Richard Carpenter's "TIME" Sells BIG!

[Harry]

Working in radio, I was able to obtain two copies of the LP of TIME. One came with a publicity packet containing the following:

- The envelope:


- The two pages of text:



- The picture:


- And the promotional stamp on the back of the jacket:


And yes, both LPs had the red sticker affixed to the jacket.

I got these after I'd already purchased the CD version in the store. I bought that the moment I saw it and liked it instantly.

Harry

 

[Dave]

Well, not bad, considering that upon its actual release it even tanked in the cut-out bin!

(That's where there were nearly the tons of copies the store had, I'd gotten my cassette from...)


-- Dave

 

[MissK]

Working in radio, I was able to obtain two copies of the LP of TIME. One came with a publicity packet containing the following:

- The envelope:


- The two pages of text:



- The picture:


- And the promotional stamp on the back of the jacket:


And yes, both LPs had the red sticker affixed to the jacket.

I got these after I'd already purchased the CD version in the store. I bought that the moment I saw it and liked it instantly.

Harry

This is the first I've heard of a group Richard got together in the early sixties that backed up a vocal group recording. Wonder why this has never been mentioned before - unless I missed something.

 

[newvillefan]

Working in radio, I was able to obtain two copies of the LP of TIME. One came with a publicity packet containing the following:

- The envelope:


- The two pages of text:



- The picture:


- And the promotional stamp on the back of the jacket:


And yes, both LPs had the red sticker affixed to the jacket.

I got these after I'd already purchased the CD version in the store. I bought that the moment I saw it and liked it instantly.

Harry

Thanks so much for posting these scans Harry! I'm rather glad I resurrected this old thread now

 

[Chris May]

I didn't hang on to any cassettes of anything, but I do have a sealed/mint copy of the LP and a mint copy of the CD. I actually enjoy Dionne's reading of In Love Alone very much along with the arrangement. I'm Still Not Over You is another close favorite, mostly for the arrangement. Joe's bass lines, along with the strings and guitar work - definitely reminiscent of a Carpenters track - with the exception of the Yamaha lead synth keys - which I'm very rarely a fan of, due to the dated nature of the DX-7 in general.

 

[newvillefan]

I'm Still Not Over You is another close favorite, mostly for the arrangement. Joe's bass lines, along with the strings and guitar work - definitely reminiscent of a Carpenters track - with the exception of the Yamaha lead synth keys - which I'm very rarely a fan of, due to the dated nature of the DX-7 in general.

I think it's the heavy use of the DX-7 throughout the album that makes it sound so dated as a collection hearing it now. I do love Richard's comments in the late 80s that Karen would have loved 'Say Yeah' because it was so left of centre and that had this been a Carpenters album, he'd have taken the lead on it and given Karen the rest.

 

[mr J.]

Time is actually not out-of-print. It is available as a digital download from both iTunes and Amazon, which makes it (technically) in-print. Yes, it's a different format, but the record company is currently making it available for purchase by the public. You can argue the merits of one format over another (I'm no fan of compressed digital downloads, personally), but the music is available for purchase and that makes it in-print.

Like A&M Retro, I bought both the CD and the LP on the same day -- and it was the first time that had ever happened for me. Back in the early days of CDs, there was usually a lag of a month or two between the LP release and the CD release, due to the shortage of CD manufacturing plants and the backlogs therein. By 1987, I was trying to only buy CDs of any new releases, but sometimes I couldn't wait for the CD release and had to get the LP first. Time was such a big deal for me, though, that I bought both.

One final minor issue. Let's not call them "vinyls." I cringe when people use that term. Records, LPs, albums -- these terms are fine. "Vinyls" is just wrong...

When we talk about an album being "in print"-we're talking about the physical album or CD-with the disc,cover and booklet.Digital downloads are available-not "in print".Even Amazon makes this distinction-as they have separate sections for digital music,and what's actually in-print(CD & vinyl).

The focus of this thread is on a long out-of-print copy of Time that sold for $400. ten years ago.It is the very fact of it being long out-of-print,and becoming a rare item,that garnered it's hefty price tag.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Mine also has that Loaned for Promotion Only stamp but mine is on the right side covering up part of the stop watch. I like the insert photo of the car with Richard's reflection in the paint, nice touch. My LP is also that purple (see through) vinyl when holding it up to the light. I wonder if that was for the promo LP's or were the non promo ones also see through vinyl?

Thanks Harry for the scans, never seen them before.

 

[Actorman]

My LP copy is standard black vinyl. Never knew it was pressed on purple vinyl. Very cool. Wonder why purple though? Doesn't really tie into the cover art. Silver or red would have made more sense. But, cool detail nonetheless.

 

[Harry]

It's not really purple-looking if you just look at it. But if you hold it up to a bright light, it's translucent with a purplish color to it. Both of mine are that way.

Harry

 

[JohninTucson]

I have a signed CD copy of 'TIME' that Richard himself sent to me about 9 years ago. I had written him a long overdue fan letter thanking him for all of the years of absolute enjoyment for the music that he and Karen shared with the world and I also sent him a photo of my lovingly restored (by me alone) 1970 Oldsmobile 98 Regency convertible that was my pride and joy, figuring that he as a car guy would appreciate my choice of a luxury car with a monster factory motor that could whip most cars on the road. I also wrote in my letter about how I lamented the loss of my cassette copy of 'TIME' that had gotten baked to death in the hot Arizona sun and not being able to find another copy up to that point and low and behold 2 weeks later I got a beautiful signed photo of Richard and a signed CD of 'TIME' from him in the mail along with a hand-written letter thanking me for my kind words, very much to my surprise and delight ! I did send him a thank you letter back to him immediately and I will always remember his kindness in sending a fan (little ol' me !) a signed copy of his album. Say what you will about Richard but in my eyes he will always be seen as an artist that really does appreciate the fans sharing their love of the Carpenter's amazing body of work and he does indeed read the fan mail sent to him by us. Thank you again Richard !

 

[newvillefan]

Courtesy of the 'Close To The Carpenters' facebook page, here's a nice article about Richard's 1987 comeback...the most interesting part is that he had his mind set on the release of 'Lovelines' (complete with selections from Karen's solo album) as early as this period.

"Fans haven't heard the last of Karen, according to Carpenter. There will be another album of her previously unreleased material. It'll include Karen's work with Richard, but also some tracks from her much-discussed, never-finished solo project with Billy Joel producer Phil Ramone".

 

[GaryAlan]

Thanks, Stephen, a very nice and interesting, read.
One almost feels his pain.

 

[newvillefan]

Another interesting quote....

"As for his own solo career, Carpenter's future seems uncertain. The follow up single to '[Something In Your] Eyes', 'Calling Your Name Again', was quick to hit the skids. And Carpenter is quick to admit that if his sister hadn't died, he would never have gone it alone. "No" he says, "Not at all".