"Beechwood 4-5789" - Yay or Nay?

[amit1234]

I can't forget the first time I heard this song. It was while viewing the Carpenters' Gold - The Greatest Hits DVD for the first time. To say that I was shocked at how tacky the video/song appeared would be a mild understatement. What were the C's thinking? I know "Please Mr. Postman" (their previous Marvelettes cover) was a huge #1 hit (in fact, their biggest selling single worldwide) however, does anyone else think they should have left well enough alone and not tried to recapture the success of that song? By 1981, the C's shouldn't have been tackling the oldies - that concept was done ad nauseum on Now And Then.

What do others think of this song? It has grown on me somewhat but it does feel very contrived (much like "Those Good Old Dreams" which is practically an arranged marriage between "Top Of The World" and "Only Yesterday").

....Amit.....who detests the live performance of "Beechwood 4-5789" Karen and Richard performed outside on some Japanese show filmed in LA.....talk about disorganized!

 

[Harry]

I call it one of the Carpenters' "castanet" oldies. It seems like every time they dredged up another oldie, Richard would add castanets to the percussion track.

I find the song inoffensive, but question the motive in trying to copy the success of "Please Mr. Postman." Though that one was huge, I think it was a right place/right time scenario that made it big. The others, "Beechwood...", "...Hush", "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", seemed like going to that particular well too often, especially in light of the whole-side oldies medley they'd already done.

Harry
...goofing off at work, online... (does this make me a 'goofus'?)

 

[Steven J. Gross]

I liked it.

 

[Murray]

What were the C's thinking? I know "Please Mr. Postman" (their previous Marvelettes cover) was a huge #1 hit (in fact, their biggest selling single worldwide) however, does anyone else think they should have left well enough alone and not tried to recapture the success of that song?

I think that they were really desperate to get back to the top of the charts, and by recording another Marvelettes cover, were hoping that lightening would strike twice. But the public's tastes had changed by this time, and the whole "golden oldies" nostalgia thing had grown pretty tired.

It's a pleasant enough song, but hardly single material (and yes, I agree that the video is tacky). Richard has said in an interview that, had he known how little time Karen had left to live, he never would have wasted time recording songs like "Beechwood".

Murray

 

[W.B.]

I vaguely remember reading something to the effect that Wilson Pickett's 1966 record "634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.)" constituted a remake of "BEechwood 4- . . . ". Whether this is true or not (quasi-remake?), I much prefer the Pickett record in any case.

 

[Bruno]

I like this song, because it is so upbeat. I never heard the original version, so it was totally new to me back then.

The video is horrible, I agree. The choreography!!

Bruno

 

[mr J.]

Amit-I agree with you,the "Beechwood" video is very tacky(especially the "cool dude" with the sunglasses trying to make the moves on Karen!).Then again,"Beechwood" is a tacky song to begin with.Actually,Richard stated to Ray Coleman that he regrets recording several songs,including "Beechwood","Sing","Please Mr.Postman","There's A Kind Of Hush".Those cheap songs really lower Karen's status.K&R made several attempts during their career to try to sound "Top 40",and these turned out to be very embarassing!Incidentally,(talking about videos...),The "Superstar" clip on the "Gold" video,filmed at Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas,is definitely the best K&R video I've seen!Karen is so cool,sultry and sensual on that clip(and very serious).I was never crazy about "Superstar" in general,but that video really enhances the "dramatic" feel of the song.

 

[CraigGA]

Harry's perspective is amusing and true.

 

[phoenixfan4]

Excellent thread here people.

Personally I thought Beachwood was pretty basic filler material put in to simply round out the album. Not wonderful - not bad. Just kinda 'there'. I just hate the fact that Karen was so damn sick-looking in the video. She was hardcore into her disease, god bless her.

So - that is my two cents worth.

Peace kids.

 

[coolvox]

I agree with everyone, the song
and video are a little wacky!
My question is, was the video
made for the MMM special? I
remember when it came out on
YOM but I missed the MMM special
back in 81? I know all of us
would love to see that special
from start to finish! When KC
sings My Funny Valentine, my
heart melts. Its a shame at
that time they did not record
an album of standards. That
would be a treasure.

But I can dream can't I.

JIM

 

[Timothy22]

I for one enjoy the song! I vote Yay! Thanks to Harry for his insights - For some reason I just seem to love those castanet songs! I love "Hush" (my all time favorite Carpenter's song) "Beechwood" is a fun song - "Breaking up is hard to do" and "Postman" are some of my favorites. There's something about those castanets that just seems to get me everytime! Tim.

 

[bluevelvetkev]

Mine is a nay!!! Maybe if the drums were more prominent in the mix...it sounds too lightweight!!! "Postman" did have some meat to it even tho
"Beechwood" uses almost the same chord progression as "Postman"....The opening of "Postman" with the tom tom drums made you sit up and listen!!!! I can remember where I heard "Postman" the first time and it was electric!!!!!!

PS i love the castenets!

This forum keeps bringing back some really wonderful memories....

 

[Mark-T]

I love Hush and Postman, like Breaking Up, and am neutral about Beechwood. Yeah, I think they wanted a hit so bad, Richard must have looked at there previous chart hits and what was selling and said- lets do it again.

Look at Made in America:

Those Good Old Dreams (Top of the World)
Strength of a Woman (Superstar)
Beechwood 4-5789 (Please Mr. Postman)
When its Gone (Reason to Believe)
Somebody's Been Lyin' (Bacharach)
Back in my Life Again (Captain and Tennile material)

etc.

I loved the MIA album- still do- but MIA is what happened to the album because it really didn't have the same kind of punch it needed to start of a new decade. I think it was received well from hardcore fans but "Been there, done that" from everyone else- including programmers.

Mark

 

[W.B.]

I love "Hush" (my all time favorite Carpenter's song).

For the record (no pun intended), my preference in terms of " . . . Hush" was for Herman's Hermits' recording (I'd take Peter Noone over Karen in this regard). Reading chord structure for both versions, it appears that the way the Carpenters approached it differed somewhat from what Mickie Most produced for the Hermits.

As for "Please Mister Postman": It's interesting to me that the Carpenters' version was recorded in the same key (A major) as that recorded by The Beatles and featured on their U.S.-released The Beatles' Second Album ( . . . on Capitol).

There's something about those castanets that just seems to get me everytime!

Correct me if I'm wrong (I haven't heard it in awhile), but weren't castanets played at some point on their 1975 smash "Only Yesterday"? That song, I happen to like . . .

 

[Only Yesterday]

The main problem with Beachwood for me is those "na na na na na na" in a very high, light key in the background. The song itself, like someone stated once before is EXTREMELY very well arranged by Richard.

But the "na na na" makes the song sounds very silly and not appealing for the Top 40; if only they replaced that part for something else...

Still, it would only be a filler, not a single. "Strenght Of A Woman" or even "When It's Gone" would be better choices. That's my humble opinion.

P.S.: I still love that summer feeling, it brings!!!

 

[Captaindave]

I very much liked the "girl groups" of the sixties, but this was never one of my favorite songs from those groups, even when done by the original artist.

Now, give me CHAPEL OF LOVE or PEOPLE SAY by the original artist and I'm humming along and snapping my fingers and tapping my foot...

I even like MAYBE I KNOW a lot by Lesley Gore...(the Carpenters would have sounded better covering some of Lesley, IMO).

Regardless of my opinion of the song itself, I very much prefer the sound and delivery of the original rendition, rather than the Carpenters. IMO, this is not the Carpenters' type of song, nor their style of music. I do not think this is a musical sound and style that fits the Carpenters sound and style, and I do not think they are successful nor sound particularly good or convincing trying to cover a song like this...

 

[PJ]

Beechwood is Very Popular with Younger / Newer Fans and Tends to Be Dismissed by Long Term Fans as Candy Floss

Really Apart from Searching For an Oldie and Untempo Track to Give MIA Album Some Light and Shade , Beechwood is As Ever Well Performed & Produced -I Just Doubt the Wisdom of Selecting This Song As a Single Worldwide -When Other Songs Were More Deserving .....I Would Have Preferred Carpenters 1980 Outtake Sweet Talkin' Guy to Be on MIA ......Better Song Altogether

Carpenters Were Top 40 / Singles Artists as Well as Being Album Artists , So Richard & Karen Were Always Going to Record Various Styles , Genres of Songs -Only Later -Had Carpenters Continued into Later 1980's / 1990's Would Soundtracks, Standards , Jazz / Latin Albums Have Been Produced

One of the Great Strengths of Carpenters and Even Solo Albums / Recordings Remains Their Ability to Master Various Styles , Songs Etc -All Within That Unique Sound

Peter

 

[Mark-T]

Has anyone heard "Sweet Talkin' Guy"?
Was it completed and just sitting in the vaults?
What's the story here?
Mark

 

[PJ]

Sweet Talkin' Guy -1960's Classic Girl Group Song -Great Beat / Feel / Atmosphere Was Recorded by Carpenters During 1980 MIA Sessions -This was the Alternative To Beechwood as Oldies Inclusion On Completed Album and Would Have Been Better Choice IMHO......

Richard Could Complete Studio Album of at Least 10-14 1980>1982 Tracks From Unissued Material : Probably Not Under Present Universal Non -Relationship .....

Something For the Future

Peter

 

[coolvox]

Wow! 10 to 14 unissued tracks!
I would love to hear more about
these songs.

Jim

 

[Harry]

Flashing forward some eleven years, I wanted to revive this thread. Some recent comments in the MADE IN AMERICA threads have some pretty discouraging words for this song - and even my own comments above eleven years ago make it sound like I didn't particularly care for Carpenters' "BEechwood 4-5789". Actually, in recent years, I've come to appreciate this track a lot more. It was one of those that I'd dismissed when MADE IN AMERICA came out, but its inclusion on some compilations like the READERS DIGEST and the ANTHOLOGY and SWEET MEMORY sets in Japan, had me listening to it more.

It's still another "oldie" in the Carpenters canon, but the production that the duo put into it makes it quite a fun listen. Lots of overdubs, Karen's doubled lead tracks, and Tom Scott's sax just make the track. I also like the change to a quieter setting after the intsrumental bridge and then the key change to wrap it up.

So, since I never officially voted "Yay" or "Nay" all those years ago, I'm going to give the song a "Yay".

Harry

 

[Dave]

"Yay!" for me, too... (Where's the POLL????) It was definitely long-overdue in its time!


-- Dave

 

[GaryAlan]

"Yay", for me,too--as I've always liked this song!

 

[Geographer]

I never had a problem with it. And to parrot what others have said regarding Karen's solo effort, you have to consider the song in the context of the time (early 80's). My pre-teen neice at the time loved this song because of its "dancability." Is that a word?

 

[ullalume]

Yeah, I just started a thread about changes I'd make to MIA and I'd lose "Strength" "Lyin'" and "Wedding Song" before I'd lose this one. Only minor flaw is the high pitched backing vocals at the very end of the track (as someone else has pointed out). Aside from that, a thoroughly enjoyable 3 minutes of music.