Make your own Carpenters 45: Side 1, your favorite single, Side 2 your favorite album track.

[Without A Song]

For me, Side 1 has to be "Only Yesterday," not only my favorite Carpenters tune but my favorite song period! Karen never sounded better, John Bettis' lyrics are heartfelt without being sappy, and Richard's arrangement is perfect, not a sound or instrument out of place!

Side 2: "Without A Song." I chose this as my album track because it highlights the Carpenters' vocal harmonies better than any of their other album tracks, with "Mr. Guder" finishing a close second.

 

[Jack A.]

Side 1: "Rainy Days and Mondays." For a long time, I heralded this is my favorite song of all time, and I would still say it has at least remained my favorite Carpenters song. The orchestration, the powerful lead vocal, the harmonies, everything about this song is terrific.

And rather ironically, Side 2: "Let Me Be The One." Really should have been a single, but I suppose "Rainy Days and Mondays" was the better choice for the third single.

 

[Harry]

I'm going to pick two songs that someway, somehow, sometime, should have been singles. For my A-side, I'm going with "Let Me Be The One".


For it's b-side, I've got to go with "A Song For You" which also should have been a single in spite of its length.

 

[adamj95]

Side 1: I would go with Slow Dance
Side 2: I would go with At The End Of A Song

 

[JohnFB]

Side A - Rainy Days and Mondays - a perfect recording, a killer vocal...

Side B - Where Do I Go From Here - a sadly beautiful song, an outstanding vocal with oodles of those iconic, awesome low notes...

 

[Ian Claypole]

Side A: For All We Know - such a beautiful song.
Side B: You're The One - Absolutely Amazing track. (Where Do I Go From Here was a close 2nd choice)

 

[newvillefan]

Nice thread idea!

Side A: Touch Me When We’re Dancing
Side B: A Song For You

I would have gone with ‘Slow Dance’ as my side B but had to eliminate it because it was also released as a single A-side in 1987.

 

[John Tkacik]

I'm going to create what I feel should have been a 45 release from Horizon.

Side A: Happy
Side B: I'm Caught Between Goodbye and I Love You

 

[Mark-T]

Side A: Baby, It's You
Side B: Don't Be Afraid

 

[newvillefan]

I'm going to create what I feel should have been a 45 release from Horizon.

Side A: Happy
Side B: I'm Caught Between Goodbye and I Love You

I’ve never been convinced that ‘Happy’ had much hit potential, but I can definitely imagine this pairing as a single

 

[Nemily]

Whenever I modify or create a new Carpenters playlist, these two always seem to manage to make my cuts.

Side A

For All We Know - I never tire of the anticipation of that last note of the oboe intro melting into Karen’s first note so seamlessly. It is noted that the vocal was laid down on the same day as the original Merry Christmas Darling Nov 11, 1970. My favorite versions are the 2018 RPO mix, the original 45 single release then the original album mix. I’m not even sure if the album mix is different than the single but the single on my 45 just sound so much warmer. The song was remixed 6 or so times and that’s got to be up there with the most of all their songs.

Side B

Somebody’s Been Lyin’ - Without seeing the Bacharach/Bayer Sager sheet music, and just going by the lyricist’ version, I’m guessing that this song asks for a piano (p) or even Pianissomo (pp) read. Karen’s performance frames a rare vulnerability and she finishes with a subtle crescendo and diminuendo yet still manages to stamp her trademark resonance on lower notes throughout the vocal. Backups sweeten it up nicely in the middle. This song has never been remixed.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

For my A-side, I'd go with "Yesterday Once More." That's one song I never seem to get tired of hearing. My very close second place choice (well, it's really a tie, but I had to pick one) would be "Close to You."

For the B-side, that's tougher. There are SO many songs that I really love, but I'm going to have to go with "Road Ode." Again, a song I never get tired of hearing -- probably because it's over before you think it should be over.

 

[newvillefan]

For the B-side, that's tougher. There are SO many songs that I really love, but I'm going to have to go with "Road Ode." Again, a song I never get tired of hearing -- probably because it's over before you think it should be over.

Same here. I still love to listen to the song even now, all these years later. Much more so than many of the singles.

 

[Walkinat9]

This is fun, but almost impossible to narrow it down to just one 45, since there are many album cuts I would love to listen to on a 45 and I also several favorite singles, kind of depending on what mood I'm in

For now I would choose:
A: All you get from love is a love song - a really nice and relaxing, upbeat song
B: I can dream, can't I? - I'm a big fan of 1940s big bands and this is just such a gem If I had a jukebox or record changer, I would play this side combined with other retro big band 45s, like "Whenever you're away from me" by Olivia & Gene Kelly and "It's oh so quiet" by Björk, plus a few 45s with actual music from the 1940s and '50s

 

[JohnFB]

...

For the B-side, that's tougher. There are SO many songs that I really love, but I'm going to have to go with "Road Ode." Again, a song I never get tired of hearing -- probably because it's over before you think it should be over.

Yes, exactly - as I've stated elsewhere, this is a compelling song that could have been "wicked good" if it had been longer - it needed a longer version of that uptempo flute interlude, and then there should have been a third verse followed again by a repeat of that stunning, dynamic chorus - and maybe a 2nd repeat of it ...

 

[Jamesj75]

Very nice idea for a thread!

A side: Solitaire
B side: You

And because I'm in a greedy mood, my second single:

A side: I Need to Be in Love
B side: You're the One

 

[John Adam]

A-Side: Trying To Get The Feeling Again
-Latter day creation from a lost demo with a wonderful production and a great 1975 vocal from Karen.

B-Side: Two Sides
-A song that Karen seems to embrace on a personal level and brings out the autobiographical nature of this country-pop song.

 

[A&M Retro]

I'm going to pick two songs that someway, somehow, sometime, should have been singles. For my A-side, I'm going with "Let Me Be The One".


For it's b-side, I've got to go with "A Song For You" which also should have been a single in spite of its length.

I'm with you, Harry. THAT'S the perfect single that shoulda been.

 

[Simon KC1950]

I heard these songs one after the other and thought it would make for an upbeat, retro paring:

A: Please Mr. Postman
B: Dancin' In The Streets