⭐ Official Review [Album]: "TIME" (SP 5117/CD 5117/DX 1687)

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THIS ALBUM?

  • ***** (BEST)

    Votes: 8 12.5%
  • ****

    Votes: 13 20.3%
  • ***

    Votes: 24 37.5%
  • **

    Votes: 12 18.8%
  • *

    Votes: 7 10.9%

  • Total voters
    64
Since 'SP 5117' is the next regular AOTW and is reviewed here I will move on to the next item later this week.

JB
 
Where I live, the local AC radio station had "I'm still not over you" in heavy rotation. I thought, at the time, that it was a single!

In my neck of the woods, or, should I say, dust-bowl of the out-back, one of Richard's solo singles got regular airplay also. I can't remember now if it was 'Calling Your Name Again' or 'I'm Still In Love With You' but it was one of those. I'm fairly certain that it was 'I'm Still Not Over You'. I'm also fairly sure that I've seen a 7" of it, so I think it was a single, at least, in some places. For me, though, the pick of the songs on 'Time' is probably 'In Love Alone'. I think that this song would have suited Karen well and Dionne Warwick does a stellar job with it. I also like 'Something In Your Eyes'. (More echoes of Karen). 'When Time Was All We Had' is a touching tribute to Karen, although I probably don't like Richard's vocals a great deal. Btw, I don't live in the farming 'dust bowl' anymore, so, with cleaner ears, I can better enjoy music.
 
In my neck of the woods, or, should I say, dust-bowl of the out-back, one of Richard's solo singles got regular airplay also. I can't remember now if it was 'Calling Your Name Again' or 'I'm Still In Love With You' but it was one of those. I'm fairly certain that it was 'I'm Still Not Over You'. I'm also fairly sure that I've seen a 7" of it, so I think it was a single, at least, in some places. For me, though, the pick of the songs on 'Time' is probably 'In Love Alone'. I think that this song would have suited Karen well and Dionne Warwick does a stellar job with it. I also like 'Something In Your Eyes'. (More echoes of Karen). 'When Time Was All We Had' is a touching tribute to Karen, although I probably don't like Richard's vocals a great deal. Btw, I don't live in the farming 'dust bowl' anymore, so, with cleaner ears, I can better enjoy music.

If I'm Still Not Over You was released as a single in Australia it must not have had that many copies printed, since the only singles from Richard's Time album that I've aware of are Something In Your Eyes/Time (worldwide release), Who Do You Love?/When Time Was All We Had (Japan-only) & Time/Calling Your Name Again which was a US promo release.
 
If I'm Still Not Over You was released as a single in Australia it must not have had that many copies printed.

If it was a single, it would have had VERY few copies printed. I've only got a feeling I've seen it somewhere, but I don't remember whether that was a hard copy or a photo online.
 
As far as I know, I'm Still Not Over You has also only been anthologized once, and that was on the A&M Composers CD from the late 1980's.
 
Here is Richard Carpenter (Keyboard Magazine, 1998):
Question regarding PACC...will you bring this show to the states ?
RC: "Well, we're working on it. I think the audience will get a big kick out of it.
It's a lot of good music. And, Ken and Mitzie Welch did a great job of putting the show together
."

Was this show ever performed elsewhere, in the USA,
--besides February 14, 1997--at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center ?

Reference: Schmidt, Yesterday Once More Carpenters Reader (page 321).
 
I was surfing YouTube for videos of recording sessions and came across this clip and recognised the name Paul Leim. He was the drummer on Richard's 1987 solo album and I didn't realise he is a heavy duty Nashville session drumming legend. I wonder if John Bettis put Richard onto Paul for the album, given that he lives out there.

I just wish more of "Time" had featured real drums instead of the drum programming done by Jim Cox. It has really dated the album.

 
I was surfing YouTube for videos of recording sessions and came across this clip and recognised the name Paul Leim. He was the drummer on Richard's 1987 solo album and I didn't realise he is a heavy duty Nashville session drumming legend. I wonder if John Bettis put Richard onto Paul for the album, given that he lives out there.

I just wish more of "Time" had featured real drums instead of the drum programming done by Jim Cox. It has really dated the album.



Paul likely did little more than play cymbals. All the other drums are at least electric. I haven’t heard the album in a while so I can’t recall if the cymbals are fake too. If the are, I’m not sure what Paul Wouk is have done exactly - though I know he’s credited.

Ed
 
Fan Club Newsletter #82, November 1984:
"Richard is in pre-production on his solo album--as yet untitled.
It is set for release sometime in 1985
."
Newsletter# 84 (between February and Fall 1985):
"Recording Sessions began on June 26th for Richard's debut album."
 
I've been wondering about this...

Did Richard double his leads on this album?

Recently, while listening to "Calling your name," "Remind me to tell you," and "I'm still not over you," I thought how his doubling sounds alittle too perfect.
Is it more like a phaser effect? Similar to what was done when creating this effect on "Trying to get the feeling again."

You can hear this process sounds different than back when Richard did some leads on songs like "Wonderful Parade" or "Druscilla." Seems something else is at play by the mid-late 80s to get his phrasing and everything so precise on "Time."

Thanks if you have any info! :)
 
This is my favorite album by any male solo artist. Next would be Pet Shop Boys ”Very.””

Ive played this album 3 times a day many times when I was younger. Had the right singles been promoted this album wouldve done well. So many potential radio songs right off the bat. “Remind me to tell you” is what culdve been a third or fourth single. Had to grow on me but after 4 plays I loved it. Wish There was a 45 to it.

Throwing out a woman singing with your name on the lead single and people not knowing its “Richard Carpenter.” Had Richard Used his lead vocals as singles he wouldve had a different outcome for sure.
 
Had the right singles been promoted this album wouldve done well. So many potential radio songs right off the bat. “Remind me to tell you” is what culdve been a third or fourth single.

It did have promotion.


Part of the trouble was, as stated in the liner notes, this album took a long time to make.
This began 2 years and finished 5 years after the passing of Karen.
To put it in context.

Consider how he thinks of himself more as a producer than lead singer.

I agree his production technique and skills are incredible!
But, it's hard to promote something when the artist himself is a "behind the scenes guy."

I think the music video with Dusty Springfield was well done.



Moving it further with him doing videos for "Say yeah!" "Who do you love" etc.
wouldn't look right. And Richard would agree.
It was enough that he handled most of this on his own.
If he did a video for one of the ballads... it would be a lament, and honestly that's a hard sell.
Looking back through history, I don't think he'd want to be remembered for being the grieving brother in the 80s. :sad:

This other thing is, audiences never knew what Richard did. Some thought he was just "the piano player."
I think that's why he released his 1998 album with the title: "pianist, arranger, composer, conductor."

On both albums you're left feeling the same way Richard does--you miss Karen.

Aside from that, I'd still like to know more of what he did to produce this one. :?:
 
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Immediately After the incredible success of the Jp compilation
Twenty-Two Hits of The Carpenters,
the Record Co. specifically requested that he create the "album"
Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor.
It was initially intended, for Japan, to tie-into the 22 Hits cd.
Until that point, he had not completed the song Karen's Theme,
that was not even a completed song until working on the PACC album.
 
I loved the whole album when it was released....even the Scott Grimes tune! I just don't think it has held up as well as many Carpenters performances have due to the ultra '80's production style.

I do wish Richard had let someone else do the leads, though. 'Calling Your Name Again' had SMASH written all over it in 1987, but he needed somebody like Dionne to sing that one, too.

I wish ALL the songs were by Richard and not anybody else. I wanted an album of JUST him singing. Maybe something in your eyes as one track.. (didn’t deserve to be a single tho it’s pretty.)

I loved calling your name again. Perfect stoner song. I’ve played it over and over.

I’d be really upset if anyone else sang that.

I LOVE HIS VOICE. And his voice is PERFECT on that track. His voice makes the song to me. To each their own.

The other Warwick and grimes songs Richard should have sung. Would love to hear his voice instead! He’s a good singer to me!
 
I think the music video with Dusty Springfield was well done.



Moving it further with him doing videos for "Say yeah!" "Who do you love" etc.
wouldn't look right. And Richard would agree.
It was enough that he handled most of this on his own.
If he did a video for one of the ballads... it would be a lament, and honestly that's a hard sell.
Looking back through history, I don't think he'd want to be remembered for being the grieving brother in the 80s. :sad:

This other thing is, audiences never knew what Richard did. Some thought he was just "the piano player."
I think that's why he released his 1998 album with the title: "pianist, arranger, composer, conductor."

On both albums you're left feeling the same way Richard does--you miss Karen.

Aside from that, I'd still like to know more of what he did to produce this one. :?:


Something in Your Eyes is a good song, but even in the video, Dusty steals the show with it. In the video (speaking of which, has it been released on a DVD? the YouTube video looks like it was recorded from a DVD, as right at the end it goes to a menu screen that has other Dusty songs, including her Pet Shop Boys duet) I never really got what Richard was doing or why he was in it. If I had tuned into MTV back in 87 and seen this video, I would've thought that it was a Dusty video for some new Dusty Springfield album, not a video for Richard Carpenter's album.

Time needed a single that could burst into the 80's music video scene, and really, Something In Your Eyes feels like, metaphorically, Video Killed The Radio Star. Had Say Yeah! or Who Do You Love? or even Remind Me To Tell You had a video, it would've made more sense and connected with Richard a lot more tha SIYE.
 
Something in Your Eyes is a good song, but even in the video, Dusty steals the show with it. In the video (speaking of which, has it been released on a DVD? the YouTube video looks like it was recorded from a DVD, as right at the end it goes to a menu screen that has other Dusty songs, including her Pet Shop Boys duet)
A Dusty Springfield box set was released by Universal UK in 2011. The set, titled "Goin’ Back: The Definitive Dusty Springfield", consisted of 4 CDs, 3 DVDs, and 2 hardcover books. One of the DVDs contained her music videos, including "Something In Your Eyes" - the YouTube video had to be sourced from that DVD, as the menu matches the track listing on Amazon UK. As far as I'm aware, this is the only time that the video has seen a commercial release - it's just too bad that it was on an expensive, limited edition box set, that now appears to be out of print. I wish that it had been included as a bonus on one of the Carpenters DVDs!
 
Something in Your Eyes is a good song, but even in the video, Dusty steals the show with it. In the video (speaking of which, has it been released on a DVD? the YouTube video looks like it was recorded from a DVD, as right at the end it goes to a menu screen that has other Dusty songs, including her Pet Shop Boys duet) I never really got what Richard was doing or why he was in it. If I had tuned into MTV back in 87 and seen this video, I would've thought that it was a Dusty video for some new Dusty Springfield album, not a video for Richard Carpenter's album.

Time needed a single that could burst into the 80's music video scene, and really, Something In Your Eyes feels like, metaphorically, Video Killed The Radio Star. Had Say Yeah! or Who Do You Love? or even Remind Me To Tell You had a video, it would've made more sense and connected with Richard a lot more tha SIYE.
I think the video showcases Richard very well. He's a multi-talented guy, and in this video, he seems like he's relaxed and having a good time.
 
Wait what I missed this where can I find this
That's a nice song, But there's also Richard's version of (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays that he sang on Solid Gold Christmas 1984. It's to bad that he didn't include it on An Old-Fashioned Christmas or even a decade later as a bonus track on the Christmas Collection.
 
Billboard has an interesting article in its Chart Beat, January 1986,
detailing low chartings for established acts:
Olivia Newton-John, Manilow, Elton John, Kenny Rogers,
Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Diana Ross.....some the lowest of their careers to that point,
so,
no matter how you slice and dice it, Richard Carpenter was going to have an uphill battle.
So, it was an uphill battle in the later part of Carpenters' career, and it was not about to
improve with anything Richard Carpenter released in 1987....my two cents....

More:
Billboard
 
It's a fact that's true for virtually every artist. They have hits - then they go into a slide in popularity. Albums don't sell as well anymore. For some artists, that's all there is, a rise and a fall. Others manage to reinvent themselves to a new popularity. Think of Neil Sedaka. Early sixties, he was a hitmaking machine, constantly played on the radio. By 1970 - he was relegated to oldies radio playing those old sixties hits.

But in the mid-70s, he resurged with hits like "Laughter In The Rain", the reimagined "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", and even a duet with the hottest act on the planet at the time, Elton John, with "Bad Blood".

Carpenters were definitely "cold" by the latter part of the 70s and were looking for their resurgence. It could have come with a movie soundtrack, or a commercial tie-in, or who knows what? The pop music business is a very unpredictable one and you just never know what will work and what won't.
 
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