⭐ Official Review [Album]: "HORIZON" (SP-4530)

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THIS ALBUM?

  • ***** (BEST)

    Votes: 51 49.0%
  • ****

    Votes: 36 34.6%
  • ***

    Votes: 13 12.5%
  • **

    Votes: 2 1.9%
  • *

    Votes: 2 1.9%

  • Total voters
    104
Yes, 4:10 for sure !
I still wonder if the single edit was due to 45-vinyl constraints at that time.
Ah, to meet Karen at that time, what an experience that must have been !
Such a beautiful lady to accompany that Voice !
 
No, the edit was so radio would play it. Their standard was that in order to play "the most music", songs needed to be short. By the mid-70s, radio didn't like records that went much past 3:30. Even the single edit is longer than that, but it got airplay anyway on the strength of who the Carpenters were. Pushing it to 4:10 would have gotten the song a lot less airplay.

Harry
 
...I meant when it went "Top Ten", selfish as I am. Maybe an exception to the time constraint rule. I remember when I bought the LP and it contained the longer version I was beyond thrilled. Another gift I suppose, for the album buying Carpenter fan.
 
And, to those students who rely primarily (only ?) on Wikipedia to do their homework,
notice that the 7" Single Only Yesterday is listed as
Length: 4m 10sec
on that 'document' ,
with the actual 45 Vinyl time not listed anywhere !
 
Here is the Billboard album review for Horizon

Billboard%20Carpenters%20Horizon%20Album%20Review%20June%2021%201975.jpg~original
 
Love these posts Chris! Takes me back to the day and re-ignites that fever at anticipating releases, singles, album covers and all the joy that lies therein. Was ready for shm TICKET again but now HORIZON is next on the playlist. Morning opens quietly da da da dada dada da....oh flawless at every note.

Jeff
 
I found this interesting article online from Radio & Records....this really takes you back to 70's when people use to call into radio stations requesting certain songs...(anyone remember that?) I actually have myself on tape when I called into a radio station asking them to play an Olivia song that had just been released and the DJ talked to me and I recorded it on a cassette tape, I sound like a dork but my love for Olivia's music shines then as it does now. Anyway....

This article is interesting because the Horizon LP had been released for about a week and DJ's were getting feedback about what would be the first single released. There was another article that ran soon after this one and it said A&M still has not released what will be the first single, so apparently they were either undecided or it took awhile for the single to appear. I guess this DJ didn't realize that Please Mr. Postman was released in late 74. It must have been with Horizon being issued late as an LP.

It's funny because they mention Happy as a potential single getting feedback and we were just saying here on the forum how Happy would have been a great choice for a single.

Issue June 20, 1975
RampR%20Carpenters%20Horizon%20Single%20Picks%20June%2020%201975.png~original
 
June 29, 1975, New Strait Times Horizon Review:
(slightly edited)
" Record of the Week...Horizon...Carpenters,
The Carpenters need no introduction in the world of music, as they seem capable of hitting the charts
regularly. This album opens with Aurora and closes with Eventide, thus describing and capturing the unique
horizon with true Carpenters charm. Only Yesterday, the second track, hits me right from the first note to the
last. No surprise, as the song is sitting pretty on the popularity charts at the moment. Carpenters have a tendency
of turning other people's hits into theirs, as their version of Solitaire sounds much better than the Andy William's
original. Recent hit Please Mister Postman is also on the album, as is Desperado and Love Me For What I Am.
As in their previous album, Now & Then, every song is beautifully arranged and presented.
Richard Carpenter Producer, Karen Carpenter Associate Producer. Rated par excellence. "

Source:
https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=e30FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3939,8562563&hl=en
 
If memory serves, 'Only Yesterday' was the first song (heard on radio)
which completely overwhelmed me; not to mention I finally discovered
the name of the 'group' (duo) singing the song....radio dj announcing... 'The Carpenters'.
Hooked I was , from thence forward.
Yes, Jeff, I still love this song !
 
Billy May,
arranger of I Can Dream Can't I,
presented Karen Carpenter with a Mickey Mouse Album
featuring his arrangements.
(This in 1976, according to The 1979 Decade Booklet).

He arranged for the first 1977 Christmas Special, then no more.
Too bad, a true musical genius.
 
Billy May did some of the arrangements on the 1978 sessions,also:

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
I'll Be Home For Christmas
He Came Here For me


A whole album with Billy would've been fantastic.
 
The 1977 Christmas Special was completed by November of 1977.
However, Billy May receives no credit on the 1978 Television Special,
or, any subsequent Carpenters' Television Special.
Also, the Christmas Portrait Album was completed by July 1978.
( Carpenters' Newsletter#60, "...Christmas album completed...")
Thus--and, I could be wrong--
the Billy May parts were finished before the actual 1978 recording sessions commenced.
Regardless of circumstance, I do wonder why Billy May was not more often utilized.
 
The 1977 Christmas Special was completed by November of 1977.
However, Billy May receives no credit on the 1978 Television Special,
or, any subsequent Carpenters' Television Special.
Also, the Christmas Portrait Album was completed by July 1978.
( Carpenters' Newsletter#60, "...Christmas album completed...")
Thus--and, I could be wrong--
the Billy May parts were finished before the actual 1978 recording sessions commenced.
Regardless of circumstance, I do wonder why Billy May was not more often utilized.

He was a genius, as I agree with everyone here. I Can Dream, Can't I? is a perfect example of this.
 
The 1977 Christmas Special was completed by November of 1977.
However, Billy May receives no credit on the 1978 Television Special,
or, any subsequent Carpenters' Television Special.
Also, the Christmas Portrait Album was completed by July 1978.
( Carpenters' Newsletter#60, "...Christmas album completed...")
Thus--and, I could be wrong--
the Billy May parts were finished before the actual 1978 recording sessions commenced.
Regardless of circumstance, I do wonder why Billy May was not more often utilized.
Billy"s arrangements weren't featured in the 1978 Christmas Special-hence the reason he received no credit.

Nelson Riddle did the arrangements on Music,Music,Music.
 
There is no indication that " Nelson Riddle did the arrangements" for the 1980 Special:

(Watching) The end Credits:
1980's Music, Music, Music.....
Musical Director: Nelson Riddle
Musical Arrangements by...Richard Carpenter, Peter Knight, Bobby Hammack, Bill Reddie.


1978's
Christmas Portrait Special....
Credits Scroll as:
Musical Director: Nelson Riddle
Musical Arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Peter Knight, Richard Carpenter.

Credits for 1977's
Carpenters At Christmas:
Musical Director: Billy May
Musical Arrangements: Billy May, Peter Knight, Richard Carpenter.
 
I defer to original source material, rather than be contented with what was written long afterward.....

This is the information one was confronted with at the time of Vinyl Release.......
The Original Vinyl Credits, thus detailed on the Jackets of the Albums:
1975....Horizon...Arranged and Orchestrated Richard Carpenter, I Can Dream Can't I.....Arranged by Billy May and Richard Carpenter.
1977....Passage....Arranged and Orchestrated by Richard Carpenter
Songs Orchestrated by Peter Knight (Occupants, Don't Cry For Me Argentina and I Just Fall In Love Again).
1978...Christmas Portrait...Arranged and Orchestrated by: (9-songs )Peter Knight,(4-) Billy May and (2-) Richard Carpenter.
1981...Made In America...Arranged and Orchestrated by Richard Carpenter, I Believe You arranged by Paul Riser.
Songs Orchestrated by Peter Knight (Because We Are In Love and Somebody's Been Lyin).
1983...Voice of The Heart, Produced and Arranged by Richard Carpenter, Look To Your Dreams arranged by Peter Knight.

(Off-Topic, but while it is fresh in my mind:
Sleep Well Little Children was performed on the 1974 Perry Como Show,
why was a completely different arrangement penned for the 1978 album?).
 
(Notice the RIAA Database has a release date of April 9,1975...well, I trust The Carpenters Decade Book stats-- June 6.)

Richard Carpenter:
"As a result, recording on a new album did not commence until late 1974.
The resulting “Horizon” released June 6, 1975, differed from the preceding albums, mostly by value of its production.
By this time, A&M Studios had 24 track recording.
(By contrast, the “Offering” album is on 8 tracks and the following four on 16; the many overdubbed vocals ate up a lot of tracks.)
"

Many differences punctuate this album as compared to previous efforts:
On Vinyl, total running time is 32 minutes 12 seconds.
(1) Is there another album preceding which has as many minutes every lead sung by Karen (with no leads by Richard) ?
(2) Also, this, the first album to feature Jim Gordon on drums and the first album featuring a song with a different arranger,
(3) Billy May on ' I Can Dream Cant't I'.
(4) And, the first with a song written by Tony Peluso.
(5) With the song , Love Me For What I Am ,written by Palma Pascale, lyricist John Bettis.
(I do not know how much of the lyric as written by John Bettis, is his, though.)
(6) The artwork-- cover and sleeve-- first class all the way. Great Photographs inside and outside.
Also, hardboard inner sleeve with Lyric.
(7) The album took more time to complete than the previous efforts.
(8) And, for an inexplicable reason failed to go USA Platinum at that time.
(9) I believe it was the First UK chart topping album--excluding The Single 1969-1973.
(10) Containing their last #1 Single...Please Mister Postman.
( At that, this Album version differed from the single version.)
 
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