Eggs break, chocolate melts, glass shatters…

I’ve been a reader from Issue 1, a subscriber for almost as long, and literally have the T-shirt to prove it! Thanks for another great edition [MOJO 337]. I was especially pleased to see your piece on the Carpenters, artists for whom a lack of cool credentials has always stood in the way of serious appreciation. Yes, their repertoire often edged into light entertainment, but Richard is/was clearly a truly gifted arranger, and enough can never be said about the sheer perfection of Karen’s voice – quite handy on the sticks, too. Could she really have been gone nearly 40 years now? Kudos too for the Idlescurated cover CD. I won’t pretend to be a fan of the band in particular, but they have excellent and varied tastes if this collection is anything to go by. I never get tired of The Flamingos’ I Only Have Eyes For You. It’s especially ironic bearing in mind The Flamingos’ manager chose the song for them because he hated rock’n’roll and considered it to be a short-term fad, so advised them to concentrate on the oldies he preferred.