CARPENTERS: The Musical Legacy

Richard in his own words calls it 'The reference guide to go to.' 'It has the heft and visual history of a coffee table book, but it's also a nearly note-for-note musical biography of the pair that goes back to their childhood lives in Newhaven, Connecticut, where Richard Carpenter found the seeds of the group's sound in his father's records and a toy jukebox.' - Associated Press. Richard and his sister Karen signed to A&M Records in 1969 and the duo became one of the most successful and revered recording artists in pop music history. Here is the full story of The Carpenters told for the first time and from the perspective of the one person there for it all, Richard Carpenter. He reflects on their journey with heart and humour and speaks candidly about the high price of success. He includes more than 200 never-before-published photographs from his personal archive and sets the record straight. Brother and sister Richard and Karen Carpenter were not only incredibly beautiful to look at, but incredibly talented. The duo formed in the late 1960s. With Karen's timeless singing voice and impeccable phrasing, and Richard's gift for writing music, selecting, producing and arranging hit singles and sparkling album tracks, their classics came fast and furious starting in the summer of 1970 when 'They Long to Be (Close to You)' set a new gold standard for popular music. Of course, Karen died at the age of just 32, tragically, and her anorexia well known. Album covers, singles covers, facts like release dates and Billboard top chart positions, the full history of the sparkling stage show, big-name managers, record breaking European and Japanese concert tours in the mid 70s, television specials, here are the biggest names in music from the period as we fondly recall and sing along to A Song for You, Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft, watch Karen playing drums, driving a red sportscar, enjoying her 25th birthday cake, smiling to the camera in her fashionable clothing. The history continues 1983 to the present and new recordings, TV and film as the music they created lives on. Superb studio discography and the Silver, Gold and Platinum awards in a really heavyweight beautifully produced Princeton Architectural Press publication. 400 colour and archive photos, 23 x 30cm.
Click YouTube icon to see this book come to life on video.