CERITA DARI SAHABAT

auhilah dengki, karena dengki memakan amal
kebaikan sebagaimana api memakan kayu bakar.
Nabi Muhammad SAW




Yang terbaik di antara kalian adalah mereka yang berakhlak paling mulia.
Nabi Muhammad SAW

Raihlah ilmu, dan untuk meraih ilmu belajarlah untuk tenang dan sabar.
Khalifah ‘Umar

Setiap orang di dunia ini adalah seorang tamu, dan uangnya adalah pinjaman. Tamu itu pastilah akan pergi, cepat atau lambat, dan pinjaman itu haruslah dikembalikan.
Ibnu Mas’ud

Ketahuilah bahwa sabar, jika dipandang dalam permasalahan seseorang adalah ibarat kepala dari suatu tubuh. Jika kepalanya hilang maka keseluruhan tubuh itu akan membusuk. Sama halnya, jika kesabaran hilang, maka seluruh permasalahan akan rusak.
Khalifah ‘Ali

Niat adalah ukuran dalam menilai benarnya suatu perbuatan, oleh karenanya, ketika niatnya benar, maka perbuatan itu benar, dan jika niatnya buruk, maka perbuatan itu buruk.
Imam An Nawawi

Aku mengamati semua sahabat, dan tidak menemukan sahabat yang lebih baik daripada menjaga lidah. Saya memikirkan tentang semua pakaian, tetapi tidak menemukan pakaian yang lebih baik daripada takwa. Aku merenungkan tentang segala jenis amal baik, namun tidak mendapatkan yang lebih baik daripada memberi nasihat baik. Aku mencari segala bentuk rezki, tapi tidak menemukan rezki yang lebih baik daripada sabar.
Khalifah ‘Umar

Pengetahuan tidaklah cukup; kita harus mengamalkannya. Niat tidaklah cukup; kita harus melakukannya.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Pencegahan lebih baik daripada pengobatan.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Kearifan ditemukan hanya dalam kebenaran.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Ilmu pengetahuan tanpa agama adalah pincang.
Einstein

"Saya mencintai kehidupan, tetapi saya tidak takut akan kematian. Betapapun, sebisa mungkin saya lebih suka meninggal paling belakangan."
Georges Simenon-Pencipta Karakter Detektif Fiksi Inspektur Maigret

"Kata-kata yang baik memiliki daya kreatif, kekuatan yang membangun hal-hal mulia, dan energi yang menyiramkan berkat-berkat kepada dunia."
Lawrence G Lovasik, Motivator dan Konselor Kerohanian Amerika Serikat

"Harta sejati adalah kesehatan, bukan emas dan perak." Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), Pemimpin Besar India

Begitulah cinta, ketika ia terurai jadi perbuatan. Ukuran integritas cinta adalah ketika ia bersemi dalam hati... terkembang dalam kata... terurai dalam perbuatan...

"Elemen terpenting kita bukan pada otak. Namun, pada apa yang menuntun otak kita--kepribadian, hati, kebaikan, dan ide-ide progresif." Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881)


Selengkapnya...

Mengatasi Cinta Dunia

Bundel by UGLY --- Jan '02Hikam:
Dan kehidupan dunia ini hanyalah kesenangan yang penuh dengan tipuan belaka, dapat diperkirakan bahwa kamu akan diperebutkan oleh bangsa-bangsa lain sebagaimana orang-orang berebut melahap isi mangkuk.



Para sahabat bertanya: "Apakah saat itu jumlah kami sedikit?" Rasulullah bersabda: "Tidak bahkan pada saat itu jumlah kamu amat sangat banyak, tetapi seperti air buih didalam air bah karena kamu tertimpa penyakit wahn." Sahabat bertanya: "Apakah penyakit wahn itu ya Rasulullah?" Rasulullah bersabda: "Penyakit wahn itu adalah kecintaan yang amat sangat kepada dunia dan takut akan kematian. Cinta dunia merupakan sumber utama segala kesalahan."

Runtuhnya kemuliaan sumber dari segala fitnah, dan semua kesalahan adalah karena kita cinta kepada dunia. Pada Rasul tidak ada cinta dunia kecuali cinta terhadap Allah, cinta terhadap kemuliaan.

Rasulullah merupakan contoh seorang pemimpin yang dicintai sampai ke lubuk hati yang paling dalam. Rasul adalah contoh seorang suami yang benar-benar menjadi suri tauladan dan kebanggaan bagi keluarganya. Rasul juga contoh seorang pengusaha yang dititipi dunia, tapi tidak diperbudak oleh dunia yang dimilikinya. Kalau orang sudah mencintai sesuatu maka dia akan diperbudak oleh apa yang dicintainya.

Orang yang sudah cinta terhadap dunia, akan sombong, dengki, serakah dan berusaha dengan segala cara untuk mencapai segala keinginannya, oleh karena itu yakinlah bahwa dunia itu total milik Allah. Segala sesuatu yang kita miliki baik sedikit maupun banyak semuanya milik Allah. Dalam mencari rizki janganlah mempergunakan kelicikan karena dengan kelicikan atau tidak dengan kelicikan datangnya tetap dari Allah.

Bundel by UGLY --- Jan '02
Menjaga Pandangan

Bundel by UGLY --- Jan '02
Satu hal yang hendaknya dicamkan benar-benar oleh setiap hamba Allah adalah bahwa Allah Azza wa Jalla itu ghafururrahiim. Dia adalah satu-satunya Zat yang mempunyai samudera ampunan dan kasih sayang yang Mahaluas. Tak ada dosa sebesar apapun yang tidak tenggelam dalam samudera ampunan dan rahmat kasih sayang-Nya, sejauh tidak menyekutukan-Nya.

Pantaslah Syaikh Ibnu Athoillah di dalam kitabnya yang terkenal, Al Hikam, menasehatkan, "Jika terlanjur berbuat dosa maka janganlah hal itu sampai menyebabkan patah hatimu untuk mendapatkan istiqamah kepada Tuhanmu. Sebab, kemungkinan yang demikian itu sebagai dosa terakhir yang telah ditaqdirkan bagimu."

Hati yang sakit, atau bahkan mati, disebabkan oleh noktah-noktah dosa yang bertambah dari waktu ke waktu karena amal perbuatan yang kurang terpelihara, sehingga menjadikannya hitam legam dan berkarat. Akan tetapi, bagaimana pun kondisi hati kita saat ini, tak tertutup peluang untuk sembuh, sehingga menjadi hati yang sehat sekiranya kita berjuang sekuat-kuatnya untuk mengobatinya. Ada empat virus perusak hati yang harus kita waspadai agar hati yang sakit atau mati dapat disembuhkan. Sementara hati yang sudah sehat pun dapat terawat dan terpelihara kebeningannya. Mudah-mudahan dengan mewaspadai keempat hal tersebut Allah Azza wa Jalla menolong kita.

Salah satunya yang membuat hati ini semakin membusuk, kotor dan keras membatu adalah tidak pandainya kita menahan pandangan. Barang siapa yang ketika di dunia ini tidak mahir menahan pandangan, gemar melihat hal-hal yang diharamkan Allah, maka jangan terlalu berharap dapat memiliki hati yang bersih. Umar bin Khattab pernah berkata, "Lebih baik aku berjalan di belakang singa daripada berjalan di belakang wanita." Orang-orang yang sengaja mengobral pandangannya terhadap hal-hal yang tidak hak bagi dirinya, tidak usah heran kalau hatinya lambat laun akan semakin keras membatu dan nikmat iman pun akan semakin hilang manisnya.

Sebenarnya bukan hanya mengumbar pandangan terhadap lawan jenisnya, melainkan juga orang yang matanya selalu melihat dunia ini. Melihat sesuatu yang tidak ia miliki : rumah orang lain yang lebih mewah, mobil orang lain yang lebih bagus, atau uang orang lain yang lebih banyak. Hatinya lebih bergejolak memikirkan hal-hal yang tidak dimilikinya daripada menikmati apa-apa yang dimilikinya..

Karenanya kunci bagi orang yang memiliki hati yang bening adalah tundukkan pandangan! Mendapati lawan jenis yang bukan muhrim, cepat-cepatlah tundukkan pandangan. Kalau melihat dunia jangan sekali-kali melihat ke atas. Akan capek kita jadinya, karena rizki yang telah menjadi hak kita tidak akan kita dapatkan. Lebih baik lihatlah ke bawah. Tengoklah orang yang lebih fakir dan lebih menderita daripada kita. Lihatlah orang yang jauh lebih sederhana hidupnya. Semakin sering melihat ke bawah, subhanallah, hati ini akan semakin dipenuhi oleh rasa syukur dibanding dengan orang yang suka menengadah ke atas.

Kalaupun kita akan melihat ke atas, tancapkan pandangan kita ke yang Mahaatas sekaligus, yakni kepada Zat Penguasa alam semesta. Allahu Akbar! Lihatlah Kemahakuasaan-Nya, Allah Mahakaya dan tidak pernah berkurang kekayaan-Nya walaupun selalu kita minta sampai akhir hayat. Orang yang hanya melihat ke atas dalam urusan dunia, hatinya akan cepat kotor dan hancur. Sebaliknya, kalau tunduk dalam melihat dunia dan tengadah dalam melihat keagungan serta kebesaran Allah, maka tidak bisa tidak kita akan menjadi orang yang memiliki hati bersih yang selamat.

Buya Hamka (alm) pernah berkata, "Mengapa manusia bersikap bodoh? Tidakkah engkau tatap langit yang biru dengan awan yang berarak seputih kapas? Atau engkau turuni ke lembah sehingga akan kau dapatkan air yang bening. Atau engkau bangun di malam hari, kau saksikan bintang gemintang bertaburan di langit biru dan rembulan yang tidak pernah bosan orang menatapnya. Atau engkau dengarkan suara jangkrik dan katak saling bersahutan. Sekiranya seseorang amat gemar memandang keindahan, amat senang mendengar keindahan, niscaya hatinya akan terbebas dari perbuatan keji. Karena sesungguhnya keji itu buruk, sedangkan yang buruk itu tidak akan pernah bersatu dengan keindahan."

Berbahagialah orang yang senang melihat kebaikan orang lain. Tatkala mendapatkan seseorang tidak baik kelakuannya, ia segera mahfum bahwa manusia itu bukanlah malaikat. Di balik segala kekurangan yang dimilikinya pasti ada kebaikannya. Perhatikanlah kebaikannya itu sehingga akan tumbuh rasa kasih sayang di hati. Mendengar seseorang selalu berbicara buruk dan menyakitkan, segera mahfum. Siapa tahu sekarang ia berbicara buruk, namun besok lusa berubah menjadi berbicara baik. Karenanya, dengan mendengarkan kata-kata yang baik-baiknya saja, niscaya akan tumbuh rasa kasih sayang di hati.

Jalaluddin Rumi pernah berkata, "Orang yang begitu senang dan nikmat melihat dan menyebut-nyebut kebaikan orang lain bagaikan hidup di sebuah taman yang indah. Ke sini anggrek, ke sana melati. Pokoknya kemana saja mata memandang yang nampak adalah bebungaan yang indah dan harum mewangi. Dimana-mana yang terlihat hanya keindahan. Sebaliknya, orang yang gemar melihat aib dan kejelekkan orang lain, pikirannya hanya diselimuti dengan aneka keburukan sementara hatinya hanya dikepung dengan prasangka-prasangka buruk. Karenanya, kemana pun matanya melihat, yang tampak adalah ular, kalajengking, duri, dan sebagainya. Dimana saja ia berada senantiasa tidak akan pernah dapat menikmati indahnya hidup ini."

Sungguh berbahagialah orang yang pandai memelihara pandangannya karena ia akan senantiasa merasakan nikmatnya kebeningan hati. Allah Azza wa Jalla adalah Zat Maha Pembolak-balik hati hamba-Nya. Sama sekali tidak sulit baginya untuk menolong siapapun yang merindukan hati yang bersih dan bening sekiranya ia berikhtiar sungguh-sungguh. Allahu’alaM.***

Bundel by UGLY --- Jan '02
Wanita Shalihah

Bundel by UGLY --- Jan '02

Wanita yang didunianya solehah akan menjadi cahaya bagi keluarganya, melahirkan keturunan yang baik dan jika wafat di akhirat akan menjadi bidadari.

Hikam :
Katakanlah kepada orang laki-laki yang beriman, hendaklah mereka menahan pandangannya dan memelihara faraz-nya. Yang demikian itu lebih suci bagi mereka. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui apa yang mereka perbuat.

Katakanlah kepada wanita yang beriman, hendaklah mereka menahan pandangannya dan memelihara faraz-nya dan janganlah mereka menampakkan perhiasannya kecuali yang biasa nampak daripadanya. Rosulullah SAW bersabda: "Dunia ini adalah perhiasan dan sebaik-baik perhiasan adalah wanita yang solehah." (HR. Muslim)

Wanita solehah merupakan penentram batin, menjadi penguat semangat berjuang suami, semangat ibadah suami. Suami yakin tidak akan dikhianati, kalau ditatap benar-benar menyejukkan qolbu, kalau berbicara tutur katanya menentramkan batin, tidak ada keraguan terhadap sikapnya.

Pada prinsipnya wanita solehah adalah wanita yang taat pada Allah, taat pada Rasul. Kecantikannya tidak menjadikan fitnah pada orang lain. Kalau wanita muda dari awal menjaga dirinya, selain dirinya akan terjaga, juga kehormatan dan kemuliaan akan terjaga pula, dan dirinya akan lebih dicintai Allah karena orang yang muda yang taat lebih dicintai Allah daripada orang tua yang taat. Dan, Insyaallah nanti oleh Allah akan diberi pendamping yang baik.

Agar wanita solehah selalu konsisten yaitu dengan istiqomah menimba ilmu dari alam dan lingkungan di sekitarnya dan mengamalkan ilmu yang ada. Wanita yang solehah juga dapat berbakti terhadap suami dan bangsanya dan wanita yang solehah selalu belajar. Tiada hari tanpa belajar.

Bundel by UGLY --- Jan '02

Buah Kebeningan Hati

Bundel by UGLY --- Jan '02
Saudara-saudaraku, sungguh beruntung bagi siapapun yang mampu menata qolbunya menjadi bening, jernih, bersih, dan selamat. Sungguh berbahagia dan mengesankan bagi siapapun sekiranya memiliki qolbu yang tertata, terpelihara, dan terawat dengan sebaik-baiknya. Karena selain senantiasa merasakan kelapangan, ketenangan, ketenteraman, kesejukan, dan indahnya hidup di dunia ini, pancaran kebeningan hati pun akan tersemburat pula dari indahnya setiap aktivitas yang dilakukan.

Betapa tidak, orang yang hatinya tertata dengan baik, wajahnya akan jauh lebih jernih. Bagai embun menggelayut di ujung dedaunan di pagi hari yang cerah lalu terpancari sejuknya sinar mentari pagi; jernih, bersinar, sejuk, dan menyegarkan. Tidak berlebihan jika setiap orang akan merasa nikmat menatap pemilik wajah yang cerah, ceria, penuh sungging senyuman tulus seperti ini.

Begitu pula ketika berkata, kata-katanya akan bersih dari melukai, jauh dari kata-kata yang menyombongkan diri, terlebih lagi ia terpelihara dari kata-kata riya, subhanallah. Setiap butir kata yang keluar dari lisannya yang telah tertata dengan baik ini, akan terasa sarat dengan hikmah, sarat dengan makna, dan sarat akan mamfaat. Tutur katanya bernas dan berharga. Inilah buah dari gelegak keinginan di lubuk hatinya yang paling dalam untuk senantiasa membahagiakan orang lain.

Kesehatan tubuh pun terpancari pula oleh kebeningan hati, buah dari kemampuannya menata qolbu. Detak jantung menjadi terpelihara, tekanan darah terjaga, ketegangan berkurang,dan kondisi diri yang senantiasa diliputi kedamaian. Tak berlebihan jika tubuh pun menjadi lebih sehat, lebih segar, dan lebih fit. Tentu saja tubuh yang sehat dan segar seperti ini akan jauh lebih memungkinkan untuk berbuat banyak kepada umat.

Orang yang bening hati, akal pikirannya pun akan jauh lebih jernih. Baginya tidak ada waktu untuk berpikir jelek sedetik pun jua. Apalagi berpikir untuk menzhalimi orang lain, sama sekali tidak terlintas dibenaknya. Waktu baginya sangat berharga. Mana mungkin sesuatu yang berharga digunakan untuk hal-hal yang tidak berharga? Sungguh suatu kebodohan yang tidak terkira. Karenanya dalam menjalani setiap detik yang dilaluinya ia pusatkan segala kemampuannya untuk menyelesaikan setiap tugas hidupnya. Tak berlebihan jika orang yang berbening hati seperti ini akan lebih mudah memahami setiap permasalahan, lebih mudah menyerap aneka ilmu pengetahuan, dan lebih cerdas dalam melakukan beragam kreativitas pemikiran. Subhanallah, bening hati ternyata telah membuahkan aneka solusi optimal dari kemampuan akal pikirannya.

Walhasil, orang yang telah tertata hatinya adalah orang yang telah berhasil merintis tapak demi tapak jalan ke arah kebaikan tidak mengherankan ketika ia menjalin hubungan dengan sesama manusia pun menjadi sesuatu yang teramat mengesankan. Hatinya yang bersih membuat terpancar darinya akhlak yang indah mempesona, rendah hati, dan penuh dengan kesantunan. Siapapun yang berjumpa akan merasa kesan yang mendalam, siapapun yang bertemu akan memperoleh aneka mamfaat kebaikan, bahkan ketika berpisah sekalipun, orang seperti ini menjadi buah kenangan yang tak mudah dilupakan.

Dan, Subhanallah, lebih dari semua itu, kebeningan hatipun ternyata dapat membuat hubungan dengan Allah menjadi luar biasa mamfaatnya. Dengan berbekal keyakinan yang mendalam, mengingat dan menyebut-Nya setiap saat, meyakini dan mengamalkan ayat-ayat-Nya, membuat hatinya menjadi tenang dan tenteram. Konsekuensinya, dia pun menjadi lebih akrab dengan Allah, ibadahnya lebih terasa nikmat dan lezat. Begitu pula do’
a-do’anya menjadi luar biasa mustajabnya. Mustajabnya do’a tentu akan menjadi solusi bagi persoalan-persoalan hidup yang dihadapinya. Dan yang paling luar biasa adalah karunia perjumpaan dengan Allah Azza wa Jalla di akhirat kelak, Allahu Akbar.

Pendek kata orang yang bersih hati itu, luar biasa nikmatnya, luar biasa bahagianya, dan luar biasa mulianya. Tidak hanya di dunia ini, tapi juga di akhirat kelak. Tidak rindukah kita memiliki hati yang bersih?

Silahkan bandingkan dengan orang yang berperilaku sebaliknya; berhati busuk, semrawut, dan kusut masai. Wajahnya bermuram durja, kusam, dan senantiasa tampak resah dan gelisah. Kata-katanya bengis, kasar, dan ketus. Hatinya pun senantiasa dikotori buruk sangka, dendam kesumat, licik, tak mau kompromi, mudah tersinggung, tidak senang melihat orang lain bahagia, kikir, dan lain-lain penyakit hati yang terus menerus menumpuk, hingga sulit untuk dihilangkan. Tak berlebihan bila perilakunya pun menjadi hina dan nista, jauh dari perilaku terhormat, lebih dari itu, badannya pun menjadi mudah terserang penyakit. Penyakit buah dari kebusukan hati, buah dari ketegangan jiwa, dan buah dari letihnya pikiran diterpa aneka rona masalah kehidupan. Selain itu, akal pikirannya pun menjadi sempit dan bahkan lebih banyak berpikir tentang kezhaliman.

Oleh karenanya, bagi orang yang busuk hati sama sekali tidak ada waktu untuk bertambah ilmu. Segenap waktunya habis hanya digunakan untuk memuntahkan ketidaksukaannya kepada orang lain. Tidak mengherankan bila hubungan dengan Allah SWT pun menjadi hancur berantakan, ibadah tidak lagi menjadi nikmat dan bahkan menjadi rusak dan kering. Lebih rugi lagi, ia menjadi jauh dari rahmat Allah. Akibatnya pun jelas, do’a menjadi tidak ijabah (terkabul), dan aneka masalah pun segera datang menghampiri, naudzubillaah (kita berlindung kepada Allah).

Ternyata hanya kerugian dan kerugian saja yang didapati orang berhati busuk. Betapa malangnya. Pantaslah Allah SWT dalam hal ini telah mengingatkan kita dalam sebuah Firman-Nya : "Sesungguhnya beruntunglah orang yang menyucikan jiwa itu. Dan sesungguhnya merugilah orang yang mengotorinya." (Q.S. Asy-Syam [91] : 9 – 10).

Ingatlah saudaraku, hidup hanya satu kali dan siapa tahu tidak lama lagi kita akan mati. Marilah kita bersama-sama bergabung dalam barisan orang-orang yang terus memperbaiki diri, dan mudah-mudahan kita menjadi contoh awal bagaimana menjadikan hidup indah dan prestatif dengan bening hati, Insya Allah.

Selengkapnya...

ABBA was a Swedish pop music group. The band consisted of Benny Andersson (Sweden), Björn Ulvaeus (Sweden), Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Norway), Agnetha Fältskog (Sweden). They topped the charts worldwide from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.

The name "ABBA" is an acronym formed from the first letters of each of the group member's given name (Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid)[1]. ABBA gained immense international popularity employing catchy song hooks, simple lyrics, and a Wall of Sound achieved by overdubbing the female singers' voices in multiple harmonies. As their popularity grew, they were sought after to tour Europe, Australia, and North America, drawing crowds of near-hysterical fans ("ABBAholics"), notably in Australia. Touring became a contentious issue, being particularly unpopular with Agnetha, but they continued to release studio albums to great commercial success. At the height of their popularity, however, both marriages of the band members (Benny with Frida, and Björn with Agnetha) failed, and the relationship changes were reflected in their music, as they produced more thoughtful lyrics with different compositions. They remain a fixture of radio playlists and are one of the world's best selling bands, having sold over 400 million records world wide;[2][3] they still sell two to four million records a year.[4] ABBA was also the first pop group from mainland Europe to enjoy consistent success in the charts English-speaking countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Their enormous popularity subsequently opened the doors for other Continental European acts.[5] The music of ABBA has been re-arranged into the successful musical Mamma Mia! that has toured worldwide and had a movie version released in July 2008. All four of the former members of ABBA were present at the Stockholm premieres of both the musical (2005) and the film (2008). The film première took place at the Benny Andersson-owned Rival theatre at Mariatorget, Stockholm on 4 July 2008. A new museum devoted entirely to the pop supergroup was scheduled to open in Stockholm in 2009, but the project was postponed indefinitely as of September 2008. [6]
// Before ABBA (1960s) Benny Andersson (born in Stockholm, Sweden on 16 December 1946) was a member of a popular Swedish pop-rock group, The Hep Stars, that performed covers of international hits, from the age of 18. He played keyboards and eventually started writing original compositions for his band, many of which became major hits including "No Response" that hit #3 in 1965, "Sunny Girl", "Wedding", "Consolation", all of which hit #1 in 1966.[7] Andersson also had a fruitful songwriting collaboration with Lasse Berghagen, with whom he composed his first Svensktoppen entry "Sagan mm lilla Sofi" ("The Story of Little Sophie") in 1968. Björn Ulvaeus (born in Gothenburg, Sweden on 25 April 1945) also began his musical career at 18, when he fronted The Hootenanny Singers, a popular Swedish folk-skiffle group. Ulvaeus started writing English language songs for his group, and even had a brief solo career alongside. The Hootenanny Singers and The Hep Stars sometimes crossed paths while touring, and on one occasion in June 1966 Ulvaeus and Andersson decided to write a song together. Their first attempt was "Isn't It Easy to Say", a song later recorded by The Hep Stars. Stig Anderson was the manager of The Hootenanny Singers and founder of the Polar Music label. He saw potential in the collaboration, and encouraged them to compose more. Both also began playing occasionally with the other's bands on stage and on record, although not until 1969 did the pair write and produce some of their first real hits together: "Ljuva sextiotal" ('Merry Sixties'), recorded by Brita Borg and The Hep Stars' 1969 hit "Speleman" ("Fiddler"). Andersson wrote and submitted the song "Hej, Clown" for the 1969 Melodifestivalen, the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest finals. The song tied for first, but re-voting relegated Andersson's song to second place.[8] On this occasion, Andersson briefly met his future spouse, singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad, who also participated in the contest. A month later, the two had become a couple. As the two bands began to break up, Andersson and Ulvaeus teamed up and eventually recorded their first album together in 1970, called Lycka ("Happiness" in Swedish), that included original compositions sung by both men. Ulvaeus still occasionally recorded and performed with The Hootenanny Singers until the summer of 1974, and Andersson took part in producing their records. Agnetha Fältskog (born on 5 April 1950 in Jönköping, Sweden) had a #1 record in Sweden when she was only 17, and was soon noted by the critics and songwriters as a talented singer/songwriter of schlager style songs. Fältskog's main inspiration in her early years were singers like Connie Francis. Along with her own compositions, she recorded covers of foreign hits and performed them on tours in Swedish folkparks. She submitted an original song for Melodifestivalen at 17 years old, titled "Försonade" ("Redeemed"), but it was rejected. She briefly met Anni-Frid Lyngstad for the first time during a TV show in January 1968, and Björn Ulvaeus at a concert venue a few months later. During filming of a Swedish TV special in May 1969, Fältskog met Ulvaeus again, and they eventually became romantically involved and they married in 1971. Fältskog and Ulvaeus eventually got involved in each other's recording sessions,[9] and soon even Andersson and Lyngstad added backing vocals to her 1970 album "Som jag är" (As I Am). In 1973, Fältskog starred as Mary Magdalene in the original Swedish production of Jesus Christ Superstar and attracted favourable reviews. Between 1967 and 1975, Fältskog released five studio albums.[10] Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad (born on 15 November 1945 in Bjørkåsen in Ballangen, Norway) sang from the age of thirteen with various dance bands, and worked mainly in a jazz-oriented cabaret style. She also formed her own band named Anni-Frid Four. In the summer of 1967, she won a national talent competition with the song "En ledig dag" ("A day off"), included in the EMI Compilation Frida 1967-1972. The first prize was a recording contract with EMI Sweden and to perform live on the most popular TV show in Sweden. This first TV performance is included in Frida the dvd. Lyngstad released several singles on EMI and had many hits in the Swedish charts. When Benny Andersson started to produce her recordings in 1971, she got her first #1 single, "Min egen stad" ("My Own Town"), for which all four future ABBA members sang the backup vocals. Lyngstad toured and performed regularly in the folkpark circuit and made appearances on radio and TV. She met Björn Ulvaeus briefly in 1963 during a talent contest, and Agnetha Fältskog during a TV show in early 1968. Lyngstad finally linked up with her future bandmates in 1969. On 1 March 1969, she participated in the Melodifestivalen, where she met Andersson for the first time. A few weeks later they met again during a concert tour in southern Sweden and they soon became a couple. Andersson produced her single "Peter Pan" in September 1969 – the first collaboration between her and Benny & Björn, as they had written the song. Later Andersson produced Lyngstad's debut album, Frida, which was released in March 1971 and praised by critics. Lyngstad also played in several revues and cabaret shows in Stockholm between 1969 and 1973. After ABBA formed, she recorded another successful album in 1975, Frida Ensam, which included the original Swedish rendition of "Fernando", which became a huge hit in Scandinavia before the English version was recorded.[11] First live performance and the start of "Festfolk" An attempt at combining their talents occurred in April 1970 when the two couples went on holiday together to the island of Cyprus. What started as singing for fun on the beach ended up as an improvised live performance in front of the United Nations soldiers stationed on the island. Andersson and Ulvaeus were at this time recording their first album together, "Lycka", which was to be released in September 1970. Fältskog and Lyngstad added backing vocals on several tracks during June, and the idea of them all working together saw them launch their own stage act, "Festfolk", which translates from Swedish to mean both "Party People" and "Engaged Couples", on 1 November 1970 in Gothenburg. The cabaret show attracted positive reviews. The foursome performed the Andersson and Ulvaeus hit "Hej, gamle man" ("Hi, Old Man"); the first recording credited to all four – and solo numbers from respective albums, but the foursome did not feel like working together, and soon concentrated on individual projects again. [edit] First record together "Hej, Gamle Man" "Hej, Gamle Man"("Hello, Old Man") became the foursome's first hit, -the song's lyrics is about an old Salvation Army soldier, and the record was credited to Björn & Benny reaching no 5 on the sales charts, and no 1 on Svensktoppen, staying there for 15 weeks. In the first half of 1971, the four artists worked more together, adding vocals to the others' recordings. Fältskog, Andersson and Ulvaeus went on a tour together in May, while Lyngstad toured on her own. Frequent recording sessions brought the foursome tighter together during the summer.[12] Forming the group (1970–1973) After the 1970 release of Andersson and Ulvaeus' album "Lycka", two more singles credited to 'Björn & Benny' were released in Sweden, "Det kan ingen doktor hjälpa" ("No doctor can help with that") and "Tänk om jorden vore ung" ("Imagine if the Earth were young"), but clearly with more prominent vocals by Fältskog and Lyngstad -and with moderate chart success. Fältskog released her fourth album in 1971 and married Ulvaeus on 6 July 1971. Andersson, Ulvaeus, and Fältskog started performing together on a regular basis during the summer of 1971. Stig Anderson, founder and owner of Polar, was determined to break into the mainstream international market with music by Andersson and Ulvaeus. "One day the pair of you will write a song that becomes a worldwide hit", he predicted.[13] Stig encouraged Ulvaeus and Andersson to write a song for Melodifestivalen, and after two rejected entries in 1971,[14] Andersson and Ulvaeus submitted their new song "Säg det med en sång" ("Say It With A Song") for the 1972 contest, and they chose newcomer Lena Anderson to perform. The song won third place, encouraging Stig, and became a huge hit in Sweden.[15] The first signs of foreign success came as a surprise, as the Andersson and Ulvaeus single "She's My Kind of Girl" was released by chance by Epic in Japan in March 1972, giving the duo a Top 10 hit. Thus, two more singles were released in Japan, "En Carousel" [16] (earlier version of "Merry-Go-Round") and "Love Has Its Ways" (a song they wrote with Koichi Morita).[17] Their first hit as 'Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid' [Photo] [Photo] The cover of "People Need Love". Ulvaeus and Andersson persevered with their songwriting and experimented with new sounds and vocal arrangements. "People Need Love" was released in June 1972, featuring guest vocals by the women, who were now given much greater prominence. Stig Anderson released it as a single, credited to Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid. The song reached #17 in the Swedish combined single and album charts, enough to convince them they were on to something.[18] The single also became the first record to chart for the quartet in the United States, where it peaked at #114 on the Cashbox singles chart and #117 on Record World's singles chart. Billed as Björn & Benny (with Svenska Flicka), it was released there on Playboy Records. However, according to Stig Anderson, "People Need Love" could have been a much bigger American hit, but a small label like Playboy Records did not have the distribution resources to meet the demand for the single from retailers and radio programmers.[19] The foursome decided to record their first album together in the autumn of 1972, and sessions began on 26 September 1972. The two women shared lead vocal on "Nina, Pretty Ballerina", on this day, and the two women's voices combined in harmonies for the first time gave the foursome an idea of the qualities of their combined talents. "Ring Ring" For 1973, the band and their manager Stig Anderson decided to have another try at the Melodifestivalen, this time with the song "Ring Ring." The studio sessions were handled by Michael B. Tretow, who experimented with a "wall of sound" production technique that became the wholly new ABBA sound. Anderson arranged an English translation of the lyrics by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody and they thought this would be a surefire winner, but in the Melodifestivalen, on 10 February 1973, it placed third, and thus never reached the international contest. Nevertheless the proto-group put out their first album, called Ring Ring. The album did well and the "Ring Ring" single was a hit in many parts of Europe, but Stig Anderson felt the true breakthrough could only come with a UK or US hit.[20]
[Photo] [Photo] The ABBA logo. In early 1973, Stig Anderson, tired of unwieldy names, started to refer to the group privately and publicly as ABBA. At first, this was a play on words, as Abba was also the name of a well-known fish-canning company in Sweden. However, since the fish canners were unknown outside Sweden, Anderson came to believe the name would work in international markets. A competition to find a suitable name for the group was held in a Gothenburg newspaper. The group was impressed with the names "Alibaba" and "Baba", but in the end all the entries were ignored and it was announced in the summer that the name "ABBA" was official. Later the group negotiated with the canners for the right to the name.[21] "ABBA" is an acronym formed from the first letters of each group member's name: Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid (Frida).[1] The first 'B' in the logo version of the name was reversed on the band's promotional material from 1976 onwards and became the group's registered trademark. The first time the name is found written on paper is on a recording session sheet from the Metronome Studio in Stockholm, dated 16 October 1973. It was first written as "Björn, Benny, Agnetha & Frida", but was subsequently crossed out with "ABBA" written in large letters on top. The official logo was designed by Rune Söderqvist, used for the first time on "Dancing Queen" single in August 1976, and subsequently on all later original albums and singles. But the idea for the official logo was made by the German photographer Wolfgang Heilemann on a "Dancing Queen" shooting for the teenager magazine BRAVO. On the photo, every ABBA-member held a giant initial letter of his name. After the pictures were made, Heilemann found out, that one of the men held his letter upside down. The discussed it and the members of ABBA liked it. In 1992 Polygram redesigned the logo for the ABBA Gold compilation, having a different font along with a crown emblem. Still, the classic logo is more commonly seen, for instance being used on the official ABBA website. [22] Breakthrough (1973–1976) Eurovision victory Ulvaeus, Andersson, and manager Stig Anderson believed in the possibilities of using the Melodifestivalen and Eurovision TV contests as a way to make the music business aware of the band and Andersson, Ulvaeus and Stig as composers. In late 1973, they were invited by Swedish television to contribute a song for the 1974 contest, and from a number of newly written compositions, the foursome chose the upbeat "Waterloo"; the group was now inspired by the growing glam rock scene in England. "Waterloo" was an unashamedly glam-style pop track produced with Michael B. Tretow's wall-of-sound approach. ABBA won their national heats on Swedish TV on 9 February 1974, and with this third attempt were far more experienced and better prepared for the international contest. With an album's worth of material released when the show was held at the Brighton Dome in England on 6 April 1974, the song won and catapulted them into British consciousness for the first time—and to the top of the charts all over Europe.[23] Winning the Eurovision Song Contest gave ABBA the chance to tour Europe and perform on major TV shows; thus the band saw the "Waterloo" single climb the charts in many European countries. "Waterloo" was ABBA's first number 1 single in big markets such as the UK, Germany and Australia. In the US, it reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, paving the way for their first album there that was their second album, Waterloo —although it only peaked at #145 on the Billboard 200 album chart. ABBA's follow-up single, "Honey, Honey", reached #27 in the US, and was a number 2 hit in Germany. However, in the UK, a cover version of the song by the act Sweet Dreams made #10 because ABBA's British record company, Epic, decided to re-release a remixed version of "Ring Ring" instead. It failed to reach the Top 30, increasing growing speculation that the group were simply Eurovision one-hit wonders. 1974 Tour In November 1974, ABBA embarked on their first European tour, playing dates in Denmark, West Germany, and Austria. It was not as successful as the band had hoped, since most of the venues did not sell out. Due to a lack of demand, they were even forced to cancel a few shows, including a show scheduled in Switzerland. The second leg of the tour which took them through Scandinavia in January 1975, was entirely different. They played to full houses and finally got the reception they hoped for. For three weeks in the summer of 1975, ABBA compensated for the planned 1974 Swedish tour they were forced to cancel after their Eurovision triumph. They played sixteen open-air dates in Sweden and Finland, attracting huge crowds. Their Stockholm show at the Gröna Lund amusement park was seen by an estimated audience of 19,200.[24] Although further British success was elusive at this time, ABBA continued their huge popularity in other big markets with the next single releases: The rocky up tempo hymn "So Long" peaked at number 11 in Germany and the follow up saxophone midtempo song "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" even topped the charts in Australia and South Africa as well as becoming another Top 10 hit on the loyal German market. Reception in Australia The release of their third album, ABBA, known to fans as "The Limo Album", and their single "SOS" brought back their presence in the UK, where the single hit #6 and the album reached #13. S.O.S. also became ABBA's second number 1 single in both, Germany and Australia. Huge success was further solidified with "Mamma Mia" reaching the #1 spot in all three big markets, the UK, Germany and Australia at the end of January 1976. In the US, "SOS" reached #10 on the Record World Top 100 singles chart and #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, picking up the BMI Award along the way as one of the most played songs on American radio in 1975. Yet the success of the group in the United States remained patchy. While they managed to break into the US singles market where, by early 1976, they already had four Top 30 singles, the album market proved to be tough to crack. The eponymous ABBA album generated no fewer than three real American hits, but it only peaked at #165 on the Cashbox album chart and #174 on the Billboard 200 chart. Opinions were voiced, by Creem in particular, that in the US ABBA had endured "a very sloppy promotional campaign". In Australia, the airing of the videos for "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "Mamma Mia" on nationwide TV in August 1975 started an immense interest for ABBA, resulting in #1 positions on both the single and album charts for months. Superstardom (1976–1981) In March 1976, the band released the compilation Greatest Hits, despite having had only six Top 40 hits in the UK and the US. Nevertheless, it became their first UK #1 album, and also took ABBA into the Top 50 on the US album charts for the first time, eventually selling more than a million copies there. At the same time, Germany released a compilation named "The Very Best of ABBA", also becoming a number 1 album there whereas the "Greatest hits" LP followed few months later to number 2 on the German charts, despite all similarities with "The Very Best" album. Also included on Greatest Hits was a new single, "Fernando". This song had first been written by Ulvaeus and Andersson in Swedish for Lyngstad's Nr 1 1975 solo album Frida ensam (Frida alone). After Lyngstad's major success with the song in Scandinavia, the group decided to record an English version. With "Fernando" hitting #1 in twelve countries worldwide (including the UK and Germany), it occupied the top position in Australia for 14 weeks, tying The Beatles for longest number one for "Hey Jude", making it one of the best-selling singles of all time in that country. That same year, the group received its first international prize, with "Fernando" being chosen as the "Best Studio Recording of 1975". In the US, "Fernando" reached the Top 10 of the Cashbox Top 100 singles chart and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, ABBA's first American number one single of any kind. The group's next album, Arrival, a number 1 bestseller all over Europe and Australia, represented a new level of accomplishment in both songwriting and studio work, prompting rave reviews from more rock-orientated UK music weeklies such as Melody Maker and New Musical Express, and mostly appreciative notices from American critics. In fact, hit after hit flowed from Arrival: "Money, Money, Money", another number 1 in Germany and Australia, and "Knowing Me, Knowing You", ABBAs sixth consecutive German number 1 as well as another UK #1. The real sensation of all was "Dancing Queen", not only topping the charts in the loyal markets UK, Germany and Australia, but also reaching number 1 in the United States. In 1977, Arrival was nominated for the inaugural BRIT Award in the category "Best International Album of the Year". By this time ABBA were very popular in the UK, most of Western Europe and Australia. In Frida the dvd, Lyngstad explains how she and Fältskog developed as singers, as ABBA's recordings got more and more complex over the years. Their popularity in the US would remain on a comparatively smaller scale, and "Dancing Queen" became the only Billboard Hot 100 #1 single ABBA ever had there (they did, however, get three more singles to the #1 position on other Billboard charts, including Billboard Adult Contemporary and Hot Dance Club Play). Nevertheless, Arrival finally became a true breakthrough release for ABBA on the US album market where it peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200 album chart, while reaching platinum sales there as well. European and Australian tour [Photo] [Photo] Agnetha Fältskog at the opening concert in Oslo, 28 January 1977. In January 1977, ABBA hit the road. The group's status had changed dramatically and they were clearly regarded as superstars. They opened their much anticipated tour in Oslo, Norway, on 28 January, and mounted a lavishly produced spectacle that included a few scenes from their self-penned mini-operetta "The Girl With The Golden Hair." The concert attracted immense media attention from across Europe and Australia. They continued the tour through Western Europe visiting Gothenburg, Copenhagen, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Essen, Hanover, Hamburg, and ended it with shows in the UK in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and two sold-out concerts at London's Royal Albert Hall. Tickets for these two shows were available only by mail application and it was later revealed that the box-office received 3.5 million requests for tickets, enough to fill the venue 580 times. There were, however, complaints about the group's performance lacking the same intriguing qualities on stage as what was presented in the studio, as an article in The Times accused the show of being boring.[25] One of the Royal Albert Hall concerts was filmed as a reference for the filming of the Australian tour for what became ABBA: The Movie, though it is not known exactly how much of the concert was filmed. After the European leg of the tour, in March 1977, ABBA played eleven dates in Australia before a total of 160,000 people. The opening concert in Sydney at the Sydney Showground on 3 March before over 20,000 was marred by torrential rain and Frida slipped on the wet stage during the concert. However, all four members would later recall this concert to be the most memorable of their career. Upon their arrival in Melbourne, a civic reception was held at the Town Hall and ABBA appeared on the balcony to greet an enthusiastic crowd of 6,000 people. In Melbourne, ABBA played three concerts at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with 14,500 at each including the Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and his family. At the first Melbourne concert, an additional 16,000 people gathered outside the fenced-off area to listen to the concert. In Adelaide, the group performed one concert at West Lakes Football Stadium before 20,000 people with another 10,000 listening outside. During the first of five concerts in Perth, there was a bomb scare with everyone having to evacuate the Entertainment Centre. The trip was accompanied by mass hysteria and unprecedented media attention, and is vividly captured on film in ABBA: The Movie, directed by Lasse Hallström. The Australian tour and its subsequent ABBA: The Movie produced some ABBA lore, as well. Agnetha Fältskog's blonde good looks had long made her the band's 'pin-up girl', a role she disdained. During the Australian tour, she performed in a skin-tight white jumpsuit, causing one Australian newspaper to use the headline "Agnetha's bottom tops dull show". When asked about this at a news conference, she replied: "Don't they have bottoms in Australia?"[26] In December 1977, ABBA followed up Arrival with the more musically and lyrically ambitious fifth album The Album, which was released to coincide with ABBA: The Movie. Although the album was less well-received by the critics in the UK, it did spawn more worldwide hits: "The Name of the Game" and "Take a Chance on Me", both of which topped the UK charts, and reached #12 and #3, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. Although "Take a Chance on Me" did not top the American charts, it has actually proved to be ABBA's biggest hit single in the United States, selling more copies than "Dancing Queen".[27] The Album also included the ABBA signature tune, "Thank You for the Music", released as a single in the UK in 1983, and had been the B-side of "Eagle" in countries where the latter had been released. Polar Music Studio formation By 1978, ABBA was a megagroup. They converted a vacant theatre into the Polar Music Studio, a state-of-the-art studio in Stockholm. The studio was used by several other bands; notably, Genesis' Duke and Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door were recorded there. During May, the group went to the US for a huge promotional campaign, and performed on Olivia Newton-John's TV show. However, a lot of effort was put into the new recording studio in Stockholm. The recording sessions for "Summer Night City" were an uphill struggle, but upon release the song became another significant hit for the group. The track would also set the stage for ABBA's foray into disco with their upcoming album.[28] Several years ago, the original Polar Music Studios (by that time renamed Polar Studios) were closed because the landlord of the building had increased the rent required. The site is now a Fitness First gymnasium, and there is a display in its foyer acknowledging its history as Polar (Music) Studios. On 9 January 1979, the group performed "Chiquitita" at the Music for UNICEF Concert held at the United Nations General Assembly to celebrate UNICEF's Year of the Child. ABBA donated the copyright of this worldwide hit to the UNICEF; see Music for UNICEF Concert.[29] The single was released the following week, and reached #1 in ten countries. North American and European Tours [Photo] [Photo] Anni-Frid Lyngstad, "Frida", on stage in Japan, 1980. In mid-January 1979, Ulvaeus and Fältskog announced they were getting divorced. The news caused a massive interest from the media, and led to speculation about the band's future. ABBA assured the press and their fanbase they were continuing their work as a group, and that the divorce would not affect them.[30] Nonetheless, the media continued to confront them with this in interviews. The group's sixth album, Voulez-Vous, was released in April 1979, the title track of which was recorded at the famous Criteria Studios in Miami, U.S. with the assistance, among others, of recording engineer Tom Dowd. The album topped the charts across Europe and in Japan and Mexico, hit the Top 10 in Canada and Australia and the Top 20 in the US. None of the singles from the album reached #1 on the UK charts, but "Chiquitita", "Does Your Mother Know", "Angeleyes" and "Voulez-Vous" all charted no lower than #4. "I Have a Dream" was the exception, when the single reached #2 in UK and #1 on Eurochart Hot 100 singles. In Canada, "I Have a Dream" became ABBA's second #1 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart, after "Fernando" hit the top previously. Later that year, the group released their second compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol. 2, which featured a brand new track: "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)", another number 3 hit in both, the UK and Germany. In Russia during the late 1970s, they were paid in oil commodities because of an embargo on the ruble.[31] On 13 September 1979, ABBA began their first (and only) North American Tour at the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton, Canada, with a full house of 14,000. During the next four weeks, they played a total of seventeen sold-out dates, thirteen in the U.S. and four in Canada. The last scheduled ABBA concert on U.S. soil, in Washington, DC, was canceled due to Agnetha Fältskog's emotional distress suffered during the flight from New York to Boston, when the private plane the group was on was subjected to extreme weather conditions and was unable to land for an extended period. The tour ended with a show in Toronto, Canada at Maple Leaf Gardens before a capacity crowd of 18,000. The shows also generated the same type of complaints that were expressed during the group's 1977 tour: many fans regarded ABBA as more of a studio group than a live band. On 19 October 1979, the tour resumed in Western Europe where the band played 23 sold-out gigs, including an unprecedented six sold-out nights at London's Wembley Arena. Progression In March 1980, ABBA traveled to Japan where upon their arrival at Narita International Airport, they were besieged by thousands of fans. The group played eleven concerts to full houses, including six shows at Tokyo's Budokan. This tour was the last "on the road" adventure of their career. The same year saw the release of ABBA's seventh album Super Trouper, which reflected a certain change in ABBA's style with more prominent use of synthesisers and increasingly more personal lyrics. It set a record for the most pre-orders ever received for a UK album after one million copies were ordered before release. Anticipation for the album had been built up by "The Winner Takes It All", the group's eighth UK chart topper (and their first since 1978). In the US, the single reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became ABBA's second Billboard Adult Contemporary #1. The song was allegedly written about Ulvaeus and Fältskog's marital tribulations. The next single from the album, "Super Trouper", also hit #1 in the UK as well as in Germany, becoming the group's ninth and final UK chart-topper. Another track from Super Trouper, "Lay All Your Love on Me", released in 1981 as a 12-inch single only in selected territories, managed to top the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and peaked at #7 on the UK singles chart becoming at the time the highest ever charting 12-inch release in UK chart history. Also in 1980, ABBA recorded a compilation of Spanish-language versions of their hits called Gracias Por La Música. It was released in Spanish-speaking countries as well as Japan and Australia. The album became a major success, and along with the Spanish version of "Chiquitita", this signaled the group's breakthrough in Latin America. The final album and performances (1981–1982) In January 1981, Ulvaeus married Lena Källersjö, and manager Stig Anderson celebrated his 50th birthday with a huge party. For this occasion, ABBA recorded the track 'Hovas Vittne' (a pun on the Swedish word for Jehovah's Witness) as a tribute to him, and released it only on 200 red vinyl copies, to be distributed to the guests attending the party. This single has become a most sought-after collectible. In mid-February 1981, Andersson and Lyngstad announced they were filing for divorce. Information surfaced that their marriage had been an uphill struggle for years, and Benny had already met another woman, Mona Nörklit, whom he married in November the same year. Andersson and Ulvaeus had songwriting sessions during the first months of 1981, and recording sessions began in mid-March. At the end of April, the group recorded a TV special, Dick Cavett meets ABBA with the US talk show host Dick Cavett. The Visitors, ABBA's eighth and final studio album, showed a songwriting maturity and depth of feeling distinctly lacking from their earlier recordings but still placing the band squarely in the pop genre, with catchy tunes and harmonies. Although not revealed at the time of its release, the album's title track, according to Ulvaeus, refers to the secret meetings held against the approval of totalitarian governments in Soviet-dominated states, while other tracks address topics like failed relationships, the threat of war, aging, loss of innocence, and a parent watching a child grow up. This change of content lead to the release of the album "The Visitors" including the UK #3 single "One of Us", also the last of ABBA's nine number 1 singles in Germany in December 1981. Although it topped the album charts across most of Europe, including the UK and Germany, The Visitors was not as commercially successful as its predecessors, showing at a commercial decline in previous loyal markets such as France, Australia or Japan. A track from The Visitors, "When All Is Said and Done", was released as a single in North America, Australia and New Zealand, and fittingly became ABBA's final Top 40 hit in the US, while reaching #4 on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart in Canada. The song's lyrics, as with "The Winner Takes It All" and "One of Us", dealt with the painful experience of splitting up from a long-term partner, though it looked at it more optimistically. With the now publicized story of Andersson and Lyngstad's divorce, speculation increased of tension within the band. Also released in the US was the title track of The Visitors, which hit the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Last recording sessions [Photo] [Photo] The cover of The Singles: The First Ten Years. In the spring of 1982, songwriting sessions had started and the group came together for more recordings. Plans were not completely clear, but a new album was discussed and the prospect of a small tour suggested. The recording sessions in May and June were a struggle, and only three songs were eventually recorded: "You Owe Me One", "I Am the City", and "Just Like That". Andersson and Ulvaeus were not satisfied with the outcome, so the tapes were shelved and the group took a break for the summer.[32] Back in the studio again in early August, the group had changed plans for the rest of the year: they settled for a Christmas release of a double album compilation of all their past single releases to be named The Singles: The First Ten Years. New songwriting and recording sessions took place,[33] and during October and November, they released the singles "The Day Before You Came"/"Cassandra" and "Under Attack"/"You Owe Me One", the A-sides of which were included on the compilation album. Neither single made the top 20 in the UK, though "The Day Before You Came" became a Top 5 hit in many European countries such as Germany, The Netherlands or Belgium. The album went to #1 in the UK and Belgium, Top 5 in the Netherlands and West Germany and Top 20 in many other countries. "I Am the City" and "Just Like That" were left unreleased on The Singles: The First Ten Years for possible inclusion on the next projected studio album from ABBA, though this never came to fruition. "I Am the City" was eventually released as a bonus track on the compilation album More ABBA Gold in 1993, while "Just Like That" has been recycled in new songs with other artists produced by Andersson and Ulvaeus. A reworked version of the verses ended up in the musical Chess.[34] The chorus section of "Just Like That" was eventually released on a retrospective boxset in 1994. Despite numerous requests from fans, Ulvaeus and Andersson are still refusing to release ABBA's version of "Just Like That" in its entirety, even though the complete version surfaced on bootlegs. The group travelled to London to promote The Singles: The First Ten Years in the first week of November 1982, appearing on Saturday Superstore and The Late, Late Breakfast Show, and also to West Germany in the second week, to perform on Show Express. On 19 November 1982, ABBA appeared for the last time in Sweden on the TV programme Nöjesmaskinen, and on 11 December 1982, they made their last performance ever, transmitted to the UK on Noel Edmonds' The Late, Late Breakfast Show, via a live link from a TV studio in Stockholm. Last performances Andersson and Ulvaeus began collaborating with Tim Rice in early 1983 on writing songs for the musical project Chess, while Fältskog and Lyngstad both concentrated on international solo careers. While Andersson and Ulvaeus were working on the musical, a further cooperation between three of them came with the musical Abbacadabra that was produced in France for television. It was a children's musical utilising 14 ABBA songs. Alain and Daniel Boublil, who wrote Les Miserables, had been in touch with Stig Anderson about the project, and the TV musical was aired over Christmas 1983 on the British channel ITV. Lyngstad, who had recently moved to Paris, participated in the French version, and recorded a single, "Belle", a duet with French singer Daniel Balavoine. The song was a cover of ABBA's instrumental 1976 track "Arrival". As the single "Belle" sold well in France, Cameron Mackintosh wanted to stage an English language version of the show in London, with the French lyrics translated by David Wood and Don Black; Andersson and Ulvaeus got involved in the project, and contributed with one new song, "The Seeker". "Abbacadabra" premièred 8 December 1983 at The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London, to mixed reviews and full houses for eight weeks, closing on 21 January 1984. Lyngstad was involved in this production as well, recording 'Belle' in English as "Time"; a duet with actor and singer B. A. Robertson: the single sold well, this time produced and recorded by Andersson and Ulvaeus. All four members made their last public appearance, as four friends more than as ABBA, in January 1986, when they recorded a video of themselves performing an acoustic version of "Tivedshambo", which was the first song written by their manager, Stig Anderson, for a Swedish TV show honouring Anderson on his 55th birthday. The four had not seen each other for more than two years. That same year they also performed privately at another friend's 40th birthday: their old tour manager, Claes af Geijerstam. They sang a self-composed song titled "Der Kleine Franz" that later was to surface in Chess. The same year ABBA Live was released, featuring selections of live performances from the group's 1977 and 1979 tours. Their last appearance as a group was filmed privately by Anders Glenmark. They were guests on the 50th birthday of Görel Hanser in 1999. Hanser was a long-time friend of all four, and also former secretary of Stig Anderson. Honouring Görel, ABBA performed a Swedish birthday song "Med En Enkel Tulipan" a cappella.[35] Benny Andersson has on several occasions performed old ABBA songs. In June 1992, he and Björn Ulvaeus appeared with U2 at a Stockholm concert, singing the chorus of "Dancing Queen", and a few years later during the final performance of the B & B in Concert in Stockholm, Andersson joined the cast for an encore at the piano. Andersson frequently adds an ABBA song to the playlist when he performs with his BAO band. He also played the piano during new recordings of the ABBA songs "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" with opera singer Anne Sofie von Otter, and "When All Is Said And Done" with Swede Viktoria Tolstoy. Andersson and Ulvaeus both did an a capella rendition of the first verse of "Fernando" as they accepted their Ivor Novello award in London in 2002. Frida Lyngstad performed and recorded an a cappella version of "Dancing Queen" with the Swedish group The Real Group in 1993, and has also re-recorded "I Have a Dream" with Swiss singer Dan Daniell in 2003. Breaking up ABBA has never officially announced the end of the group, but the group has long been considered dissolved. Their last public performance together as ABBA was on the British TV programme The Late, Late Breakfast Show (live from Stockholm) December 11, 1982. In January 1983, Agnetha started recording sessions for a solo album, as Frida had released her Something's Going On a year earlier to great success. Björn and Benny started songwriting sessions for the musical Chess—and ABBA was shelved in the meantime. In interviews, Björn and Benny denied the split of ABBA ("Who are we without our ladies? Initials of Brigitte Bardot?" ) and Frida and Agnetha kept claiming in interviews that ABBA would come together for a new album repeatedly during 1983 and 1984. Internal strife between the group and their manager escalated and the group sold their shares in Polar Music during 1983. With this, the foursome did not come together publicly until all four members were reunited at the Swedish premiere of Mamma Mia! on 4 July 2008. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, following the premiere, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, confirmed that there was nothing that could entice them back on stage again. "We will never appear on stage again", Ulvaeus said. "There is simply no motivation to re-group. Money is not a factor and we would like people to remember us as we were. Young, exuberant, full of energy and ambition. I remember Robert Plant saying Led Zeppelin were a cover band now because they cover all their own stuff. I think that hit the nail on the head."[36] After ABBA Andersson and Ulvaeus Main articles: Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson [Photo] [Photo] Björn Ulvaeus at Gothenburg Book Fair 2007. In October 1984, Ulvaeus and Andersson together with lyricist Tim Rice released the musical concept double album Chess. The singles "One Night in Bangkok" (with vocals by Murray Head) and "I Know Him So Well" (a duet by Barbra Dickson and Elaine Paige and later also recorded by both Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston) were both huge successes. In May 1986, the musical premièred in the West End of London, and ran for almost three years. On Broadway it opened in April 1988, but closed within two months due to bad reviews. The musical has since been staged regularly on a smaller scale to great success, and even the concert version is popular[citation needed]. In Stockholm, the composers staged "Chess på svenska" ('Chess in Swedish') in 2003, with some new material including the musical numbers "Han är en man, han är ett barn" ("He's a man, he's a child") and "Glöm mig om du kan" ("Forget me if you can"). What is considered to be Andersson and Ulvaeus' masterpiece[citation needed], however, is Kristina från Duvemåla, an epic Swedish musical which the composers premiered in Malmö in southern Sweden in October 1995. It was directed for the stage by Lars Rudolfsson and based on the The Emigrants tetralogy by Swedish novelist Vilhelm Moberg. The musical ran for five years in Stockholm, and an English version has been in development for some considerable time. It has been reported that a Broadway production is in its earliest stages of pre-production.[37] [Photo] [Photo] Benny Andersson during a performance in Minnesota 2006. Since 1983, besides Chess and Kristina från Duvemåla, Benny Andersson has continued writing songs with Björn Ulvaeus. The pair produced two English language pop albums with Swedish duo Gemini in 1985 and 1987. In 1987, Andersson also released his first solo album on his Mono Music, called "Klinga mina klockor" ("Ring my bells"), all new material inspired by Swedish folk music - -and followed it with his 2nd album titled November 1989. In the 1990s, Andersson wrote music for the popular Swedish cabaret quartet Ainbusk Singers, giving them two hits: "Lassie" and "Älska mig" ("Love me"), and later produced Shapes - an English language album by the group's Josefin Nilsson with all-new material by Andersson and Ulvaeus. Andersson has also regularly written music for films (most notably to Roy Andersson's Songs from the Second Floor). In 2001, Andersson put together his own band, BAO!, which has released three successful albums in 2001, 2004 and 2007. Andersson has the record of staying in the longest ever run in the Swedish Svensktoppen charts as of April 2007 (the song "Du är min man", "You're My Man", sung by Helen Sjöholm is still there, presently at #2 in its 228th week as of November 16th, 2008 [38] Andersson has released his third album BAO 3 October 2007 with new material with his band BAO! and vocalists Helen Sjöholm and Tommy Körberg, as well as playing to full houses at two of Sweden's largest concert venues in October and November 2007 with an audience of 14,000. Björn Ulvaeus has not appeared on stage performing music since ABBA, but had a reunion with his co-members of The Hootenanny Singers on 16 July 2005 at a music festival in his hometown of Västervik, singing their 1966 hit "Marianne". Andersson and Ulvaeus are highly involved in the worldwide productions of the musical Mamma Mia!, alongside Lyngstad who attends premieres. They were also involved in the production of the successful film version of the musical, which opened in July 2008. Andersson produced the soundtrack utilising many of the musicians ABBA used on their albums and tours. Andersson made a cameo appearance in the movie as a 'fisherman' piano player in the 'Dancing Queen' scene, while Ulvaeus is seen as a Greek god playing harp during the closing credits. Andersson and Ulvaeus are continuosly composing new material; most recently the two wrote a song for Swedish singer Sissela Kyle for her Stockholm stage show "Your Days Are Numbered", titled "Jag vill bli gammal" ("I Wanna Grow Old"); last year they wrote "Han som har vunnit allt" ("He Who's Won It All") for actor/singer Anders Ekborg and "I Walk With You Mama" and "After the Rain" for opera singer Anne Sofie Von Otter for her Andersson tribute album "I Let The Music Speak". Fältskog and Lyngstad Main articles: Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad Both female members of ABBA pursued solo careers on the international scene following the break-up of the band. In 1982, Lyngstad chose Genesis drummer and singer Phil Collins to produce the album Something's Going On and unveiled the hit single and video " I Know There's Something Going On" in autumn of that year. The single became a #1 hit in France, where it spent five weeks at the top, Belgium, Switzerland and Costa Rica. The track reached #3 in Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Poland, and was also a Top 10 hit in Germany, Italy, South Africa and Finland. In the United States, the single reached #13. In all, "I Know There's Something Going On" sold 3.5 million copies worldwide and is the biggest selling single any of the four members have had outside ABBA. Lyngstad's album sold 1.5 million copies internationally.[39] Swedish Television, SVT, documented this historical event, by filming the whole recording process. The result became a one hour TV-documentary, including interviews with Frida & Phil, Björn & Benny as well as all the musicians. This documentary and the promotion videos from the album, are included in Frida - The DVD. [Photo] [Photo] Lyngstad 1984. Photosessions for the "Shine" album. Frida's second solo album after ABBA was the experimental Shine, produced by Steve Lillywhite. "Shine" was recorded in Paris and released in 1984. "Shine" reached the Top 10 on the album charts in Sweden, Norway and Belgium and the Top 20 in the Netherlands. This album was Frida's final studio album release for twelve years. The promotion videos and clips for "Shine" are included in Frida the dvd. Agnetha Fältskog followed in 1983 with the album Wrap Your Arms Around Me. This included the hit single "The Heat Is On", which was a hit in Europe and Scandinavia. In the US, Fältskog scored a Billboard Top 30 hit with "Can't Shake Loose". In Europe, the single "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" was another successful hit, topping the charts in Belgium and Denmark, reaching the Top 5 in Sweden and the Netherlands and the Top 20 in Germany and France. Her album sold 1.2 million copies worldwide.[40] Fältskog's second post-ABBA solo album was Eyes of a Woman, released in March 1985, which reached #2 in Sweden and performed reasonably well in Europe. The first single from the album was "I Won't Let You Go". In November 1987, Fältskog released her third post-ABBA solo album, the Peter Cetera-produced I Stand Alone, (which also included the Billboard hit "I Wasn't The One (Who Said Goodbye)". The album sold very well in Sweden, where it spent eight weeks at #1. Later that year, however, Fältskog withdrew from public life and halted her music career for a while. In 1996, she released her autobiography, As I Am, and a compilation album featuring her solo hits alongside some ABBA classics. In 2004, she made a successful comeback, releasing the critically acclaimed album My Colouring Book, which debuted at #1 in Sweden (achieving triple-platinum status), #6 in Germany, and #12 in the UK, winning a silver award, and achieving gold status in Finland. The single "If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind" became Fältskog's biggest solo hit in the UK, reaching the #11 position. The single saw the #2 spot in Sweden and was a hit throughout Scandinavia and Europe. In January 2007, she sang a live duet on stage with Swedish singer Tommy Körberg at the after party for the final showing of the musical, Mamma Mia!, in Stockholm, at which Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus were also present. In 1992 Frida was asked and chosen to be the chairperson for the environmental organisation "Artister för miljön" (Artists for the Environment) in Sweden. Frida accepted and became chairwoman for this organisation from 1992 to 1995. To mark her interests for the environment, she recorded the Julian Lennon song Saltwater and performed it live in Stockholm. She arranged and financed summer camps for poor children in Sweden, focussing on environmental and ecological issues. Her environmental work for this organisation led up to the decision to record again. Djupa andetag (Deep Breaths) was released towards the end of 1996 and became a huge success in Sweden, where it reached #1 and Scandinavia. The lyrics for the single from this album, "Även en blomma" (Even a Flower), deal with environmental issues. In 2004, Lyngstad recorded a song called "The Sun Will Shine Again", written especially for her and released with former Deep Purple member Jon Lord. The couple made several TV performances with this song in Germany. The following year, she released a career retrospective DVD, "Frida the DVD" and also a boxset, The "Frida Box Set". Lyngstad lives a low-profile life but occasionally appears at a party or charity function. On 26 August 1992, she married Prince Heinrich Ruzzo Reuss von Plauen, of the German Reuss family. Von Plauen died of lymphoma at the age of 49. In addition to losing her husband, Lyngstad had also lost her daughter in a car crash a year earlier. Revival The same year the members of ABBA went their separate ways, the French production of a 'tribute' show; a children's TV musical named Abbacadabra, using 14 of ABBA's songs, spawned new interest in the group's music. The London staging of the musical had stars such as Elaine Paige and Finola Hughes singing new lyrics to the old ABBA hits. After receiving little attention during the mid 1980s, ABBA's music experienced a resurgence in the early 1990s due in part to the Australian tribute act Björn Again, and the UK synth-pop duo Erasure who released an EP featuring cover versions of ABBA's songs which topped the charts in the spring of 1992. As U2 arrived in Stockholm for a concert in June of that year, the band paid homage to ABBA by inviting Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson to join them on stage for a rendition of "Dancing Queen", playing guitar and keyboards. September 1992 saw the release of ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits, a new compilation album, which became a massive worldwide seller. The album became the most popular ABBA release ever, selling more than twenty-six million copies to date and setting chart longevity records. The enormous interest in the Gold compilation saw the release of More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits in 1993. This collection also contained the bonus track "I Am the City", one of the unreleased songs from the 1982 recording sessions. In 1994 two Australian movies caught the attention of the world's media, both focussing on admiration for ABBA: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel's Wedding. The same year, Thank You for the Music, a four-disc box set comprising all the group's hits and stand-out album tracks, was released with the involvement of all four members. For this release, several demo versions and odd tracks were discovered in the Polar vaults. ABBA were soon recognised and embraced by other acts: Evan Dando of The Lemonheads recorded a cover version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You",[41] Sinéad O'Connor and Boyzone's Stephen Gately have recorded "Chiquitita", Tanita Tikaram, and Blancmange paid tribute to "The Day Before You Came", Cliff Richard covered "Lay All Your Love On Me", while Dionne Warwick and Peter Cetera recorded their versions of "SOS". U.S. alternative-rock musician Marshall Crenshaw has also been known to play a version of "Knowing Me, Knowing You" in concert appearances. Swedish metal guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen covered "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" with slightly altered lyrics. Tribute albums were released both in Sweden and the UK. In Sweden, the growing recognition of the legacy of Andersson and Ulvaeus resulted in the 1998 B & B Concerts: a tribute concert (with Swedish singers who had worked with the composers through the years) showcasing not only their ABBA years, but even hits from the 1960s and after ABBA. The concert was a huge success, released on CD, and later toured Scandinavia and even went to Beijing in the People's Republic of China for two concerts. In 1999, Sweden saw the birth of ABBA Teens, later re-named A*Teens, recording techno-pop versions of ABBA songs to huge success worldwide: not only the English original versions, but ABBA's Spanish versions also. In April 1999, the Mamma Mia! musical opened in London, and soon premièred in cities worldwide to huge success. In 2000 ABBA were reported to have turned down an offer of approximately US$1,000,000,000 to do a reunion tour consisting of 100 concerts.[42] However, this information is widely considered an urban legend, whereas the actual amount was near 1 billion Swedish Kroner ($140,000,000 million US dollars). Thomas Johansson, director of the concert arranger EMA-Telstar and manager of ABBA explains "That is a kind of urban tale where people has mixed together different pieces of information. But it is true that we have been offered breathtaking sums for a reunited ABBA." [43] For the 2004 semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, staged in Istanbul thirty years after ABBA had won the contest in Brighton, all four members of ABBA appeared briefly in a special comedy video made for the interval act, entitled "Our Last Video Ever". Each of the four members of the group made a brief cameo role, as did others such as Cher and Rik Mayall. The video was not included in the official DVD release of the Eurovision Contest, but was issued as a separate DVD release, retitled "The Last Video" at the request of the former ABBA members. Although it was billed as the first time the four had worked together since the group split, each member was filmed seperately. In 2005 all four members of ABBA appeared at the Stockholm premiere of the musical Mamma Mia [44]. With Mamma Mia!'s huge success worldwide, and the 2008 film starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, there is a huge interest in ABBA's music. However, in a November 2004 interview with the German magazine Bunte, Ulvaeus said a reunion would not satisfy ABBA's many fans, even though there are legions of them around the world often clamouring for one. In 2008 all four ABBA members were reunited at the Swedish premiere of the film Mamma Mia! on 4 July. It was only the second time all of them had appeared together in public since 1986.[45] During the appearance, they re-emphasized that they intended never to officially reunite, citing the opinion of Robert Plant that the re-formed Led Zeppelin was more like a cover band of itself than the original band. Ulvaeus stated that he wanted the band to be remembered as they were during the peak years of their success. [46] The compilation album ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits, originally released in 1992, returned to number one in the UK album charts for the fifth time on 3 August 2008.[47]. On 14 August 2008, the Mamma Mia! The Movie film soundtrack went to Number 1 on the USA Billboard Charts. While ABBA were together, the highest album chart position they ever achieved in America was No. 14. 2008 was the first time an "ABBA" album went to the top of the American Record Charts. In 2008 the Swedish band The Airwaves recorded an ABBA tribute song "Hey You, Ring Me Tonight". The song is written by Clive Jones who is a member of an English band Black Widow. Most recently all 8 studio albums together with a 9th of rare tracks has been released as ABBA The Albums. Amazingly it has hit several charts, peaking at no4 in Sweden and top 10 in several other European territories. Uk release is Monday 24th November. In 2008, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe in collabaration with Universal Music Group Sweden AB, released SingStar ABBA on both PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 video game systems, as part of the SingStar music video games. The game features over 20 ABBA songs most of them #1 hits. The game was released worldwide and as a stand-alone game. [Photo] [Photo] Posing together with the actors from the motion picture Mamma Mia! The Movie on July 4, 2008 are the original ABBA members. Far left, Benny Andersson. Fifth from left, Agnetha Fältskog ("Anna"), with her hand on Anni-Frid Lyngstad's ("Frida") shoulder. Second from right, Björn Ulvaeus. Fashion, videos, and advertising campaigns ABBA were widely noted for the colourful and trend-setting costumes its members wore. The videos that accompanied some of their biggest hits are often cited as being among the earliest examples of the genre. Most of ABBA's videos (and ABBA: The Movie) were directed by Lasse Hallström who would later direct the films My Life as a Dog, The Cider House Rules and Chocolat. ABBA made videos because their songs were hits in so many different countries and personal appearances weren't always possible. This was also in an effort to minimize traveling, particularly to countries that would have required extremely long flights. Fältskog and Ulvaeus had two young children, and Fältskog, who was also afraid of flying, was very reluctant to leave her children for such a long time. ABBA's manager, Stig Anderson, realized the potential of showing a simple video clip on television to publicize a single or album, thereby allowing easier and quicker exposure than a concert tour. Some of these videos became classics because of the 1970s era costumes and early video effects, such as the grouping of the band members in different combinations of pairs, overlapping one singer's profile with the other's full face, and the contrasting of one member against another. The director somehow managed to produce the videos with acts that seem to be integrated with the music. In 1976, ABBA participated in a high-profile advertising campaign by the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., which was designed to promote the brand "National". This campaign was designed initially for Australia, where "National" was still the primary brand used by Matsushita, who had not introduced the "Panasonic" brand to Australia yet, despite its widespread use in other parts of the world such as the U.S. However, the campaign was also aired in Japan. Five commercials, each approximately one minute long, were produced, each using the "National Song" sung by ABBA, which used the melody and instrumental arrangement of Fernando, adapted with new lyrics promoting National, and working in several slogans used by National in their advertising.[48] In 2008, United States Senator John McCain wanted to use the group's music in his 2008 presidential campaign, but opted against it, citing licensing and other concerns.[49]

Selengkapnya...

They were the biggest-selling group of the 70s. No fewer than ten of their singles went on to become million-sellers, and by 2005 combined worldwide sales of albums and singles well exceeded 100 million units. Yet the Carpenters were much more than creators of beautifully crafted and hugely successful hit records. Within the space of just a few years their unique and inimitable sound had brought a new dimension to the world of popular music.


[Photo]Richard Carpenter had shown an interest in music from a very early age. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, on October 15, 1946, he can remember listening to his father’s 78s when he was just three and four years old. His father, who worked for a container corporation, had everything from the classics to big band music. Richard would develop a similarly eclectic taste in music. He heard more music on the radio, and soon he was asking his parents to buy him some of the records he heard. Guy Mitchell, Perry Como, Patti Page and Nat King Cole were particular favorites, as were guitarist Les Paul and his wife Mary Ford, and he also enjoyed both the Dixieland jazz of Red Nichols and the comedy of Spike Jones and his City Slickers. [Photo] At the age of eight, he started to play some music himself. His first instrument was the accordion, but he soon abandoned that in favor of the piano. By the time he was 15, he was studying piano at Yale and was part of a piano/bass/drums trio, playing at venues in and around New Haven. [Photo]His sister Karen, on the other hand, initially showed no musical inclinations other than listening to records. Born on March 2, 1950, she was barely into her teens when in 1963 the whole family moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Downey. It would be the following year before Karen felt any urge to express herself musically. Richard attended Downey High School as a senior and during this time studied piano at the University of Southern California. Informed that he could be transferred out of physical education if he were a member of the high school marching band, he was faced with the problem that the piano is not a particularly portable instrument. Upon hearing him play however, the band’s director, Bruce Gifford, asked him to play piano with the concert band in a class performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue. Gifford went on to invite Richard to join his own combo playing music outside the high school itself. By late 1964 Karen’s musical talent was awakening. Now a first-year student at Downey High School and playing glockenspiel in the marching band, she was inspired by the drumming ability of band mate Frankie Chavez. She went home and started adding her own rhythm accompaniments to some of her records, using a pair of chopsticks and a set of bar stools as her drum kit. When her parents responded by buying her a proper drum set, she was able to play it instantly, and before long the idea of some kind of Carpenters group had been born. Karen was just 15 when the Carpenter Trio was formed. The brother and sister teamed up with a classmate Richard had met in June of 1965, tuba and bass player Wes Jacobs, to play jazz. At Richard’s urging, Karen would sing an occasional selection but primarily the trio was an instrumental outfit, as Karen’s distinctive singing voice was just developing and she was not very happy with the sound. By early 1966, however, Karen’s voice had matured quite a bit and, while still a bit rough around the edges, had developed enough to attract the interest of more than a few. [Photo]Through a classmate, an audition for Karen and Richard had been scheduled with West Coast studio electric bassist nonpareil, Joe Osborn. Osborn and a partner had recently launched a record label, Magic Lamp, and were on a search for new talent. Slated for approximately 1 a.m., as Joe routinely worked in the studios until midnight, the audition took place at Osborn’s garage studio at his home in the San Fernando Valley. Richard played, Karen sang, and a decision was then made to record and listen. The result was incredible; Karen’s voice was born to be recorded and, in May of 1966, Harold and Agnes Carpenter signed a contract for Karen with the fledgling label. From several songs cut, two written by Richard but named as Karen Carpenter solo records, were issued as a single, Looking For Love and I’ll Be Yours. It was a start, but it went nowhere. The small label had no machinery for distribution and promotion, and it folded within a year.What happened next was every young act’s dream. The Richard Carpenter Trio had reached the finals of the prestigious amateur talent contest ‘The Battle of the Bands’ at the Hollywood Bowl on June 24, 1966 and triumphed. Iced tea was the favorite drink of Karen and Richard, and he composed an ambitious instrumental with that title that was a showcase for Wes Jacob’s tuba and Karen’s drumming. The group’s originality impressed the judges. [Photo]Their other song was a dazzling instrumental version of the bossa nova classic The Girl From Ipanema, popularized by Astrud Gilberto with Stan Getz. A multi-time signature rendition arranged by Richard drew applause from the judges – and the trio took three awards including best combo, outstanding instrumentalist (Richard), and the sweepstakes trophy for the highest score of any act in the whole contest. Their victories were the talk of the Hollywood Bowl. Reviewing the show in the Los Angeles Times, Leonard Feather wrote: “The musical surprise of the evening was the Trio of Richard Carpenter, a remarkably original soloist who won awards as the best instrumentalist and leader of the best combo. Flanking his piano were Karen Carpenter, his talented sixteen year old sister, at the drums, and bassist Wes Jacobs who doubled amusingly and confidently on tuba.” As Richard walked with Karen to the parking lot, a man walked over to congratulate them and inquire whether they might like to make test records. “I was nineteen, smug, full of myself, and we’d just won,” Richard says. “I told him we already had a contract. He said to give him a call if things changed, and gave me his card.” This card gave his name as Neely Plumb, the prominent West Coast manager of pop with the giant RCA Records. Pulling his foot from his mouth, Richard gathered himself quickly and said that actually his sister was signed to a small company as a singer, but the trio was not. (Richard was signed only as a songwriter to Light-Up Music, the publishing arm of Magic Lamp Records.) Plumb said he was interested in their instrumental sound, and a test at RCA followed. It transpired that Plumb wanted to develop a ‘rock tuba’ sound by emphasizing the uniqueness of Wes Jacobs. In September, the trio signed with RCA and quickly cut eleven tracks, including Strangers in the Night, the Beatles’ Every Little Thing, and an original, Flat Baroque which eventually became a popular Carpenters track. But the RCA committee voted against them all. With psychedelia dawning, they saw no commercial potential in a jazzy trio. Losing confidence in getting themselves established with RCA, Richard, Karen and Wes accepted the company’s offer of a few hundred dollars to end the contract. Before long the trio had split up. Jacobs decided that his way forward was in concert music, and left to pursue that aim and study at Julliard. The two Carpenters went back to their respective studies. [Photo]One of Richard’s fellow students at the time was John Bettis. The two would form a lasting friendship and together they would later write several of the Carpenters’ biggest hits. Their first experience of working together professionally was less successful, however. They both took a job at Coke Corner on Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. There, routinely deviating from the selections of turn-of-the-century tunes they were asked to perform, the pair were sacked after four months.


[Photo]During this period Richard formed a second musical outfit with sister Karen, who now sang with the marvelous voice millions would soon love. John Bettis was one of its members – as were three more fellow students, Leslie Johnston, Gary Sims and Danny Woodhams. With Carpenter and Bettis writing the bulk of the group’s repertoire and Richard crafting the arrangements, they called themselves Spectrum. This time Richard opted for a vocal approach. Much of his inspiration came from the harmonies of Mary Ford, the Beach Boys and the Association, but the arrangements were very much Richard’s own. It was the new rock bands, however, that were receiving most of the interest at the time, and Spectrum suffered in consequence. Although they played support dates at such major venues as The Blue Law and The Whisky A-Go-Go, the band was short-lived, and Richard and Karen were soon on their own once more. It was during this time that Karen saw a doctor about her weight. From her early years she had been chubby and by seventeen and weighing 145 pounds (too much for her height of five feet, four inches), she felt she had endured it long enough. The Stillman diet was prescribed in which Karen had to drink 8 glasses of water daily, avoid all fatty foods, and take some vitamins. She hated the diet but adopted it rigidly. Meeting Richard and John after their performances at Disneyland, Karen would go on with them to rehearsals. Following these, the group went to Coco’s coffee shop for milk shakes, onion rings, and burgers – food she normally ate voraciously. But she did not sway from her task and lost twenty-five pounds during these six months in 1967 – and stayed at her new weight of around 120 pounds from then until 1973. [Photo]The taciturn Joe Osborn was the pivot of the group’s next move. With Richard now believing that his arranging skills, his sister’s singing style, and their overdubbed vocals were the three keys to their future, Joe suggested they return to his studio. There, in mid 1968, recording all the vocals themselves, they cut three tracks, a new composition by Richard, Don’t Be Afraid, and Carpenter-Bettis compositions Your Wonderful Parade and the a cappella Invocation. The results were ‘terrific,’ Richard decided after three sessions. They had hit a winning groove. “Karen’s sound was there. It was just a matter of the right song, and we were getting close.” He decided boldly that he and Karen would form a new sound of their own, and to hell with fancy names. They would be Carpenters, without the as a prefix, since Richard felt it sounded hipper and in the same style as Buffalo Springfield and Jefferson Airplane. Although Karen still considered herself primarily a drummer who sang, Richard sensed there was a lot more potential in her vocals. There were to be a number of bumps on their new route to success, but as they now pulled away from the concept of a band sound, luck was to smile on them.
After two years of battling for a breakthrough, the summer of 1968 came with a flurry of activity that brought them an escalator to success. It was the height of the Vietnam War, and Richard, heavily draftable, had been granted a student deferment, which meant he could stay at the university at Long Beach. There he heard of a new national TV program, ‘Your All American College Show,’ for which talent scouts auditioned acts on campuses. Those selected went to Hollywood to tape the show before a celebrity judging panel. Broadcast nationally, the much-vaunted show was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive and produced by the prominent radio and commercial announcer Wendell Niles. If they succeeded in getting on that show, the publicity value would be enormous. With Karen at the drums, Richard at the piano, and a talented bassist, Bill Sissyoev, recruited specially, they auditioned at CSULB in spring 1968 with a short medley of Dancing in the Street and The Shadow of Your Smile. Featuring technically difficult piano solos interjected by Richard to show off his ability, along with Karen’s singing talent and drum solo, they easily outstripped the other acts. They were accepted by “Your All American College Show,” appearing as the trio three times that year. In all, the trio won $3,500; Richard also won $3,500 for his subsequent solo performances, and the public exposure was a valuable fillip. Another triumph followed quickly. What was at that time still the subculture of rock and pop music was beginning to be projected in television commercials. Richard was phoned by John Bahler, who, with his brother Tom, had a group called Love Generation. The Bahler brothers, hired by the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, had seen Karen and Richard on “Your All American College Show”. That firm’s client, Ford Motor Company, wanted to augment the Bahler brothers’ group (by now called The Going Thing after the current Ford campaign) to help generate interest in Ford and also to promote an upcoming new car, the Maverick. Auditioning about two hundred acts in New York and another two hundred at Sunset Sound in Hollywood, the Bahlers were impressed with the energy and musicality of Richard and Karen – and in early 1969 they were signed to a contract worth initially a gigantic fifty thousand dollars each annually plus a special Mustang car each. Richard and Karen were elated at the prospect of this windfall. At last, it seemed, their worth was being recognized. Still, a record deal eluded them, and for all their talent and activity, the only real recognition as popular artists would come from seeing and hearing their music tearing up the best-selling record charts. That was the only real yardstick of success.

[Photo]At first, they again found that not one of the record companies were interested in the tapes they made, but eventually, through a circuitous route, the recordings ended up with the co-founder of A&M Records, Herb Alpert. By 1969, Alpert was the world-famous trumpeter and leader of the hugely successful Tijuana Brass. He was also the “A” in the lively record company A&M. As he played one of the hundreds of tapes that landed on his desk every week from hopeful artists, one that featured Karen Carpenter’s voice struck an emotional chord: it reminded him of his high school teens, of Patti Page singing down to him from speakers in the trees in a garden when he was visiting Lake Arrowhead, California. “I remember staring up at the speakers thinking Patti Page’s voice was in my lap. It had so much presence. [Photo] “The first note I heard from this tape was Karen’s voice. And I had that same feeling. My mind went back to the speaker system on that tree. It felt like her voice was on the couch, like she was sitting next to me. It was full and round, and it was … amazing….. This voice was buzzing into my body, and it was the way they presented it.” With his partner, Jerry Moss, Alpert had begun A&M in 1962 with two parallels to the Carpenters’ route to his door. He had begun the Tijuana Brass in his makeshift garage studio, just as they had experienced with Joe Osborn; and, like Karen and Richard, Alpert had once been signed unsuccessfully to RCA Records – in his case, as a singer. His suggestion that he play trumpet for the label was rejected. These coincidences were not known to either party as the tape wended its circuitous way to Alpert’s desk in early 1969. As well as heralding new rock sounds, Alpert and Moss valued a backbone of songwriters of pure pop single hits, and two notable Americans were also inside the A&M fold: Burt Bacharach, who with his partner, Hal David, composed a string of golden hits for singer Dionne Warwick; and Paul Williams, an introspective writer who sang his own lovelorn material co-written with his partner, Roger Nichols, also an A&M artist. Alpert and Moss had thus created a highly individualistic label. It was not challenging such giants as Capitol and Warner Brothers, but it had panache. And it had an asset at the helm which all the musicians respected: Alpert, a natural trumpeter and performer who empathized with the artistic temperament. The Carpenters tape that he heard had an impressive multi-harmony sound achieved by Richard and Karen in Osborn’s garage studio. The three songs featured, Your Wonderful Parade, Don’t Be Afraid, and Invocation, represented not trendy rock but straight forward popular music. Alpert, fortunately, always had an ear for talent beyond what he called “the beat of the week.” In love with the voice, the harmonies, and the arrangements, he decided immediately to offer them a deal. On April 22, 1969, Richard and Karen went to the office of Jerry Moss to sign the contract. Since Karen was at nineteen legally underage, once again her parents had to countersign for her. Over the moon with excitement at a record deal, they now faced one worrying hurdle – that signed contract with J. Walter Thompson to tour the United States to hammer across “The Going Thing” commercials. Giving up fifty thousand dollars each plus a car was not palatable, but a disc career promised longevity and there was no serious choice. There would be no time to tour and launch a record career. With some persuasion from Tom Bahler, the agency let them out of the pact, to Richard’s surprise, relief and appreciation. [Photo]In November of 1969 their first album was released. Called ‘Offering’, it included Richard’s ballad version of the Beatles’ 1965 hit Ticket To Ride. Much more than just slowing the song down, Richard tailored John Lennon’s strong melody to Karen’s alto and to the changed mood of the song, which was quite different due to the ballad approach. Certain chords and time signatures were changed as well, and the chart features liberal use of Karen’s and Richard’s overdubbed harmonies. According to one critic, the finished product “virtually redefined the song”; Ticket To Ride is certainly one of Karen’s and Richard’s strongest and most innovative recordings. All this being said, the record did not become a full-fledged hit, but still had a long chart life as it would enter and leave the chart, only to enter again, sometimes “bulleted,” and ultimately reaching No.54 in April, 1970. Considering the fact that most singles never reach the charts, Karen and Richard believed that this was not a bad showing. Besides, Ticket had been heard by the co-writer of the Carpenters’ next single, which was “in the can” and being held up for release as all watched the ever changing fortunes of Ticket To Ride. [Photo]Also on A&M’s books at that time was the hugely talented Burt Bacharach, who showed an early interest in the Carpenters’ work after hearing Ticket To Ride on the radio, and invited them to join him for a number of dates during 1970. In June of that year it was a Burt Bacharach song which would finally bring them worldwide acclaim. They Long To Be Close To You had been written by Bacharach and his partner Hal David some seven years earlier, and was included in Dionne Warwick’s third album. In addition to Karen’s alluring lead vocal, the Carpenters added intricate harmonies to a beautiful arrangement by Richard who also shortened the title and, in six weeks, the song occupied the No.1 spot on the American charts. It remained one of the best sellers of the year, and sold over three million copies worldwide. The song also gave the duo their first British success, reaching No.6 in the autumn of 1970, and became a hit in several other countries. In March of the following year, the recording also won them their first Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus. There was a second Grammy for Best New Artist of 1970. In all, Close To You and the “Close To You” album were nominated in six categories, including Record and Album of the Year. [Photo]By then they had another million-seller to their name. We’ve Only Just Begun, taken from their second album, ‘Close To You’, only just missed the top spot in the US, peaking at No.2. The impact of We’ve Only Just Begun on millions of people cannot be overstated. Written by the then unknown team of Roger Nichols and Paul Williams expressly for a television ad campaign for the Crocker Bank, a California concern, the song caught Richard’s attention, who felt that with the right arrangement, the song would be a hit. The fact that We’ve Only Just Begun is a wedding song did not make any difference to him one way or another, but certainly did to countless couples planning to get married following the record’s release; We’ve Only Just Begun became the wedding song of a generation. In addition, Karen and Richard, Nichols and Williams were bombarded with requests from yearbook committees, asking permission to use We’ve Only Just Begun as the motto of the graduating classes. Additionally, Richard’s interpretation of the song would have quite an impact on the way many ballads to come were arranged, from the voicing of the piano in the intro and first verse, to the entrance of vocals, strings and the use of brass in the bridge. Joining (They Long To Be) Close To You in the Grammy Hall of Fame, We’ve Only Just Begun for years has been considered Karen’s and Richard’s ‘signature’ song. The album, too, was enjoying enormous success, spending well over a year on the US album chart. In addition to the two hit singles, it included many more memorable tracks; among them Help!, Baby It’s You, Mr. Guder and Reason To Believe. In 1971 there were three more hugely successful singles, all of which became million sellers. For All We Know had been featured in the film ‘Lovers And Other Strangers’. With music by Fred Karlin and lyrics by a certain Arthur James and Robb Wilson – actually pseudonyms for Arthur Griffin and Robb Royer of the group Bread – it went on to win an Oscar for the Best Film Song of 1970. [Photo]The Carpenters’ version went to No.3 on the American charts and was soon followed by the similarly successful Rainy Days And Mondays – written, as was We’ve Only Just Begun, by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams. During the last week of May, 1971, while Rainy Days And Mondays was rapidly climbing the charts, Karen and Richard were rapidly videotaping their songs and sketches for an eight-week summer replacement television series entitled “Make Your Own Kind Of Music.” Scheduled to air on NBC in lieu of “The Don Knotts Show,” the summer series was supposed to be a kind of cross between “Laugh-In” and “Sesame Street.” Whatever it was, management should have known better than to persuade Karen and Richard to take any part; Carpenters was too big a name to be associated with a summer replacement series. To make matters worse, although it was considered their show, Karen and Richard were co-billed with somewhat lesser names. Add to this the fact that the show simply was not very good, the result was that “Make Your Own Kind Of Music” left an understandably unfavorable impression with television executives as far as the Carpenters were concerned, while contributing nothing to record sales. A few months later it was the turn of Superstar, which reached the No.2 spot on the American charts but, backed with For All We Know, it also brought the pair their third British success, reaching No.18. Superstar is considered by many to be the ultimate Carpenters’ track, with its haunting melody, off-beat lyric, heartfelt reading by Karen and Grammy nominated arrangement by Richard. There was another album, too. Called simply ‘Carpenters’, it resulted in further chart success in both Britain and America. It also won them yet another Grammy Award, again for Best Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.Despite all their chart successes, however, the Carpenters were no run-of-the-mill hit-parade artists. They actually heralded the start of a whole new era in popular music, and their legacy is still very much in evidence today. Previously, adult record buyers had been served by sophisticated night-club singers like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett and by arranger/conductors like Ray Conniff and Percy Faith. But among the new generation of young adults were some who had different tastes. Although they had been brought up during the rock and pop explosion of the 60s, they too wanted more ‘adult’ music. But they weren’t prepared to settle for what their parents had been offered. These were from among the ‘baby boomers’, whose sheer numbers gave them considerable commercial clout. They wanted music of their own – and what they wanted was a more contemporary kind of ‘pop’. The Carpenters were among the first to provide it – both in their recordings and in live performances. By 1971, the Carpenters were performing all over the world. In London, they packed the Royal Albert Hall during their first European tour. In America, there were sell-out appearances at such prestigious venues as the Hollywood Bowl, and in Japan they performed the first of what would be many sell-out concerts. [Photo]The first half of 1972 saw two more American chart successes with songs arranged by Richard but written by others. Hurting Each Other had originally been recorded by Ruby and the Romantics and It’s Going To Take Some Time had been written by Carole King and Toni Stern. Both songs took the Carpenters into the American Top 20, reaching No.2 and No.12 respectively. It was to be some months before their next British hit single, however, with that honor reserved for Goodbye To Love, written by Richard and Bettis. With the help of a splendid Richard Carpenter arrangement, Karen’s faultless reading and Tony Peluso’s towering guitar solo, it first climbed rapidly up the American charts, reaching No.7 at its peak. Goodbye To Love was then released on a double-sided single in Britain, together with I Won’t Last A Day Without You, another Paul Williams and Roger Nichols song. The single reached No.9 on the British chart. The preceding four singles were all culled from the duo’s fourth album, “A Song For You”, considered by many, including Karen and Richard, to be their finest. Included as well were Top Of The World and Bless The Beasts And Children, from the Stanley Kramer film of almost the same name, “Bless The Beasts And The Children”. This track, one of Karen’s and Richard’s best, was released in the U.S. on the flip of Superstar, and got quite a bit of play in its own right. All told, “A Song For You” contained an impressive six hits, as well as standout tracks such as Flat Baroque, Piano Picker, and the title song. Yet the group still remained more popular in America than with British audiences. In early 1973 there was to be another American hit, the million-selling Sing, before renewed British success with another Carpenter-Bettis composition. Yesterday Once More finally gave the Carpenters’ British career the boost it needed. In mid-1973, the song raced up the British charts, peaking at No.2 – the same position that it reached in America, and higher than that reached by all of the Carpenters’ previous British singles. It would also provide them with yet another million-seller and prove to be a phenomenal success in Japan. The song looked at the craze for musical nostalgia that was prevalent in America at the time. It had been taken from the Carpenters’ equally successful album, ‘Now And Then’, which incorporated a highly unusual idea. The whole of one side was made up of eight classic 60s pop songs presented as a ‘radio show’ skillfully arranged and produced by Richard, with Tony Peluso guesting as a disc jockey. Another Carpenter-Bettis composition, Top Of The World, shot right to the top of the American charts – and to No.5 in Britain – to give them their third million-seller of 1973. There was a hugely successful album as well – a splendid compilation of ‘The Singles 1969-1973’. Nine of the 12 tracks had already sold over a million copies when released as singles. Yet the album still topped both the American and British album charts, eventually selling over two million in the UK and clocking up over 12 million sales in America. [Photo]On May 1, 1973, there was an accolade of a different kind. President Richard Nixon invited the brother and sister to perform at the White House, at a dinner in honor of West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. There was a change of direction for one 1974 release, with a version of Hank Williams’ country favorite Jambalaya featured in ‘Now And Then’. Backed with Mr. Guder, which appeared on their 1970 ‘Close To You’ album, it gave the Carpenters a double-sided British hit, reaching No.12 in March 1974. Jambalaya also became a gold record in Japan and in the Netherlands proved itself to be Karen and Richard’s biggest hit. As John Fogerty and the Blue Ridge Rangers were enjoying some success with the song in 1973, the same time as “Now & Then’s” release, and Yesterday Once More was just following Sing, Richard did not even think about releasing Jambalaya in America. Based on their record’s success in other countries, “Maybe,” Richard now states, “I should have!” The next year began well, too, with another change of pace and another enormously successful single. Please Mr. Postman had been an American chart topper for R&B group the Marvelettes in 1961, and well known in Britain, too, thanks to the Beatles. The Carpenters again took it to the top spot in America, easily selling another million on the way. The recording reached No.2 in the UK charts, and ultimately became their largest selling single worldwide, a fact with which Richard has mixed feelings. Only Yesterday (by Carpenter and Bettis again) was another success on both sides of the Atlantic and there was yet another million-seller album, ‘Horizon’. In addition to the singles successes, Please Mr. Postman and Only Yesterday, the album included Love Me For What I Am, I Can Dream, Can’t I and Desperado. This time they proved even more popular in Britain than in the US with ‘Horizon’ making its debut at the top of the album chart, and staying among the best sellers for nearly six months in all.The constant round of recording and touring was beginning to take its toll on Karen Carpenter. Slimming and health foods were becoming fashionable in the early 1970s, particularly in image-conscious California. So was the cachet of having a trainer visit private houses to supervise exercises. Despite the myriad pressures on her body through travel, erratic eating, her appetite for junk food, and a punishing work schedule, Karen had maintained her weight of 120 pounds from the summer of 1967 all the way through to early 1973. When Karen saw pictures of herself in concert in Lake Tahoe in August 1973 she was appalled. An unflattering dress revealed her paunch, and she hired a “workout guru” to visit her home. She bought a “hip cycle” and lay on her bed with it every morning and took it on tour. Her “guru” advised her to go on a high carbohydrate intake, and she eliminated most of the known calorie-packed foods from her diet, particularly ice cream which she loved. Then something happened to truly frighten her. As she stepped up her exercises, instead of losing weight she became somewhat muscular. “She definitely began to bulk up. She wasn’t too heavy,” Richard says, “but the weight was coming on her.” This threw her into a muddle and could have been the chrysalis of her problem. On November 13, 1973, the Carpenters guested on a Bob Hope TV special. When Karen saw the video of the show soon afterward, she remarked to Richard about her appearance. Self-consciously unhappy about how she appeared, she assured him she intended to “do something about it.” He agreed that she looked heavier than she had previously. The conversation passed as insignificant. She stopped most of the exercises, which she believed to be too muscle-building, and began what she considered to be a normal diet, nothing remarkable or even noticeable by others. It was just sensible enough, she assured Richard, to shed a few pounds which was necessary. With the benefit of hindsight, he now thinks that the “bulking up” caused by the exercises might have been the turning point that intensified her decision to maintain a strict check on her weight. Nobody can be certain of exactly when her anorexic habits took root, Richard insists – chiefly because Karen had always been conscious about her weight. She remarked often on how much she hated her ‘hourglass’ figure. The year 1974 set no alarm bells ringing, as Karen was seen as one of the many health-aware young women – and since she had a historic reason for weight watching, why should anyone have been surprised? Photographed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine on May 22, 1974, wearing a tank top, a cap, and the upbeat expression that was part of her trademark appeal, she looked radiantly happy and healthy. [Photo]Within less than a year, however, Karen plunged into what Richard believes was the period marking the start of the decline that was to prove deadly. By September 1975, due to the onset of anorexia nervosa, her weight had dropped to just 91 pounds, depleting Karen of her normal high energy and forcing her to take two months off to recover. Later that month, Richard flew to both Tokyo and London for press conferences at which he explained that Karen was exhausted and that sold-out tours in both Japan and the U.K. were being postponed to the following year, a monstrous blow to the fans, the promoters involved, and to A&M Records as well. It pained Richard and Karen, as both were raised to honor commitments but, given Karen’s condition, there really could be no second thoughts. Had Karen been in perfect health, the touring schedule set up by management for 1975 was not realistic, especially given the fact that time for recording was supposed to be factored in to any year’s schedule, and recording by a rested Karen and Richard. Richard maintained what he felt was obvious, that the Carpenters were first and foremost a record act and that all of their other successes had stemmed from the records. So much touring had been scheduled in 1974 that not enough time had been set aside to record an album, much to the record company’s dismay, as a Carpenters album following the tremendous successes of “Now and Then” and “The Singles 1969-1973” would have been a monumental seller; witness the success of “Horizon” two years later. Clearly the time had come for a change in management and, in early 1976, that is precisely what happened. At about the same time, Karen and Richard were working on their seventh studio album, “A Kind Of Hush.” Included were a remake of There’s A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World), the 1967 Herman’s Hermits’ hit, which did reach No.12 in the U.S., but was not an object of Richard’s affection for very long, and a lovely Carpenter/ Bettis/ Hammond ballad, I Need To Be In Love, that would reach No.24 in America, but would vindicate Richard’s belief in its hit potential some years later. As the album was being recorded, a deal was being finalized which would procure for Karen and Richard a prime-time network television special, an achievement that had eluded them since the “Make Your Own Kind Of Music” chapter, five years before. Richard and Karen rightfully felt that an act of their stature should have at least one special; after all, every major record act from Barry Manilow to Olivia Newton-John had headlined theirs. [Photo] [Photo]All of this was about to change, as in mid 1976 a deal between the Carpenters and the ABC network was announced and on December 8, 1976, “The Carpenters Very First Television Special,” with guests John Denver and Victor Borge aired to outstanding ratings, placing No.6 for the week. As a result, a deal for more specials was offered, and by 1980 Karen and Richard had completed five specials for ABC. [Photo]Richard was never as fond of these as Karen, who was clearly the star and enjoyed the experience of making them. He feels that, while still being palatable to the average viewer, the specials should have taken more of the musical high road, such as those of Barbra Streisand and Barry Manilow, emphasizing Karen’s remarkable voice, rather than including so many comedy sketches and canned laughter. Richard firmly believes that one reason Karen is relatively underrated as a great singer today is due to the sweet, square image promulgated by the record label, management, and their public relations firm alike, one that he was battling, with little success, throughout their career. Richard believes that the specials, well-executed and successful though they were, did nothing to change that image. With A Kind Of Hush delivered to A&M for June, 1976 release, it was time for Karen and Richard to embark on the first of the postponed tours, this one in Japan, where they performed 21 concerts in a 27 day period in March and April. All were SRO, the tour was a resounding success, and Karen, Richard, and all concerned left for home a bit spent but happy all had worked out so well. After completing the U.S. summer tour and wrapping the first T.V. special, the Carpenters left for Europe and the second postponed tour. Another success, this tour culminated with a record-breaking run at the London Palladium, where an album “Live At The London Palladium” was recorded, mixed by Karen and Richard at AIR Studios, starting about the third night into the engagement, and released within days of the Carpenters’ departure. During the tour, it was becoming increasingly apparent to Richard (and many around him) that his use of a prescription sleeping pill that he had been taking before bed sporadically since late 1971, was no longer sporadic, but now habitual. The medication, Quaalude, had been prescribed by the family doctor who, quite correctly said that, taken as directed, the pill was safe and effective. Richard, not being a party animal, but being a bit naïve, had never heard of Quaalude, which was quite a hit with some of the younger generation on the party circuit. Richard soon found out why; a common side effect was euphoria. To Richard, who had never smoked through high school and college and had not had his mood altered by so much as a beer, this proved quite the experience! All seemed well and good to Richard for the first few years, as he took them in limited quantities, only before bed, and enjoyed the release at the end of some very trying days. The trouble was, of course, that nothing is forever, and that as the years passed he built up a tolerance and ended up taking more. By late 1976, it was affecting him badly at times and he knew that, before too long, he was going to have to face up to the problem. [Photo]In 1977, All You Get From Love Is A Love Song brought the pair renewed American success, reaching No.35 at its peak. But it was the very uncharacteristic Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft (The recognized anthem of World Contact Day) which gave them their only entry in the British chart that year. It reached No.9 These titles, along with the next single Sweet, Sweet Smile, were culled from the album ‘Passage’ which attained gold status. Sweet, Sweet Smile, a recording with a deliberate country arrangement, actually became a Top Ten hit on the American country charts, a first for Karen and Richard. (Top Of The World had previously reached No.2 on the country charts four years earlier by Lynn Anderson, whose recording was a virtual clone of the Carpenters’ track.) In 1978 ‘The Singles 1974-1978’, a UK-only release, took them to the No.2 spot on the British album chart. For Karen and Richard, 1978 was dedicated to concert performances, video taping two television specials, and a project the pair had wanted to devote considerable time to since 1971, the making of a Christmas album. Karen’s voice, of course, was perfect for interpreting holiday music, both sacred and secular, and Richard’s talent in arranging and writing was a natural for the genre as well; Merry Christmas, Darling and the duo’s 1974 Christmas release, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town being excellent examples. The only problem was that Richard, due to his ongoing addiction to sleeping pills, was (and for some time had been) sapped of his normal amount of energy and a lot of his creative juices as well. (In hindsight to Richard now, and to the amazement of many around him then, it’s a wonder he was able to accomplish the rather large amount he did!) What Richard finally opted to do as far as his part in what was to become “Christmas Portrait”, was to select the material, sequence the tunes in advance (as he wanted one to flow seamlessly into the next,) hire two world-class arrangers who worked in the traditional mold, Peter Knight and Billy May, and just produce the sessions. The result was most impressive; with an outsize orchestra and chorus comprised of the finest studio talent in Hollywood, great songs, great arrangements, all interpreted by Karen, who was born to the genre, “Christmas Portrait” could not have missed, and it didn’t; it was a hit when released in October 1978, and over the years has passed the 14 million mark in sales. The ongoing success of the album is bittersweet to Richard, who has realized for years what he could have done with the songs and the fact that, as a result, “Christmas Portrait” would have sounded much, much more like a true Carpenters album. As Richard says, “ ‘Christmas Portrait’ is really Karen’s first solo album, and it should have been released as such, but I don’t believe A&M would have been too keen on that, especially since no conventional album had been released by us that year.” By late 1978, Richard, with much encouragement (and brow-beating) from family and friends, decided to ‘face the music’, and in January of 1979, entered a rehab facility for a six-week program. For any number of reasons, the first three weeks were “hell-on-earth,” Richard says, “but after that, things really started to change, and of course, all for the better.” Still, all of this had been a monumental change for Richard and he decided it was wise not to delve right back into work, and to pretty much take the rest of 1979 off; all the better to get accustomed to his changed fortunes. Karen, however, not one to stand idly by, wanted to take this time and record a solo album, something she and Richard felt she deserved. The only problem was that Richard (and others) knew she was not in the proper physical condition to tackle such a project. (During Richard’s six-week stay, Karen had to enter a hospital once again, due to exhaustion and low weight.) Karen would hear none of it and enlisted the talents of the highly successful East Coast producer, Phil Ramone. [Photo]Phoning Richard in May for his ‘blessing,’ Karen then departed L.A. on the first of many trips to New York. Due to a number of factors, including Phil’s incredibly ambitious multi-artist studio schedules, Karen’s album took quite a bit longer to complete than originally planned. Ideally, the plan was to release the album in early 1980, while Richard and Karen finished their fifth T.V. special and began work on their album. When it transpired that A&M was not particularly happy with the finished solo album and suggested, at the very least, that some new songs were needed, the time came for Karen to make a decision as to the album’s future. After much soul-searching and some pragmatic thought, she, understandably unhappily, decided on shelving the project, at least for the present time. By 1980 the Carpenters were back in the studio working on more tracks. The resultant album, ‘Made In America’, released in June 1981, confirmed that the duo still had a considerable following among the album-buying public. In Britain it only just missed the Top Ten, with tracks that included Back In My Life Again, Because We Are In Love, I Believe You, Those Good Old Dreams, Strength Of A Woman, When You’ve Got What It Takes and When It’s Gone. In addition, Touch Me When We’re Dancing, a single taken from the album, in 1981 gave the Carpenters what would become their final American Top 20 entry. [Photo] In January 1982, Karen moved to New York to spend most of the next 11 months seeing a therapist five times weekly for treatment of anorexia nervosa. She made a short trip to Los Angeles in April for a visit, during which time several rhythm tracks with work leads were recorded, including Now and You're Enough. Karen returned to New York where, from late April through mid November, she spent more time in therapy and ultimately, the hospital, as the therapy was getting her nowhere and she had dropped to 80 pounds. It was in the hospital that, using a procedure known as hyper alimentation, her weight was increased by approximately 25 pounds. Although obviously heavier and appearing healthier than she had recently looked, Richard believed that things just weren't right; the weight had been put on artificially, Karen no longer possessed her boundless energy, and most importantly, he believed the life had gone out of her eyes. Feeling the worst was behind her, Karen returned to L.A. in November with plans to resume her life and career. In December 1982 she gave what would be her last performance at her godchildren’s school. (Given what was to transpire, it turned out that the Carpenters' last performance was December 3, 1978, a benefit performance at the Long Beach Pacific Terrace Theater, for the CSULB choir.) Just weeks later, on February 4, 1983, she was found unconscious at her parents’ home in Downey where she had been visiting. Although she was rushed to the hospital, she was pronounced dead of a heart attack soon afterward – a side effect of her long battle with her illness. Karen’s death did not mark the end of the Carpenters’ popularity, however. Later in 1983, a newly completed album comprised of outtakes from previous projects (with the exception of Now and You're Enough), entitled "Voice Of The Heart", enjoyed large sales, especially in Britain, where it climbed to No.6 on the chart with songs like Make Believe It’s Your First Time, Now, At The End Of A Song, Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore and Ordinary Fool. The following year, a UK-only retrospective album, "Yesterday Once More", was a similar success. 1984 also saw the release of “An Old Fashioned Christmas”. Comprised of six tracks featuring Karen’s lead that did not make “Christmas Portrait” due to space limitations, the ballad version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town from 1974, and instrumentals and some multi-harmony, a cappella vocal work by Richard, the album was completed at EMI and Abbey Road Studio A in London and mixed at A&M Studios in Hollywood. The “Yesterday Once More” album and video were released in America the following year. 1989 saw the release of “Lovelines”, an album that featured additional Carpenters outtakes, as well as two TV Special tracks by Karen and four tracks from Karen’s solo album. In Britain, 1990, a newly released 20-track greatest hits compilation, "Only Yesterday", spent nine weeks in the No. 1 spot and became the second-biggest selling album of the year. In 1994, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Karen’s and Richard’s signing with A&M, two albums were released by the label; “Interpretations” by Karen and Richard, and a tribute album by various alternative artists, including Sonic Youth and Sheryl Crow, interpreting 14 Carpenters songs entitled, “If I Were A Carpenter”. In March 2005 the UK edition of their latest greatest hits offering, a 20-track CD and a 15-track DVD, had reached No.4 in two weeks time. In Japan, where the duo had enjoyed resounding success since the 1971 release of Superstar and where 1973’s Yesterday Once More and album “Now & Then” had become phenomena, 1995 and the following year were to become years of unparalleled success for Karen and Richard. Influential TV screenwriter writer Shinji Nojima had chosen I Need To Be In Love and Top Of The World to be the title songs in his 13-part TBS series Miseinen. Other Carpenters tracks, including Desperado and For All We Know were featured in the body of the work. Miseinen, loosely translated as ‘Minors’, concerned and was targeted at the 13 to 21 year-old demographic, a group who heretofore may have only known the name “Carpenters” from their parents. The series and the music proved to be a success beyond anyone’s wildest expectations, resulting in a newly released CD single of Top Of The World and I Need To Be In Love going quadruple platinum and elevating the latter to the popular and mythical status of Yesterday Once More and Top Of The World. An album, “Twenty-Two Hits of the Carpenters” compiled by Richard for release around the series, catapulted to No.1 and went on to become the largest selling album by a foreign artist in Japanese history – as another generation responded to the truly timeless appeal of two people who had quietly changed the world of popular music forever.
INFORMASI LEBIH LANJUT KUNJUNGI http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com /biography-10.htmTHANK'S
Selengkapnya...