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I'll take them over The Fiery Furnaces any day. NOT CRAP. Some really great pop songs, sacchrine production aside.

Not Crap.

1

Amazing arrangements, funky drumming, lovely vocal harmonies.

Death.

We’ve been observing your earth

And one night we’ll make a contact with you

We are your friends

Not Crap.

When I think of the Carpenters, I think of Japan. I would estimate that they are the second most popular band in Japan. This fact has no bearing on my vote, which is Crap, although my friend does a killer Karaoke version of "Superstar". Maybe I just haven't heard the right album.

Great songs, great arrangments, great tragic figure in music, strange self-absorbed older brother puppet-master. Where can you go wrong?

Other than the zany material like "Top of the World" I like a good deal of their recordings a lot.

N/C

Not crap. The Carpenters take me to a comfortable sadness that no other artist can. Amazing harmonies... great drumming!

Have any of you seen the Todd Haynes film 'Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story'?

http://www.illegal-art.org/video/popups/superstar.html

Freaky -- Karen Carpenter story done completely with Barbie dolls.

John W. wrote:Not crap. The Carpenters take me to a comfortable sadness that no other artist can. Amazing harmonies... great drumming!

Have any of you seen the Todd Haynes film 'Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story'?

http://www.illegal-art.org/video/popups/superstar.html

Freaky -- Karen Carpenter story done completely with Barbie dolls.

Beat me to it! This is the 1st thing I thought of when I saw the subject: Carpenters. We had a copy of this at the foreign/independent video rental where I used to work.
Not crap, and the second thing I thought of was how great it is when a band has a dynamo female drummer who also sings.
RIP Karen.

Although in essence, the Carpenters may be crap, I always think of the scene in Parenthood when Rick Moranis sings the Carpenters song- which is not crap.

Rick Moranis, RIP: 1981-1989

mattw wrote:
Rick Moranis, RIP: 1981-1989

Rick Moranis is not dead is he? Google did not say he was.

The Carpenters are an interesting phenomenon to me.

Why? Because no matter how vapid and maudlin their music might be, people of taste and intelligence will step up to defend this band without hesitation.

I do not understand it. The Carpenters are a bullshit band with bullshit songs. I find nothing of merit in this band's music. The performances and sound are excruciatingly formulaic and dull, even by the standards of 1970s AM lite rock. There is no emotional heft. Dull dull novocaine dull. It's music that is perfectly suited for adaptation to Muzak, most likely because there is no meaningful distinction between The Carpenters and Muzak. Jesus, this music is just so fucking wholesome. This band is the soundtrack for a suburban housewife clipping supermarket coupons.

You would think that a damaged soul like Karen Carpenter would cough up something at least slightly off-kilter. Nope. Not even "Rainy Days and Mondays" rings true. It sounds like she's singing from a phonebook. It's almost like she was detemined to be soulless.

Plain. Hollow. Vanilla. Empty. Shit. As empty as the Pope's workout schedule.

On my most generous day ever, I still wouldn't even give you "Top Of The World" or "Close To You", which are their two best songs. Christ, Debbie Boone brought more soul with "You Light Up My Life". Fuck, I got more out of Donny & Marie, which is really saying something. And can The Carpenters ever be forgiven for some of those remakes (e.g., Marvlettes, The Beatles, Klaatu)?

You know who liked this band? Richard Nixon liked this band.

CRAP. Among the easiest CRAPS.

But I am sorry, Karen Carpenter. I am sorry your brain made you sick and you died. I am truly sorry because it is unfair for your brain to think that you are not beautiful. And it is unfair to die your slow and terrible death because of your crazy lady brain. Resquiescat in pace, beautiful Karen Carpenter, for you are beautiful.