Carpenters fandom is no longer the Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name |
Thanks to a passel of bands - Redd
Kross, Sonic Youth and Bettie Serveert among them - Carpenters fandom
is no longer the Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name. If I Were a
Carpenter features a surprisingly hip line-up of acts that march
proudly, arms linked, out of the Carpenters closet in a tribute
to the beloved duo. With standards like "Goodbye to Love", "Solitaire"
and "Rainy Days and Mondays' covered by American Music Club, Sheryl
Crow and Cracker, it will finally be proven that it's not just easy
listeners whose lips quiver uncontrollably when they hear "Close
to You".
Producers Matt Wallace (Paul Westerberg, Faith No More) and David Konjoyan (rock scribe), felt that pairing the Carpenters' smooth pop with rock acts would be a kick. Things had the potential to get ugly, though, when musicians had to lobby for songs, resulting in a skirmish over rights to, for instance, "Superstar". But when the dust settled, everyone was satisfied. "We got a list, and "We've Only Just Begun" was still on there," says Grant Lee Buffalo's Grant Lee Phillips. "It seemed like the quintessential Carpenters song, I always saw the darker side of what they did. My mom had a Camaro, and we had an 8-track of the Carpenters. It's in my blood." Richard Carpenter may not agree with Phillips' assessment but has joined in on the fun nonetheless, playing keyboards and singing back-up for Matthew Sweet on "Let Me Be the One." Most songs, however, have a distinctly un-Carpenters spin. "I'm most flattered by this (record)," says Carpenter. "And I know Karen would be, too."
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1994 |