⭐ Official Review [Album]: "PASSAGE" (SP-4703)

[BarryT60]

Given that, according to the Billboard Title...' Carpenters Cracking Country Charts Without Nashville Push',
one wonders what could have happened WITH a push by country- backers concurrent with Recording Company
raising their profile throughout the Country-Music scene.
Did the 2,000 promotional copies of the EP make a dent in that respect?
Seems as if that is a substantial number of promotional copies to be issued
to country stations '...and regional promotional men.".
"This is the first time we've gone all out after a country hit"....A&M National Promotion Director
Houston, Dallas, Kansas City...no small feat, at that time, for Carpenters and Sweet,Sweet Smile.
Why hasn't the Video of the song appeared on an official DVD release? It's a good one.

Mr. J. informs that "...A&M turned it down flat..." (Carpenters' idea of a country-album).

I'm no expert, but this was another missed opportunity.
Sweet, Sweet Smile, Two Sides, 1972 Top of The World, Jambalaya, Reason To Believe,
...and others...looks to be a great start to a great album.
(That's half an album, there, already!).

I live in Nashville, and was not impressed by any noticeable airplay in our market. I think the purists doing the playlists may have prevailed...
I remember requesting, (as usual), and couldn't wait for top 5 - assuming it would be picked up by everyone then... If only.... Then Two Sides would surely have been released... The follow-up which I believe could have been humongous.

 

[GaryAlan]

Your firsthand perspective is quite interesting, BarryT60.
In the article, too, it says:
"...First time we've gone all out after a country hit...",
thus, I wonder what that entails--going "all out".
Coupled with Richard's "...Well, I think they hired some outside promoters for Sweet, Sweet Smile." (Reader, Page 229
and,
"We're kind of soft, easygoing country" (Ibid.,Page 216..."Groping for the words to properly describe his sound.").
Not only did the purists doing the playlists prevail, it seems as if--again--
the marketing for this specific genre, country music, was still making this a very tough sell.
(The Mona Lisa advertisement, cute as it is, seems to be too 'tongue in cheek' to capture serious attention
from the prospective country music clientele.)

 

[GaryAlan]

Listening to "Sweet Memory", Disc 4, and on this disc
B'Wana She No Home
is followed by Another Song.
This makes for quite an interesting listening experience,
two fascinating pieces, separated by roughly seven years.
I noticed that Pete Jolly and Larry Muhoberac performed piano duties on the Former.
Also, vocals arranged by Gene Perling on the Former.
In any event, clarity is exceptional on the Sweet Memory Set,
and, I appreciate Karen's delivery on B'Wana so much more in 2015.
I'm not even certain of liking the song in 1977, but, it is great.

 

[newvillefan]

Listening to "Sweet Memory", Disc 4, and on this disc
B'Wana She No Home
is followed by Another Song.
This makes for quite an interesting listening experience,
two fascinating pieces, separated by roughly seven years.
I noticed that Pete Jolly and Larry Muhoberac performed piano duties on the Former.
Also, vocals arranged by Gene Perling on the Former.
In any event, clarity is exceptional on the Sweet Memory Set,
and, I appreciate Karen's delivery on B'Wana so much more in 2015.
I'm not even certain of liking the song in 1977, but, it is great.

B'Wana is one of their most underrated tracks. Karen's backing harmonies are among the highest she ever sang and the arrangement is just sublime. I just wish Richard would do something about the EQ on this track...it sounds flat and dull whereas it should be nice and crisp, especially the drums. Is the clarity of it any better on Sweet Memory than on the remastered CD version, because it still sounds dull on that too?

 

[GaryAlan]

Stephen, as far as my ears can tell, the song sounds (much) better on the Sweet Memory Disc.
Unfortunately, I have a problem with my hearing, so I could be off the mark !
I was simply astounded at how great it did sound when listening this morning--on the Sweet Memory.
Vastly underrated !
A rite of 'PASSAGE'.

 

[Harry]

B'Wana is one of their most underrated tracks. Karen's backing harmonies are among the highest she ever sang and the arrangement is just sublime. I just wish Richard would do something about the EQ on this track...it sounds flat and dull whereas it should be nice and crisp, especially the drums. Is the clarity of it any better on Sweet Memory than on the remastered CD version, because it still sounds dull on that too?

"B'wana She No Home" sounds to me like its the dullest EQ on the Remastered Classic CD. It's a little better on the old A&M CD and better still on the Japanese Single Box. Best of all - the brightest of the EQ choices goes to the SWEET MEMORY set. It's not a huge amount of difference, but sometimes a slight change can make all of the difference.

Harry

 

[Don Malcolm]

Absolutely on the money, guys, in all aspects of this conversation...

"Bwana" really was an inspired choice, and everyone might have been surprised if it had been released as an A-side (though I suspect they would have needed an edit somewhere). I love to play this track for people who haven't quite gotten over their "aversion" to the C's, and see how long it takes 'em to figure out who it is!!

That SWEET MEMORY set really is a gold mine for brighter mixes...I've often considered pulling all of the songs off of the various volumes and putting them back into the order that they originally appeared on the records, since just about everything seems to sound its best on these disks.

 

[GaryAlan]

Don,
I like the idea of playing the track, B'Wana She No Home, for "...people who haven't quite gotten over their aversion..."
The Album's chart peak still befuddles my senses...this one has all the earmarks of a 'hit'....even, dare I mention, Grammy...!
7 of 8 of these tunes are impressive, the cover art is impressive....obviously the cover photo for an album plays a small
part, if any, in whether an album is a hit--or, not.
Too bad about Man Smart, Woman Smarter....one bad apple spoils... (IMHO)...

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Don,
I like the idea of playing the track, B'Wana She No Home, for "...people who haven't quite gotten over their aversion..."
The Album's chart peak still befuddles my senses...this one has all the earmarks of a 'hit'....even, dare I mention, Grammy...!
7 of 8 of these tunes are impressive, the cover art is impressive....obviously the cover photo for an album plays a small
part, if any, in whether an album is a hit--or, not.
Too bad about Man Smart, Woman Smarter....one bad apple spoils... (IMHO)...

Would that there were only one bad track. The album is a begrudging break from their norm that doesn't totally depart. B'wana is great and a lot of fun but the record has its share of nonsense. Man Smart is much fun too but it's awful. Don't Cry was a bad idea. *Android Lloyd Webber? On a Pop record? I Just Fall is complete elevator fare and I disagree with Richard totally that it would have hit.

It's like Richard threw a few great and unexpected tunes at us but it's still very much the Carpenters that people either liked or didn't. The whole thing is hardly the departure its purported to be.

Ed

*Android isn't a typo. That's what we call him in these parts because of how often he plagiarizes himself. He'll take one song and write three more permutations of it. Listen to Music Of The Night and All I Ask Of You and tell me it isn't true.

 

[GaryAlan]

Ed, you give me much food for thought !
Interesting commentary to digest !

 

[GaryAlan]

Ed,
I forgot to mention that this album--Passage--was the third complete album I had ever listened to at that time.
As of that album's release date I had only heard Horizon followed by Kind of Hush, then came, Passage.
(And, at that, Passage was the first one I actually bought !).
Thus, my enthusiasm for the album dates to that first time.
Nothing was going to match Horizon...I knew that !
But, even after listening to previous LP's in their entirety--which occurred after Made In America,
there was much to applaud.
(I had a very difficult time getting hold of the earlier vinyl albums !)
So, in retrospect---here was an album where the Artwork on the cover immediately caught my attention,
the three Singles had already been heard--and, I love those three--then, Two Sides...a superb song.
Well, I wasn't too happy with the Evita tune (at that time, given the intro) but Karen's reading is quite haunting.
(Apparently, the Evita song and B'Wana were recorded 'live'.)
And, no Richard Leads, that suited me just fine.
(He has his moments, but, I'm really into the lead for Karen's voice.)
No Medley--I'm happy with that--I like entire songs.
No short 'bookends' (Even though I enjoy them)
and, no entire instrumental filler songs.
(Again, Heather and Flat Baroque are good, but give me Karen.)
Granted, I Just Fall In Love Again, loses something with the Gregg Smith Singers.
(And, even here I still prefer this version to Anne Murray).
It is, as the Liner Notes say:
"...a potpourri of the Carpenters special abilities and interests."
And,
"...as soon as you think you've categorized her (Karen) she reveals another aspect of her range."

 

[Don Malcolm]

Good point/counterpoint, guys! (BTW, Ed, I love your album cover site!) I come down just about halfway in-between on this one. It's clear now that Richard was having issues about working in the studio--IIRC, he was trying to get someone else to produce the LP, and he was far less involved in playing on the tracks than had been the case previously. It's probably safe to characterize Richard as someone with a tendency to "overthink" (and maybe his urge to remix stems from that--it was happening even before Karen passed away) and so trying to figure out how to "split the difference" must have been quite an ordeal.

I think there are four unalloyed gems on Passage--"Bwana," "Sweet, Sweet Smile" (sold by Karen's jauntiest vocal--she knows how to go right to the edge of mannerism but not go over the line...), "Two Sides" (the money may be in the basement, but that upper range is worth some serious cash in its own right!) and--"kick me" sign proudly on display!--"Calling Occupants" (Richard in full harness here--it's like it's it's own medley!). I like "Love Song," but ultimately it's too treacly; and while I admire Karen's vocal on "Don't Cry For Me," ALW has always rubbed me the wrong way. Which leaves "I Just Fall In Love Again," a very wan and redundant song in the C's catalogue, and the bizarre mess of "Man Smart," which I suspect was tossed in after "Bwana" to try to duplicate the groove (would love to find out if that's right from someone like Chris or Harry or anyone else with more detailed sessionographic--is that a word?--data).

In 20/20 hindsight (ha!), I would have loved to see them roll the dice with "Bwana" as an A-side. They had nothing to lose, really, and everything to gain. Jazzy funk in '77 was a winning combo, and it just might have turned the trick...but, hey, let's just praise the Lord that they recorded it!

 

[byline]

Don't Cry was a bad idea. *Android Lloyd Webber? On a Pop record?

Well, if Olivia Newton-John could do it, I'm not sure why it was a bad idea for the Carpenters to do it. Both were pop albums. Olivia included it on her 1977 Making a Good Thing Better album, the same year Passage was released. I remember being struck by the fact that both albums included that song.

 

[BarryT60]

Would that there were only one bad track. The album is a begrudging break from their norm that doesn't totally depart. B'wana is great and a lot of fun but the record has its share of nonsense. Man Smart is much fun too but it's awful. Don't Cry was a bad idea. *Android Lloyd Webber? On a Pop record? I Just Fall is complete elevator fare and I disagree with Richard totally that it would have hit.

It's like Richard threw a few great and unexpected tunes at us but it's still very much the Carpenters that people either liked or didn't. The whole thing is hardly the departure its purported to be.

Ed

*Android isn't a typo. That's what we call him in these parts because of how often he plagiarizes himself. He'll take one song and write three more permutations of it. Listen to Music Of The Night and All I Ask Of You and tell me it isn't true.

Argentina: I rather liked hearing Karen on this one... Not so much in love with the prelude... I always moved my needle the quarter inch right over "On the Balcony to Boring" Man Snart was the next phase of Goofus... and for 8 songs, I hated that was one of them...
That said - I might disagree on Just Fall In Love... To this day, that remains one of my favorites and achieves a goose-bump crescendo for me - coming out of the instrumental section and back into the chorus... It's a damned good love song. And if Anne Murray's less than enthusiastic arrangement was a hit, K & R's would have surely gone over much stronger... imho..

 

[GaryAlan]

Anthology Liner Notes (Japan Red Version):

Don't Cry For Me Argentina
" The original cast Album of Evita was sent by its publisher to me.
I listened to it and thought Don't Cry For Me Argentina would work well for Karen.
Since the original has a symphonic sound, I thought possibly we could hire the L.A. Philharmonic
to play on the 'date'. There were 103 in the orchestra plus the 60 voices of the Gregg Smith Singers.
Musicians and singers were assembled on the A&M Sound Stage, the only room large enough for an
aggregate this size. Their microphones were wired into the booth of Studio D. Ray Gerhardt and Roger
Young used a TV Monitor so as to see the conductor, arranger, Peter Knight--flown from England for the 'date'."

I Just Fall In Love Again
" This song came in a demo by talented singer/songwriter Steve Dorff, who co-wrote the song.
I felt it would be very effective for Karen and included it on Passage.
I wanted to 'pull' it as a single, but our version is four minutes long and is not editable the
way certain tunes are. At the time the Top 40 radio stations were best on records being no
longer than three minutes. There was nothing we could do."

Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft
"We were working on Passage in early 1977 when an album was released by a group called Klaatu.
My curiosity got the better of me and I purchased the album. Great Record. Their opening selection
is 'Calling Occupants'. I kept playing it just for enjoyment when it dawned on me that it would be
fun for me and Karen to do the tune. "

 

[Harry]

An interesting challenge. Take "I Just Fall In Love Again" and attempt a single edit. I'd shoot for a length of 3:30.

Harry

 

[newvillefan]

An interesting challenge. Take "I Just Fall In Love Again" and attempt a single edit. I'd shoot for a length of 3:30.

I've tried many times Harry and never succeeded - the key change and swell in volume on the last chorus make an edit between that and some point previous to it impossible.

 

[newvillefan]

I Just Fall In Love Again
" This song came in a demo by talented singer/songwriter Steve Dorff, who co-wrote the song.

It may be interesting for those who don't know to learn that Steve Dorff also co-wrote Karen's solo track 'If I Had You'

 

[BarryT60]

what about a cold start on the vocals, and on the instrumental segment - editing to start on the second half... just before the modulation...

 

[Mark-T]

"Bwana" was one of few songs on the album that I immediately loved. Still do. (The beginning of the song makes a great ringtone, btw.)
Absolutely mesmerizing!

 

[song4u]

"Bwana" was one of few songs on the album that I immediately loved. Still do. (The beginning of the song makes a great ringtone, btw.)
Absolutely mesmerizing!

How do you create ring tones or where do you find them? I've wondered about that but now that you mentioned it maybe you can tell me.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

How do you create ring tones or where do you find them? I've wondered about that but now that you mentioned it maybe you can tell me.

It's easy with iTunes, here is how to do it.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/02/make-free-ringtone-iphone_n_5901540.html

I made so many, around the holiday's I switch it to Merry Christmas Darling (Karen Carpenter) 30 sec clip, one year I was in the grocery store line paying and it went off and the person behind me says Oh I love that song. I smiled and that made my day!!

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Here is another cool promo advert placed in Billboard, interesting that they used a B/W photo for the banner ad, issued on Sept 10, 1977 before the album was officially released. It's interesting they used "from Karen and Richard" instead of Richard and Karen since Richard was Producer.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I've never seen this article before (issue Sept 17, 1977)....some interesting information....am I reading this right (last paragraph on first column) says:
"Other tunes covered include, "Sleeping Gypsies", Calling Occupants and I'll Just Fall In Love. Billboard is known to not get titles correctly but is there really a song called Sleeping Gypsies? and did they record it for Passage session and not use it?

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I just figured it out, Sleeping Gypsy was the name of Michael Franks Album, the full album is on you tube. Michael Franks B'wanna He No Home is found on this album Sleeping Gypsy. Richard must have changed the title to B'wanna She No Home for Carpenters. It's interesting to listen to Michael Frank's version of this song.