⭐ Official Review Carpenters "THE SINGLES, 1969-1973"

[Harry]

Chris, did you order this as a new disc from a Japanese retailer, or was it an eBay-type purchase from an individual?

If it's a regular purchase, then we'll know for sure that the disc is available for anyone who really wants one, rather than having to scour the Internet looking for a used copy that might not be the one they're looking for.

Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Yes Harry, this was a new disc direct from a Japanese retailer. From what I understand this is a limited ediiton run, reissue of the original remastered classics. My CD # is UICY-9732. As mentioned before it has Remastered Classics on the side yellow and the disc is black with red Carpenters and the discography pics are pictured under disc. When I opened it, I immediately went to the YOM track to see if it was the remix or the original single mix. I was happy to find it was indeed the original single mix.

So my thoughts are this will not be available for long.

Even though I have the audiophile LP of Singles 69-73, I needed to get this Remastered Classics Singles CD for my collection.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

A&M Promo Ad for The Singles 1969-1973 issued in Billboard Mag on Nov 17, 1973

 

[Jeff]

cool post Chris!

 

[GaryAlan]

Carpenters Fan Club Newsletter #30 October 1973:
" Karen and Richard spent the past three weeks getting together an album of their greatest hits, called The Singles 1969-1973."
The A&M Compendium July 1975, from March interview:
The Singles Album revealed a technical proficiency of arranging and writing, and with a series of singles.
Richard Carpenter:
"We were the first to put them all on one (album)."
"There are not that many artists who have had one hit single after another. When the price of singles went up, sales went down.
Singles are made out of such crappy material that it's unbelievable. It's trash compared to albums."
"If you want to make money off a record, you should make it off an album, not a single--save them for promotional things."
"Never think about royalties and money coming from a single. Even though we sell quite a few."
"How many people can you name--and, I'm not on an ego trip--this is a fact--that have had one hit single after another, after another?"

 

[newvillefan]

Richard Carpenter:
"How many people can you name--and, I'm not on an ego trip--this is a fact--that have had one hit single after another, after another?"

Beatles? 14 top ten US singles between 'We Can Work It Out' and 'The Long And Winding Road'. Bee Gees? 12 top 20 US singles between 'Jive Talking' and 'Love You Inside Out'. ABBA? Bee Gees? Unless they're talking about up to that point.

I don't get the comment "We were the first to put them all on one (album)". They weren't. At all. I think he was on an ego trip when he said this.

 

[song4u]

Beatles? 14 top ten US singles between 'We Can Work It Out' and 'The Long And Winding Road'. Bee Gees? 12 top 20 US singles between 'Jive Talking' and 'Love You Inside Out'. ABBA? Bee Gees? Unless they're talking about up to that point.

I don't get the comment "We were the first to put them all on one (album)". They weren't. At all. I think he was on an ego trip when he said this.

I thought he meant all on one album, as opposed to various collections. Hmmm.

 

[newvillefan]

I thought he meant all on one album, as opposed to various collections. Hmmm.

He's saying they were the first to create a Greatest Hits isn't he? And they weren't. Or am I reading that wrong?

 

[GaryAlan]

A&M Compendium,1975:
Richard Carpenter continues...
"It's a type of thing where it takes a certain talent to be able to pick something that becomes a hit single."
"First of all, if you're lucky enough to be able to split it up and actually have an album with everything on it a hit,
which very few people have. We were the first to put them all on one album."

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Hmmm, well he was either misquoted, misspoke, or was just plain wrong.

They were definitely not the first artist to put all their hits onto one album....it'd been done many times before. And, there has never been an artist to have every song on an album become a hit after that album was released. The album coming closest to that feat is Michael Jackson's "Thriller" which saw seven of its nine tracks become hit singles.

Unless Richard was saying that they were the first artist to put ALL of their hits on one album, as opposed to leaving off a hit or two -- which was and is very common. An A&M example being Herb Alpert, who put out Greatest Hits which contained a couple songs that weren't big hits, and left off one or two songs that were hits. The Carpenters album was all the hits and nothing but the hits up to that point. But I still doubt they were the first artist to do that.

 

[Aaron Moyer]

It was a first from the standpoint that it covered four years, all the songs were well known and still being played on the radio, and the songs were bonafide hits. Plus, they re-recorded the songs to have the entire set sound like it belonged to that moment in time and not some developmental timeline. It really was genius.

 

[GaryAlan]

Remember, the interview took place March 1975. (Print July 1975)
And, I have quoted directly from the Compendium interview.
Had Richard Carpenter been able to 'predict the future' the words spoken would soon be rescinded--
his Midas touch for choosing Big Hits left him.
I often ask myself, Why?
This Compendium interview offers some insight.
Richard Carpenter:
" But, we've been going now for five years, with 14 consecutive top-12 records, and I am really proud of that."
" I try to keep up with what's changing. I like to keep up with it--you don't have to, don't get me wrong."
Q: How do you feel about being one of the top five guaranteed acts in the Country?
RC: "I'm proud of it."
Q:You probably rank higher getting a record on the top 40 than anyone.
RC: "I think its Elton John and us. I'm really proud of that."
Q: Don't you think it's all a point of timing, in getting the single out at the right time?
RC: "Absolutely."


I'm used to reading the post-1983 interviews, wherein Richard Carpenter discusses melody, arrangement, vocals,
production and the like. He's proud of the creative process, the work.
However, this interview gives the impression--however wrong--that sales, charts, awards, money--dominate his thoughts.
And, he did have the right to be proud of his achievements.
No negative thoughts,though, expressed of songs such as Take Some Time, or Sing. Nothing but positive affirmation.
Same with Please Mr.Postman, million-seller, #1 worldwide.
He had no regrets about these songs at that time--
they were charting and making him money.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Here is a really interesting article that ran in Billboard May 16, 1998. It says that The Singles 1969-1973 has been certified at 7 million becoming the highest-certified album by a duo. 5 other albums went multi-platinum, 7 went platinum and 1 went gold.

See article to see which albums they were:

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Hard to believe that 10 million people bought that Titanic soundtrack considering it just had the one pop song on it!

 

[Aaron Moyer]

Shortly after the 7 million unit certification, Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits were certified at 10 million units, knocking the Carpenters out of the top selling album by a duo. Keeping the Carpenters at #2 seems to be the industry's goal. I'm sure Hall & Oates must have something that will come in at 8 million to keep the positions right where the Rolling Stone types want them.

 

[song4u]

Hard to believe that 10 million people bought that Titanic soundtrack considering it just had the one pop song on it!

I think the Celtic sound of the music was an international hit. Sharon Corr's 2nd episode on BBC2 radio on Irish music focused on movie soundtracks.

 

[Harry]

How about Andrea Corr performing with Celine Dion?



Harry

 

[song4u]

How about Andrea Corr performing with Celine Dion?



Harry

When I first saw this I thought it would be a duet and was disappointed that Andrea was only playing tin whistle. But was Celine s moment and Andrea plays so well.

 

[Aaron Moyer]

How about Andrea Corr performing with Celine Dion?



Harry

Stop going off on tangents! The Titanic sank and that is all you need to know.

 

[song4u]

Ha! I guess I stepped right up for that didn't I.

But seriously folks, this is an exquisite album. The Singles, not the Titanic soundtrack. How could it not be - it's a collection of the best songs from the best singer.

 

[byline]

Shortly after the 7 million unit certification, Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits were certified at 10 million units, knocking the Carpenters out of the top selling album by a duo. Keeping the Carpenters at #2 seems to be the industry's goal. I'm sure Hall & Oates must have something that will come in at 8 million to keep the positions right where the Rolling Stone types want them.

If you're implying that the Rolling Stone types want to elevate Hall & Oates to some sort of higher status, I think that would come as a great surprise to Daryl and John. They have felt for decades (and despite them finally being inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of fame last year, there's a fair bit of evidence to back up their opinion) that they rubbed Jann Wenner and his ilk the wrong way ... and paid for it by being labeled "uncool" by most in that crowd. Which is why I was quite surprised at their induction. I really believed it would never happen. So, never say never. During their commercial heyday, Hall & Oates were a bit like the Carpenters, in that their singles tended to fare better than their albums, so I guess it depends which sales statistic one wants to go by. Interestingly enough, the Carpenters come in at No. 10 on this Rolling Stone list ... and Hall & Oates aren't even mentioned: 10 Greatest Duos of All Time

 

[Jamesj75]

I must admit that I have been less of a fan of Hall & Oates, primarily because of the "competition" with the Carpenters---at one point, it seemed as though H&O just barely edged the C's in the top 20 or top 40 singles department. (If GaryAlan were here, he could quickly provide the reference...) Same goes for Simon & Garfunkel, even though I am a huge fan of theirs.

Interestingly enough, the Carpenters come in at No. 10 on this Rolling Stone list ... and Hall & Oates aren't even mentioned: 10 Greatest Duos of All Time

And, while I am on a quoting spree, this from byline's aforementioned Rolling Stones article: "...record-setting string of soft, melodic solid-gold tunes – from 1969's '(They Long to Be) Close to You' (their Bacharach/David renditions are uniformly terrific) to 1973's 'Top of the World.'"

So according to the Rolling Stone, "Top of the World" ended the string of Carpenters' hits? It all ended in 1973? That's news to me! Further, Rolling Stone evidently, grudgingly placed the Carpenters at #10, despite some acts in their top 10 being far from household names and/or having nowhere near the success, longevity, or impact of the Carpenters: Outcast (#7), White Stripes (#6), Eric B. & Rakim (#5), Ike & Tina Turner (#2)! I am indeed a Tina Turner fan, but her chart success with Ike was not impactful, and their collaboration has been tainted for decades by his physical and emotional abuse of Tina. And, yes, I realize their list was not based on sales success. Even if we throw the subjective "quality" into the mix, these other groups fall way short in my opinion.

In conclusion, The Singles, 1969-1973, is a masterpiece, even a blueprint for a "greatest hits" package: all hits, no filler, no bonus tracks. This collection did represent their heyday, but there was great music to come (commercially and critically) ...

 

[Mark-T]

"In conclusion, The Singles, 1969-1973, is a masterpiece, even a blueprint for a "greatest hits" package: all hits, no filler, no bonus tracks. This collection did represent their heyday, but there was great music to come (commercially and critically) ..."

AGREED!

 

[byline]

Not to get too far off-track here, but I believe the common reference point for Hall & Oates (and this is pertinent mainly to compare their sales with those of the Carpenters) is what is referenced in this Billboard article: "In April of 1984, the Recording Industry Association of America announced that Hall & Oates had surpassed the Everly Brothers as the most successful duo in rock history, earning a total of 19 gold and platinum awards." Their Wikipedia entry states: "They are best known for their six No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Rich Girl", "Kiss on My List", "Private Eyes", "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", "Maneater", and "Out of Touch", as well as many other songs which charted in the Top 40. In total, they had 34 chart hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, seven RIAA platinum albums, and six RIAA gold albums. Because of that chart success, Billboard magazine named them the most successful duo of the rock era, surpassing The Everly Brothers."

 

[Aaron Moyer]

"In a career that spans 30 years, includes eight No.1 singles and album sales reaching over 60 million, Daryl Hall and John Oates have become the most successful duo in music history - and they're not done yet." By TATIANA MORALES, CBS, July 22, 2003, 11:59 AM. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hall-oates-do-it-for-love/

This was the only definitive number I could find on Hall & Oates sales--60 million combined units. On the RIAA site, Hall & Oates certifications are much lower than the Carpenters. So this is another manipulation to push the Carpenters lower on the duo list, any list. Billboard and Rolling Stone Magazine are doing their best to relegate the Carpenters to a footnote and I'm sure they have some type of creative bookkeeping to back them up!