Casey Kasem's American Top 40 Show Rebroadcasts!

[Jamesj75]

Thanks GaryAlan! Also, good point about the other Carpenters' songs that reached #2: a case could be made for the others as well! It almost seems like a conspiracy...

I know how we often lament how we expected certain Carpenters' songs/albums to do better on the charts than what they did (e.g., "I Need to Be in Love," "All You Get From Love Is a Love Song," Passage). I remember how painstaking it was when "Touch Me When We're Dancing" spent 4 weeks at #16; I kept expecting it to inch higher each successive week. I guess we should appreciate all the successes, and even getting radio airplay and having a #16 hit in 1981 indeed constituted a success!

 

[GaryAlan]

James, I will do my best to locate, and present, the analysis of the Carpenters' chart action which I alluded to in my post.
Suffice for now to mention that there are others (in 'the music business') who have already speculated
that the 'image' problems which beset the duo did hamper the attainment of higher chart listings.
And, I believe, "I Think I Love You", by the Partridge Family ,won out on the charts ahead of "We've Only Just Begun".
How does one explain that!

 

[GaryAlan]

James, here is the quoted line from Gary Theroux--more from him in the 1978 interview on Greatest Hits and Finest Performances--
(Source: forgottenhits60s.blogspot.com/2012/11/channeling-karen-carpenter.html)
" As we recently discussed, when K-Hits counted down The Top 40 Artists of the '70's a few weeks ago,
they removed The Carpenters from the list! What kind of "truth in broadcasting" is THAT?!?!?:
Like 'em or not, The Carpenters scored TWENTY Top 40 Billboard Hits! Add the Cash Box and Record World charts into the mix and The Carpenters had an incredible SEVEN #1 National Hits: "Close To You",
"We've Only Just Begun", "Superstar", "Hurting Each Other", "Yesterday Once More", "Top Of The World" and "Please Mr. Postman".
How the heck do you take THEM off the list ... and pretend like they never happened?!?!?
More genius broadcasting! "

 

[Jamesj75]

Thank you, GaryAlan! I really appreciate your finding and reprinting that original source, which lends further credence that the #2 hits were actually #1 hits by some national registries.

Further, what an idiotic thing for K-Hits to have done. It's similar to these radio stations that feature "the 70s at 7," or some such variation, and yet the Carpenters are never played. I used to be a major fan of WMMO (98.9) in central Florida---you must know it---because I enjoyed most of their music, but they refused to play the Carpenters, even in their "70s at 7" show. This concept provides a skewed and inaccurate reflection of reality. The undeniable fact remains that the Carpenters were the top American act (4th overall) of the 1970s, no ifs, ands, or buts!

 

[Nicko]

Update****

This weekends episode of Top 40 is 8th August 1970 and ' They long to be Close to You' by Carpenters is at no .1.

 

[theninjarabbit]

Yep! This Saturday at 7AM eastern, WJRZ's "American Top 40" presentation is from that week (August 8th, 1970). Our beloved duo holds the top position again with "Close to You"!! I've been walking around my house chanting "We're Number One" since yesterday.

 

[MorningOpensQuietly]

And Sirius Radio's "70s on 7" station's broadcast of "AT-40" last Sunday (I believe) also featured late July 1970, and I tuned in just in time to hear "Close to You" at #1! Great timing and priceless recording. It sounded even fresher than ever by hearing it "in its prime" posthumously (so to speak).