⭐ Official Review [Single]: 19. "THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH"/"(I'M CAUGHT BETWEEN) GOODBYE AND I LOVE YOU" (1800-S)

Which side is your favorite?

  • Side A: "There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World)"

    Votes: 22 40.7%
  • Side B: "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye And I Love You"

    Votes: 32 59.3%

  • Total voters
    54


At 12:06 begins JOHN Davidson singing A Kind Of Hush In 1967 similar as Karen did about 10 years later.? In the live version at London Paladium 1976.
 
RIP Les Reed
Les Reed obituary
Excerpt:
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Songwriter who wrote huge hits for the stars of the 60s and 70s
"Reed got the idea for another hit when he was talking to a friend, Tony Phillips, about how his (not very busy) acting career was going.
Phillips told him, “There’s a kind of hush all over the world.”
“Can I use that?” asked Reed and Phillips replied, “Be my guest.”
There’s a Kind of Hush was a hit for Herman’s Hermits in 1967 and an international success for the Carpenters in 1976.
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More:
www.udiscovermusic.com/news/death-of-les-reed-writer-delilah-its-not-unusual-dozens-more/
www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/17/les-reed-obituary
 
I think Randy Schmidt wrote in an interview once about hearing Interpretations when it first came out in a record store when you could go in a booth and hear an album with headphones. He remembered being moved to tears hearing it, probably in part due to this gorgeous gem being buried for so many years and having a part of Karen's soul feel like it's being exposed more.

I had the exact same experience in a record store in Munich in 1994.
 
Hush is very pretty and inoffensive but I rarely play it. I like the supreme mellowness of Karen's vocal, and I like the smooth funkyness of the sax but that's about it. The arrangement is actually interesting musically but I suppose the reason it falls a little flat for so many of us is it just feels a tremendous waste of Richard and Karen's talents at that time.

CBGAILY is very pretty too. I think the verses are gorgeous, but I never felt the chorus melodically lived upto the promise of the verses, and the key changes felt incongruent - all excepting the much cited 'devil in the deep blue sea' conclusion. But Karen's delivery is stunning and to other lesser artists it may be considered a classic. But Horizon probably only needed Love Me For What I Am and another contrasting choice in place of Caught, though it gets my vote in the poll.
 
Hush is very pretty and inoffensive but I rarely play it. I like the supreme mellowness of Karen's vocal, and I like the smooth funkyness of the sax but that's about it. The arrangement is actually interesting musically but I suppose the reason it falls a little flat for so many of us is it just feels a tremendous waste of Richard and Karen's talents at that time.

CBGAILY is very pretty too. I think the verses are gorgeous, but I never felt the chorus melodically lived upto the promise of the verses, and the key changes felt incongruent - all excepting the much cited 'devil in the deep blue sea' conclusion. But Karen's delivery is stunning and to other lesser artists it may be considered a classic. But Horizon probably only needed Love Me For What I Am and another contrasting choice in place of Caught, though it gets my vote in the poll.
I understand your points but ICBGAILY is one of my favorites and I can understand your comment but to me it does not negate the song. It’s one of the reason that I Love Horizon!
 
Especially the quad mix. I’ve listened to it about a dozen times in the last week. Beautiful!
 
On the thread for the album, "A Kind of Hush", there's a lot of talk at the moment about the hit potential of various songs from the LP and the performance of the actual singles.

I just had a look to see which songs were keeping Carpenters' single, "There's A Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" from rising higher on the American Top 40 the week it peaked. On April 26th, 1976, the songs above 'A Kind Of Hush', (and there were one or two biggies that have forged their way into history), were:-

Number 12:- Carpenters, 'There's A Kind of Hush'. 11:- Captain & Tennille, 'Lonely Night (Angel Face)', 10:- Elvin Bishop, 'Fooled Around and Fell In Love', 9:- Queen, 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 8:- Peter Frampton, 'Show Me the Way', 7:- John Sebastian, 'Welcome Back', 6:- Dr. Hook, 'Only Sixteen', 5:- The Commodores, 'Sweet Love', 4:- The Sylvers, 'Boogie Fever', 3:- Maxine Nightingale, 'Right Back Where We Started From', 2:- Belamy Brothers, 'Let Your Love Flow', and NUMBER 1:- Johnnie Taylor, 'Disco Lady'.

My memory of the American Top 40 in 1976 is that there were a lot of light, easy-listening songs, not that different in genre from Carpenters' 'There's A Kind of Hush', at the top of the charts throughout the year, and there were. However, the week that 'There's A Kind of Hush' peaked, around half of the songs above it just happened to be rock-edged songs at the top, whether ballads or up-tempo, (apart from 'Lonely Nights', 'Only Sixteen', 'Let Your Love Flow', 'Sweet Love', 'Boogie Fever' and 'Disco Lady').

Of the songs above 'There's A Kind of Hush' on the charts that week, I particularly like 'Lonely Night', 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Show Me the Way' and 'Welcome Back' and, help me, 'Boogie Fever' and I don't mind 'Right Back Where We Started From' and 'Let Your Love Go'. I usually like soul, but I don't think much of the Commodores' or Jonnie Taylor's songs.

I think you can see why all of the Top 11 peaked above 'There's A Kind of Hush'. Each song has more character, insistence and grit. I think that anyone could be forgiven if they said Carpenters' offering was a bit bland and characterless, devoid of highs, lows and excitement, with Karen almost singing without expression, although I loved the song in its day. It was definitely my favourite song on the chart at the time.
 
On the thread for the album, "A Kind of Hush", there's a lot of talk at the moment about the hit potential of various songs from the LP and the performance of the actual singles.

I just had a look to see which songs were keeping Carpenters' single, "There's A Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" from rising higher on the American Top 40 the week it peaked. On April 26th, 1976, the songs above 'A Kind Of Hush', (and there were one or two biggies that have forged their way into history), were:-

Number 12:- Carpenters, 'There's A Kind of Hush'. 11:- Captain & Tennille, 'Lonely Night (Angel Face)', 10:- Elvin Bishop, 'Fooled Around and Fell In Love', 9:- Queen, 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 8:- Peter Frampton, 'Show Me the Way', 7:- John Sebastian, 'Welcome Back', 6:- Dr. Hook, 'Only Sixteen', 5:- The Commodores, 'Sweet Love', 4:- The Sylvers, 'Boogie Fever', 3:- Maxine Nightingale, 'Right Back Where We Started From', 2:- Belamy Brothers, 'Let Your Love Flow', and NUMBER 1:- Johnnie Taylor, 'Disco Lady'.

My memory of the American Top 40 in 1976 is that there were a lot of light, easy-listening songs, not that different in genre from Carpenters' 'There's A Kind of Hush', at the top of the charts throughout the year, and there were. However, the week that 'There's A Kind of Hush' peaked, around half of the songs above it just happened to be rock-edged songs at the top, whether ballads or up-tempo, (apart from 'Lonely Nights', 'Only Sixteen', 'Let Your Love Flow', 'Sweet Love', 'Boogie Fever' and 'Disco Lady').

Of the songs above 'There's A Kind of Hush' on the charts that week, I particularly like 'Lonely Night', 'Fooled Around and Fell in Love', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Show Me the Way' and 'Welcome Back' and, help me, 'Boogie Fever' and I don't mind 'Right Back Where We Started From' and 'Let Your Love Go'. I usually like soul, but I don't think much of the Commodores' or Jonnie Taylor's songs.

I think you can see why all of the Top 11 peaked above 'There's A Kind of Hush'. Each song has more character, insistence and grit. I think that anyone could be forgiven if they said Carpenters' offering was a bit bland and characterless, devoid of highs, lows and excitement, with Karen almost singing without expression, although I loved the song in its day. It was definitely my favourite song on the chart at the time.

I really think if the song had a stronger hook/arrangement (vocal and otherwise) two songs like Hush and INTBIL could have been bigger. Hush on record should have had that slow, sensual start that Karen sang for it in London at least, and INTBIL could have been reworked to create something devastating.

I still can’t believe the title track which is weak as hell gets to a solid #12, but a sparkling gem like “All You Get FLIALS” only ONE year later stalls at 35. The public was seriously way to fickle.
 
I still can’t believe the title track which is weak as hell gets to a solid #12, but a sparkling gem like “All You Get FLIALS” only ONE year later stalls at 35. The public was seriously way to fickle.

I’ve always wondered that too. What a difference a year made.
 
I will reiterate what I wrote on another thread:
Nothing wrong with the Carpenters recording of
There's a Kind of Hush.
Take that vinyl-45, crank up the volume, listen intently....there is a lot happening in this terrific song.
Yes, I love All You Get From Love is a Love Song, for different reason,
but, referring to There's a Kind of Hush as..... "weak as h_ll"..... is just not accurate.
The chart position of the respective singles signifies virtually nothing except "mass appeal."

I never considered Close To You as a "strong" song, and yet it went to #1....
 
I will reiterate what I wrote on another thread:
Nothing wrong with the Carpenters recording of
There's a Kind of Hush.
Take that vinyl-45, crank up the volume, listen intently....there is a lot happening in this terrific song.
Yes, I love All You Get From Love is a Love Song, for different reason,
but, referring to There's a Kind of Hush as..... "weak as h_ll"..... is just not accurate.
The chart position of the respective singles signifies virtually nothing except "mass appeal."

I never considered Close To You as a "strong" song, and yet it went to #1....

Bland as hell then. It’s just not strong enough vocally or musically to sustain repeated interest. Reedy all around. And I think Close to You, the recording is much richer all around than Hush, from the vocals, to the arrangement, to the sentiment. And I don’t think you’ll be banned for spelling out “hell”.
 
Another plug for one of my favorite Singles:
February 28, 1976, The cover of Record World.
"Carpenters, THERE'S A KIND OF HUSH (ALL OVER THE WORLD) (prod. by Richard Carpenter) (Glenwood, ASCAP).
A song that should be familiar from Herman's Hermits' chart success in 1967 is given a pleasant arrangement and
a saccharine sweet vocal by Karen. This is the kind of record that finds the duo at the peak of
interpretative talent. A&M 1800."
 
^^The thing I appreciate about the Record World review of Single There's A Kind of Hush,
is the phrase "interpretive talent."
There is a lot of dischord expressed over selecting another "oldie" to record at that juncture.
However, I have maintained, since 1976, that the arrangement that Richard gives to the song is BRILLIANT.
Karen, of course, is flawless in her reading. In other words, interpretive talent from Richard and Karen.
A great, catchy, single for 1976. Sorta wish Richard was more enthusiastic about it (especially,
considering how much he loves the later recorded song "Now," which pales in comparison).
 
However, I have maintained, since 1976, that the arrangement that Richard gives to the song is BRILLIANT.

It’s never been a Carpenters track I’ve been particularly enamoured with, but I absolutely love the backing vocals in the last 25 seconds of the song, overlaid with the castanets and saxophone as it runs to its fade out. Just gorgeous.
 
I heard the original Herman’s Hermits recording for the first time a few months ago. I thought there was something missing from that arrangement that the Carpenters added. I wasn’t sure if it was the vocals or something else, but there was something missing.

“(There’s) A Kind of Hush” was also the very first Carpenters 45 that I owned and found it at a thrift store in Winnipeg. Even though there was no planet sleeve, the record was very quiet.
 
The single "(There's) A Kind Of Hush" is like "Please Mr. Postman" being a harmless piece of pop meant for the radio. "Ticket To Ride" has a lot more depth than the above, but the other two are so much fun! I think "Hush" is one of the best mid/uptempo songs they ever did. :)
 
^^Yes, I have maintained, and still believe that Please Mr. Postman and There's A Kind of Hush are two of their finest mid/up-tempo recordings.
I particular enjoy the nuances at the end of the recording. You will never convince me otherwise.
This is a great piece of arranging (and that harp--thank You, Gayle Levant !):
 
This is one of those rare instances (although imho, rightfully so), where we collectively, by a slim margin, prefer the B-side.
 
Unrelated note... I worked at a college radio station with an extensive vinyl collection. Like the little sh*ts those college students were, some time between 1976 and 2014 when I worked there, someone write in thick Sharpie on the cover, "Yeah... I wish they would hush already!" (something like that). So, I took it from the vault and brought it home, because clearly that radio station didn't give the Carpenters the respect they deserved. (And let's be real, if they didn't play the record for almost 40 years, the record should be in fantastic condition.)

Regarding this single... I've always liked it except for those sonic issues that Chris May brought up in another thread (where the bass in the right channel sounds like a blown-out speaker). It was never my favorites, but it's a decent cover of a good song.

However, I had to go with the B-side in this poll. "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You" to me is one of those underrecognized gems. There are times when "Goodbye and I Love You" sounds maybe a little flat (as in pitch--not quite hitting the note on the dot), but I wonder if minor touch-ups via a remix or a remaster would solve that issue?
 
That being said... just this morning I published the music video for "(There's a Kind of Hush) All Over the World" on YouTube.



Here's why the video I published is a little different!
- The source video is the Japanese Yesterday Once More DVD. The Gold DVD has a noticeable trail on all of the videos. YOM does not have this trail. If you take the Gold DVD and press pause randomly, chances are you will see a trailing image. I don't know for certain how/why this phenomenon happens, but it does not happen on the YOM DVD.
- I de-telecined the source video (i.e. reversed the 3-2 pull down) and set the video output to a variable frame rate. You will notice on the DVD version, the video moves for 4 frames, then pauses for 1 frame, and this pattern repeats throughout the whole video because the source is film.
- The final product ran at an average of 24.5 frames per second (which explains why the video sounds fast). So, in Adobe Premiere Pro, I slowed the video down to 24 frames per second at a constant frame rate.
- The film grain + tape meant a very green-gray grain, which I did not like. I made some minor brightness and color corrections.
- The montage of single covers at the end did not run at a constant pace; I fixed that and matched it up with the beat. :)

Cheers!
 
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That being said... just this morning I published the music video for "(There's a Kind of Hush) All Over the World" on YouTube.



Here's why the video I published is a little different!
- The source video is the Japanese Yesterday Once More DVD. The Gold DVD has a noticeable trail on all of the videos. YOM does not have this trail. If you take the Gold DVD and press pause randomly, chances are you will see a trailing image. I don't know for certain how/why this phenomenon happens, but it does not happen on the YOM DVD.
- I de-telecined the source video (i.e. reversed the 3-2 pull down) and set the video output to a variable frame rate. You will notice on the DVD version, the video moves for 4 frames, then pauses for 1 frame, and this pattern repeats throughout the whole video because the source is film.
- The final product ran at an average of 24.5 frames per second (which explains why the video sounds fast). So, in Adobe Premiere Pro, I slowed the video down to 24 frames per second at a constant frame rate.
- The film grain + tape meant a very green-gray grain, which I did not like. I made some minor brightness and color corrections.
- The montage of single covers at the end did not run at a constant pace; I fixed that and matched it up with the beat. :)

Cheers!

If only for the singles montage matching the beat at the end, I thank you!
 
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