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I remember when I was young.... (well this would have been 15 - the summer of '76, I would call A&M in L.A..... I'd ask for the marketing department and quiz the person who'd answer the phone on what the next Carpenters single might be.... when albums were going to be released... that sort of thing.... For this season, I was trying to surmise which the next single would be on Hush - and had a nice girl on the phone.... She said: (and I'll never forget this.... "Guess?" (In retrospect, I think she was passively aggreeing with all of us here....) I guessed: YOU.... she said 'no'. I then guessed "Can't Smile Without You", she said 'no'. I went on.... Sheepishly, "One More Time"? (thinking that would be a sleepy single, particuarly, since INTBIL was such a somber ballad and wasn't going top 10.... again.... "no". "I Have You?" No. Each time, my mind was playing tricks on me - and I'd tell myself, well.... I suppose Boat To Sail would be great! So - I said "Boat To Sail?" "NO!!" I was stunned. I had no more picks - and I vividly recall forgetting Goofus was even on the LP to allow that a guess..... Then finally, I said it with a goofy question mark in my voice - and she said.... Yup! Again.... stunned.There aren't many that I can think of, but the infamous "Goofus" comes to mind. I can see it, and possibly be okay (somewhat) with it being just another track, but a single?! What the hell?! I cannot think of the reasoning behind releasing this small, unmemorable track for a standout. Why weren't You or One More Time -- two beautiful pieces -- considered or picked to be a shining standout? Boat To Sail and Sandy would have also made much better singles.
Do you think there are more?
In my humble opinion, I think the problems started with "It's Going To Take Some Time". I would have picked "A Song For You". I think it could have been another "Superstar" with the proper edit of the middle instrumental section and maintained their "cool" image and made a great launch for the "Song For You" album. Michael is spot on with following that with "Goodbye To Love" and adding "I Won't Last A Day Without You" at this point. I think both singles would have performed better at that stage and given Karen and Richard a little breathing room for recording "Now & Then". Lead with "Yesterday Once More" followed by "This Masquerade". Legacy fully intact.
The "Singles 1969-1973" gets released with "Top Of The World" as a huge single. They are at their career peak but they are put on an exhausting tour leaving them with no energy to record a follow up. There should have been a new single (not Postman) for Summer of 1974 to ride on the coattails of the success of "The Singles" (remember how it spent months and months at #1 in the UK!).
So Horizon should have been "Only Yesterday", "Tryin To Get The Feeling" (a recording so good that it shows how badly their choices were at this time) and perhaps "Please Mr. Postman" as a third(?).
"A Kind of Hush" shows how Richard was aging and how out of touch (and exhausted) he had become. There is really nothing there to save except "I Need To Be In Love" with deserved a better, more modern arrangement without the OK Chorale. I love the song but the choir just overwhelms it and makes it feel old before its time. I always wondered how it would have sounded with just Karen and Richard in a more stripped down recording.
"Passage"......well it's just all down hill from here..... "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song" would have been bigger if it followed "Horizon" released with stronger singles. "Calling Occupants" should have been relegated to album cut. "I Just Fall In Love Again" could have followed but I think it would have performed weaker than the Anne Murray version
Anyways, this is just my thoughts. All hindsight I guess.
Although I love both Take some Time and Lovesong. I agree that "Time" should have been an album cut.. and Won't last A Day should have been the single at that time. As for Lovesong, I loved it - and still love it. It's fun, crisp, and engaging - to be sure... However, I remember thinking even back at the time that it didn't compare to what was out there commercially in the upbeat song comparisons... For me - as much as I loved it - and I did - it felt "over produced" and a little glitzy for top ten.... I truly believe I Just Fall In Love Again could have been the big one - for that era of their music.... Everyone loves a love song - and a slow dance... LoveSong had a very un-dancable rhythm - for it's time.
Back to Goofus.. I didn't even like it as an album track!
As for It's going to take some time, Back in the day, I loved it.... i loved the drum breaks on it - - and tried to immulatge every thump (was a young drummer atthe time), but the bridge did go just a little "elevator"... Won't Last A Day & an edited Song 4 You - for me - would have been smarter singles....
I actually really like GOOFUS for some reason. It has a kind of charm to it, or at least Karen's voice that makes it fun to hear. It's alright as a single, though, but obviously not one of the strongest ones. Did it get any airplay back in '76?
I actually really like GOOFUS for some reason. It has a kind of charm to it, or at least Karen's voice that makes it fun to hear. It's alright as a single, though, but obviously not one of the strongest ones. Did it get any airplay back in '76?
I never heard 'Goofus' ONCE on Top 40 radio back in '76. That got me to thinking of other singles I never heard on the radio by Carpenters during their hey dey:
'Sweet Sweet Smile' (though they played it a LOT at Kaufmann Stadium during Kansas City Royals games)
'I Believe You'
'Those Good Old Dreams'
'Beachwood'
I only heard the original version of 'Ticket to Ride' on the radio one time. I was taking driver's education class, and was on the freeway for the first time during the summer of 1978. I almost ran off the road that they were playing it.
I DID hear 'Back In My Life Again' a few times in the fall of '81, as well as 'Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore' in early 1984. 'Make Believe It's Your First Time' was on a lot during the fall of '83. I also remember a top 40 station playing 'When You've Got What It Takes' as their pseudo jingle during the summer of '81.
And I remember hearing Karen do a plug of Kansas City's Top 40 FM station, KBEQ-104, in the fall of 1977. They always played it as they led into the single version of 'Occupants'. She said, 'This is Karen Carpenter, and Q-104 plays the hits!' I wish I had a tape of that now.
In defense of "Its Going To Take Some Time" I remember hearing that at the beach on someone else's radio, and when it came on, they turned the radio up! A good feeling and a perfect easy pop song.
"I Believe You" was released in October around the same time as "Christmas Portrait". I remember a full page ad in Billboard announcing it. But then I had to search all over San Francisco to find it which I finally did 2 weeks later. It appeared to get no promotion from A&M at the time. Suddenly in January '78 it appeared under "ChartBound" in Billboard and finally debuted. A&M also appeared fairly ambivalent about "Christmas Portrait" which was unbelievable. Most of the duo's problems can be laid at the feet of A&M and their management.
If I recall correctly, I got the single "I Believe You" through the fan club. I think it was Richard's "vacation" (illness) that postponed the release of the album that was supposed to coincide with the single release.
RainyDays: I saw the "I Believe You" Billboard ad not long ago. I will try to remember where.