Hearing "Hush" right after "Horizon"...

[Mark-T]

I think yesterday I finally understood what was different-

Everything on "Hush" seems softer or rounded or muted in comparison to "Horizon".

For the most part, Karen sings softer, the background vocals seem almost whispered at times or breathy. The ending parts of her words are not as pronounced or crisp.

The arrangements feature the oboe (which I love) instead of strong lead guitars. The players actually seem less precise, if that is the word, in the execution of their work. R's piano playing seems gentler.

Lyrically, the songwriting seems "sweeter" with less bite. Example- compare :"I Have You" with "Love Me for What I Am".

I LOVE Hush, but the overall quality seemed a little too laid back for the public after the excellent prior album- which almost demanded to be taken seriously since K&R were at the top of their game then.

When taken between "Horizon" and "Passage", "Hush" seemed quite a jolt as a series of albums in the post-Singles 69-73 world.

What do you think?

Mark

 

[andywithaz]

Mark, I feel exactly the same way. I feel like Hush was a cheezy album just thrown out there with almost no talent. It's a great album, but nowhere to close to A Song for You, Singles 69-79, Close to You, etc.

What really made it worse were songs like Goofus and Breaking Up Is Hard to Do. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do is kinda ok but what the heck were they thinking when they recorded Goofus? Duh!

But maybe this is what Rich and Karen wanted at the time. One can only wonder...

 

[jfiedler17]

Everything on "Hush" seems softer or rounded or muted in comparison to "Horizon" ...

Wow! All the things you mention really are right on the money! Excellent assessment!

 

[Jeff]

Back in the day kids we took what we could get. In '76 you had Captain and whats her face with Love will Keep Us Together and McCartney with Silly Love Songs and then there was K&R with Goofus. The musical selection process was quite simple.

Jeff

 

[Murray]

There were so many great songs on the radio in 1976:

Barry Manilow's "I Write the Songs", Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise", Olivia's "Have You Never Been Mellow", Elton John's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody", Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver", Eric Carmen's "All By Myself", Chicago's "If You Leave Me Now", Peter Frampton's "Show Me The Way", Boz Scaggs "Lowdown", ELO's "Evil Woman", Orlean's "Still The One", England Dan and John Ford Coley's "I'd Really Love To See You Tonight", and many more...

The Carpenters offering from that year seemed out of place with what was popular at the time (with the possible exception of the remake of "There's a Kind of Hush"). Basically, the album was TOO SOFT. I liked the album from the first time I heard it, even "Goofus", but my taste in music wasn't exactly mainstream (I wonder how many other 14 year old kids in 1976 listened to their grandparents big band records? While most kids dreamed of being rocks stars, I wanted to be the next Benny Goodman or Pete Fountain - yes I actually played the clarinet, but I digress...)

Murray
...who thinks that McCartney's "Silly Love Songs" is the BEST pop recording EVER!!!...

 

[350hunny]

We didn't know that Richard was suffering from lots of pressure and fear and that he had been taking sleeping pills or quaaludes, did we?
The manager Sherwin Bash still kept Karen and Richard on the road and into the recording studios and so what became of them?

Nobody knew what was going on behind the stage and we took their productions for granted. So we may not be allowed to take into consideration such terrible backgrounds as we appreciate the quality of any artist's work.

Still knowing such facts as told in the Untold Story by Coleman could bring us to a different aspect of this album.

Hush has been one of my faves and I remember listening to it almost every night that summer. I don't think it is so bad as an album. IMHO, this album is good for kids who like a catchy kind of music.
On the other hand, Horizon was more suitable to audiophiles.

As Richard was usually aware of hit charts and considered Carpenters as one of top 5 acts along with Elton John, he could have gone into a different direction and come up with one of '76 biggest hits.

 

[Mark-T]

Hey, Murray. Good point.
"If You Leave Me Now" stands out for me. Still fresh sounding 28 years later.

 

[AM Matt]

Not to mention Starbuck "Moonlight Feels Right" (almost Davy Jones soundalike) against Dolenz, Jones Boyce & Hart "I Remember The Feeling" which did not chart back in 1976. Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Dave]

Not to mention Starbuck's "Moonlight Feels Right" (an almost Davy Jones soundalike) against Dolenz, Jones Boyce & Hart "I Remember The Feeling", back in 1976. Matt Clark -- Sanford, MI

Yeah, didn't Starbuck's "Moonlight Feels Right" have a great marimba solo?! (And that's one that once made me cry! ) I thought the last song, an instrumental, which I forget the name of, had one, too!

In the Spirit of '76! _________

Dave

 

[AM Matt]

The song is called "Bordello Bordeaux" which is an instrumental written by James Cobb who does bass & vocals. Bo Wagner does the marimba, vibes & percussion. The album "Moonlight Feels Right" was reissued on CD back in 1999 or 2000 but it is no longer made. I am not sure which company the CD came from. Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Dave]

The song is called "Bordello Bordeaux". Matt Clark - Sanford, MI

OK, now I remember! Thanks, Matt! I haven't heard that LP in a long time. My favorite track is "Lash LaRue", which is also the B-Side of the "Moonlight Feels Right" single.

The album "Moonlight Feels Right" was reissued on CD back in 1999 or 2000 but it is no longer made. Matt Clark - Sanford, MI

I have seen it on CD recently, as well as a compilation of the group's Follow-Up material... I used to think Starbuck was a Canadian group, the way I always heard "Moonlight" on CKLW back in the day! The radio station I currently listen to, CFCO plays it a lot, too! Ah, but they're a Southern Band...!!!

As for The Carpenters' Hush Vs. Horizon, one LP just seemed to be destined for failure after such a great one was offered. It was hard to follow-up, until after Richard & Karen heard "the competition", currently on the radio at the time and reinvented the "Old Formula" that made them great... They rebounded on an LP called Passage!

Dave

 

[enigma]

My take was that it was a good album that unfortunately followed a great one (Horizon) I remember that I could not wait to get the follow up to Horizon because I thought Horizon was so awsome. Then I got the AKOH album and played it...well it was a huge let down considering what had come before. AKOH has its great mements it has it gems but over all it is a weak effort. Richard himself even admitted that his choice of material was poor during this time. This record ranks at or near the bottom on my favorites list as far as Carp records go; from best to worse who would have guessed. Don't get me wrong I like alot of AKOH but the Carpenters have alot better albums out there. And I totally agree on Goffus I find this song rather lame and do not like it much.

 

[Johnny Angel]

I agree with everyone's comments here. I, too, felt some disappointment after listening to A Kind of Hush. Usually, when I play it now, I skip around on various tracks instead of listening to it all the way through.

I often wish that Richard had used the other version of Can't Smile Without You with Karen's vocalizing at the beginning, and that they had recorded the slow ballad version of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, the version that Richard arranged for Neil Sedaka.

Ordinary Fool was also recorded during the A Kind of Hush sessions. According to Richard's comments about Ordinary Fool on the official Carpenters site, he says:

Karen and I recorded it in 1976 while working on our "A Kind Of Hush" album. Originally it was recorded the way we did virtually all our recordings, bass, piano, drums and a "work lead" so, as you know, the drummer and bassist could hear the melody while reading their charts. Karen was not that taken with the song and it did not make the album.

If only they had completed it and used it instead of that gosh-awful Goofus, and with the other changes I mentioned, the album might've been much more appealing...

 

[Chris_Sydney]

I agree there is something very muted about 'A Kind Of Hush', but that's one of the album's strengths in my opinion. It sounds like the musical equivalent of a sun-drenched afternoon - sure, sometimes it's bound to put you to sleep, but sometimes it's just what you need. 'One More Time' has always been a favourite of mine, and I love 'You', 'Sandy' and 'I Need To Be In Love'. The rest of the album I can take or leave and there are a couple of big stumbles (the bland 'I Can't Smile Without You', 'Goofus' and 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do') but as an album it still has some charm.

That's one of the things I love about the Carpenters' catalogue; no two albums sound the same, and there's enough variety within those studio albums for there always to be one that matches your mood / taste at any given moment.


x

 

[goodjeans]

At the risk of having to duck bullets, I thought that "Kind Of Hush" was too soft overall. When I first heard the single "There's A Kind of Hush (All..." I wished that it had been meatier even tho' the lyric probably doesn't call for it. I can't remember where I read it, maybe the Coleman book, but my brain tells me that K and R were intentionally going in a different direction and looking for a TV deal or something like that. Maybe they figured a softer album would attract a large TV audience which IMHO was crazy. I had seen them twice in concert the previous summer during the "Horizon" concerts and was never happier with their sound, appearance, technology, etc. I met Karen in person twice that summer and she and Richard both looked just awesome.
Was Karen ill just after this concert tour? Was the following album made during a time when the siblings were trying to catch up on missed concert dates? I should know these answers. Maybe someone call fill me (us) in on the timeline which may explain the "feel" of this album.

 

[DJS]

You saw them twice in concert and met Karen twice - I am very jealous !!
But I agree with the idea that Hush was too soft and I think the same thing happened again with Made In America.

Had a free afternoon today and listened to Ticket To Ride (Offering) - I found it very refreshing !

 

[Johnny Angel]

You saw them twice in concert and met Karen twice - I am very jealous !!
But I agree with the idea that Hush was too soft and I think the same thing happened again with Made In America...

I think you're right about Made In America. I remembering expecting something adventurous after PASSAGE, but instead, Made In America reminded me of A Kind of Hush... My feeling is that after the lackluster showing of PASSAGE on the charts, Richard decided to return to the more familiar format that fans had come to expect from them in the past... One thing I noticed, though, is that a few of the songs were a bit more "grown-up" (for lack of a better term) for Karen. Songs like Somebody's Been Lying, The Strength of a Woman, I Believe You, and When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)... Also, another surprise was the disco-tinted Want You Back In My Life Again... I think Richard may have chosen a few of those after hearing what Karen had done on her solo album and given her a few songs which allowed her to "stretch" a bit...

What do you think?

 

[Rudy]

I think yesterday I finally understood what was different-

Everything on "Hush" seems softer or rounded or muted in comparison to "Horizon".

sI grew up with these albums. On Hush, I pretty much just listened to the upbeat tracks, where on Horizon, I often played it through on both sides. Today, I don't think I've pulled out Hush more than a couple of times since I bought it several years ago, where Horizon often gets played through a few times a year.

I think Hush was too "MOR" and mellowed-out for hit radio at the time. Like always, the songs were well-crafted, but the "edge" just wasn't there. Looking back, it is a more drastic change than I originally thought when I first heard them.

 

[Chris May]

I personally have always felt that the album was mixed and mastered poorly. A lot of the "muted" sound referred to here has to do with the overal frequency balance of the mixes and overall output. There are also very audible edits throughout the album, where sections were flown into other sections, etc... Can't understand exactly what happened, considering Horizon was so darned great.

ALTHOUGH, I will say, regardless of song selection, etc, the album *does* generate a general mood that I have always been fond of for some reason. I've always called this a "mood" album...that's what it is.

 

[Rudy]

I personally have always felt that the album was mixed and mastered poorly. A lot of the "muted" sound referred to here has to do with the overal frequency balance of the mixes and overall output.

Overly warm--I'd cut a dB or two around the 100-200Hz range for starters. The A&M/CTi jazz albums were also afflicted with a similar sound, except it was more of an overly muddy warmth. When I did a needle drop of a couple of the LPs, I made a similar cut in the EQ, and it wounded so much better...cleaner.

IMHO, "Horizon" was a "produced" album, very radio- and hit-conscious. "Hush" is decidedly more laid back, with a different production value it seems.

There are also very audible edits throughout the album,

...surely not as many as in The Beatles' "She Loves You" single.

 

[A&M Retro]

I agree with the comments being posted on "Hush" compared to "Horizon". My take on it is the Carpenters were tired out after the last record (and Karen's illness), and they simply weren't strong enough mentally or physically after the crisis situation that overtook them in '75. The album has its moments, but it does sound muddy. No spark in the audio quality whatsoever. I noticed this when I bought the album at age 14 in 1976....it just sounded muffled. "Horizon" has better material and sound than "Hush".

 

[Dave]

A Kind Of Hush must'a been what Horizon could'a been: Better Integrity and More Upbeat Numbers compared to its predecessor... However, it just seemed to miss the mark as the slow numbers nearly drag it down a bit, while anything more uptempo just repeats what you've heard the last time around...



Dave

 

[Marty TX]

Boy, I couldn't agree more with most of the comments about A Kind of Hush. Definitely a softer album, but I disagree that the slower songs weighed it down. Those are the album's strongest attributes. I remember when I heard Boat to Sail for the first time. A slower song yes, but I couldn't remember hearing anything like THAT from the Carpenters. It was jazzy, breathy, and sounded like summer. As a third grader in 1976 and a huge fan, I remember thinking that most Carpenters songs sounded like stuff from the early 70s - way too far back for me to remember! But wow, when A Kind of Hush came out, I felt like the Carpenters had met me where I was. Even the picture on the album was soft and brown colored - wasn't that what the mid seventies was all about? Soft and brown and orange and hazy? It was to me. Boat to Sail is still one of my favorites not because its such a great song, but because it evokes carefree days I imagined people who lived in California experienced regularly. The background vocals and neat chord changes are just great. And Karen's breath (either in or out, I can't tell) on the last "sail" is brilliant. Oh so soft, breathy and wonderful!

Speaking of Goofus, I think most Carpenter albums had a song I didn't care for so much: Goofus, I Can't Make Music, Help, All I Can Do, Crystal Lullaby, When It's Gone, Prime Time Love, Drucilla Penny, and my least favorite of all Man Smart Woman Smarter. The Horizon album just doesn't have a bad song on it and is still my all-time favorite.

I hope I didn't make anyone mad at me for these choices. They don't totally stink, because nothing of the Carpenters is bad. I just don't like these all that much.

 

[Dave]

Pretty much one that's not particularily a favorite to me on the ...Kind Of Hush album is "Goofus"; is it a failed-stab at "Old-Time Country/Western"...???



Dave