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Yesterday Once More...

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
Published date05 April 2024
Publication titleEvening Chronicle
Your songs like Yesterday Once More, Top Of the World and There's A Kind Of Hush have been performed by huge orchestras in the world's biggest venues. What does it feel like to be talking about and performing them in an intimate environment? Through the years, an opportunity would pop up, every now and again, to play solo. This of course will be different from what I'll be playing in the UK, but, as I enjoy performing, I'm certain I'll find the UK experience rewarding. What was a particularly memorable moment from one of The Carpenters shows

As Karen and I were not a teeny bopper act, we were a bit surprised when a fellow came bounding on the stage during our concert in Houston, heading straight to Karen.

The audience reaction was always good in the UK though and, I don't know if this is still the case, but Karen and I, for a number of years, held the record for how quickly we sold out our week's engagement at the London Palladium. The reception to The Carpenters in the UK was incredible right from the start, when we sold out the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1971.

What do you think it was about The Carpenters that resonated so well with the British audience? Not only in the UK, but all over the world, Karen's voice was a primary factor, but the music as well.

I selected and composed songs with melody and a range that was good for Karen, but arranged them to be correct for the two of us.

The Carpenters won incredible awards such as

Grammys and Oscars. Which honour are you most proud of? Out of the many platinum and gold records and discs received throughout the years from many countries, the one we are most proud of would be Close to You, given that it was our first.

Top of the Richard Carpenter before Karen's

We sadly lost Burt Bacharach last year at the age of 94. Trumpeter Herb Alpert asked you to re-work a Bacharach/David song (They Long To Be) Close To You, and it became an international hit. How instrumental was Burt to The Carpenters' success? Burt Bacharach was an extremely talented chap in that he not only wrote the music to his songs, but arranged them as well, in a way that was purely his own and instantly recognisable.

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