. maybe google world contact day?

[trashysinatra]

Check out Akiko Kobayashi. She has a beautiful voice and her Richard produced album is superb.

Love and mercy.

[ERDGHY]

The best carpenter´s song.

[enigma800]

Was that Richard doing the DJ's voice?

[LoveHowardBanister]

Nope, I forget who it is. Let me check on it.

[tvpechini]

The DJ in the music and in the original video is Tony Peluso, longstanding Carpenters guitarist.

[LoveHowardBanister]

Thank you!!! Now I remember his name

[mrceleb2006]

And the radio station's jingle was sung by the Carpenters themselves. "All Hit Radio", as it was heard here, is only a fictional radio station.

[cllewis1]

@LoveHowardBanister But I seem to recall that it's not actually Tony's voice even though he's the actor in the video.

[nudist0885]

Yeah, I have a video tribute about the Carpenters and their career way back then and Tony Peluso talks at one point about the fuzz guitar solo he plays during the song "Goodbye To Love". He says that when he first started recording the solo he played soft, light stuff because he thought that this was what would have been most appropriate for Carpenters solos of the time. But then Richard tells him to let go with it and what you hear on the solo is the result of that conversation.

[mrbhew]

The greatest career departure in the history of music.

What a GREAT version

[earcandy2008]

beautifully stated and SO true...

[bluepowdermusic]

i like the video it's great!!!

[Kouban]

This is a pretty nice cover of the Klaatu song, if a little overly-lush.

[RxTechRN2b]

Great photo album! Thanks for all your work putting it together. I scour Youtube nearly every day for all things Carpenter's --- feel like I've found buried treasure with any new song, photo, or video I hadn't seen before.

[LoveHowardBanister]

Glad you like it! If you ever would like to see a certain song, just tell me and I'll try to make a video for you.

[PrideofWhitey]

@LoveHowardBanister Hey, cool. Can you do "Holiday in Cambodia" by the Dead Kennedys?

[pennymusicMAma]

LoveHowardBanister: I belive you know how much I loved The Carpenters, especially Karen's voice & also Richard's pianist expertise & arrangesments. Miss Karen so!

Advice, Follow your heart & use Pink if you wish to!. Forget the petty critics. I know! -

Your Friend, Penny

[LoveHowardBanister]

Thank you both!

[BeatlesSuperstars]

very great video!!!!!! it's awesome, lovely pics!!!!!!!!! that is one of my favourtie songs of The Carpenters, thank u!!!

[BestKacFan]

Hooray!! The Honorable H. Banister has done it again. Keeping the promise to keep Karen's life and Legacy alive. I am such a fan of you & of the Carpenters. No one does it better. The Carpenters are always number ONE in my heart.

I weep at the lost music and allegiance the fans keep to pay honor and homage to her amazing Legacy. Thank YOU Sir Banister!

Hugs and all my best to you. Robin

[LoveHowardBanister]

What a comment! Thanks!