The Singles 1969-1973

by Carpenters

Overview

There's a certain inherent sadness listening to this concise 12-song collection of the Carpenters' early hits, especially as it opens with "We've Only Just Begun," with its hopeful, dreamy lyrics -- for it was never supposed to be definitive, just the first of at least two such collections. But changes in the public's taste and a slackening (though never a disappearance) of hits for the duo, and Karen Carpenter's death in 1983, made this the first and only real mass choice for a Carpenters collection. Ten of the duo's dozen Top Ten hits are present, from "Close to You" to "Top of the World," with their gorgeous and original slow ballad interpretation of "Ticket to Ride" and their cover of Carole King's "It's Going to Take Some Time" thrown in to offer a slightly wider perspective. Listening to this material, it's easy to accuse the Carpenters of being hopelessly retro even in their own time -- bear in mind that "We've Only Just Begun" and "Superstar" being contemporaneous with the Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East and Eat a Peach and you get the idea. But the lush melodies brought out in Richard Carpenter's arrangements and Karen's singing are justification in themselves. [The 1999 reissue in A&M's Remastered Classics series (#82839-3601-2) has a closer, toughened but warmer sound. Yes, the strings are brighter, to the point of glistening, but the rhythm section (Joe Osborn on bass, Hal Blaine on drums) has more impact as well. Moreover, the full original notes from the insert are now included, explaining how each song came to be discovered and recorded.] ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2017
Label:	A&M / Polydor
UPC:	0602557404913
Rank:	2978

Tracks

1. We've Only Just Begun
2. Top of the World
3. Ticket to Ride
4. Superstar
5. Rainy Days and Mondays
6. Goodbye to Love
7. Yesterday Once More
8. It's Going to Take Some Time
9. Sing
10. For All We Know
11. Hurting Each Other
12. (They Long to Be) Close to You

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Carpenters   Primary Artist
Richard Carpenter   Vocals,Keyboards
Karen Carpenter   Drums,Vocals

Technical Credits

Paul McCartney   Composer
Bonnie Bramlett   Composer
Jack Daugherty   Producer
Carole King   Composer
John Lennon   Composer
Robb Royer   Composer
Peter Udell   Composer
Richard Carpenter   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Orchestration
R. Wilson   Composer
Toni Stern   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Gary Geld   Composer
Paul Williams   Composer
Hal David   Composer
James Griffin   Composer
Fred Karlin   Composer
Joe Raposo   Composer
John Bettis   Composer
Leon Russell   Composer
Karen Carpenter   Producer
Roger Nichols   Composer
Paul Grein   Liner Notes