⭐ Official Review [Compilation]: "THE SINGLES, 1974-1978"

[Someday]

I have this too but cannot remember the TV advertising. There are several different versions of that press photo (rexfeatures.com), with Karen outside the store (which, I believe, was Chappells on Bond Street). Singles 1974-78 is clearly being displayed alongside Christmas Portrait, as this was on Monday 11th December when she was here doing Bruce Forsyth's Big Night. I don't know of any other promotion for CP, however.

 

[ars nova]

i'm still looking for the alternate cover edition, if anyone id ready to divest.

I have finally obtained the Canadian alternate cover. all is well in my world. baby.

 

[GaryAlan]

This is one I have been spinning, lately. I enjoy this album quite a bit.
Exactly how "commonly available," in the USA, was this LP back in the day ?
The LP was in the "import" section when I stumbled upon it--if I had not specifically
searched in the "import" section, I never would have come across this LP.
The Forum Resource says this:
"It has been commonly available in the US as an import however over the years."

Needless-to-say, do we know if Richard Carpenter sequenced the songs ?
Was there any input from the Richard Carpenter actually producing this LP ?
Karen's role, in traveling to London to promote the LP is well-known, as is the
$500,000 spent by UK A&M for promotion. Has anyone ever seen that UK-TV campaign ?
While it charted there, and peaked at #2 (on chart for 27 weeks; entered #18 dec 9,1978 ),
I wonder if sales met A&M's expectations ?

This compilation Vinyl-LP, had it been given the loving treatment of its predecessor (69-73),
could have been a nice ten-year anniversary (1979) birthday present for American audiences.

 

[Harry]

Exactly how "commonly available," in the USA, was this LP back in the day ?

I first spotted and purchased the SINGLES 1974-1978 album up in an HMV shop in Montreal, Canada on a tourist visit there. I'd never seen it before and was attracted to the shiny gold foil cover. It was just a short time later that I spotted it for sale (at an inflated import price) in some local stores like Sam Goody and Wee Three Records around the Philadelphia are. I figured if it was common enough to be there, it probably made it to many other US stores.

 

[GaryAlan]

Here is one that I love to listen to !
Again, comparisons to the previous Hits LP "The Singles 1969-1973"
are always brought in....unfairly I believe.
If I compare chart listings (or, sales) of singles from the earlier package,
there is (obviously) no comparison.
Also, the earlier, a worldwide release, eventually sold 7 plus-million copies.
All that being said, I still love to listen to this later compilation.
The defining word here is DIVERSITY.
It is a fun listen, full of hits and misses.
That it does not (and could not possibly) reach the heights of the earlier hits package,
in terms of song-quality, does not matter.
Much here is simply ear candy.
Ear candy done brilliantly, in many an instance.

 

[CarpentersToYou]

I first spotted and purchased the SINGLES 1974-1978 album up in an HMV shop in Montreal, Canada on a tourist visit there.

That is exactly where I found the CD for the first time in stores. Sadly that HMV closed last year.

 

[tomswift2002]

Here is one that I love to listen to !
Again, comparisons to the previous Hits LP "The Singles 1969-1973"
are always brought in....unfairly I believe.
If I compare chart listings (or, sales) of singles from the earlier package,
there is (obviously) no comparison.
Also, the earlier, a worldwide release, eventually sold 7 plus-million copies.
All that being said, I still love to listen to this later compilation.
The defining word here is DIVERSITY.
It is a fun listen, full of hits and misses.
That it does not (and could not possibly) reach the heights of the earlier hits package,
in terms of song-quality, does not matter.
Much here is simply ear candy.
Ear candy done brilliantly, in many an instance.

It’s also interesting that on the UK charts, the “Singles 1974-1978” hit #2, a feat they would replicate nearly 40 year’s later with “The Nation’s Favorites”. By comparison the 69-73 was #1 on the chart.

 

[Harry]

40 year’s later with “The Nation’s Favorites”.

I love that THE NATION'S FAVOURITE contains both "It's Going To Take Some Time" and "Jambalaya" - two songs that tend to get a bit thrashed in these parts. I know that "Jambalaya" was huge in the UK.

 

[newvillefan]

I love that THE NATION'S FAVOURITE contains both "It's Going To Take Some Time" and "Jambalaya" - two songs that tend to get a bit thrashed in these parts. I know that "Jambalaya" was huge in the UK.

It was a #12 on the charts at the time, so not really huge. I also can’t recall ever hearing it once on UK radio in the last 25 years, so I was surprised it even showed up on that poll.

 

[Harry]

Huge is a relative term. Compared to the US where it wasn't a single at all!

 

[GDBY2LV]

I thought they re-recorded Can’t Smile Without You as a result of Barry Manilow’s huge hit with it. Kind of a “take that” Barry kind of thing. Lol
A possible hit they missed out on again like This Masquerade and I Just Fall in Love Again the next year, which are all better than the recordings by other artists. I know IJFILA is too long, but I am biased at the superior vocals by Karen, and Richard’s arrangements. I found it hard to listen to those other versions back then, even though I love Anne Murray and like Manilow ok.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Some nice UK press articles, heavy promotion for Singles 1974-1978
It seems Karen not only appeared on The Bruce Forsyth Show but also did promotion for the album.
There is an article that indicates she signed 1000 LP's, all individually named. Wow!!

Music Week UK
Nov 18, 1978

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Music Week UK
Full Page Promo Ad Nov 4, 1978

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Music Week UK
Dec 16, 1978

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Music Week UK
Feb 17, 1979

 

[tomswift2002]

It seems like the Gold foil/CDversion was the original release of the album. Makes you wonder when and why the 69-73 reverse cover was released.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I have to admit that the gold foil texture of this LP cover is very classy. I bought the CD version first from Canada and then acquired the LP version much later.

There is a photo on this thread of Karen at this record shop (that’s mentioned in this article) it must be the one where she signed all those LPs. In the photo you can see the Singles 74-78 LP and Christmas Portrait in the background. How lucky would it have been to have met her and had her sign the LP for you?

It makes sense that Please Mr. Postman and I Need To Be In Love were both performed by Karen on the Bruce Forsyth show, to promote this LP along with the selections from Christmas Portrait.

I’m not sure how much 300,000.00 euros were back in 1978 but a quick search now says it’s equivalent to $407,000.00 US dollars. In any case this must have been a huge promotion of this LP for the UK.

 

[Jorge]

OK gang - particularly those of you across the pond - it just hit me that on SINGLES 1974-1978, the final track has a subtitle, with a word spelled "Recognised". Now, that's the way the UK (and Canada) properly spell the word. Here in the US it's spelled "Recognized".

Are there any other Carpenters albums/CDs/tapes with any altered UK spellings of words?

Harry

I have a Japanese Close to you Cd that says CARPENTARS instead of Carpenters, not the UK but still worth to mention.

 

[Harry]

Our friends, the Japanese, are somewhat notorious when it comes to the spelling of words and translations into English. Their language base is so different from ours that the efforts are sometimes a bit comical.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Does anyone know if they made the CD version insert jacket that replicates the LP cover with embossed texture? The CD version I have is VPCD 19748 from A&M records of Canada and it's just a paper insert jacket (not embossed).

 

[Mark-T]

Mine looks like yours.

 

[Harry]

Yep, same here. When this was issued, jewel cases were the standard way of issuing CDs, and the embossing would not be effective behind plastic. I suspect that the only hope of an embossed foil cover on CD is in some future box set.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Yep, same here. When this was issued, jewel cases were the standard way of issuing CDs, and the embossing would not be effective behind plastic. I suspect that the only hope of an embossed foil cover on CD is in some future box set.

It could have worked with a digipak release. I have 2 Star Wars digipak Cds that have a raised embossed texture to the cover. I also have a Simon and Garfunkel digipak Live From New York 1967, while not embossed it has a mirror reflective coating that is quite nice. I know digipak tend to get bent corners but not if you take care of your stuff.

It could have worked with a Singles 74-78 Cd embossed gold foil cover but I guess at this point CD’s are out of style. The LP cover is quite beautiful no wonder it received awards on design.

 

[Harry]

Well, I guess that one big problem is that the SINGLES 1974-1978 was never released in Carpenters home country. We all had to buy versions made in Canada or the UK, so it borders on just another import compilation. That's likely why we won't see any special editions with embossed text and foil covers any time soon. But it would be nice...