Carpenters on A&M compilation album

moog

Well-Known Member
Today at a record store I came across this A&M compilation album which I'd never heard of before (but I'm sure you guys have). I was under the impression that the Carpenters' music was rarely on any compilation albums, but "Don't Be Afraid" was on there (interesting choice). On the back it said it was dedicated to those involved in the voter registration campaign.

cGVn.jpeg
 
Yes, I have one of those. (SP-8096). I think they included Carpenters, but wanted a "rock"-ier tune for this compilation.
 
I found it at the Capitol Records swap back in the late 70’s, in Hollywood. Those were a lot of fun. Great finds there over the years. I actually put in on the turntable last summer, for the first time in decades. We had been chatting about A&M Samplers. I was surprised how many I have after going through my vinyl collection, and how many more I don’t. I only collect the ones with Carpenters on them though. My favorite is probably the Valentines Day collection.
 
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What year did this come out? If it was after 1971, there are several "rock" tunes that would have been better choices than "Don't Be Afraid." "Help" and "Another Song" come to mind immediately. Or they could have used Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing." Of course the best one of all would have been "Goodbye to Love.,"
 
From the album tracks included, it looks like a 71-72 release, and with the mention of "the vote" on the back cover, it was probably focused on 1972. I don't know for sure that "Don't Be Afraid" was chosen for its rockiness, that's just a guess given the tracks that are also on this album. The picture on the back of the Carpenters' album has the TICKET TO RIDE picture, so they were probably promoting that after the title change and the Carps big hits.

 
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In fact, now that I look at the titles of the tracks, I think there was an effort to find song titles that might be urging the vote among young people.

You Got The Power
I Think I See The Light
Good Times
That's Enough For Me
Save Me
Don't Be Afraid
Stand For Our Rights

You get the idea...
 
Clever!

The inner picture of the Carpenters is from at least 1971-72 as well.
 
What year did this come out? If it was after 1971, there are several "rock" tunes that would have been better choices than "Don't Be Afraid." "Help" and "Another Song" come to mind immediately. Or they could have used Nowadays Clancy Can't Even Sing." Of course the best one of all would have been "Goodbye to Love.,"
I really like "Don't Be Afraid" - it was a song of the times and could/should have been their first single...how can you not love a late 60s song with the lyrics

...That love is a groovy thing
It knows how to make you sing...


Some of Richard's best (no matter what he says)... 🙂
 
Japan, Europe, and the UK were ripe for a whole bunch of A&M compilations throughout the years. They would put them together as random selection discs, and some with themes. Some were single albums, some were double albums, and some were sets of six or eight records.
 
.how can you not love a late 60s song with the lyrics

...That love is a groovy thing
It knows how to make you sing...


I never said it was a bad song, I just said there were better choices in the context and theme of that compilation. I like the song.
 
Years ago (years and Years and YEARS) I picked up an A&M promo album (2-LP) called "Forget Me Nots" (SP-8400) from the mid-70s. It has "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Close to You" from the Carpenters, as well as other hits from the label.

Including a couple from the up-and-coming Captain and Tennille. I've always thought that as C&T's star rose, the Carpenters seemed to recede, as if they were lost in the shuffle.

If you haven't read the new book "The Musical Legacy", by all means get it. It's great. I was reading some of Richard's comments (from 2005!) on LP covers on A&M Corner. He hasn't altered his opinion one bit. I love the song-by-song recording variations (they are legion) and where to find them section at the end.
 
Reprise Records had a series of samplers called Loss Leaders, Hot Platters, Zapped. They were nice to listen to. Like radio without the hits & Billboard charts to distract you.
 
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