Yesterday
Once More
Memories of the Carpenters and Their Music
Edited by Randy Schmidt
256
pages, Paperback
ISBN 0-9675973-1-5
$24.95
Summary
Quotes from the pages of Yesterday Once More
Reviews
About the Editor
To order
Questions
With "Close To You," "We’ve Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Yesterday Once More," "Top of the World," and a string of other hits, the Carpenters were responsible for some of the most popular music of the 1970s. Karen Carpenter’s warm and distinctive vocals and Richard Carpenter’s sophisticated compositions and arrangements were embraced by millions of record buyers.
Yesterday Once More: Memories of the Carpenters and Their Music collects over 45 articles, interviews, essays, reviews, and reassessments which chronicle the lives and career of this brother-sister musical duo. Insight into the music and personalities of the Carpenters is provided in writings from pop journalists and historians such as former Billboard columnist Paul Grein, legendary rock critic Lester Bangs, Los Angeles Times pop writer Robert Hilburn, and Carpenters biographer Ray Coleman. Seven interviews with Karen and/or Richard Carpenter are also included.
Articles cover:
- The Carpenters’ recordings and concert performances
- The duo’s love-hate relationship with critics
- Karen Carpenter’s health problems and tragic death in 1983
- The revival of interest in the Carpenters’ music during the 1990s
From 1971 articles originally published in TV Guide, Variety, and Rolling Stone to historical reassessments written in recent years, Yesterday Once More compiles insightful articles which shed light on why the Carpenters remain popular and continue to garner new fans nearly 25 years after the group’s commercial peak.
Quotes from the pages of Yesterday Once More…
"The music is pretty eclectic; pop and rock, surf and jazz, Bacharach,
Beatles, and Beach Boys."
Ken Michaels (1971)
"The attraction for me was the intimacy and warmth of Karen’s singing
– a strange but seductive blend of innocence and melancholia."
Robert
Hilburn (1983)
"Richard’s chart for `We’ve Only Just Begun’…provided a virtual
blueprint for the modern adult contemporary format."
Paul Grein (2000)
"They have the most disconcerting collective stage presence of any band
I have ever seen"
Lester Bangs (1971)
"Hell, no. I don’t take critics seriously."
Richard Carpenter
(1975)
"I got so upset when this `squeaky clean’ thing was tagged onto
us."
Richard Carpenter (1976)
"I’m getting sick and tired of this image thing."
Karen
Carpenter (1978)
"I looked quite a bit different in high school because I was heavier…and
I was just tired of being fat, so I went on a diet."
Karen Carpenter
(1973)
"Diet for Karen really became an obsession. We are very
nervous."
Richard Carpenter (1976)
"I’ve always said Karen was a good drummer…I knew she could play
right away."
Hal Blaine (1983)
"Richard seems bothered that when the history of popular music is
written, the Carpenters will not merit a chapter. `Beatles, Beach Boys, Dylan
– they’ll get chapters,’ he said. `Not the Carpenters.’"
Ray
Coleman, quoting Richard (1976)
"I’m not surprised at the length of time our music has remained
popular. It was never really trendy music and Karen has a timeless voice."
Richard Carpenter (1994)
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR YESTERDAY ONCE MORE: MEMORIES OF THE CARPENTERS AND THEIR MUSIC
"A very compelling read…Randy Schmidt has done extensive research, assembling a truly fascinating array of Carpenters coverage…This book will make you want to dust off those old LPs and rediscover the Carpenters’ pop magic."
Discoveries
"What looks on the surface like an uncritical celebration of an American pop institution turns out to be a fascinating exercise in musical archaeology…The contents are endlessly intriguing."
Record Collector
"Packed with musical insights which go beyond casual biographical sketches…Highly recommended."
The Bookwatch
"This narrative down memory lane proves to be a pleasant trip…A pastiche of mostly affectionate and warm portrayals of two talented people…Readers will gain admiration for Richard and Karen’s perfectionist efforts."
Amplifier
"Interviews, concert reviews and essays (which) span the duo’s career"
MOJO
Randy Schmidt teaches elementary music in Amarillo, Texas. He holds a degree in vocal and general music education from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Schmidt established the Newville Avenue Carpenters Mailing List, the first and largest Internet organization of Carpenters enthusiasts during its five-year existence (1995-1999). He has been a consultant for several television documentaries profiling Karen and Richard Carpenter, including A&E’s "Biography" and VH1’s "Behind The Music." In 1999, he served as coordinator of the Carpenters 30th Anniversary Celebration, an international multimedia event, gathering fans from more than a dozen countries in Downey, California.
Randy Schmidt’s Carpenters Page can be found at http://www.yesterdayoncemore.net
Send
$24.95, plus shipping
U.S. $4.00
Canada & Mexico $5.00
Outside North America $9.00
to:
Tiny
Ripple Books
P.O. Box 1533
Cranberry Township, PA 16066
Check or money orders (U.S. Dollars) only made payable to: Tiny Ripple Books.
Pennsylvania
residents add 6% sales tax.
Contact
us at info@tinyripple.com