OT - NO POLITICS Turn back the clocks edition

jgatie

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The Carpenters rock. I never got all the hate for them. They made great music.

She was also a really, really talented drummer. Matter of fact, she resented her brother for insisting she be up front, taking her away from her first love, the drums. To the end, she considered herself, "a drummer who sings".

 
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BMC

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She was also a really, really talented drummer. Matter of fact, she resented her brother for insisting she be up front, taking her away from her first love, the drums. To the end, she considered herself, "a drummer who sings".



I knew she was a drummer but I never saw this clip before. Kick ass!!!
 

jgatie

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I knew she was a drummer but I never saw this clip before. Kick ass!!!

Yep. She started drumming in the marching band and studied under jazz drummers for years. Buddy Rich himself once called her his favorite drummer in pop music (and he never complimented anyone).
 
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Acie

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John Bonham once claimed Karen Carpenter “couldn’t last 10 minutes with Led Zeppelin”

However, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin clearly took issue with the young singing sticksmith ranking above him in Playboy’s 1975 ‘Best Drummer’ poll. The thunderous man – often referred to as the best rock ‘n’ roll drummer ever – was irritated by his second-place ranking and raged: “I’d like to have it publicised that I came in after Karen Carpenter in the Playboy drummer poll! She couldn’t last 10 minutes with a Zeppelin number.”

While that might be harsh on Bonham in turn, the point remains that for different songs there are different drummers. As Newcombe told us in his glowing testimony: “It’s easy to dismiss the sweet as pie wholesome ways of the saccharine, mellow music that the 1970s mainstream brother-sister group The Carpenters offered. However, we are blessed through streaming services like YouTube to be able to review absolutely incredible documentation of many artists. One clip that comes to mind, is a very young Karen Carpenter absolutely killing it on her version of ‘Dancing in the Street’ while singing (see below).”

Continuing, he added: “It is very doubtful that the drummer of your favourite band could ever pull this off. It really shows off her skill and places her in the top tier of musicianship. It cements her legendary status in a way that the simple, quiet, but fitting drumming on their soft rock mega-hits do not. Mad respect.”

He’s not alone in offering that retrospective respect, either. In plenty of discussions I’ve had, session drummers and coaches have heaped praise upon her dexterity and effortless groove. Hell, even Buddy Rich, perhaps the greatest to ever pick up sticks, also lauded her, citing Carpenter among his favourites. So, her premiere position is far from the ludicrous feat Bonham made it out to be.

Aside from the fact that she largely kept it simple for the sake of the song and the health struggles that hamstrung her output, perhaps another reason she was undervalued as a musician came down to her earnest humility in an era where ego ruled the roost. Her response to Bonham’s rage typified this. When she came out on top, she commented, “[I am] humbled and embarrassed.”

Adding: “I heard John Bonham is quite upset. I hope he is not mad at me, as I had nothing to do with the poll.”
 
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Terrier

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GordonHowe

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GordonHowe

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Mad respect indeed.


And one of the greatest popular song vocalists ever.

I loved Richard's songs as well as the standards they recorded, especially Burt Bacharach's work.


I was absolutely in love with Karen Carpenter's voice.

I much prefer altos to sopranos (Karen was a contralto) and Karen was the ultimate alto (sic).

The warmth and richness of her tone, the sad, knowing, bittersweet cast of mind that informed almost everything she ever sang.

She was a blues singer.

White Blues. Blues nonetheless,

 
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BMC

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I voted earlier tonight. Line was 12 deep into the hallway something that had never happened to me before. I spoke with one of the poll workers apparently a very heavy turnout for our little village.
 

Bruinaura

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Unpacked my dad's flag today.

It's always bugged me that it's in there crooked but I'm afraid if I tried to fix it I would just make it worse

20241105_203225.jpg
 

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