Best of the rest...

[Tony]

Hello everyone,

I have a question. The C's recorded quite a few songs that were destined to be album cuts even though, in my opinion, some of these songs had top 10 potential in their own right. Perfect examples are "Let Me Be the One" (perhaps my all-time favorite) and "This Masquerade". Both were considered for single release I believe and both would've been hits. What other songs do the rest of you think might've done well on the charts if they had been released as singles?

Tony

 

[Harry]

"Let Me Be The One" would certainly top my list as well, but one that begged to be released and sadly never was has to be "A Song For You". The title and opening track to the Carpenters' most famous album, this recording still has "it." The nostalgia station in our group still routinely plays "A Song For You" even though it was never a single.

I can understand why it was never released as a single - there were simply too many other singles already released from that album, making it play like a greatest hits album these days.

Harry
NP: "A Song For You" - Carpenters

 

[Jeff]

Okay,

Here are my selections for "wanna-be-singles"...

Tick2ride: EVE & ALL OF MY LIFE

Now & Then: I CAN"T MAKE MUSIC

Horizon: I'M CAUGHT BETWEEN GOODBYE & I LOVE YOU, as well as DESPERADO had it not been a single for the Eagle's.

Passage: B'WANA SHE NO HOME ( which could've intro'd K&R to a whole new jazz and bossa nova audience)and TWO SIDES.

Made In America: STRENGTH OF A WOMAN ( a great production that has Karen's vocals more bluesy and soulful)


Karen solo l.p.: MAKE BELIEVE IT'S YOUR FIRST TIME...definitely!

These are some thoughts I've had over the years.

On 10 days of vacay,

Jeff

 

[Only Yesterday]

Well, I'm very proud that K&R al
ways recorded a lot of good songs, most of them with great potential for being released as singles.

My suggestions are ( tough there are another ones no listed here that are as great as but for some reason, wouldn't have much comercial appeal) :

Ticket - All Of My Life
Close - Baby It's You
Tan - Let Me Be The One
A Song - A Song For You
Now & Then - This Masquerade
Horizon - Desperado
Hush - One More Time
Passage - Two Sides
Made In - Strenght Of A Woman
Voice Of The - Now
Lovelines - Where Do I Go From Here?
As Time - Leave Yesterday Behind
Karen - If We Try
Honor Mentioned - Trying To Get That Feeling Again

What do you guys think? It was very hard but I've tried to choose only ONE SONG BY ALBUM, since artist tend not to realese many songs by each work...

 

[Mark-T]

Heres Mine:

Ticket: All of my Life
CTY: Baby Its You
Carpenters- Let Me Be the One
Song For You- (all the singles I'd pick were released)
N&T- One Fine Day
Horizon- Desperado
Hush- You
Passage- I Just Fall in Love Again
MIA- Strength of a Woman
VOTH- Now
Lovelines- Where Do I Go From Here?
ATGB- Rainbow Connection
Karen Solo- Making Love in the Afternoon
Richard (Time)- I'm Still Not Over You

Mark

 

[W.B.]

As far as those who'd voted on "All Of My Life": It was released as a single -- as the B-side to "We've Only Just Begun." This 45 (#1217) had the distinction of being the first to list their debut album's title as Ticket To Ride. (Although the initial picture sleeves for this listed the flip as "Maybe It's You" -- which would later be coupled with "Hurting Each Other" on single AM-1322-S.)

And I think "This Masquerade" was also a B-side -- but of which of their hits, I can't recall at this point.

As for "Let Me Be The One": It probably would've been released as a single, had it not been for Anne Murray's version on Capitol (from her LP Talk It Over In The Morning) which for years was a staple on the "Lite FM" station in New York where I live.

And why "A Song For You" never got put on a 45: Maybe the arrangement and tempo were too similar to "Rainy Days And Mondays" in the eyes of some? But I would second your opinions on that one.

 

[Tony]

Great choices and, interestingly, there seems to be a consensus on several songs ("Let Me Be the One", "A Song for You," among others). I'm surprised though that nobody has mentioned "Sandy". That has to be one of the best tunes from the "Hush" album. And for me, it's also one of those songs that sounds better after repeated playing. I often listen to it and then go back and listen to it again. I find it to be aurally seductive.

 

[chpoof]

I've always been partial to "I Have You" from their A KIND OF HUSH album. I think that song is just gorgeous.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Another reason ASFY might not have been released as a single: Too long. Hit tunes were getting longer then, but anything over 4 minutes was taking a serious risk of not getting played. And perfectionist that he is, RC may have nixed the idea of an edit.

 

[Geographer]

I think a big single miss was "Kiss Me the Way You Did Last Night." I am convinced that Lovelines would have gotten more attention had that been the single off of Lovelines instead of "If I Had You." But relatively speaking, it probably wouldn't have been a "hit" as mostly everything after "Touch Me" failed to chart. A fantastic song nonetheless.