We've Only Just Begun - Music

The Carpenters Were An American Vocal And Instrumental Duo Consisting Of Siblings Karen And Richard Carpenter. With Their Light Airy Melodies And Meticulously Crafted Clean Arrangements The Duo Stood In Direct Contrast With The Excessive Gaudy Pop/rock Of The '70s Yet They Became One Of The Most Popular Artists Of The Decade Scoring 12 Top Ten Hits Including Three Number One Singles. Karen Carpenter's Calm Often Somber Voice Was The Most Distinctive Element Of Their Music Settling In Perfectly Amidst The Precise Lush Arrangements Provided By Her Brother Richard. The Duo's Sound Drew More From Pre-Rock Pop Than Rock & Roll But That Didn't Prevent The Carpenters From Appealing To A Variety Of Audiences Particularly Top 40 Easy Listening And Adult Contemporary. While Their Popularity Declined During The Latter Half Of The '70s They Remained One Of The Most Distinctive And Recognizable Acts The Decade Produced. The Carpenters Formed In The Late '60s In Downey CA After Their Family Moved From Their Native New Haven CT. Richard Had Played Piano With A Cocktail Jazz Trio In A Handful Of Local Connecticut Nightclubs. Once The Family Had Moved To California He Began To Study Piano While He Supported Karen In A Trio That Featured Wes Jacobs tuba/bass . With Jacobs And Richard Forming Her Backup Band Karen Was Signed To The Local Californian Record Label Magic Lamp Who Released Two Unsuccessful Singles By The Singer. The Trio Won A Battle Of The Bands Contest At The Hollywood Bowl In 1966 Which Led To A Record Contract With RCA. Signing Under The Name The Richard Carpenter Trio The Group Cut Four Songs That Were Never Released. Jacobs Left The Band At The Beginning Of 1968. Following Jacobs' Departure The Siblings Formed Spectrum With Richard's College Friend John Bettis. Spectrum Fell Apart By The End Of The Year But The Carpenters Continued Performing As A Duo. The Pair Recorded Some Demos At The House Of Los Angeles Session Musician Joe Osborn The Tape Was Directed Toward Herb Alpert The Head Of A&M Records Who Signed The Duo To His Record Label In Early 1969. Offering The Carpenters' First Album Was Released In November 1969. Neither Offering Or The Accompanying Single A Cover Of The Beatles' "Ticket To Ride " Made A Big Impression. However The Carpenters' Fortunes Changed With Their Second Single A Version Of Burt Bacharach And Hal David's " They Long To Be Close To You." Taken From The Album Close To You The Single Became The Group's First Number One Spending Four Weeks On The Top Of The U.S. Charts. "Close To You" Became An International Hit Beginning A Five-Year Period Where The Duo Was One Of The Most Popular Recording Acts In The World. During That Period The Carpenters Won Two Grammy Awards Including Best New Artist Of 1970 And Had An Impressive String Of Top Ten Hits Including "Rainy Days And Mondays " "Superstar " "Hurting Each Other " "Goodbye To Love " "Yesterday Once More " And "Top Of The World." After 1975's Number-Four Hit "Only Yesterday " The Group's Popularity Began To Decline. For The Latter Half Of The '70s The Duo Were Plagued By Personal Problems. Richard Had Become Addicted To Prescription Drugs In 1978 He Entered A Recovery Clinic Kicking His Habit. Karen Meanwhile Became Afflicted With Anorexia Nervosa A Disease She Suffered From For The Rest Of Her Life. On Top Of Their Health Problems The Group's Singles Had Stopped Reaching The Top Ten And By 1978 They Weren't Even Reaching The Top 40. Consequently Karen Decided To Pursue A Solo Career Recording A Solo Album In 1979 With Phil Ramone. The Record Was Not Completed At That Time though It Would Be Released In 1996 And She Returned To The Carpenters Later That Year. The Reunited Duo Released Their Last Album Of New Material Made In America In 1981. The Album Marked A Commercial Comeback As "Touch Me When We're Dancing" Made It To Number 16 On The Charts. However Karen's Health Continued To Decline Forcing The Duo Out Of The Spotlight. On February 4 1983 Karen Was Found Unconscious At Her Parents' Home In Downey She Died In The Hospital Shortly After Due To Cardiac Arrest Which Was Later Due To The Strain On Her Heart Caused By Years Of Crash Dieting Caused By Anorexia Nervosa. After Karen's Death Richard Carpenter Concentrated On Production Work And Assembling Various Compilations Of The Carpenters' Recorded Work. In 1987 He Released A Solo Album Called Time Which Featured Guest Appearances By Dusty Springfield And Dionne Warwick. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine All Music Guide From Http //music.Msn.Com/artist/?artist 1607403&contenttype artistsongs Read More On Last.Fm. User-Contributed Text Is Available Under The Creative Commons By-SA License Additional Terms May Apply. read less