Carpenters Decade Book

Today, beloved singer Karen Carpenter would have turned 76 years old. Incredible how time goes by! One of the most sought after souvenirs / pieces of memorabilia is the "Carpenters Decade" book that celebrated their ten years of having music on the charts. 

Their first modest hit was a remake of the Beatles Ticket to Ride, but it was their next single that catapulted she and brother Richard Carpenter to international stardom. That song? (They Long To Be) Close To You. Thanks to some kind soul years ago, I received scans of the Deacades book, and now I'd like share them with you. Click on each page for the largest image possible.

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This is part of a continuing series on the albums of Karen and Richard Carpenter. There are so many stand alone posts highlighting different aspects of their career, recordings, rare photographs, and life that I've lost count. 

Below is the list of my "Revisited /Fresh Look" reviews and then my initial ones a decade earlier. Each have different photos and clippings.

My Revisited / Fresh Look at the albums:

Offering / Ticket to Ride
Close to You
Carpenters 
A Song for You 

Now & Then

The Singles 1969 - 1973

Live in Japan

Horizon

A Kind of Hush

Live at the Palladium

Passage

The Singles 1974 - 1978

Christmas Portrait

Karen Carpenter- The Solo Album

Music, Music, Music

Made in America (coming June 16!)

My Initial Reviews of the albums:

Offering/Ticket to Ride

Close to You

Carpenters

A Song for You

Now & Then

The Singles 1969-1973

Live In Japan

Horizon

A Kind of Hush

Live at the Palladium

Passage

The Singles 1974-1978

Christmas Portrait

Made in America

Voice of the Heart

An Old Fashioned Christmas

Time (Richard Solo)

Lovelines

Karen Carpenter (Solo)

As Time Goes By

Goodbye Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with Aerosmith- Hello Muppets?

Yes, it's time to say goodbye to an old favorite of mine. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is going the way of other extinct Disney attractions. Instead of replacing the band with another real band, we're getting the Muppets. OK. But really? They should have a place in Disney's Hollywood Studios, but not here. The only saving grace would be removing the Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After and bringing back in a version of Muppet*Vision 3D. Then, it would begin to make a small amount of sense. Will the new version be fun? Yes. Does it fit in? No, not really. But such is the state of Disney right now. 

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

Goodbye Neil Sedaka

The gifted singer and songwriter Neil Sedaka passed away today. His own Breaking Up is Hard to Do hit twice on the charts. Once in its initial 1960's run and a second time in the 1970's as a ballad with the strings arranged by none other than Richard Carpenter of the beloved group Carpenters. According to co-writer Phil Cody, the duo's version of Sedaka's plaintive Solitaire was the best of almost 100 recordings of it by other artists. Sadly, things went sour between Sedaka and Richard Carpenter after a 1975 concert fiasco in Las Vegas (articles here and here and thankfully here), but Neil had nothing but kind words to say about sister Karen. 

Sedaka leaves behind a very impressive line of hits including his own comeback record Laughter in the Rain and perhaps most famously as songwriter for Captain & Tennille's ubiquitous Love Will Keep Us Together. 

(Photograph by David Refern.)

The Return of Scrubs and How Disneyland's Haunted Mansion Affected Its Set Design

It's time for Scrubs to return to TV! Tonight- and tomorrow at Disney+/Hulu, the perennial favorite returns. But I bet you didn't know  that Disneyland's Haunted Mansion played a very key role in part of the set design for the series. (Love the concept art, by the way!) It's quite an interesting story. Zach Braff takes a look at it all in this very cool clip from Architectural Digest right here.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Imagineer Dorothea Redmond's Beautiful Concept Art for Cinderella Castle

While we fans await the return of Cinderella Castle to its initial and carefully planned color scheme, we can take a glance at this genuinely lovely piece of concept art by Imagineer Dorothea Redmond. She may be best known for her atmospheric pieces for New Orleans Square at Disneyland, but the woman could pull off anything! The delicate water colored hues she uses for the courtyard of the Florida park's icon is design at its best. There's no need to scream look at me; the design detail speaks for itself. In a new Disney world where subtlety may be a truly lost art, the old school Imagineers understood the value of guests slowly discovering the rich atmospheres they created. This added to the charm of the castle parks and all others that followed.

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Audio-Animatronic Olaf Teaches Us to Draw at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Coming at the end of Summer this year, an Audio-Animatronic Olaf, the lovable snowman from Frozen, will be teaching guests of all ages how to draw animated characters. You'll find him inside the refreshed Magic of Disney Animation, the courtyard that was once home to Star Wars characters. This is a more fitting use of that space now that Galaxy's Edge is open. I can't tell you how happy this change makes me! In a season where the last couple of years Disney Imagineering- the executives actually- were reducing if not eliminating the number of Audio-Animatronic in the parks, I never thought I'd see a small attraction use one. Good job, Disney! Smart move in your part!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Solo Mio- The Fun in Getting There

Even before you see the film Solo Mio, you know the ending. Maybe. Well, perhaps not all of it as it holds a pretty big surprise, but there's a great deal of fun in the journey. Including one more unexpected twist that left me surprised and delighted. Kevin James pulls off the jilted lover Matt so well that your heart aches for him and roots for him. Even more so than in his performance as Albert in Hitch. 

Matt's journey of self-discovery leads to an encounter with a local coffee shop owner in Rome, a charming and feisty- but in a lovely way- Gia, played by a great Nicole Grimaudo. Going in, I was asking myself if The Chosen's Jonathan Roumie could play anyone other than Jesus. (Weren't many of us if we're honest?) The answer is "Yes", and his character is so against type that you forget him in his much more famous role. 

Need a date night but have some young teens with you? No worries. There's little to fret over and no need to make them close their eyes at any point. Solo Mio is family friendly without losing its edge. Go see this movie while it is in theaters if nothing else to capture the beautiful Italian landscapes on the big screen. But if you wait, just make sure you see it. There's not a misstep to be found from beginning to end!  

One More Goodbye

It's time to say goodbye to another friend. We weren't exactly what you'd call close, we didn't hang out a lot together, but we were always real when it mattered. And it mattered a lot! We worked together in a very high stress situation. His wisdom and good questions always had impact. As a man who followed Jesus and lived a life worthy of his name, I know when my time comes, we'll see each other again. That is a comfort. I hope you can say the same with certainty.

Piston Peak's Older, More Rustic Cousin: Disneyland's Rainbow Ridge

Piston Peak is sure to remain the Magic Kingdom's most hotly debated addition. Replacing Rivers of America- an opening day feature of the original castle park and one that held Walt Disney's beloved riverboat-  was an announcement that brought a hush and even some boos to D23. Deservedly so. 

Bringing the modern day Cars franchise into Frontierland. It wasn't blasphemy, but it was close. This was far worse than replacing Splash Mountain with Tiana's Bayou Adventure. 

Above is a vintage Rainbow Ridge Postcard from Disneyland's golden days when the man himself was still around to provide real vision for the park he loved. As the gateway to something fantastic, this area not only contained the Mine Train Thru Natures Wonderland, it also held the Conestoga Wagons and the Pack Mule train. 

It was truly a land of discovery filled with rustic scenes, animals native to the American West, and the show stopping Rainbow Caverns as grand finale to the mine train ride. This was the Americana version of the Jungle Cruise as designed by Imagineer Marc Davis. The whole thing was even more special as right across the river was Tom Sawyer Island, a special placed designed for open exploration and a chance to use the imagination God gave us.

Proving great ideas never go to waste, modern Imagineering borrowed from the Mine Train finale to add a taste of vintage Disneyland to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I'm grateful for that, and I look forward to the change. But it does makes me long for a simpler day when Disney suits realized the parks were about much more than promotion for the company's Intellectual Property.

Then A Girl, Now A Woman

Happy Birthday to our oldest daughter! You know how in those middle schools years, everyone is a little awkward while they move from childhood into adulthood? This was never her. Braces and all, she was just beautiful! What is even better is she was always a girl of great compassion and tenderness toward others. Now as an adult woman with a family of her own, she still has those traits plus a faith in Jesus that is unwavering. I'm just so proud of her and the woman she's become!

(Photograph copyright Mark Taft.)

The Pokemon Cafe

Gotta love this video! And you gotta love the joy on this Dad's face as he takes his kid to the Pokemon Cafe in Tokyo, Japan. Through My Lens is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels to watch. Check out the great video travelogue:

Faking Me Out

Imagine my surprise to discover that this idyllic home in the northern part of the U.K. was actually not real at all. As I was looking for You Tube videos to get an idea about our next real vacation, I ran across one that caught my eye. Thankfully, I glanced at the comments and saw it was actually AI generated. I was disappointed. I mean, who wouldn't want to live in a home that looks like this?
 

Happy Valentine's Day to My One True Love

This one is for you. Thank you for all our years together and praying for many more to come! (We're in Charleston, South Carolina, by the way, Hard to tell from the photo.)

Notable and Quotable: Michael Eisner

“I'm not wild about the fact that it is so expensive now to go to Disneyland or Disney World.”

                 Michael Eisner, Former CEO of The Walt Disney Company

Neither are we, Michael. And this is only the beginning of what he has to say to Graham Bensinger of In Depth.  

Should we even care about what Eisner says? Yes, and incoming leader Josh D'Amaro should pat attention. Eisner's the man who brought a second golden age to Disney animation as well as theme parks. Think The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. On the park/ themed entertainment side, he brought us Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Pleasure Island and Euro Disney aka Disneyland Paris. This all includes Splash Mountain, Star Tours, and the Indiana Jones Adventure attractions among many others. (Yes, he brought us Disney California Adventure, but I'll forgive him for that, since he also brought Tokyo DisneySea!)

Watch this segment of the interview below:

Rebuilding the 70's

Rounding out my collection of music from (mostly) the 1970's, I was very happy to find several CDs in 2nd and Charles. Who can't get a smile on their face by listening to the 5th Dimension and the incredible voice of Marilyn McCoo? The only other female voiced disc I bought was Roberta Flack, and that was a greatest hits package that included all her smashes with Donny Hathaway- including one of my all time favorite records, Where Is The Love?

Barry Manilow was an artist I didn't expect to purchase, but the deal was too good to pass up, and it was nice to have so many hits on one disc. Same with Lionel Richie and his hit album Can't Slow Down. It holds up pretty well after all these years. Not great, but well.

The last find of the day was Paul Simon's greatest hits collection. After a good listen, I came to an interesting conclusion: Yes, he's a great songwriter, but as a performer, he is better on the upbeat numbers where his voice doesn't matter so much. On the slower songs- like Still Crazy After All These Years, Something So Right, and I Do It For Your Love, the weakness of it becomes evident. He needs someone else to interpret for maximum effectiveness. 

Bonus point- these discs were very inexpensive. I walked out with the whole lot for less than $25. Guess it's time to keep rebuilding my collection!