⭐ Official Review [Album]: "OFFERING"/"TICKET TO RIDE" (SP-4205)

How Would You Rate This Album?

  • ***** (Best)

    Votes: 18 23.1%
  • ****

    Votes: 25 32.1%
  • ***

    Votes: 23 29.5%
  • **

    Votes: 10 12.8%
  • *

    Votes: 2 2.6%

  • Total voters
    78
I'm a huge fan of late 60's music and this album embraces that era as well as any other album in 1969. I absolutely love Richard's vocals, absolutely love the sinister original album cover, and I am so thankful they started early enough to allow for all of this to happen. If this would have been recorded and released only one year later in 1970, most everything about this album would have been done differently.
 
The most interesting part of this review is how prophetic it was: "keep your eye out for their next album. This is the kind of talent that refines itself quickly." That "next album" truly did blast them into the stratosphere only a few months later.

And even though the reviewer didn't care for the album overall, he's incredibly complimentary of Richard and Karen themselves: "terribly talented," "stunningly sung by Karen," "musical maturity and sophistication" and "most beautiful version of 'Ticket to Ride' ever made."
 
why did they not want this group to succeed and be successful instead they had to either dig at their looks or their songwriting or pick something apart. Why is that? This person writes.."a see-saw of thrilling and unfortunate work", huh? unfortunate?
It's nothing to do with wanting them to succeed or not -- it's a review, meaning it's his opinion of the album -- which can extend to the cover photography just as much as it can to the performances. You're thinking of a record company "puff piece" which trumpets out how great an album is, whether it's really that great or not.
 
Interestingly enough, the UK released Vinyl Ticket To Ride, from the UK Label MFP/Music For Pleasure(EMI)
omits Invocation and Benediction.
Instead, the album begins side One with We've Only Just Begun and ends side Two with Close To You.
Neither the album cover or Recording contains any printed time codes after the song selections.
The Vinyl, by the way, sounded great.
 
Here I am spinning the Vinyl Offering LP, and loving it.
Turn Away grabs me like few others in its audacity and creative arrangement.
I also adore Invocation/Benediction much as I adore Horizon's Aurora/Eventide.
(Interesting parallels between the two albums, actually.)
Richard Carpenter's keyboard performances on this album are much more ambitious compared with
the duo's later offerings.
A satisfying listening experience, replete with wonderful harmonies and creative arrangements.
(I wonder aloud, How does this album compare with other artist's albums in the same 1969 period ?)
 
(I wonder aloud, How does this album compare with other artist's albums in the same 1969 period ?

If you haven't yet, give a listen to another A&M album from the prior year of 1968, ROGER NICHOLS & THE SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS. I've often thought that this album could have been a strong influence on Richard and Karen's early style and in particular on the works they did on OFFERING.

Harry
 
As I (re)watched Close To You:Remembering The Carpenters documentary,
a question comes to my mind:
After the great performance of Dancing In The Street from the All American College Show,
why wasn't that song cut for the Offering Album ?
Karen's vocals are showcased rather well on this tune.
 
As I (re)watched Close To You:Remembering The Carpenters documentary,
a question comes to my mind:
After the great performance of Dancing In The Street from the All American College Show,
why wasn't that song cut for the Offering Album ?
Karen's vocals are showcased rather well on this tune.

I like that version much better than the one on the As Time Goes By album.
 
I like that version much better than the one on the As Time Goes By album.

Each to their own...I think it's awful. Karen's pitch is not quite there in places and she's recorded on a terrible microphone. The electric bass and piano backing only doesn't really do the song justice either.
 
I understand your thoughts regarding pitch in certain parts of the song, Stephen.
One could say the same on certain songs--at times-- on the Offering album.
Karen's vocals being a bit 'raw'---at times---but, I love that.
Also, with Karen drumming and Richard on Piano, I thought the song
Dancing In The Street would be a natural fit to include on Offering.
I wonder: is the arrangement (as heard on the Television Broadcast)
a Richard Carpenter original ?
 
I love this album because it is first and foremost a great late 60s soft pop album in a similar vein as The Free Design, Roger Nichols and the Small Circle of Friends, and The Fifth Dimension. What came later was more distinct and made a greater impact on the music scene, but I still deeply appreciate this album for its own particular charms.
 
My first and still favorite Carpenters album.

Purchased as "Offering" when it was first released. Local radio station played Your Wonderful Parade regularly.
I would never have seen that song as a single. Was it released nationwide as such or was that a local pick back when DJs could choose what they wanted to play?
 
I would never have seen that song as a single. Was it released nationwide as such or was that a local pick back when DJs could choose what they wanted to play?

We've discussed this before and from the matrix numbers on some of those first singles, it appears that "Your Wonderful Parade" was, at some point, considered the "A" side of the single. Early copies could easily have been sent to radio stations who could have been led to believe that it WAS the "A" side.

A strange piece of Carpenters history, to be sure.

harry
 
And, while I'm here, I should comment that if you happen to google my "Someday (Mythical Mono Mix)", you'll find not only my videos, but it seems some MP3 sites have appropriated it! My artwork is out there too.

When it appears on some future official compilation, I want royalties!

harry
 
I ran across this terrific Ticket To Ride album review by Cole Fortier that is smart, insightful, and at times, wonderfully hilarious. He gives a song-by-song review, and his knowledge of the duo seems encyclopedic. Well done!

Gives me hope for the future.


Not to rag on this kid too much, but he's hard to watch and I am not sure that much of what he said was regurgitated from other people's opinions.

If he indeed listened to the album and liked it, kudos to him.
 
This is the first time I have ever seen the Carpenters first album titled "Offering" being shown in Billboard as an album review, this is pretty cool because this appeared in Billboard Nov 1, 1969. The first pic is actually how it was displayed on the page, the 2nd pic I edited out the b&w album cover and replaced it with the color album cover...I think it turned out pretty cool. Hey it's groovy, far out, can you dig it?

Carpenters%20Offering%20Billboard%20Album%20Reviews%20Nov%201%201969.png~original


Carpenters%20Billboard%20Offering%20LP%20Review%20Nov%201%201969.jpg
 
Taking stock of my Vinyl-LP's,
I chuckled upon seeing a later pressing of Ticket To Ride,
the inside sleeve has A&M albums shown, The Singles 1969-1973 at Top.
The vinyl record itself sports the Carpenters Logo underneath the title of the album.
Grey coloring with the brown color A&M encircling the center.
 
I like the Offering review (Billboard--thanks, Rick) above:
"...best elements of pop, folk-rock and jazz..."
"...with radio programming support, Carpenters should have a big hit on their hands.
.."

I like the Offering Album, and echo those same sentiments for the
Passage Album !
 
Today, as I listen to my Cassette Tape of this album---I was wondering if my cassette tapes were
in any shape to listen to, so I started with the first album---
And, I note how wonderful this album does sound...whatever complaints I harbor are insignificant.

Now, I also see where I get a real charge from Karen's drumming here.
Which provides segue to my dilemma.....
Understandably,
Karen was asked to front the group in concert--to get out from behind the drum-kit, and sing.....
be that as it may---
I am unswayed by any evidence heretofore proffered as to the reasoning....that....
Karen was removed from drums in the Studio....
The drumming on this album is awesome.....give it a try, to isolate those drums.......no lack of studio acumen.
 
Ticket To Ride sparked my renewed interest in Other incarnations of the song;
in particular the Television appearance ---airing NBC February 13th, 1971
of
Andy Williams & Carpenters - Medley 'Ticket to Ride/ I'll Never Fall in Love Again'.
Questions:
(1) When was this Program Taped ? When did Carpenters' Vocals get 'recorded' ?
(2) Who created the arrangement for this Medley ? Richard Carpenter ?
(3) Why has this Medley remained unavailable on a Carpenters' recording ?
This would have fit nicely on As Time Goes By CD.
 
Do you remember exactly what happened on April 22nd, 1969?

Richard Carpenter: A fellow who had been representing us as a manager in his off hours, Eddie Sulzer,
worked his tail off pushing our demos. Through him, and quite a convoluted trail, the tape went from one person to another to another
...then, finally, to Herb Alpert. After a few months had passed, when we heard it was a “go,” we were handed a contract with the instructions,
“Please take this to a lawyer,” and it was your basic, standard record contract. We did, and finally had our appointment.
We drove over in Eddie’s car—his ‘61 Ford—and met in Jerry’s office. They called the graphics department, Jim McCrary came over with his camera, and we took the picture. Then Eddie said something like, “You think we could meet Herb?” So Jerry arranged it, and Herbie came out and said, “Hi. Let’s hope we have some hits.”

MR: Did you literally begin recording your first album, Offering, the next week?

RC: Yeah, and in hindsight, we never would have done that. But we were so green and so anxious.
There were so many things about that first album that I would have changed.
But we turned it in, and the album and single “Ticket To Ride” came out in the Fall.
It’s creative, there’s a lot of great vocal work, and one of the best things about it is it’s so much a product of its time.
It’s so very sixties—experimental pop music."

Source:
HuffPost Exclusive: The 40th Anniversary of Carpenters / Interview with Richard Carpenter »
 
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