The Legacy of Richard Carpenter

Karen Carpenter is rightly considered one of the greatest singers ever, but brother Richard deserves some respect for crafting some damn fine pop music around that beautiful voice. I guess he's not satisfied with his second bananna status in The Carpenters and wants to be thought of as an important innovator of modern music. Liner notes are often filled with hilarious hyperbole, but these two quotes really take the cake.

"His arrangement of "We've Only Just Begun," which blends the romanticism of easy listening with the pulse of pop/rock, provided a virtual blueprint for the modern "Adult Contemporary" format."

"Richard's arrangement for "Goodbye to Love" is among his most inventive and influental. He envisioned the lament as a genre-bending tour-de-force, complete with a head-turning fuzz-guitar solo. In bringing his vision to life, Richard created not only a worldwide Top 10 hit, but a new style: the "power lead" guitar solo in a ballad context."

So as rich as his music with Karen was he wants you to know he's also "virtually" responsible for Celine Dion and Michael Bolton too. Thanks Richard, we really appreciate that.

~Paul