newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
I forgot that Bacharach had written the theme tune to Arthur. Great movie!
⭐ Official Review [Album]: "CLOSE TO YOU" (SP-4271)
- Thread starter Chris May
- Start date
I forgot that Bacharach had written the theme tune to Arthur. Great movie!
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Here is an album review for Close To You that I had never seen before from Dec 1970
byline
Well-Known Member
I actually do remember reading this! Isn't it from High Fidelity magazine?Here is an album review for Close To You that I had never seen before from Dec 1970
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Here is an album review for Close To You that I had never seen before from Dec 1970
"Whoever took the picture of the Carpenters on the album cover ought to be shot"
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Correct, I forgot that....High Fidelity magazine Dec 1970.
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
"Whoever took the picture of the Carpenters on the album cover ought to be shot"
I got a laugh out of that as well....we hear so many people say that today but remember this article was written back in 1970 and they thought the same thing.
byline
Well-Known Member
Yup, I remember reading that back when the magazine was published (my parents had a subscription) and feeling somewhat puzzled. I was in my early teens at the time, and I loved that cover. But now I do see his point, LOL!"Whoever took the picture of the Carpenters on the album cover ought to be shot"
Don Malcolm
Well-Known Member
Morgan Ames, the High Fidelity reviewer, has worked with Richard on several music projects in subsequent years. She is a singer, pianist and songwriter/arranger in her own right. I think some of that background comes through in what she writes about Offering and Close to You, though the reviews do seem to be written rather hastily (very little detail about the individual songs, for example).
The difference between the reviews written for magazines like High Fidelity/Stereo Review and those found in, say, Rolling Stone is also quite apparent--the former tended to have insiders whose musical credentials were worn on their sleeves, whereas RS leavened their analysis with the sociological patois of the time. The trades were more focused on trying to pinpoint commercial success/failure and were more into straight reporting.
Clearly Morgan Ames was proud to have spotted the Carpenters' potential for future success, but you can also tell how impressed she was by the Close to You LP (even though she doesn't spend much time telling you about the songs themselves). And of course she heard what any of the open-minded folk were hearing when they listened to the LP: a fantastic and singular vocal presence, surrounded by superb vocal and instrumental arrangements. In short, music built to last a long, long time!!
The difference between the reviews written for magazines like High Fidelity/Stereo Review and those found in, say, Rolling Stone is also quite apparent--the former tended to have insiders whose musical credentials were worn on their sleeves, whereas RS leavened their analysis with the sociological patois of the time. The trades were more focused on trying to pinpoint commercial success/failure and were more into straight reporting.
Clearly Morgan Ames was proud to have spotted the Carpenters' potential for future success, but you can also tell how impressed she was by the Close to You LP (even though she doesn't spend much time telling you about the songs themselves). And of course she heard what any of the open-minded folk were hearing when they listened to the LP: a fantastic and singular vocal presence, surrounded by superb vocal and instrumental arrangements. In short, music built to last a long, long time!!
Beyond cool! And the ending is primo.Here is an album review for Close To You that I had never seen before from Dec 1970
70sFan
Well-Known Member
My wife used to work for CBS Records Advertising in New York and I managed a record store (Record World) on Long Island. She would always bring home copies of Stereo Review and High Fidelity as well as Rolling Stone and I naturally would get Billboard, Record World and Cashbox. I bought many more LP's as a result of a review in SR and HF than RS and the others. If at 10 years old, I read this review, I would have bought this album with my allowance right there and then. I bought it later anyway with my allowance. I always trusted SR and HF.Here is an album review for Close To You that I had never seen before from Dec 1970
70sFan
Well-Known Member
Oh, I forgot to say thank you for finding and posting this review.
Also, as a veteran record store manager I knew the importance of album art. People would pick up an LP and stare at the front and back covers of the album. In the 80's, an album jacket had to "pop". It was easier to display and sell. I remember customers loving the Joe Jackson Night and Day album jacket. I also remember hearing that getting Barbra Streisand to approve her album jackets was challenging. That was o.k. since her album jackets in the 70's and 80's were perfect. They were always easy to create beautiful displays.
I have been buying many late 60's and early 70's LP's at our local Goodwill store recently and in comparison, the Close To You album art was actually pretty good for that time period. I found my copy easily since it was so recognizable!
Also, as a veteran record store manager I knew the importance of album art. People would pick up an LP and stare at the front and back covers of the album. In the 80's, an album jacket had to "pop". It was easier to display and sell. I remember customers loving the Joe Jackson Night and Day album jacket. I also remember hearing that getting Barbra Streisand to approve her album jackets was challenging. That was o.k. since her album jackets in the 70's and 80's were perfect. They were always easy to create beautiful displays.
I have been buying many late 60's and early 70's LP's at our local Goodwill store recently and in comparison, the Close To You album art was actually pretty good for that time period. I found my copy easily since it was so recognizable!
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
January 30,1971, Billboard Magazine:
Plug Mini-LPs
"(Chicago) One answer to the problem of Jukebox requests resulting from air exposure
of cuts from 12-inch albums is the release of such material on Little-LP's, according to
Richard Prutting, head of Little LP's Unlimited, here. Prutting's catalog of 32 Mini-disks
contains such heavily aired material from 12-inch albums, as,....Carpenters' Help....,
Prutting is optimistic about Little LP's, while others remain skeptical."
Source:
https://books.google.com/books?id=7ggEAAAAMBAJ
Plug Mini-LPs
"(Chicago) One answer to the problem of Jukebox requests resulting from air exposure
of cuts from 12-inch albums is the release of such material on Little-LP's, according to
Richard Prutting, head of Little LP's Unlimited, here. Prutting's catalog of 32 Mini-disks
contains such heavily aired material from 12-inch albums, as,....Carpenters' Help....,
Prutting is optimistic about Little LP's, while others remain skeptical."
Source:
https://books.google.com/books?id=7ggEAAAAMBAJ
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
In my personal quest to understand my anathema to Mr.Guder,
and, listening to the wonderful Close To You LP this beautiful morning,
I note that there are four Richard Carpenter compositions represented:
Maybe It's You (written in 1968 for Spectrum,ref:From The Top)
Crescent Moon
Mr. Guder (composed late 1967,ref:Essential Collection)
Another Song
And, placing the aforementioned song within the confines of the 12-song total,
it behooves me to feel that this one song, Mr. Guder, is out-of-place.
In my opinion, Crescent Moon and Another Song are far superior ,
encompassing all the attributes which have been bestowed upon the former.
But, to each his own.
I do enjoy Karen's drumming on the song and that's plenty for me !
and, listening to the wonderful Close To You LP this beautiful morning,
I note that there are four Richard Carpenter compositions represented:
Maybe It's You (written in 1968 for Spectrum,ref:From The Top)
Crescent Moon
Mr. Guder (composed late 1967,ref:Essential Collection)
Another Song
And, placing the aforementioned song within the confines of the 12-song total,
it behooves me to feel that this one song, Mr. Guder, is out-of-place.
In my opinion, Crescent Moon and Another Song are far superior ,
encompassing all the attributes which have been bestowed upon the former.
But, to each his own.
I do enjoy Karen's drumming on the song and that's plenty for me !
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Funny how personal tastes differ...I think Crescent Moon (or Crescent Noon as it appeared on my CD cover
) is one of the worst songs they ever recorded. Boring, uneventful, depressing, doleful and corny lyrics to boot. It was recorded by the college choir they were in at university in 1966 and should have been left at that. I don't think I've ever listened to it more than twice.Another Song on the other hand is a masterpiece and a great way to close the album! It's got a bit of everything: drama, great drums and keyboards, amazing harmonies and that fabulous instrumental ending. Some people have referred to it having a baroque style, which is particularly apt when you look at the definition of the word in a musical context: "an oddly shaped pearl". That describes the song perfectly.
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GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
Nicely explicated, Stephen !
Allow me to change my mind a bit !
I do have an earlier (live) version of Mr. Guder, which is 3 minutes,29 seconds of duration.
It is done in a slower tempo, with some other minor alterations.
And, I confess.....I love it !
I think, too, there is a much earlier version of Crescent Moon, I'm looking....!
Allow me to change my mind a bit !
I do have an earlier (live) version of Mr. Guder, which is 3 minutes,29 seconds of duration.
It is done in a slower tempo, with some other minor alterations.
And, I confess.....I love it !
I think, too, there is a much earlier version of Crescent Moon, I'm looking....!
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
If you check that video out I think you'll find it's the one you referred to...the version with CSULB Choir
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
Yes, you are correct, Stephen.
Somewhere it (the audio) languishes in one of my computer files !
The above video threw me a bit, as it is parenthesized with "Demo",
and I had not thought of it in those terms.
Oh, it is a 'slow burn' song,;
Karen gets to me--those intonations--
between 54 sec and 61 seconds !
Somewhere it (the audio) languishes in one of my computer files !
The above video threw me a bit, as it is parenthesized with "Demo",
and I had not thought of it in those terms.
Oh, it is a 'slow burn' song,;
Karen gets to me--those intonations--
between 54 sec and 61 seconds !
To each his own. As the years pass, songs like "Crescent Noon" increase in my favor. Songs that were once the plodding ballads now hold some of the greatest joys. If I were to pull out CLOSE TO YOU right now, I might play "Crescent Noon", "Another Song", and "I Kept On Loving You". The others I've heard a thousand times and their imprints are firmly pressed upon my brain cells. If I never heard them again, I could still play them in my head.
"Crescent Noon" is a gorgeous song - goosebump territory when we get to the fairytale forest!
Harry
"Crescent Noon" is a gorgeous song - goosebump territory when we get to the fairytale forest!
Harry
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
I must say, revisiting the songs Mr.Guder, and Crescent Noon,
have opened my musical eyes and ears more to the positive side.
The early, slow, live, version of Mr.Guder is outstanding and I
had forgotten about it. Quite impressive...though, it differs from other incarnations.
Thus, my only remaining 'iffy' tunes remain Piano Picker,
I Believe You and Man Smart, Woman Smarter !
And, as such, I have gravitated toward liking them...more so, as 'time goes by' !
have opened my musical eyes and ears more to the positive side.
The early, slow, live, version of Mr.Guder is outstanding and I
had forgotten about it. Quite impressive...though, it differs from other incarnations.
Thus, my only remaining 'iffy' tunes remain Piano Picker,
I Believe You and Man Smart, Woman Smarter !
And, as such, I have gravitated toward liking them...more so, as 'time goes by' !
Guitarmutt
Well-Known Member
Funny how personal tastes differ...I think Crescent Moon (or Crescent Noon as it appeared on my CD cover
Another Song on the other hand is a masterpiece and a great way to close the album! It's got a bit of everything: drama, great drums and keyboards, amazing harmonies and that fabulous instrumental ending. Some people have referred to it having a baroque style, which is particularly apt when you look at the definition of the word in a musical context: "an oddly shaped pearl". That describes the song perfectly.
The observation about 'Another Song' being Baroque is true many ways. The structure is very "classical" with its multiple movements, and of course the melody of the first movement is lifted directly from Handel's 'Messiah', one of the great works of the Baroque Era.
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
I've been spinning all of my 45-Singles this week.
I played AM-1236 Merry Christmas Darling, 1970 version.
Then, I flipped the record and played
Mr.Guder....at 2:35...,
time stamp which did not--at first--register with me.
Then, wow, the song abruptly ends without the duo singing
the ending as I know it (from the album):
"Please, play your game, stay the same"..,
then the flute instrumental ending...
Terrible.
The single misses the best part of the entire song.
Why do this ?
I played AM-1236 Merry Christmas Darling, 1970 version.
Then, I flipped the record and played
Mr.Guder....at 2:35...,
time stamp which did not--at first--register with me.
Then, wow, the song abruptly ends without the duo singing
the ending as I know it (from the album):
"Please, play your game, stay the same"..,
then the flute instrumental ending...
Terrible.
The single misses the best part of the entire song.
Why do this ?
Oh, and to answer your question, the song was likely chopped off at the end as a quick way to avoid the segue with "I Kept On Loving You". Later on when the song appeared on compilations, if not segued, they still faded out the final orchestral flourish, where the segue occurs.
Harry
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
Thanks, Harry, for looking into that (abbreviated) Mr. Guder Single release !
I actually played that Mr. Guder twice--thinking I had simply missed the ending.
Keep in mind, I love Merry Christmas Darling, and did not want to flip to that B-side,
which spoils my listening pleasure for that A-side.
But, I thought, I have never played the B-side of the record, better do it once !
And, did I ever get a surprise.....
I actually played that Mr. Guder twice--thinking I had simply missed the ending.
Keep in mind, I love Merry Christmas Darling, and did not want to flip to that B-side,
which spoils my listening pleasure for that A-side.
But, I thought, I have never played the B-side of the record, better do it once !
And, did I ever get a surprise.....
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