1978 album that never was...

[piloso49]

Around the time of the Christmas Portrait album, The Carpenters were recording new material for a possible upcoming album. These tracks included
I Believe You
Where Do I Go From Here
Look To Your Dreams
Honolulu Nights
Slow Dance
Leave Yesterday Behind

In fact they even released I Believe You as a single. I think it charted at 78. Does anyone know what other songs were from these sessions? And how do you think it would have fared as an album based on these songs so far? Could they have had a successful follow up single to I Believe You, if so, which one of the others do you think could have been a hit?

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

"Leave Yesterday Behind" is a dead-ringer for "For All We Know". I'd be very surprised if that was ever intended to be released. It's a pleasant enough song but the lyric is unusually weak for a Carpenters' record. It's also nice to hear just Richard on massed backgrounds but that wouldn't have happened if that record were actually released at the time.

Ed

 

[Dave]

Passage really needed a follow-up! From the looks of these tracks (and from what I have heard) another LP should have continued in the same vein...

There were some good musicians on Passage, a typical CarpenterS album, heretofore never or very rarely used (Ray Parker Jr., Ronnie Tutt...) so maybe a Second Wind would have yielded the same "Underdog" results, as for an outing attempting something Commercial, only a song like "Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft" was all that was really a hit!


Dave

 

[newvillefan]

Other songs from those sessions were:

Little Girl Blue
When I Fall In Love

There wasn't really any homogenous feel to the tracks they were recording in 1978, other than the Christmas songs. The '78 tracks were a million miles away from the ambition of Passage, I feel. I don't really feel this was ever an album in the making, just some songs they tried out for the TV specials or as demos after hearing them on holiday etc.

Stephen

 

[Chris May]

Whereas these are all very good compositions [and recordings] in their own right, they don't share a general theme, idea nor genre (in a couple of cases) which would make it unsellable if all on one project.

This is what "Lovelines" was meant to accomplish I believe. Many of those tunes meander from one to another (i.e. genre, etc), however the track sequences and remixing brought it together in just the right way which in my opinion is due to the genius of Richard Carpenter. Just
my $.02. -Chris

 

[aaflyer98]

Wouldn't "Thank You For The Music" have possibly been recorded around 1978 as well? They did sing it on "The Tonight Show" and it was introduced as their "new single". Who knows if a studio version would have made it a hit! Still waiting for the vaults to open...

 

[Jeff]

'78 should have brought and or continued to bring progessive CarpenterS sound. However we do have X-mas Portrait's sessions to fill this void. Some may say that styles change and disco or what have you came into fury. K&R built the CLASSIC sound we know today. Top 40 is simply a number. Karen Carpenter and her brother RC had contemporary class. Case in point this duo, brother and sister no less, outsold EVERY American act of the '70's. This an easy feat. There was and is no denying the power of beauty in sound, expression and the undeniable presence of delivery that was/is KC.

Lately I've wondered? Had Karen known that her status as the 70's musical legend was to endure thru-out all time...where might she be now?

Y'know? My girl, your girl, and most significantly RC's girl...coulda, shoulda and now maybe woulda found her happiness and freedom from woe and despair had she truly realized her absolute gift millions continue to appreciate and live for.

I long to be CLOSE TO...ya ahright...whadever. Anyway, the moments captured on tape...perhaps some abysmal delights many fathoms beyond which we've realized will one day delight and gratify the hearts still longing to hear THE voice of a long begone generation once more.

My thoughts with a stab at pooo-et-try,

Jeff

 

[aaflyer98]

Had Karen lived beyond 1983. We'd still be on this board...talking about her latest new solo album or Carpenters album and be blessed with yet more of her music, all the while debating it! But.... we'd still have our Karen. I miss her...even to this day.

 

[Mark-T]

I think a 1978 album would have yielded a "mixed bag" rating.
Most of the songs are good but together they would feel inconsistent in style and "flow".
Still, it would have been better than nothing at all!

 

[GOODY4SHOES]

I would love to say 'yes', but as much as I LOVE the C's, I'd have to say no. The early 70's (their magical period) were gone, the times and music had changed by that point.

Think about it... 'Close To You' could not have been released at a more perfect time for launching their career. Yes, quality of the music is very important, but it's really all about timing.

 

[aaflyer98]

Yes, it was time for a change in 1978...but thankfully, the Christmas Portrait album sold beautifully ...and still does...and that made A&M very happy. A 1978 pop album probably would have sold so-so....unless a different producer would have been brougt in to freshen the sound. But, as we know, Karen, Richard & A&M were looking for a new producer for "Passage" but one wasn't found who'd work with them at the time.
(Probably due to their previous success and to have tremendous pressure on the new producer to get them a huge hit and big album sales after "horizon" and "a kind of hush" didn't sell as well as their predecessors.)

 

[ullalume]

And in addition, I'm pretty sure they would have included You're The One (because it's great), and Sailing on the Tide (since it had reached the overdubbing point and they must have been fond of it) from '77.

Personally I think it would have faired better than Passage, though passage was certainly a more ambitious piece.

Where Do I Go and You're the One could have been top 30 (28, 29), I reckon. And Thankyou for the Music could have made low teens (like 19, 20).

Certainly. And keep in mind they were only about half way through material.

Later

Neil

 

[GOODY4SHOES]

(Probably due to their previous success and to have tremendous pressure on the new producer to get them a huge hit and big album sales after "horizon" and "a kind of hush" didn't sell as well as their predecessors.)

It's quite unfortunate that Horizon didn't sell well. Karen's voice was absolute perfection on Horizon... awesome, effortless control blended with the haunting depth of her lower resigter. Many chill factor moments on that record. Without a doubt she was/is best female singer in history.

 

[Jeff]

Ahright,

#1... HORIZON possessed the greatest international single of an extraordinary legacy. Beyond that the follow up single took #4 on Casey Kasem's American top 40. Now WHO can dispute Casey Kasem?

K&R will be/are the undisputed world champions of the 1970's and waaaAAAAAY beyond the "talents" of Madonna who? Beyoncee' what? Ashleee something...you're kiddin' me right? Before I get angry I have just one more ??? Brittany...Ah... your kiddiin' me right?

 

[Johnny Angel]

Linda Ronstadt released her album "What's New" in 1983, "Lush Life" in 1984, and for Sentimental Reasons in 1986. I enjoy listening to those albums, but I can only listen to them in small doses, because I start thinking "What Karen could have done with that...!" and I get aggravated thinking about it...

I've often wished that after the "surprise" that PASSAGE was, that Richard had done a hard about-face and recorded a complete album like Ronstadt's "What's New." After hearing what Karen did with I Can Dream, Can't I? and her blues-drenched performance of Ordinary Fool, how could it have missed...?

 

[goodjeans]

I totally agree with Johnny Angel. When I Fall...
Little Girl Blue... Full versions of the songs from the Karen/Ella medley...with none other than Nelson Riddle UGH. Probably would have racked up sales the way that "Christmas Portrait" did and does. Hindsight is so 20/20. I sure hope that Richard doesn't sit there and analyze their career and choices the way that I do. Have a great day everyone.

 

[Johnny Angel]

I absolutely love Karen's vocals on the My Funny Valentine bit... It's possible that Richard had toyed with the idea, since he and Karen recorded Little Girl Blue and When I Fall In Love, the year after PASSAGE.

But 1978 was a hard year for him. That was the year that they began seriously feeling their burnout. They were still doing concert dates, and recording (the "pop" tunes that surfaced on Lovelines, and the Christmas album). Then in September 1978, Richard announced to the band that he'd had it and that he wasn't going to do another show. They cancelled the remainder of their MGM Grand concerts. Richard has said that he was so burned out that he let Peter Knight arrange most of the Christmas album since he was unable to.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Wow this is an old topic, funny to see these re-appear.

Also wasn't Dec 3rd 1978 the last time Richard played publicly in a live concert setting, Long Beach Cal State Winter Festival Concert. This is the concert that Karen sang a medley of Christmas hits all live. Didn't Richard even have a hard time playing and didn't he soon after check himself in for treatment. I have this concert although short, it is a pretty special concert seeing that Karen is singing live especially MCD and Ave Maria.

 

[Dave]

Isn't "Honolulu Nights" supposed to be "Honolulu CITY Lights"...? Seemed to be a fitting song for my arrival in Honolulu, HI, last month for our Honeymoon; especially since it was Night Time when we got there and it even rained...!

(We were soooo glad nobody jeered and jinxed us at our Wedding over a Tropical Storm which was taking place nearby Hawaii, and was actually ENDING after we arrived, as the weather there was good ever-after...!)



Dave

 

[Harry]

In fact they even released I Believe You as a single. I think it charted at 78.

"I Believe You" charted in December of 1978, peaking at number 68 and staying on the charts for just five weeks.

Harry

 

[Johnny Angel]

Wow this is an old topic, funny to see these re-appear.

Also wasn't Dec 3rd 1978 the last time Richard played publicly in a live concert setting, Long Beach Cal State Winter Festival Concert. This is the concert that Karen sang a medley of Christmas hits all live. Didn't Richard even have a hard time playing and didn't he soon after check himself in for treatment. I have this concert although short, it is a pretty special concert seeing that Karen is singing live especially MCD and Ave Maria.

According to the Coleman biography (page 239), September 4, 1978, was the last time the entire band played together in concert.

 

[ullalume]

It was due to be released in early '79 though, right, for their tenth anniversary with AM. I'm sure this was mentioned in the newsletters.

I was always under the impression that RC and KC did some recording March-September of '78, and would resume in Jan of '79. But obviously Richard decided, rightly, that this shouldn't be the case.

Neil