How would you rank Carpenters albums?

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toeknee4bz

toeknee4bz

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I've read numerous comments recently regarding everybody's disdain for certain albums, and 'favorite' album titles have been all over the place. So here goes: How would you rank the original albums by the Carpenters? I chose to ignore the Christmas albums and compilations, but if you feel it deserves attention... by all means, feel free to rank it!
 
Here's my order:
10.Ticket To The Ride (eeeewwww)
9. Voice Of The Heart (syruppy, full of choir, but a few good songs)
8. A Kind Of Hush (not as bad as everybody else makes it out to be, but certainly not their best either)
7. Close To You (pretty good album considering it was early on)
6. Made In America (also a pretty good album, despite high expectations; I take it on it's own merit)
5. Passage (innovative to the max, even with a few experimental misses)
4. Carpenters (a really good album with a great sequence)
3. A Song For You (an excellent album. Period.)
2. Now & Then (an awesome album, start to finish)
and ultimately,
1. Horizon (without a doubt, the most polished work ever produced by the Carpenters. Bar none. IMHO)
 
Ranking the 10 main albums today, I'd get:

10. VOICE OF THE HEART (OK effort with no killer tracks)
9. MADE IN AMERICA (formulaic with some good tracks, some not-so-good)
8. HORIZON (good sound, draggy song selection)
7. A KIND OF HUSH (great packaging with so-so song selection)
6. PASSAGE (nice mix of styles, old and new)
5. NOW AND THEN (quite a good concept album)
4. CARPENTERS (great stuff, if a little short)
3. OFFERING/TICKET TO RIDE (an album full of Carpenter/Bettis songs, raw Karen leads, the exquisite "Ticket To Ride")
2. A SONG FOR YOU (start to finish, darned-near perfect)
1. CLOSE TO YOU (it doesn't get any better than this)

If I were to place LOVELINES in the mix, it would fall between 6 and 7.
If I were to place AS TIME GOES BY, it would fall last

I wouldn't choose to mix in the Christmas albums.

Harry
 
10 Made in America ( too syrupy, awful backing vocals, Karens' vocals wishy washy)
9 Ticket To Ride ( one or two good tracks, but thats about it )
8 A Kind of Hush ( too soft, needs some oomph and some vocal depth from Karen, too lightweight )
7 Close To You ( some beautiful tracks, crescent noon is awesome! )
6 Passage ( some gutsy tracks, different style, mature sound, i like it )
5 Voice of the Heart ( soft spot for it, Karens' vocals back in front of mix, lovely tracks, modern and has dated much better than Made in America )
4 Carpenters ( used to be my favourite, but slipped a bit, lovely sounding Karen, bit short, medley far too manic! )
3 Horizon ( lush, polished, wonderful presence in vocals, soft without being syrupy, wonderful production )
2 Now and Then ( fantastic album, Karen sounded best out of ALL the albums, great oldies, packaging, stunning )
1 A Song for You ( almost a tie with now and then, Karen sounded great, not quite a good as now and then, but better tracks, so it just clinches it for me )

Lovelines would probably be between 7 and 8.
A Christmas Portrait ( LP not cd as the remixed cd has none of the same presence the original LP has ), would be high up, between 2 and 3, the best christmas album I've ever heard by anyone.

What a shame we didn't have another nearly 30 years of albums to do choose from, i can't believe it's nearly 30 years since Karen died.

Regards all
Bob
 
Great topic, toeknee4bz!:)

It is not an easy task. (Why do I feel like Meryl Streep's character in Sophie's Choice?) And, I suppose like many fans, I do enjoy them all, just to various degrees...

10. Ticket to Ride---some gems, no doubt ("Someday")
9. Made in America---attempts to recapture earlier successes and spawned their last Top 20 hit ("Touch Me When We're Dancing")
8. Now and Then---tribute to oldies
7. Voice of the Heart---all pleasant sounding (favorites include "Two Lives" and "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore")
6. Passage---successful attempt at new genres (but I most like the traditional Carpenters' sound in "Two Sides" and "All You Get From Love Is a Love Song")
5. A Song for You---track list reads more like a greatest hits compilation, but album cuts ("Road Ode") are great, too
4. Close to You---the floodgates opened with this one, included solid album cuts ("Love Is Surrender," "Crescent Noon")
3. Carpenters---"Superstar" alone should put this at or near the top on any list
2. A Kind of Hush---great up-tempo songs (title track), great ballads ("You," "One More Time"), Karen's self-harmony ("I Have You")
1. Horizon---powerhouse performances throughout ("Solitaire," "Only Yesterday," "I Can Dream Can't I")

And Love Songs gets my vote for best compilation!
 
OK, I couldn't pass this up! (I tried...) I'm counting "As Time Goes By" as a compilation of rarities, and no Christmas albums...

(11.) “Ticket to Ride”- Adventureous first album. Standouts: title song, “All of My Life”, “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing”
10. “Passage”- When it’s good, it’s great. When it’s bad, it’s awful. Standouts: “Bwana She No Home”, the underrated “All You Get From Love is a Love Song”, “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina”, “Sweet, Sweet Smile”
9. “Made in America” – Same as above. I despised the “Wedding Song” long before I knew the behind the scenes story. Standouts “Strength of a Woman”, “Somebody’s Been Lying”, “Touch Me When We’re Dancing”.
8. “Now and Then” - Mixed bag. The Oldies did not wear well over time. Standouts: “This Masquerade”, “Yesterday Once More”, “Our Day Will Come”
7. “A Song For You” - Great singles mixed with toss away tracks (“Intermission”, “Crystal Lullaby”, “Piano Picker”) which move it lower in ranking. Standouts: “Hurting Each Other”, “Goodbye to Love”, the title song, "Road Ode" (for maturity beyond their age).
6. “Voice of the Heart”- Sentimental favorite. Would be ranked higher if not for chorale vocals. Gorgeous photo of Karen. Very tasteful presentation under the circumstances. Standouts: my favorite Carps song of all time “Ordinary Fool”, “Now”, “Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore”, “Look to Your Dreams”, “Sailing on the Tide”
5. “Carpenters” – Warm, by the fireplace music. Would rank higher if not for the barrel bottom “Druscilla Penny”. Standouts: the three single releases plus “Let Me Be the One”, “Hideaway”, “Sometimes”, “Bacharach Medley”
4. “Lovelines” - Strong and Weak. Standouts: “Lovelines”, “If We Try”, “Where Do I Go From Here?”, “When I Fall in Love”, “Kiss Me the Way You Did Last Night”, “If I Had You”
3. “A Kind of Hush”- Best overall package, music and art. Very soft but beautiful. Second place for “Worst Carpenters song: Goofus”. But it comes with the award for “Happiest Personal Memories Associated with an Album”. Standouts: “Boat to Sail”, “I Need to Be in Love”, “One More Time”, “I Have You”, plus the title song is my ultimate guilty pleasure.
2. “Close to You”- the one that started it all for me. Still stunning after 40 years. Standouts: “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “Baby It’s You”, “Love is Surrender”, “Maybe It’s You”, “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”.
1. “Horizon”- elegant, classy, best recorded sound of Karen’s voice ever. Standouts: “Only Yesterday”, “Desperado”, “Solitaire”, “I Can Dream, Can’t I?”, “Aurora/Eventide”, “Love Me For What I Am”
 
10. MADE IN AMERICA - If not for the singles it would be a throwaway for me.

9. LOVELINES - Surprisingly good, considering it consists mostly of cutting-room-floor material.

8. PASSAGE - It gets points for being experimental and has a could of great songs, but too much "out there" material. I can't listen to "Calling Occupants" anymore.....Tony Peluso's DJ schtick was great on the N&T oldies medley but here he's just annoying, and that computer-generated "Baby!" makes me grind my teeth every time.

7. A KIND OF HUSH - One of their best songs ("I Need to Be In Love") and their best album package -- or a tie with Now and Then maybe

6. HORIZON - The best "sound" of their career, but just a so-so song program. Should have left "Postman" off - it didn't fit the rest of the program and it was old news by the time the LP came out.

5. CARPENTERS - Great singles, so-so album tracks.

4. NOW AND THEN - Has one of their best songs ever ("Yesterday Once More") and Karen sounds great on it. And a great album cover.

3. TICKET TO RIDE - One of their best albums, under-rated because it doesn't quite have that "Carpenters sound" yet. But that's what makes it charming.

2. CLOSE TO YOU - Not quite as sophisticated-sounding as A Song For You, but the musical growth from Ticket to this one is phenomenal. Not really any weak tracks here either, so it's almost a tie with ASFY for me.

1. A SONG FOR YOU - "Toss away tracks?" I don't hear any...to me this is the pinnacle of their career and one of the best albums by anybody, ever. Pop heaven.

I would probably put Christmas Portrait between #3 and #4.
 
1) CLOSE TO YOU...an album the first LP I owned back in 1988...loved the cover...music is wonderful...strong album...beautiful harmonies
2) VOICE OF THE HEART...first album I got at library in summer of 1988...loved the album photo...songs just lush and beautiful...a laid back approach...
3) A KIND OF HUSH...heard this in September 1988...loved the cover...songs are breathtakingly beautiful...Sandy, One More Time...Boat to Sail...
4) CARPENTERS...loved Superstar/Rainy Days...For All We Know...loved the Bacharach Medley...One Love is just stunning...A Place To Hideaway a true gem
5) LOVELINES...I remember listening to this abt Nov or Dec 1989...loved the feel of Karen's SOLO stuff...loved her other songs Kiss me, Univited Guest...
6) AS TIME GOES BY...a potpourri of songs...just wonderful!!!
7) HORIZON...Solitaire's home place (the album), Desperado, Aurora/Eventide...just beautiful...wish he'd make Aurora/Eventide into a whole track...with magic...
8) MADE IN AMERICA...the second album I heard in Summer of 1989...I loved the contemporary feel...loved the inner sleeve photo n would stare at it for hours...I thought she might be a latino woman(at that time I didn't know a lot about them...thought they were husband and wife team).
9) TICKET TO RIDE...I remember when I first heard this album...one of the last I heard...but I liked the feel...loved EVE and SOMEDAY so much...
10) PASSAGE...a neat album...not my favorite but it's nice to listen to...All You Get...beautiful song...Two Sides...love it...HATE Calling Occupants...boring!!
 
Yeah, I am not a fan of the album because to me, it wasn't a FULL album. Side two was mostly the medley although interesting to listen to...it wasn't a huge favorite...although I did love Side One...wish they had done a complete album of songs...loved the song HEATHER and I CAN'T MAKE MUSIC...and THIS MASQUERADE!
 
1. "Close to You" – The first Carpenters album I ever heard, and so for me it will always be the best; Karen's vocals are extraordinary, as are Richard's arrangements, and they have so much creative energy.
2. "A Song for You" – Such a powerhouse album; it was their best balance of commercial appeal with creativity.
3. "Horizon" – Karen's vocals are sheer perfection against the backdrop of Richard's arrangements.
4. "Now & Then" – Their exhausting touring schedule and expectations of being A&M's "hit factory" begin to show here with the dated oldies medley, but it's still a superb album.
5. "The Singles" – So much more than a "greatest hits" album; Richard's seamless segues between many of the songs turned them into new interpretations
6. "Carpenters" – Feels like it was put together hastily as a rebound album following "Close to You"'s success, so it's a bit hit or miss, but it still has some marvelous songs ... including the timeless "Superstar" and "Rainy Days and Mondays."
7."Passage" – I actually love this album for its experimentation, but one can feel the weight of their personal ordeals lurking in the background, and also their desperation to reclaim pop radio supremacy.
8. "Ticket to Ride" – I also love this album for its youthful energy and creativity, but Richard and Karen haven't quite hit their stride yet. It comes on their next album.
9. "A Kind of Hush" – This was the first album that felt lightweight to me, in terms of material and performance ... though the depth of Karen's soulful vocals on "One More Time" saves it.
10. "Made in America" – Too syrupy for my tastes, can't stand the choir, there's no creative spark but rather an overall lethargy where the album lacks all energy.
 
My order is not too different than yours.... toeknee4biz....

10 - Voice - I loved several songs, but I ranked this last - due to the sheer mood of sadness when the album was released... plus - I share the critiques of the choir in most every instance. Particularly with Now and Make Believe... I cherish this number 10 - none-the-less, as I do all of the postumously released recordings... and hope Richard gives us a few more gems in the future.
9 - Ticket To Ride - More for the recording quality on this early effort...
8 - MIA - - at any given second this one could trade with Hush
7 - Hush - could trade with MIA - but You, Sandy, and Can't Smile saved it.
6 - A Song For You - lovely album - almost a "singles" set!
5 - Passage - I was SO ready for this album. and I Just Fall in Love Again helped it into the top 5.
4 - Close To You - reverence for the launchpad hit makers heloed this one make it to #4. Plus, I sang along with this one as much as - if not more than many of the follow-up LPs.
3 - Carpenters - A turning point in their richer sound... and several can't miss tracks.. For All We Know being one of them.
2 - Now & Then - my very first album that I bought and owned outright. Loved it, loved it, loved it!
1 - Horizon - Production, timing, song selections, all in all - my favorite. And ironically, the songs that have been released since then - that were recorded for this set, have een favorites as well, such as Tryin' To Get The Felling Again... Karen was at her richest and most emotionally charged vocal peak.
 
Love this topic.
And I love seeing how differently we all view the music and albums, but we all love the group and the sound. Very interesting!
This is very hard and it probably changes from time to time and will have to really think about it as I type...

10 - Ticket to Ride... Although I love Someday!
9 - Hush... Just not a favorite. Hardly ever listen to it at all...
8 - Now & Then... Love Masquerade and I can't make music...
7 - Voice... LOVE Now!!!!
6 - MIA... love a couple of songs, but hate the way Karen was recorded...so far back
5 - Passage... LOVE I just fall in love again
4 - Close to you... love the album
3 - Carpenters... I remember hearing this when it came out. I was 7 and my older sister had it and played it. Rainy Days is one of my favorites!
1 - TIE between Song for You and Horizon. Love the songs on SFY and LOVE the way Karen was recorded on Horizon.

If I added others in...
As time Goes By would be out of top 10
Lovelines would fall somewhere in the top 5 depending on the day and my mood
Old Fashioned Christmas out of top 5
Portrait seasonably in the top 3

Jonathan
 
Ranking the albums has always been tough for me, because albums will fall in and out of favor over time. Plus, when I look at what I actually listen to -- based on my iTunes library -- I find that I'm playing some of the compilations a lot more than the studio albums. The Singles: 1969-1973, The Essential Collection: 1965-1997 and Interpretations seem to get a lot more listening time with me lately.

As for the "official" studio albums, excluding the Christmas albums, here's my ranking:

12) As Time Goes By -- glad to have this material on CD, but just not a great "album."

11) Made In America -- at the time, it was a huge disappointment, given what was going on in popular music in 1981. And it hasn't aged well at all.

10) A Kind of Hush -- too much bad material on this one. "You" is the single redeeming moment of this album.

9) Horizon -- a lot of people seem to love this album, and I don't get it. The "edge" was gone from the Carpenters' sound, and the material is listless.

8) Passage -- this is the album that would change places in this list most often. Sometimes I really, really like it, and other times I just don't care for it. After much of the limp material on Horizon and Hush, this album usually feels refreshing to me. But not always.

7) Now & Then -- love side 1, not so fond of side 2. If the oldies medley had been left out in favor of more "contemporary" material, this album would rank quite a bit higher.

6) Voice of the Heart -- while this album wasn't up to the production standards of earlier Carpenters albums, it has some great songs. I find I play it a lot more often than the above albums.

5) Lovelines -- some EXCELLENT material here. Why many of these songs were left off albums in favor of other songs just boggles my mind. And it holds up remarkably well as an "album."

4) Offering/Ticket to Ride -- while still a little rough-sounding, the material is very interesting and the production is pretty amazing, given the primitive technology of the era.

3) Carpenters -- with a couple of changes, this would be my favorite Carpenters album. The truncated, rushed version of the "Bacharach/David Medley" really detracts from this album's charm. "Druscilla Penny" is also a throwaway, in my opinion. A couple of better songs in place of these would have made for a perfect album.

2) Close to You -- an almost-pefect album. I like the darkness of this album. There's an edginess here that fell away in later years. What holds this back from being #1 is simply the fact that Karen's voice hadn't quite matured to what I consider the full "adult" Karen Carpenter.

1) A Song for You -- I think this one wins simply due to the sheer volume of great songs, and the fact that the album feels "complete." It has a beginning, a middle and an end, and there's a progression to the songs that really works. The darkness is still there, along with fantastic production and incredible singing. What I like best about this album is that there just isn't any "filler" -- every (full) song on this album, with the exception of "Piano Picker," sounds worthy of being a single. And most of the songs WERE singles.

If I were to be completely honest, I'd rank The Singles: 1969-1973 as the #1 Carpenters album. Utter perfection from start to finish.

David
 
"If I were to be completely honest, I'd rank The Singles: 1969-1973 as the #1 Carpenters album. Utter perfection from start to finish."

Agree!
 
Yes THE SINGLES 1969-1973 is perfect. It was actually the first album that I listened to, back in Spring 1988...actually in our 8-Track stereo...and loved it! It's funny, although we had a good stereo...and she had an amazing voice...when I actually listened to it on cassette, on a twintape of both SINGLES albums...I was amazed all the nuances I could hear, it was crystal clear and I was so blown away by her voice...and the "newness" of hearing other songs I had never heard before from THE SINGLES 1974-1978!!!
 
11. Made in America - just too light, but thoroughly enjoy "Touch Me When We're Dancing" and "When It's Gone".
10. A Kind of Hush - so drastic a change after Horizon. " Boat to Sail" and "One More Time" are the best tracks for me. Can't handle "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" or "Goofus".
9. Now & Then - "This Masquerade" and "I Can't Make Music" are favorites, at least the oldies medley gave us "One Fine Day"....love Karen's vocals on that track.
8. Lovelines - surprisingly strong when we were told not much was left! "If We Try", "Kiss Me", "If I Had You", and "Lovelines" gets lots iPod play.
7. Passage - eclectic, "All You Get" and "I Just Fall in Love Again" never get old. Can defintely do without "Man Smart, Woman Smarter", though.
6. Ticket to Ride - I still enjoy this album. Not their "sound" yet, but great tracks with great rhythms, a jazz feel, fantastic vocals/harmonies. "All of My Life" and "Someday" are favorites, also enjoy "Clancy" and "Turn Away".
5. Voice of the Heart - forever linked to 1983. "Now", "Two Lives", "Ordinary Fool", and "Your Baby" are highlights for me. Also enjoy Karen's lilting vocals on "At the End of a Song".
4. Carpenters - my first Carpenters album, I remember the gold "Grammy Award Winner" sticker on the front. Some of the best ("Superstar", "Rainy Days", "For All We Know"), some of the worst ("Saturday", "Druscilla Penny")....and "One Love" is a favorite.
3. Close to You - with the tan album playing non-stop, I saw them on "This is Your Life (yep, I'm 50+), and persuaded my parents to take me to Record Bar to get this. Solid through-out, "Baby It's You" became a favorite again when hearing it on CD for the first time, love the melancholy in Karen's voice in "Crescent Noon", the pipe organ in "Help".
2. A Song for You - the first album I ever wore-out and had to replace. In addition to the singles, LOVE the title track and "Road Ode", then melting into the "Song for You" reprise. Killer-start and killer-finish.
1. Horizon - not much can be said that hasn't already been said here. My "stranded on an island" album. If not for "Postman", it would be perfect.
 
9. Now & Then - "This Masquerade" and "I Can't Make Music" are favorites, at least the oldies medley gave us "One Fine Day"....love Karen's vocals on that track.

I acutally meant "Our Day Will Come" instead of "One Fine Day"...
 
Recent thought: It's amazing how one artist can go from the top (CTY thru Horizon) and then fall off quickly (Hush onward). It shows the major impact of one album that was out of touch with radio (Hush) followed by one that was fresh but felt desperate (Passage).
 
That happens with every artist eventually. Some get their mojo back (Elton John being a good example.....how many careers has he had, four?) and some don't. It's interesting to think about what the Carpenters might have done if Karen had lived longer. They probably wouldn't have had much more "pop chart" success but they could have put out some interesting records, the same way Herb Alpert is doing now. Minimal chart action, but keeping the fans involved.
 
It's interesting to think about what the Carpenters might have done if Karen had lived longer. They probably wouldn't have had much more "pop chart" success but they could have put out some interesting records, the same way Herb Alpert is doing now. Minimal chart action, but keeping the fans involved.
Click to expand...

I think, had things not turned out the way they did, that with all the fans behind them (like we were about getting the solo released and other unreleased recordings) they would have kept working - even without chart action. It seemed to be in their DNA. Maybe it would have been enough for them. Or maybe they would have split up and done different projects.

I remember reading some where that Richard was offered the job of scoring a Disney movie, but turned it down. It might have been when he was ill. If they had both gotten back on their game, Karen could have continued encouraging him to do that kind of project and maybe he would have been more comfortable letting her go out on her own. I'm sure he has run through all the possible scenarios in his own mind over the years. As it is, I'm glad he found happiness in raising a family and just working occasionally, releasing what he can for the fans.

I'm glad we have the legacy of Karen's voice and Carpenters music. Reading the various threads on just this forum, you can see how much it has meant to so many people, over different generations.
 
cam89 said:
Yeah, I am not a fan of the album because to me, it wasn't a FULL album. Side two was mostly the medley although interesting to listen to...it wasn't a huge favorite...although I did love Side One...wish they had done a complete album of songs...loved the song HEATHER and I CAN'T MAKE MUSIC...and THIS MASQUERADE!
Click to expand...
If I ever got rid of my copy of NOW & THEN, my wife would divorce me... because she DEMANDS that I play the medley, in it's entirety... every time I play the album. In short, the medley is the high point for me... AND the wife. I think she just likes the DJ.
 
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