The Carpenters

Hope you all are having a great Fourth of July Weekend! 47 years ago (July 4th, 1974), the Carpenters’ “tell-all” Rolling Stone spread hit the stands. The photographs were taken in earlier months by Annie Leibovitz. In these shots, Karen and Richard Carpenter can be seen in casual clothes and hippie hair, seemingly rebelling against the popular narrative of the time that the Carpenters were ‘goody two-shoes.’ They decided to take a new approach to this shoot: just simply being themselves. This look was quite a breakthrough for the duo, as well as the “tell-all” interview inside the magazine. In this interview, the Carpenters talk about the troubles of crazed fans, their ruthless touring schedule, and angers of handling their perceived “clean-cut” image despite being “just… normal people.” One of Karen’s most famous quotes comes from this spread: “The image we have…it would be impossible for Mickey Mouse to maintain.” This was prefaced with Richard’s revelation of some of his (then-shocking) shared political beliefs with Karen. He says of their image: “[It’s] not that we’re totally opposite from that; we’re not. But there’s an in-between, you know what I mean? I don’t drink a whole hell of a lot. I do have wine with dinner. I voted to make marijuana legal. I believe in premarital sex. But then, I don’t smoke.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ9QJDsFyun/?utm_medium=tumblr

Karen Carpenter photographed by Bonnie Schiffman recording her self-titled solo album at A&R Studios in New York City, New York, 1980.

Karen and Richard Carpenter photographed by Guy Webster in promotion for their self-titled album, ‘Carpenters’ otherwise known as ‘The Tan Album,’ 1971. 50 years ago on May 14, 1971, this album was released. It featured hits such as ‘Rainy Days and Mondays,’ ‘Superstar,’ and ‘For All We Know.’ It was their third and most successful album. In just a matter of weeks, it reached #2 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was the first album to use the famous Carpenters logo which would be used in all of their albums from that point on. The album is 4x certified platinum and won a Grammy for ‘Best Pop Solo Performance by a Duo or Group.’ ‘Carpenters’ continues to be one of their most critically acclaimed albums.