đź“Ł News Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

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What about a Christmas album that is book-ended by two pop hits? One being Yesterday Once More and ???.
 
My bet is that "I Can Dream Can't I?" represents Horizon. Maybe we'll get "When I Fall in Love" as well!
 
My bet is that "I Can Dream Can't I?" represents Horizon. Maybe we'll get "When I Fall in Love" as well!

I would fall over in bliss if "I Can Dream Can't I?" was included. I'll be very surprised if it is, but that would make my whole year. It's my favorite album cut aside from "You" and a couple of others. As others have said, I find it surprising that "I Won't Last a Day.." and "Only Yesterday" is not included. A bit sad that "Solitaire" didn't make it either.
 
So by “orchestrated”, did he mean the track was recorded and was rejected shortly after, or the music was just prepared on paper for “All You Get From Love” & “Desperado” and was put aside before the recording session? I mean is there the possibility that Richard might do a RPO mix of those songs for some compilation down the road?


Also I see that “Santa Claus” is not on the list, so I wonder what “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” with the RPO would sound like, especially in the ballad version.
 
If Yom starts the album and has some nice overdubs bleeding in from the overture I'm guessing the title will be "yesterday once more - carpenters with the rpo".
 
If Yom starts the album and has some nice overdubs bleeding in from the overture I'm guessing the title will be "yesterday once more - carpenters with the rpo".

I thought that as soon as I heard about the project !

If Richard has left off "Only Yesterday" "Solitaire" "I Won't Last A Day Without You" "Sing" "It's Going To Take Some Time" "Jambalaya" "Calling Occupants" "Sweet Sweet Smile" and "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song" add in a handful of album tracks and there you go, a second album !
 
A Song For You is notably absent in the list of tracks that don’t make the album. I’d be ecstatic if it makes the cut. It would be the perfect contender to close the album.
 
These two songs were originally slated to be on the album, were orchestrated and ready but later rejected:
All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
Desperado (I think Richard thought there were too many ballads)

If there’s a single or two from this album and these tracks are completed, maybe Richard could include them as non-album B-sides.

I’ve had a taste of this before because I was Andy Gibbs’s musical director back in the early 80s and he still has quite a fan base that clamor for any inside info I can give.

That’s a wonderful revelation John, I absolutely love Andy Gibb as well as the Bee Gees. As a fan, it would be great if we could hear some of your anecdotes at some point in the future. I also second the poster who suggested you as a guest panelist at the 50th Anniversary next April. It would be so great to have your input at that event, especially given how close the event is to the release of this album.
 
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OK,

Here's my suspected 19 in chronological order.

1)Ticket To Ride
2)Close To You
3)We've Only Just Begun
4)Merry Christmas Darling
5)For All We Know
6)Rainy Days
7)Superstar
8)Let Me Be The One
9)Bless The Beasts
10)Hurting Each Other
11)Goodbye To Love
12)Top Of The World
13)A Song 4 U
14)Yesterday Once More
15)This Masquerade
16)Postman
17)I Need To Be In Love
18)Touch Me

The 19th has me stumped but I'd say either Baby It's You/Crystal Lullaby or Sandy
 
Here's my new guess:.
"Yesterday Once More - Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra"

1. Carpenters Overture
2. Yesterday Once More
3. Superstar
4. Rainy Days And Mondays
5. Goodbye To Love
6. I Just Fall In Love Again
7. Touch Me When We're Dancing
8. Please Mr. Postman
9. Let Me Be The One
10. I Need To Be In Love
11. Bless The Beast And Children
12. For All We Know
13. Close To You
14. Top Of The World
15. Hurting Each Other
16. This Masquerade
17. One More Time
18. Merry Christmas Darling
19. We've Only Just Begun
20. A Song For You
 
Hi. I’m back…lol
The following songs are ones that have been mentioned here but will not be on the album:
Sing
Only Yesterday
It's Going To Take Some Time
Sweet, Sweet Smile
I Won't Last A Day Without You
Solitaire
There's A Kind Of Hush
Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
Calling Occupants
Sweet Sweet Smile
Eve
Road Ode
B’Wana She No Home
Tryin’ To Get That Feeling Again
You
Now
All of my Life
How in the world can "Only Yesterday" not be included !!! That is painful. I'm sure there will be a few throw away songs kept. Even "Sing" would be nice to remake with a new children's choir. Wow, reading the predicted list above I say there are about 6 songs that should not be on it.
 
I Won't Last A Day Without You omitted? Please say it ain't so!:cry: I regard the song as being in the realm of Carpenters pop perfection (up there with Superstar & Rainy Days...). Really shocking it didn't make the cut.

There could be several reasons why certain songs didn't make the cut. Maybe Richard did not want to replace, or interfere with, what he already felt was the best arrangement he could come up with on the original version of certain songs. Maybe the RPO did record new arrangements for certain songs that Richard subsequently felt didn't come out as he had imagined. It could come down to the "mix" of styles on the final tracklist (we already know that one song was cut due to the number of other ballads). It could simply come down to an issue of space and a "toss of the coin" between this track and that.

Maybe @John Eidsvoog could enlighten us as to the decision making process behind what did and did not make the final cut.
 
Here's my new guess:.
"Yesterday Once More - Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra"

1. Carpenters Overture
2. Yesterday Once More
3. Superstar
4. Rainy Days And Mondays
5. Goodbye To Love
6. I Just Fall In Love Again
7. Touch Me When We're Dancing
8. Please Mr. Postman
9. Let Me Be The One
10. I Need To Be In Love
11. Bless The Beast And Children
12. For All We Know
13. Close To You
14. Top Of The World
15. Hurting Each Other
16. This Masquerade
17. One More Time
18. Merry Christmas Darling
19. We've Only Just Begun
20. A Song For You

I can completely "live" with the lineup you presented. And the flow makes sense. I think One More Time (as much as I love it) is a longshot. Agree, A Song For You would be the perfect closer - One of their best and never seemed to get the love it deserved.
 
A Song For You would be the perfect closer - One of their best and never seemed to get the love it deserved.

Couldn't agree more. If ever there was an album track that deserved the RPO treatment and a bit more recognition among the wider record-buying public for the stunning performance and recording that it is, this is it. A new orchestral arrangement would only make it more beautiful.
 
Couldn't agree more. If ever there was an album track that deserved the RPO treatment and a bit more recognition among the wider record-buying public for the stunning performance and recording that it is, this is it. A new orchestral arrangement would only make it more beautiful.


Yes ! And "Let Me Be The One" deserves it also.
 
The following songs are ones that have been mentioned here but will not be on the album:
Sing
Only Yesterday
It's Going To Take Some Time
Sweet, Sweet Smile
I Won't Last A Day Without You
Solitaire
There's A Kind Of Hush
Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
Calling Occupants
Sweet Sweet Smile
Eve
Road Ode
B’Wana She No Home
Tryin’ To Get That Feeling Again
You
Now
All of my Life

Thank you so much for the information John!! Greatly appreciated. :)

I'll take a stab at a track listing.

1. Overture
2. Yesterday Once More
3. Ticket to Ride ('73 vocal)
4. Rainydays and Mondays
5. Superstar
6. For all we Know
7. Close to you
8. We've only just begun
9. Top of the world
10. Hurting Each Other
11. Goodbye to Love
12. Mister Postman
13. I need to be in love
14. I just fall in love again
15. I believe you
16. Those good old dreams
17. Touch me when we're dancing
18.
19.

Hmmm I'm not sure about the last two. I'd suspect there would be representation from each album.
Those are my guesses based on what I'm seeing.
I'd go with an album track, oldie or standard song to fill it out.
Something like these:

Can't smile without you
When I fall in love
Make believe its your first time (with newly mixed choir) ?
One more time (<--- this would be very nice, powerful with new strings on it)

Karen was a crooner so "When I fall in love" would seem like a nice fit for a RPO album.
Songs like "A song for you" or "Maybe it you" I can't hear new orchestration for it.
Or wait you know what would be interesting is if "A song for you" had the opening vocals from Music, Music, Music and then transitioned into the original '72 vocal that would switch it up.
...I hope we get to hear alternative takes. :oops:
But we'll find out!
"A song for you" or "I just fall in love again" would make a lovely titles, imo. :D

*edit* I forgot about Merry Christmas Darling.
But, this is fantastic! Wonderful addition to the collection! Whatever the track-listing is honestly.
 
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So by “orchestrated”, did he mean the track was recorded and was rejected shortly after, or the music was just prepared on paper for “All You Get From Love” & “Desperado” and was put aside before the recording session? I mean is there the possibility that Richard might do a RPO mix of those songs for some compilation down the road?


Also I see that “Santa Claus” is not on the list, so I wonder what “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town” with the RPO would sound like, especially in the ballad version.

By orchestrated, I mean the score was ready to go but it never made it to the sessions...nothing new was recorded. Since you mention Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, that was also original included but scrapped before orchestration was done. I'm not aware of and don't ask for the reasons (except what I mentioned that Richard said about Desperado).
 
Couldn't agree more. If ever there was an album track that deserved the RPO treatment and a bit more recognition among the wider record-buying public for the stunning performance and recording that it is, this is it. A new orchestral arrangement would only make it more beautiful.

Totally agree with @newvillefan and @Carpe diem that "A Song for You" would be the perfect closer. Wonder what they would do - how they would orchestrate - around that arm-hair raising beautiful Sax solo...
 
There could be several reasons why certain songs didn't make the cut. Maybe Richard did not want to replace, or interfere with, what he already felt was the best arrangement he could come up with on the original version of certain songs. Maybe the RPO did record new arrangements for certain songs that Richard subsequently felt didn't come out as he had imagined. It could come down to the "mix" of styles on the final tracklist (we already know that one song was cut due to the number of other ballads). It could simply come down to an issue of space and a "toss of the coin" between this track and that.

Maybe @John Eidsvoog could enlighten us as to the decision making process behind what did and did not make the final cut.

I'm not involved in the decisions and don't ask. I showed up one day at Richard's ready to work on Christmas music and he surprised me with the RPO project and gave me a CD with 20 songs to transcribe. The list changed a bit later, but it's not for me to know why unless told.

I can say that none of the rejected titles I mentioned were recorded with the RPO, although it's possible some changes may be made to the final album that I'm unaware of. I'm on a need-to-know basis and I basically don't need to know. :)
 
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