⭐ Official Review [Album]: "MADE IN AMERICA" (SP-3723)

How Would You Rate This Album?

  • ***** (BEST)

    Votes: 14 13.1%
  • ****

    Votes: 26 24.3%
  • ***

    Votes: 40 37.4%
  • **

    Votes: 22 20.6%
  • *

    Votes: 5 4.7%

  • Total voters
    107
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Searching for some clarity:
My recently acquired Mono-45 Single of
I Believe You
sounds clearer than its LP counterpart.
(And, I actually begin to like the song.)

Is there a reason for this difference--outside of psychology ?
 
Searching for some clarity:
My recently acquired Mono-45 Single of
I Believe You
sounds clearer than its LP counterpart.
(And, I actually begin to like the song.)

Is there a reason for this difference--outside of psychology ?
Gary, Mono versions have more punch and clarity than their stereo counterparts. Try listening to your stereo version as a mono if you can and let me know what you think. It should sound clearer like your 45.
 
Joeyesterday, sorry for my lapse in responding to your post regarding my Mono-45 of
I Believe You.
My mono-45 is the only single I have of that song. But, with such clarity as I have found in listening
to it, I am unlikely to seek out another (stereo) copy.
I am glad that the one I have sounds so beautiful. Now, at last, all these years later, I can enjoy the song
as it was in 1978 ! (Well, not really, the record player is of more recent vintage !).
On another note, I now possess copies of each 45-Single from
LP Made In America (Along with a promo-copy of the LP):
Beechwood 4-5789
and Want You Back In My Life Again
are promotional 45-s (The first sounds great, the other sounds terrible).
Those Good Old Dreams, on a Test Pressing, sounds fantastic. (As does every other iteration I've listened to.)
Touch Me When We're Dancing --on an ordinary consumer 45- single--sounds great, also.

All in All, I am becoming more fond of the entire Album.
My, oh my, how my attitude has changed regarding this album !
 
Joeyesterday, sorry for my lapse in responding to your post regarding my Mono-45 of
I Believe You.
My mono-45 is the only single I have of that song. But, with such clarity as I have found in listening
to it, I am unlikely to seek out another (stereo) copy.
I am glad that the one I have sounds so beautiful. Now, at last, all these years later, I can enjoy the song
as it was in 1978 ! (Well, not really, the record player is of more recent vintage !).
On another note, I now possess copies of each 45-Single from
LP Made In America (Along with a promo-copy of the LP):
Beechwood 4-5789
and Want You Back In My Life Again
are promotional 45-s (The first sounds great, the other sounds terrible).
Those Good Old Dreams, on a Test Pressing, sounds fantastic. (As does every other iteration I've listened to.)
Touch Me When We're Dancing --on an ordinary consumer 45- single--sounds great, also.

All in All, I am becoming more fond of the entire Album.
My, oh my, how my attitude has changed regarding this album !
Gary, my fondness for this album has increased over the years as well. I think Touch Me... is one of their best produced and performed songs. I have the 45 and picture sleeve. Larrie London's drumming is so identifiable and solid. Larrie's drums can be heard on most of England Dan & JFC records and so many others. Like Hal, he was one of the best.
 
In the Billboard review of this Album, by Paul Grein,
July 25th, 1981, we read:
"...painfully unimaginative inclusion..." of
Beechwood 4-5789.
Thus, I am rather---and, remain so--surprised that the song was
released --- or seriously considered--as a Single .
I rather thought the duo kept eyes glued to the magazine.
After all, if Paul Grein, staunch supporter of Carpenters' music, panned it....who knows....
On the other hand,Grein is not too keen on
Strength of A Woman,
and, I felt thatsong would have made a stronger single !
 
Wasn't Kiss Me the Way.... recorded during the MIA sessions? That would have been SO much better to include in the place of Beechwood.. IMO.
JOnathan
 
Wasn't Kiss Me the Way.... recorded during the MIA sessions? That would have been SO much better to include in the place of Beechwood.. IMO.
JOnathan

It was but I think it's too similar to Touch Me When We're Dancing to have included it on MIA. Shame as it's a very pretty song and ranks in my top 10 all time favourite Carpenters tracks.
 
It strikes me as interesting that the songs
Someday
and
Because We Are In Love,
(both Carpenter/Bettis)
have many musical elements in common.

Does anyone else hear what I am hearing ?
 
I do! And I really don't care for either one. Bombastic and unappealing in my opinion. But I like Someday slightly more.
 
I do! And I really don't care for either one. Bombastic and unappealing in my opinion. But I like Someday slightly more.

It's a "take it or leave it" situation for me on both counts. Neither song has ever appealed to me.
 
Both songs grew on me. Particularly, I concentrate on Karen's vocal delivery and nuances.
That being said, I've mentally re-arranged them in my head !
That is, I've laid bare the arrangement to both songs and stripped away the pomposity/overblown production.
The songs, when played side-by-side, one after the other are strangely alike.
I'll have fun comparing the actual music notes in the music books--when I dig them out !
 
Sorry to pitch into this, without having been able to read all 22 pages of the thread (though I love the views and intricate comment that I did get to read!). Just relistening to MIA again and I'm reminded of the first time I heard the album, probably around 1991 when I got it on cassette. As a new-found Carpenters fan - discovering them, as many of us did, on the airing of The KC Story on New Year's Day 1989, I was aware of "Now" and also "...Dreams". But I remember then - and stand by now - the fact that I admired the brilliance of "Strength of a Woman". The opening verse showcases Karen's vocalising so well, the chorus is overblown and reaches high notes like we've rarely heard in their oeuvre before, but the song remains an 80s-era favourite.

What does strike me the most about this album, however, is the oddness (dare I say, hypocrisy?) of Richard's song choice and vocal arrangements. Having criticised her solo album for seeing KC singing "too high" and out of her usual rich lower register, why then did he include so many songs that take Karen into the upper octaves of her (sublime) range? A good example is the chorus of "Strength.." - when she sings (with the backing of the Carpettes, of course): "the weakness of her ma-a-a-a-a-a-AAA-n". It just seems very odd indeed - but, with all we've learnt in hindsight about that period, I guess we shouldn't be surprised at the tensions and strange musical choices of Richard against the better judgment of KC. Anyway, thanks for reading - a rare post here, though I'm a regular fan of all your views!
 
MIA could have been a double album, they had recorded more than enough songs, and what a gift for the fans after such a long absence.
 
What does strike me the most about this album, however, is the oddness (dare I say, hypocrisy?) of Richard's song choice and vocal arrangements. Having criticised her solo album for seeing KC singing "too high" and out of her usual rich lower register, why then did he include so many songs that take Karen into the upper octaves of her (sublime) range? A good example is the chorus of "Strength.." - when she sings (with the backing of the Carpettes, of course): "the weakness of her ma-a-a-a-a-a-AAA-n". It just seems very odd indeed - but, with all we've learnt in hindsight about that period, I guess we shouldn't be surprised at the tensions and strange musical choices of Richard against the better judgment of KC. Anyway, thanks for reading - a rare post here, though I'm a regular fan of all your views!

That's a question many have pondered for years. I almost think it was a jab at Karen - not putting her voice out front in many instances and having her sing in a high key. As if to say, "you thought you sounded good with Phil singing high? Well here's how I'm going to make you sound and it'll be much better". I actually really love some of the arrangements on here but they do tend to be overly detailed and Karen is only given one or two songs to give a truly great performance.

The album was Richard putting his contribution ahead of hers, the focus isn't on the power and singular qualities of her voice so much as to show off what a great arranger he is. He is a great one, but his anger over the solo album led to this album being uneven and Karen is literally pushed to the back again.

Overall, Richard's production and arranging on MIA (and in general) is far superior to the arrangers and production on the solo album, and I love a few songs on that album. Karen's voice on MIA is often too breathy, though. I suppose it was a conscious choice but lines like "cat got your tongue" on tongue it sounds like she's so thin vocally. The full-bodiedness of her voice is only sporadically showcased here.
 
After all these years, I wanted to talk highly of MIA, but I guess it was over done on my part. It is what it is. A lot of the fan criticism has been pretty spot on. It's a bitter-sweet album to refer to.
 
I don't hate it- it's just not up to par to previous releases in too many ways. In my opinion, there are a few cuts I really love (Strength and Touch Me in particular) amid some mediocre ones and one awful one (Wedding song).
 
Gee. I kinda really like MIA. It's one of my favorites in their catalogue (in the top 5). Kinda sad so many of you hate it.
Personally, I feel the same way about MIA. I personally enjoy it, especially Beechwood 4-5789, Strength Of A Woman, and These Good Old Dreams. Love hearing everyones opinions, though!
 
That's the key. Many of us don't "hate" any of the Carpenters recordings (although some get unhinged at the mention of "Druscilla Penny"), but in the realm of fandom of virtually any subject, whatever is considered "the worst" is often that which generates the most conversation. Most are in agreement that CLOSE TO YOU or A SONG FOR YOU are two stellar albums. Everyone for the most part likes them, so there's no controversy and not much to discuss.

MADE IN AMERICA has any number of fans as well as detractors - and the detractors will probably state, as Mark did above, that there are songs on it that he really likes. I find MADE IN AMERICA to be a reasonably well-crafted record, with a few caveats. One of Mark's named songs , "Strength Of A Woman" is one of my skip songs. I don't care for it. I also really dislike "Somebody's Been Lyin'" which is unusual for me as I love most things Bacharach.

I've read many put-downs of "Those Good Old Dreams" and "I Believe You" and "(Want You) Back In My Life Again" and "BEechwood 4-5789", yet those are four of the best tracks on the album for me. But I don't let it bother me. We all have our tastes.

But since there is wide and disparate opinions on the album, it must mean that something was amiss somewhere in its creation or execution. For so many of us to be so widely in disagreement about the various songs on the album must mean that it didn't quite live up to what it set out to do. And so the deep examinations and the digging into what went into a particular recording attempts to explain why.

That kind of inspection is never done on an agreed-upon great album like CLOSE TO YOU. No one hardly questions the state of mind or health when Richard selected "Reason To Believe" or "Help!" or digs deep to find something wrong with the arrangement or orchestration or mix, because there aren't any perceived flaws in the album for most of us.
 
I think I would have enjoyed MIA more if it had been mixed as "Horizon" was- with Karen's vocals at the forefront (and not the arrangements).
 
I think I would have enjoyed MIA more if it had been mixed as "Horizon" was- with Karen's vocals at the forefront (and not the arrangements).
I think that would be interesting to hear how different it would be if it were mixed that way. Though personally, I'm not too sure if I'd like it more, but it would be fascinating to hear it mixed in a different way
 
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