Carpenters

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卡朋特乐队由著名的歌星卡朋特与她哥哥理查德•卡朋特组成，卡伦•卡朋特1950年生于美国康耐狄格州，从小在哥哥的影响下学习乐器，成了一名鼓手，大她三岁的哥哥理查德是个非常有才华的青年，担任钢琴伴奏和制作人，并创作了大量歌曲。后来在著名经纪人德纽文的帮助下，进入了美国流行乐坛。 1970年一曲《靠近你》(CloseToYou)荣登排行榜首，这使卡朋特乐队一炮走红，70年代中他们不断有佳作闻世，成为无数美国青年的偶像，尼克松总统称卡朋特兄妹是最出色的美国青年。

令人惋惜的是卡伦•卡朋特年仅32岁便过早地离去。她死于神经性厌食症。这是由于她为了保持身材的苗条，长期服用轻泻剂，与长期节食的严重后果。1983年2月4日她死于深爱她的父母怀中。卡伦•卡朋特嗓音优美，演唱亲切自然，略带伤感，加之他们运用了多轨录音技术，因此他们的唱片无论在艺术上或技术上都非常成功，是当代流行音乐的精品。

1 Yesterday Once More——关于卡朋特

卡伦•卡朋特逝世于1983年2月4日，她是因为减肥而患神经性厌食症而死的，这一点既是传奇，又是那些批评“卡朋特”的人乐于提起的事。卡伦其实并不胖，她更多是不愿意承认年华老去，当眼角出现皱纹时，她竟然用减肥去消除它，这也不知是属于爱美女性，还是属于超级明星的虚荣心在作祟。

在她已离开我们的这20年里，卡伦的歌声曾陪伴多少失意于爱的人度过了多少阴雨连绵的日子，谁也没算过。这样与其说是悲哀，不如说安静地唱着：

“就像在一艘无处可去的船上航行着，爱情接收了我的心，就像海洋上吹过的一阵微风。

当海鸥高飞时，我知道我正在迷失，爱情随着漂流的潮汐一起被冲走了。你从爱情中得到的一切就是一首爱情歌曲，因为最好的爱情歌曲是用一颗破碎的心写成的。”

他的父亲Bertram carpenter出生于中国(1908年11月8日~ 1988年10月15日)，他的妈妈 Agnes reuwer Tatum生于巴尔地摩(1915年3月5日~1996年)，在经过四年的爱情长跑后，他们于1935年4月9日结婚， Richard出生于1946年10月15日，妹妹Karen则是出生于1950年3月2日。

一个天生的音乐家

他花了许多时间听他爸爸收集的唱片，他爸爸很喜欢听调子美妙的音乐、乐团以及古典音乐。Richard不停的一直听收音机。这些音乐对于 Richard的音乐素养。四岁时Richard就开始跟着老师在家里学习手风琴，但他对音乐产生狂热的爱好却是自八岁时开始对钢琴产生兴趣才有的，他演奏的功力日益增加。到了十五岁就已经是一位天才钢琴家，由于他那优异的天份，什么曲子到了他手上，他都能轻松的演奏出来。当全家搬到洛杉矶后， Richard便在美国南加州大学学习音乐。

Richard和她妹妺Karen和负责贝斯和低音大喇叭的Wes Jacobs，三人组成了 "The Richard Carpenter Trio"。Karen可以同时打鼓和唱歌，所以他们常在婚礼或舞会上演奏。在他们赢得在 1966 Hollywood Bowl的The Battle of the Bands"比赛的名声后，他们就录了一些DEMO带并开始走访唱片公司，他们在A&M公司签下了他们的第一张合约，以及第一张唱片： Offering，这张唱片之后被更名为"Ticket To Ride"，并登上Top100。

Richard因为The Carpenters一炮而红而闻名世界。当Karen可以同时一边打鼓一边唱歌时，Richard便退居幕后，他对于整个乐团的成功功不可没。他是幕后合音，也是位钢琴家，他更写出了不少动听的歌曲，例如Yesterday Once More和 Top Of The World。他对于整个乐团的成功功不可没。

成名之后，Richard又整理了一些没有被A&M公司所发行的歌曲来组成了一张专辑，他所选的歌曲全进了TOP40。例如We've only just begun、For all we know、Rainy days and Mondays等等。

Richard的直觉为The Carpenters带来了令人吃惊的20首TOP40曲子(其中更有12首进入TOP10)，像是 Super Star、Rainy days and Mondays、We've only just begun、Sing、 Top of the world、Only yesterday和Yesterday Once More。除了这些黑马外，Richard 的天份还不只这些，他知道要如何巧妙的将乐器和歌声结合在一起。因为这样的功力，使他四度被提名为葛莱美奖"最佳制作人。The Carpenters的作品曾被大学拿来作为教材，其中包括了史丹福大学，1997年Richard曾受邀到史丹福大学演讲。

从1976年开始，长达四年的时间，Richard因为失眠而服用安眠药，他每晚服用一颗或二颗。但他发现他对这种药产生了依赖性，所以他的用药量越来越多。到了1978年，他一晚要吃25颗安眠药才能入睡。他的手已颤抖到无法演奏，为了治疗这个恼人的疾病，他决定取消一星期后就要举行的拉斯维加斯演奏会。然后他便前往堪萨斯州就医。六星期后，他已能安然入眠，也展开了心生中的新时期。

之后，Richard又回到了录音室，将The Carpenters的一些歌曲重新混音。1991年出版了精选集 "From The Top",他也出面担任电视连续剧"The Karen Carpenters Story"(CBS电视台，1989年)。该片忠实的描述Karen与厌食症抟斗的过程。

2 Yesterday Once More——关于卡朋特

1987年，Richard出了第一张个人专辑"Time"，里面的歌皆由他独唱和合音，在这张专辑中最引人注目的是Richard为已过世的妹妹Karen所写的"When Time Was All We Had"。

1994年，Ray Coleman出了一本The Carpenters的传记，书名是"The Untold Story" Richard 他第二张专辑"Pianist-Arranger-Composer-Conductor" 中文名称是理查卡本特兄妹合唱团金曲钢琴演奏专辑，现在可以在台湾各大唱片行买到，Richard把以往较受欢迎的歌曲以钢琴重新诠释，此专辑显示出了不可轻手的钢琴才能，使得许多乐评家为之动容。

接着The Carpenters被列入"The Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Rock"名单中，难然以前在摇滚乐盛行的时候，The Carpenters的曲风曾被批评为过于轻柔，不过现却成为大家互相称赞的音乐团体，这点在1994年所发行的群星大合唱专辑中可得到证明，这是由许多歌手合唱The Carpenters名曲的专辑。

70年代，该演唱组推出了多首风靡世界的单曲和唱片其中包括《与爱情告别》（Goodbye to Love,1972）和《世界之巅》（Top of the World,1973），这两首歌都是理查德和他的歌曲创作伙伴约翰．贝蒂斯（John Bettis）共同创作的。演唱组的热门歌曲还有列农和麦卡特尼的作品《车票》（Ticket to Ride, 1970）、邦尼•布拉姆莱特（Bonnie Bramlett）和利昂．拉塞尔（LEON RUSSELL）的作品《超级明星》（Superstar, 1971）、布赖恩．霍兰（Brian Holland）的作品《求求你，邮差先生》（Please Mr Postman, 1974）以及汉克．威廉斯（HANK WILLIAMS）的作品《什锦菜》（Jambalaya, 1974）。《昔日重来》（Yesterday Once More）是概念唱片《现在与过去》（Now and Then，1973）中的一首经典曲目。1980年他们出版了《跳舞时抚摸我》（Touch Me when We’re Dancing）。

Karen Carpenter(卡伦•卡朋特)与她的哥哥Richard Carpenter(理查德•卡朋特)一起以独树一帜的 Soft Rock风格享誉美国歌坛。她的歌声具有一种以柔克刚的穿透力，情深意厚；她的台风朴素，决无当今的大小歌星们哗众取宠的装束和画蛇添足的舞步，完全靠嗓音征服听众。卡伦•卡朋特嗓音优美，演唱亲切自然，略带伤感，由于运用了多轨录音技术，因此他们的唱片无论在艺术上或技术上都非常成功，是当代流行音乐的精品。这两张一套的《 Yesterday Once More 》是他们的精选唱片，一张永远的经典。收录有“超级明星”、“世界之巅”、 “昔日重来”等经典金曲。

详细介绍

上帝总是嫉妒赋有才华的人，当我们想起卡朋特的时候，这样想是最好的安慰。这对兄妹组合无疑是七十年代最成功的流行音乐组合之一，他们在八十年代初结束演艺生涯前创作了无数好歌。虽然最先显现音乐天才的是哥哥Richard，可是妹妹Karen那近乎完美和极富感情的嗓音却更深地印刻在我们的心里。

卡朋特最初的道路并不顺畅，他们和好友Webs Jacobs的第一盒样带以失败告终，但这并未在他们日后的演艺生涯中带来丝毫阴影。1968年,兄妹俩的首张专辑《offering》借助 beatles的《Ticket To Ride》得到注意，于是和当时许多成名歌手一样，他们开始走上流行摇滚之路。可是时代为卡朋特创造了机会，就象十九世纪的美国需要秀兰.邓波尔一样，六十年代的美国将卡朋特捧为了英雄。就在人们面对校园里和街道上的毫不间歇的骚乱暴动，经历着史上最大一次代沟问题，而陷入无助和绝望的时候，这对来自 Downey小镇的，歌声醇美，轮廓鲜明，总爱唱着爱情歌曲的兄妹便成了救世主，一时间，所有的父母和孩子都开始聆听同一首歌“why do birds,suddenly appear,everytime you are near....”

卡朋特用《close to you》搭起了两代人之间的桥梁，歌声里跃动着他们热爱生命的心。整个七十年代早期，卡朋特一直在不停的成长，慢慢成为了全世界最负盛名的流行音乐组合，录制了无数排行榜金曲，“Rainy Days and Mondays”，“Goodbye to Love”，“We've Only Just begun”和“Top of the World”都是当时耳熟能详的歌曲，Grammy奖也毫不迟疑的降临在他们的额上。可生活总不会是一帆风顺的，到了1975年，卡朋特一贯坚持的Pop -Rock路线逐渐变得不时髦了，Richard和Karen也被各自的个人问题所困扰，卡朋特有了解散的迹象，Karen和Phil Ramone 一起录制了一张个人专辑。但几个月后，兄妹二人又在一起演出了，1981年的《Made in America》是他们最出色的一张专辑。

就在人们以为卡朋特就要恢复昔日雄风时，悲剧发生了。----不幸地，她患了厌食症。在karen的墓碑上刻着这样简单的文字：a star on earth，a star in heaven.“A song for you”，十七年后的今天，Karen还在深情地唱着：“and when my life is over， remember when we were together，we were alone and I was singing this song for you!” 仍旧是邻家那个嗓音恬美的女孩，和她的名字卡朋特一样纯朴。

聆听卡朋特

在康耐迪克州的新哈芬长大，后迁往加利福尼亚的道尼；在长滩的加利福尼亚州立大学接受教育。他们第一次与观众见面是以乐手的形象，理查德弹钢琴，凯伦司鼓，朋友维斯•雅格弹贝斯。1968年，他们签约到RCA唱片。

由于乐曲制作的减少，RCA没有发行他们的歌曲，放弃了这三人组合。他们奔走于一家又一家唱片公司，希望重新再签约。1969年4月22日的早晨11点 32分，他们被胡伯•阿尔伯特签与A&M唱片公司。动荡的年代过去了，这是序幕的结束，是一个灿烂的音乐时代的开始：卡朋特时代。

一九六九

处女大碟发行，大碟中的一首单曲在全国的排行榜上爬上了可敬的第54位，所以这唱片再次更名，从谦虚的“《给》”到更恰当的《车票》。

一九七零

新时代的开始，这一年卡朋特共同开创与国际观众的友爱事业。“靠近你”，一首被遗忘的巴卡拉克•戴维斯的歌曲，带给卡朋特生平第一张金唱片。如果还有人觉得惊讶，接下来的单曲证明这不止是侥幸。“我们才刚刚开始”一路飙升至冠军位置同样卖出百万。同时成为现代婚礼的圣歌，这首乡谣为卡朋特第二年公开场合的演唱提供了合适的名曲。年末，凯伦和理查德荣获五项格莱美提名，并被授予“最佳新人”和“最佳时代演唱组合”，这使他们从音乐界的同僚当中升出水平面。

一九七一

这是凯伦和理查德的拥护者重要的一年，这一年卡朋特歌迷会成立。歌迷会成为世界各地近万名歌迷的官方的咨询来源。歌迷得悉凯伦喜爱意大利面条、水果色拉茄子和排骨；理查德休闲之余喜欢看科幻电影；凯伦喜欢马和动物标本。他们的第三张大碟在这年发行，理所当然地称之为《卡朋特》，不同的是，首发订单就达到百万美元，可谓“发了大财”，更成为全国大碟发行的第二名，在整个半年的时间内，稳坐前十名的宝座。更产生了三首百万畅销金曲：“超级巨星”、“为我们所知的一切”和“雨天和周一”。该年获三项格莱美提名，荣获大碟《卡朋特》的最佳演唱奖。12月，他们获得美国艺术家协会颁发的“年度最佳音乐组合”，此项大奖在CBS特别节目中由艾德•沙立文颁发。卡朋特歌迷也赠送出自己最爱的圣诞礼物，如：“伤害彼此”（1972年12月31日发行），成为他们第六首黄金单曲和第四次冠军歌曲。

一九七二

在洛杉矶希腊剧院和拉斯维加斯，以及塔赫湖酒店的巡回演出拓宽了卡朋特歌迷的界域范围。演唱组到过澳大利亚、香港和日本，在日本理查德和凯伦在一次高收视率的特别演出中表演。在家乡前线，卡朋特参加了一系列全国的垒球比赛，捐赠所有的音乐会所得为癌症研究筹款。凯伦更是国家“年轻抗癌”运动的名誉主席，她和哥哥个人捐出了他们为白宫募集的所有基金。72年的单曲有：“那需要一些时间”、“对爱说再见”。第四张大碟《送你一首歌》。

一九七三

这年的开始，理查德由于一次摩托车事故，摔断了腿和手腕。虽然电视特别节目被迫延迟，但“有时”大碟的工作在第二天继续进行，理查德裹着石膏工作。同时，新单曲，“歌唱吧”夺金。很快一个新名字为卡朋特歌迷熟悉：约翰•贝迪斯。它是卡朋特大学时的朋友。现在他们热诚地开始歌曲创作，他们的第一首畅销曲， “对爱说再见”之后，又连续有两首冠军歌曲：“昔日重来”和“世界之巅”。卡朋特回到白宫，为西德首相威利•布朗表演。在英国，他们的一张畅销单曲合集进入排行榜，并逗留了两年之久。在家乡，第五和第六张大碟：《有时》和《单曲：1969—1973》，夺得双白金，并列第一。

一九七四

卡朋特在日本的知名度飞升，到达之际受到五千名歌迷的围观，十八场演出的门票在一个小时内全部售出。在和阿瑟•费得理和波士顿流行乐团合作的第一次交响演出中，理查德演奏了“华沙交响”，实现了他长期以来的梦想。这场全国直播的音乐会有理查德和巡回乐队在交响乐伴奏下的表演。《滚石》杂志7月4日的那一期登载有凯伦和理查德的封面故事。十一月，他们演唱的马弗雷特的老歌“求求你，邮差先生”取得冠军成绩。

一九七五

这是凯伦厌食症的开始。糟糕的身体使她不得不取消了预定的日本和英国的卡朋特巡回演出。理查德在约翰•贝迪斯的陪同下，飞跃海外通过电视和媒体向这些国家的歌迷道歉。令人欢欣的是，1975年又有两首卡朋特的单曲进入排行榜：“只是昨天”和“孤独”，同时发行新大碟：《地平线》。有些评论家认为这张大碟尽情展现了凯伦和理查德的天赋。

一九七六

卡朋特完成了被延时的伦敦智慧女神神殿的演出，创造了观众人数的新纪录。英国发行了这场演出的纪念现场大碟。在老家，新大碟《有一种静谧》在六月夺金。凯伦在世纪城根据自己喜好设计的私房，几近完工。她开始广泛收集米老鼠纪念物品。理查德的收集热也从古典名车的上涨数字上得以体现，这些车大多是50年代到 60年代的，使得他在非音乐领域内得到了一大堆的奖项。他把车都存放在自己的库房内。

一九七七

这一年的大事，就是集合了50名格莱格•史密斯合唱团成员和整个洛杉矶交响乐团共同表演也许是有史以来流行大碟的最庞大的现场演出，凯伦成功演唱威伯•莱斯的歌剧“伊娃”选段。演出受到媒体的广泛关注，成为整场亮点，也造就了卡朋特第九张专辑，那时为止是他们最多元的大碟。同时他们也录制了第二次电视特别节目，“卡朋特在圣诞”，特别嘉宾是克利斯迪•迈克尼科尔和长滩加利福尼亚大学合唱团。

一九七八

他们在英国发行的大碟《单曲：1974—1978》夺得白金。另外卡朋特学术基金会在长滩加福尼亚州立大学，他们的母校成立。他们的还发行了一张圣诞专辑，包括有“圣诞快乐，亲爱的”，理查德几年前的作品。“圣诞画像”成为他们第八张多金的本土大碟。

一九七九

4月22日，凯伦和理查德庆祝他们演艺事业的十周年，但这一年，他们取消了所有的活动，比如一场介绍他们在唱片工业的第一个十年故事的电视特别节目。他们还取消了新专辑的工作。理查德试着恢复健康，延长了假期，拜会老朋友。凯伦来到纽约，和制作人费尔•拉蒙合作她的首张个人大碟。然后又决定压着不发。

一九八零至八一

本年度的大事是电视节目“音乐、音乐、还是音乐”。理查德和约翰•贝迪斯制作了歌曲“因为我们相爱”，为凯伦的婚礼而作。凯伦在短促的订婚期后，于8月 31日在比华利酒店嫁给了汤姆•布鲁斯。最终，第十张大碟“美国制造”发行。他们开始为下一张大碟收集资料。凯伦为私事所扰，结婚15个月后，宣告和丈夫离异。她来到纽约，进行一个季度的精神心理治疗，试图从厌食症中摆脱出来。

一九八二至八三

这段时间凯伦主要呆在纽约，接受治疗。但致命的毁灭终于发生。在简短的休假期中，她飞往洛杉矶录制歌曲。录制工作在2月4日结束，凯伦在父母的家中去世，死于因慢性厌食症引起的心脏病。正如约翰•贝迪斯所说：“她为我们的心灵而歌。太快了，我们的凯伦还那么年轻，但她的歌声仍在回响……”

一九八三以后

灰暗和忧伤的日子过后，理查德仍保持活跃，发行了《心声》大碟（1983），包括了凯伦在1982年录制的最后的歌曲。1987年，还录制了个人大碟《时光》。1989年，他担任了电视影片“凯伦•卡朋特的故事”的执行制片，同年发行了大碟《可爱》，其中有凯伦以前录制，尚未发行的歌曲，还有一些是她个人大碟里的歌。他还为《选自顶尖》专辑（1991）重新合成和录制了一部分卡朋特曲目。瑞•科尔曼在理查德的帮助下于1994年出版了一本传记全集。一些艺术家发行了向卡朋特致敬的CD专辑“如果我是卡朋特”。稍后，理查德出版了他最后的大碟《理查德•卡朋特。钢琴家，编曲家，作曲家，指挥家》，为卡朋特金曲的乐队演奏版本。

2008年，是卡伦•卡朋特逝世25周年，62岁的理查德•卡朋特日前在东京庆祝生日时宣布，将在拥有众多卡朋特歌迷的日本发行两张专辑，作为他复出的标志。按计划，他将在明年先发行一张收录卡朋特乐队经典老歌的翻唱专辑和一张圣诞独唱专辑，此外，他还将于2010年开始巡演。而被理查德•卡朋特视为最佳接班人的组合The Karpenters也将于下月8日在中国香港的湾仔香港会议展览中心演出一场。

2010年，由理查德•卡朋特的关门弟子组成的新卡朋特乐队，于4月24日在重庆大礼堂带来一场经典音乐会。

2015年5月，新卡朋特乐队，在北京带来一场绝世的经典音乐会。他们会献唱所有卡朋特的经典金曲，与最有品位的卡朋特乐迷一同回到过去，也让无法躬逢其盛世的新一代聆听卡朋特最经典的旋律。

1946–64: Childhood

The Carpenters were both born at Grace-New Haven Hospital (now called Yale-New Haven Hospital) in New Haven, Connecticut, to parents Harold and Agnes.Richard Lynn was born on October 15, 1946, and Karen Anne followed on March 2, 1950.Richard was a quiet child who spent most of his time in the house listening to records and playing the piano.Karen, on the other hand, was friendly and outgoing; she liked to play sports, including softball with the neighborhood kids, but she also spent a lot of time listening to music.

In June 1963, the Carpenter family moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, California.In the fall of 1964, Richard enrolled at California State College at Long Beach where he met future songwriting partner John Bettis; Wesley Jacobs, a friend who played the bass and tuba for the Richard Carpenter Trio; and Frank Pooler, with whom Richard would collaborate to create the Christmas standard "Merry Christmas Darling" in 1966.

That same fall, Karen enrolled at Downey High School, where she found she had a knack for playing the drums.

Friend and fellow band member Frankie Chavez inspired Karen to play the drums. She would often borrow Chavez's drum kit when he taught her. "She and Frankie … must have worked down the rudiments, the cadences, and the press-rolls for hours", recalls Richard. When Karen finally got a Ludwig drum kit from her parents in late 1964, she was able to play it professionally, in what Richard had described in their documentary, Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters, as "exotic time signatures".

1965–68: The Richard Carpenter Trio and Spectrum

By 1965, Karen had been practicing the drums for a year, and Richard was refining his piano techniques with Pooler as his teacher. In late 1965 Richard teamed up with classmate and friend Wes Jacobs, who played tuba and stand-up bass. With his sister playing drums, the three formed a jazz trio.

In mid-1966 the Richard Carpenter Trio entered the Hollywood Bowl annual Battle of the Bands. They played an instrumental version of "The Girl from Ipanema" and their own piece titled "Iced Tea". The trio won the Battle of the Bands on June 24, 1966, and were signed up by RCA Records.

They recorded songs such as The Beatles' "Every Little Thing" and Frank Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night" for RCA. An RCA committee reviewed their recordings and chose not to produce them, and the Richard Carpenter Trio were released from RCA. In 1991, some twenty-five years later, a couple of these recordings were released as part of a "From The Top" boxed set of Carpenters material.

Later in 1966, Karen tagged along at a late-night session in the garage studio of Los Angeles bassist Joe Osborn, and joined future Carpenters collaborator and lyricist John Bettis at a demo session where Richard was to accompany an auditioning trumpet player.

Osborn signed Karen by herself as a singer to his fledgling label, Magic Lamp Records, and the label put out a single featuring two of Richard's compositions, "Looking for Love" and "I'll Be Yours". The single was not a hit, and the label soon became defunct. However, Osborn let Karen and Richard continue to use his studio to record demo tapes.

In 1967, Richard and Karen teamed up with four other student musicians from Long Beach State to form a band called "Spectrum".The group often performed at the Whisky a Go Go.Spectrum member John Bettis worked with the Carpenters until Karen's death in 1983, composing many songs with Richard.

In 1968, Spectrum disbanded, and Wes Jacobs of the Richard Carpenter Trio left for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Richard and Karen received an offer to be on the television program Your All American College Show in mid-1968. Their performance of June 22, 1968 was Richard's and Karen's first television appearance.

During this time Richard and Karen continued to refine their craft and produced demo tapes in Joe Osborn's garage. One of these was heard by A&M Records' Herb Alpert, who was intrigued by Karen's voice. The A&M co-owner signed them to a record contract. Said Richard: "We signed with A&M. In came Herb and he shook our hands and said in so many words 'It was a pleasure to meet you. Let's hope we have some hits.' "

1969–1983: Carpenters

Richard and Karen Carpenter signed to A&M Records on April 22, 1969, under the name "Carpenters". Since Karen was technically underage (she was 19 at the time), her parents had to co-sign for her.Richard and Karen had decided to sign as "Carpenters", without the definite article. Karen said they had been influenced in the name by the pop music group Bread. In the album notes for their 2004 release, Carpenters Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition, Richard stated:After much thought, we decided to name the act "Carpenters" (No "The"; we thought it sounded hipper without it, like Buffalo Springfield or Jefferson Airplane.

Despite the poor showing of the Carpenters' initial album, A&M stayed with them and had them develop songs for a second album. Herb Alpert asked Richard to re-work a Burt Bacharach/Hal David song titled "(They Long to Be) Close to You". The Carpenters' version was released as a 45 RPM record single. It debuted at No. 56, the highest debut of the week ending June 20, 1970.Over the next five weeks it vaulted to No. 1, reaching that perch on July 25, and staying there for the next four weeks.Burt Bacharach said, "The arrangement of 'Close to You' that Richard did compared to the arrangement that I did for myself and for Dionne (Warwick) and the original record with Richard Chamberlain I'd say is twenty times better, Richard's arrangement than my arrangement. I really missed and he really nailed it. He just got a great feel, a great loop, the dotted eighth and sixteenth feel. It's great."

Their next hit was with a song Richard had seen in a television commercial for Crocker National Bank, "We've Only Just Begun", which was written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols. Three months after "(They Long to Be) Close to You" reached No. 1, the Carpenters' version of "We've Only Just Begun" reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first of their eventual five No. 2 hits (it wasn't able to get past "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5 & "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family during its four-week stay). The song became the first hit single for Williams and Nichols and is considered by Richard Carpenter to be the group's signature tune.

"Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun" became RIAA certified Gold singles and were featured on the best-selling album Close to You, which placed No. 175 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2003.

A string of hit singles and albums kept the Carpenters on the charts through the early 1970s. Their 1971 hit "For All We Know" was originally recorded in 1970, by Larry Meredith, for a wedding scene in the movie Lovers and Other Strangers.

The duo's fourth gold single "Rainy Days and Mondays" became Williams' and Nichols' second major single with the Carpenters, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, kept from the top slot by Carole King's "It's Too Late".

A Song for You was the fourth album, released on June 13, 1972. The album contained "Goodbye to Love", a Carpenter/Bettis original with a gritty guitar solo by Tony Peluso which set it apart from most Carpenters songs, became their third 1972 hit single, peaking at #7. Peluso would continue to work with Carpenters until their end in 1983.

Another Carpenter/Bettis composition, "Top of the World", was originally intended as strictly an album cut, but when Lynn Anderson scored a hit with the song in early 1973, the Carpenters opted to record their own single version. It was released in September 1973 and became the Carpenters' second Billboard No. 1 hit in December 1973.

Their Now & Then album from 1973 was named by mother Agnes Carpenter. It contained the popular Sesame Street song "Sing" and the ambitious "Yesterday Once More", a side-long tribute to oldies radio which incorporated renditions of eight hit songs from previous decades into a faux oldies radio program.

In 1974, the Carpenters achieved a sizable international hit with an up-tempo remake of Hank Williams's "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)". While the song was not released as a single in the U.S., it reached the top 30 in Japan, number 12 in the United Kingdom (as part of a double A-side with "Mr. Guder"),and number 3 in the Netherlands.In late 1974, a Christmas single followed, a jazz-influenced rendition of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".

The Carpenters did not record a new album in 1974. The group had been touring extensively and the principals were exhausted. In Richard's words, "there was simply no time to make one. Nor was I in the mood."

During this period, the pair released just one Hot 100 single, a Paul Williams/Roger Nichols composition called "I Won't Last a Day Without You". Taken from their 1972 LP A Song for You, the Carpenters finally decided to release their original two years after its original LP release and some months after Maureen McGovern's 1973 cover.

In place of the new album for 1974, their first greatest hits package was released, featuring new remixes of their prior hit singles, some with a newly recorded lead, and including newly recorded bridges and transition material so that each side of the album would play through with no breaks, something that Richard would come to regret.This compilation was entitled The Singles: 1969–1973, and topped the charts in the U.S. for one week, on January 5, 1974. It also topped the United Kingdom chart for 17 weeks (non-consecutive) and became one of the best-selling albums of the decade, ultimately selling more than 7 million copies in the U.S. Alone.

In 1975, the Carpenters gained another hit with a remake of the Marvelettes' chart-topping Motown classic from 1961, "Please Mr. Postman". Released in late 1974, the song soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1975, becoming the duo's third and final No. 1 pop single.It also earned Karen and Richard their record-setting twelfth million-selling gold single in America.

Both singles appeared on their 1975 LP Horizon, which also included covers of The Eagles' "Desperado" and Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire", which became a moderate hit for the duo that year. Horizon was certified platinum, but owing to the disc's late release (after the second single was already dropping off the charts), it was their first album to fall short of multi-platinum status.

The Carpenters were among the first American recording acts to produce music videos to promote their records.In early 1975, they filmed a performance of "Please Mr. Postman" at Disneyland as well as "Only Yesterday" at the Huntington Gardens.

Their subsequent album A Kind of Hush, released on June 11, 1976, achieved gold status, but again owing to its late release, became the first Carpenters' album not to become a platinum certified record since Ticket to Ride seven years earlier. Their singles releases in 1976 were successful, but at this time, contemporary hit radio was moving forward with changing musical styles, which ultimately caused the careers of most "soft" groups like the Carpenters to suffer.

The Carpenters' Very First Television Special aired on December 8, 1976, and went to No. 6 on the Nielsens.Another television special, The Carpenters at Christmas, aired on December 9, 1977.

The disco craze was in full swing by 1977, and adult-appeal "easy listening" artists like the Carpenters were getting less airplay. Their experimental album, Passage, released in 1977, marked an attempt to broaden their appeal by venturing into other musical genres.

In place of a new album for 1978, a second compilation, The Singles: 1974–1978, was released in the UK. In the United States, their first Christmas album, Christmas Portrait, became a seasonal favorite, returning Karen and Richard to platinum status. It was shortly followed by The Carpenters: A Christmas Portrait, a television special which aired December 19, 1978.

During the sessions, several non-Christmas songs were also recorded such as "Where Do I Go from Here", "Slow Dance", and "Honolulu City Lights", most of which were not released until after Karen's death.

Richard sought treatment for his addiction to Quaaludes at a Topeka, Kansas, facility for six weeks starting in January 1979. He then decided to take the rest of the year off for relaxation and rehabilitation. Karen, at this point neither wanting to take a break from singing nor seek help for her anorexia, decided to pursue a solo album project with renowned producer Phil Ramone in New York. The choice of Ramone and more adult-oriented and disco/dance-tempo material represented an effort to retool her image. The album was finished by Spring 1980, but Richard and A&M executives voted to reject it which reportedly devastated Karen. The album was finally released 13 years after Karen's death, in 1996.

Karen proceeded with plans to record a new album with her brother, who had now recovered from his addiction and was ready to continue their career. The Carpenters produced their final television special in 1980, called Music, Music, Music!, with guest stars Ella Fitzgerald, Suzanne Somers, and John Davidson. However, ABC was not happy with the special as it was music from start to finish, unlike the previous specials which included sketch-based comedy. ABC felt it was too much like a PBS program.

On June 16, 1981, the Carpenters released what would become their final LP as a duo, Made in America. The album sold around 200,000 copies and spawned a final top 20 pop single, "Touch Me When We're Dancing", which reached No. 16 on the Hot 100. It also became their fifteenth and final number one Adult Contemporary hit. The album also produced three other singles, including "(Want You) Back In My Life Again", "Those Good Old Dreams", and a remake of the Motown hit "Beechwood 4-5789". The singles fared well on the adult contemporary charts. "Beechwood 4-5789", the last single by the Carpenters to be released in Karen's lifetime, was released on her 32nd birthday.

Karen sought therapy for her eating disorder with noted psychotherapist Steven Levenkron in New York City. In September 1982, she called her therapist to say her heart was beating 'funny' and she felt dizzy and confused. Admitting herself into hospital later that month, Karen was hooked up to an intravenous drip; she ended up gaining 30 pounds (14 kg) in eight weeks. In November 1982, Karen left the hospital and despite pleas from family and friends, she announced that she was returning home to California and that she was cured.

On February 3, 1983, Karen visited her parents. The following morning, February 4, her mother found her lying unresponsive on the floor of a walk-in closet. After they spent 20 minutes in a waiting room, a doctor entered to tell Richard and his parents that Karen was dead. The autopsy stated that Karen's death was caused by emetine cardiotoxicity resulting from anorexia nervosa. Under the anatomical summary, the first item was heart failure, with anorexia as second. The third finding was cachexia, which is extremely low weight and weakness and general body decline associated with chronic disease. Emetine cardiotoxicity implied that Karen abused ipecac syrup, although there was no evidence to suggest that Karen abused it as her brother and family never found ipecac vials in her apartment, even after her death.

On October 12, 1983, the Carpenters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a few yards from the Dolby Theatre. Richard, Harold and Agnes Carpenter attended the inauguration, as did many fans.

1983–present: Post-Carpenters

Following Karen's death, Richard Carpenter has continued to produce recordings of the duo's music, including several albums of previously unreleased material and numerous compilation albums. Voice of the Heart, an album that included some finished tracks left off of Made in America and earlier LPs, was released in late 1983.

For the second Christmas season following Karen's death, Richard constructed a "new" Carpenters' Christmas album entitled An Old-Fashioned Christmas, using outtake material from the duo's first Christmas album Christmas Portrait and recording new material around it.

Richard, Mary, and their four daughters and one son live in Thousand Oaks, California, where the couple are supporters of the arts. In 2004, Carpenter and his wife pledged a $3 million gift to the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Foundation in memory of Karen Carpenter. More recently, Richard has actively supported the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at his alma mater, California State University, Long Beach. He continues to make concert appearances, including fund raising efforts for the Carpenter Center.

In 2007 and 2009, the current owners of the former Carpenter family home on Newville Avenue in Downey, obtained permits from the city to tear down the existing buildings on the site to make room for newer and larger structures, in spite of ongoing protests from fans. In February 2008, a group of fans got their protest campaign covered in the Los Angeles Times. At that time an adjacent house that had once served as the band's headquarters and recording studio had already been demolished and the main house was on the verge of being demolished as well. The original house was immortalized on the Now & Then album cover and was the place where Karen Carpenter died: in the words of Carpenters' fan Jon Konjoyan, "this was our version of Graceland."

In 2010,the new Carpenters held their live show in Chongqing,China.

In 2015,they came to China again to sing their famous songs.

Carpenters　卡朋特 / 木匠兄妹

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Carpenters 卡朋特 / 木匠兄妹

艺人介绍

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Carpenters　卡朋特 / 木匠兄妹