For whatever the reason, alternative rock bands spent much of the 90s trying to convince their younger fans that the music of the 1970s was actually cool, and not the K-Tel, disco schlock that we so closely associated with that decade. Tributes to Carol King, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and at least 4 different compilations were released, all with 90s bands putting their own unique spin on classic songs of the AM era. But us kids knew: that music sucked.
Not helping was the fact that few of us actually saw the 1970s and even fewer of us were of an age to remember anything but its waning moments. There was no nostalgia for what we thought of only as our parents' music (or the music of our parents' younger siblings), and no interest in hearing it, except for, ironically, the classic rock of the 70s that informed so much of 90s alternative (like Led Zeppelin). So when our favorite bands would get together and insist that we should listen to The Carpenters, our young brains could barely handle the dichotomy: on one hand, it's the fucking Carpenters. They're lame. On the other hand, Sonic Youth, Cracker, Grant Lee Buffalo and Matthew Sweet are telling us to listen. Who were we to argue?
Karen and The Carpenters
At the time, I wanted to like The Carpenters. At least, I thought I did. After all, most of my favorite bands recorded their music, so how bad could it be? To an angst-filled 15-year-old that was listening to as much White Zombie as he was The Cranberries, it was terrible. To me, it was soft, didn't have distortion and contained exactly none of the two emotions I felt most at the time: rage and lust. However...Sonic Youth. Now that was a Carpenters I could get into.
Sonic and The Youths
Ironically for me, Sonic Youth's version was probably the truest rendition to the Carpenters' version on the album and definitely the most loving. The band's inspiration/interest in The Carpenters was nothing new, having recorded "Tunic (Song for Karen)" for their 1990 album Goo. But what is really remarkable is how much the band was able to make it their own, while still retaining the spirit and tone of the version they were paying tribute to (as the song was not written by or for Richard and Karen Carpenter, but rather by Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett). All the trademark Sonic Youth noise is present, including feedback, random echo and muted, distant vocals. The video made for the song, directed by Dave Markey, apes the crossfades and soft lighting of musical performances on 1970s variety television and even includes some shots of bass player Kim Gordon hammering on the drums, as Karen Carpenter often did, as Karen was actually a drummer. This was pure 90s: an alternative rock band doing justice to a cheesy song with an ironic video, simultaneously serious and tongue-in-cheek. Though, Richard Carpenter doesn't like this version, but what the hell does he know?
Though much can be said of the legacy of Sonic Youth, it's easily boiled down to unappreciated geniuses that never let commerce get in the way of their art. Sadly, the legacy of The Carpenters is forever tied to Karen Carpenter's premature death from the side-effects of anorexia (for those who haven't seen Todd Haynes' Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, do. It's great.). But over time, as my rage lessened and my lust squelched, I learned to appreciate the Carpenters and the other unsung heroes of 1970s soft rock. There was great songwriting during that time, and I encourage everyone to give it a shot. It doesn't suck nearly as much as we thought it did.
Whatever.
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