š Holidays! THE OFFICIAL REVIEW: [Album] "CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT" SP-4726
- Thread starter Chris May
- Start date
JohnFB
She was born to belong to the lines of a song...
Yes, a great track she sings so very well - another one that has really caught my attention this year is "The First Snowfall", a delightful upbeat tune recorded years ago by Bing Crosby in a much slower tempo - and nicely combined with "Let It Snow" - love how the chorus (which is smartly used in this medley) shouts "Let it snow" at the end!
Guitarmutt
Well-Known Member
I was at the waterfront here in town, San Francisco. There was an elderly gentleman with a portable PA warbling away with way too much vibrato with a karaoke CD on Merry Christmas Darling. He was very pitchy too. Yet, just hearing him put his heart into it was really sweet on an unseasonably warm autumn afternoon.
Then when it ended, he pushed a button or two, the song started again, and away he warbled again.
Then when it ended, he pushed a button or two, the song started again, and away he warbled again.
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
Billboard Magazine (11/18/2021)
Greatest of All Time Top Holiday Albums: Carpenters , Christmas Portrait (SE) #18
Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs: Carpenters, Merry Christmas Darling #49
Here:
Portlander
Well-Known Member
"Home for the Holidays" was also listed at #85 for the Carpenters. I personally think "Christmas Portrait" should have been ranked a little higher but I'll take #18. "Hey Santa" by Wilson Phillips and "Christmas Wrapping" by the Waitresses should have made the list.
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Portlander
Well-Known Member
^ Should be Carnie and Wendy Wilson.
Hey Santa! has been in my Christmas compilation for a number of years. It's always a delight when it shows up. I was lucky enough to grab the promotional CD single at the radio station which contains three different edits, plus a holiday message from the Wilson sisters.
JohnFB
She was born to belong to the lines of a song...
I had to check it out again after many years - good stuff! Also, had to refresh my memory on Wilson Phillips and The Mamas and the Papas and their various relationships and entanglements - think I need a scorecard...
Geographer
Well-Known Member
It's Billboard. Move them up about 15 spaces each and you probably have a more accurate placement.
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
^^I recall Rolling Stone placing them at #16 in 2019:
Here:
www.rollingstone.com
The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time
"The Carpenters moved a million copies of 1978's Christmas Portrait. It's been doing pitched battle with Anne Murray's Christmas Album for suburban white-bread dominance in "Honey, a new Volvo! You shouldn't have!" Land ever since. The expanded, two-disc 1984 version is a veritable schmaltz blizzard of vaguely terrifying good cheer. It's almost like Christmas was invented for Karen Carpenter to sing about; her milk-bath vocals fit "Sleigh Ride" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" like a reindeer sweater. Richard's soft-rock production and gloppy orchestral arrangements aren't bad either ā a kind of warmed-over, sunken-den-Seventies version of Forties merriment."Here:
The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time
From Bing Crosby to Bob Dylan, Motown to Death Row, we rank the best Yuletide listens ever
www.rollingstone.com
Geographer
Well-Known Member
My margin of error still applies here. Just look at Bing Crosby at No. 8. and some of the more esoteric titles ahead of both of them. Just sayin.' But the fact that Rolling Stone was forced to place them in the top 25 says something, I guess.^^I recall Rolling Stone placing them at #16 in 2019:
The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time
"The Carpenters moved a million copies of 1978's Christmas Portrait. It's been doing pitched battle with Anne Murray's Christmas Album for suburban white-bread dominance in "Honey, a new Volvo! You shouldn't have!" Land ever since. The expanded, two-disc 1984 version is a veritable schmaltz blizzard of vaguely terrifying good cheer. It's almost like Christmas was invented for Karen Carpenter to sing about; her milk-bath vocals fit "Sleigh Ride" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" like a reindeer sweater. Richard's soft-rock production and gloppy orchestral arrangements aren't bad either ā a kind of warmed-over, sunken-den-Seventies version of Forties merriment."
Here:
The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time
From Bing Crosby to Bob Dylan, Motown to Death Row, we rank the best Yuletide listens ever
Portlander
Well-Known Member
Rolling Stone continues to show their disdain for the Carpenters even with a #16 ranking. The writer cleverly compliments them and the album a couple of times in the write up while still being critical within the same sentences. Reminds me of Raymond's mother Marie who has the uncanny ability to praise Debra while insulting her at the same time on "Everyone Loves Raymond". 
JohnFB
She was born to belong to the lines of a song...
"...suburban white-bread dominance..."; "...veritable schmaltz blizzard of vaguely terrifying good cheer..."; "...milk-bath vocals..."; "...gloppy orchestral arrangements..."^^I recall Rolling Stone placing them at #16 in 2019:
The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time
"The Carpenters moved a million copies of 1978's Christmas Portrait. It's been doing pitched battle with Anne Murray's Christmas Album for suburban white-bread dominance in "Honey, a new Volvo! You shouldn't have!" Land ever since. The expanded, two-disc 1984 version is a veritable schmaltz blizzard of vaguely terrifying good cheer. It's almost like Christmas was invented for Karen Carpenter to sing about; her milk-bath vocals fit "Sleigh Ride" and "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" like a reindeer sweater. Richard's soft-rock production and gloppy orchestral arrangements aren't bad either ā a kind of warmed-over, sunken-den-Seventies version of Forties merriment."
Here:
The 25 Greatest Christmas Albums of All Time
From Bing Crosby to Bob Dylan, Motown to Death Row, we rank the best Yuletide listens ever
So predictable, so adolescent and so wrong...the sleazeball writer so obviously loves the Carpenters' combined album collection (as anyone with an age or IQ in double digits would), but just simply can't be open and honest about his fondness - instead he still has to cover his ass and protect his reputation with his fellow ultra cool Ivy League weenies at RS by being as snide and snarky as possible - I can just picture him/her thumbing through their Thesaurus looking for alternative words and phrases to be as mean-spirited and small-minded in their description as they can while listening to the albums on repeat for the 5th or 6th time in their secret little sound chamber...
Geographer
Well-Known Member
Or he could have saved all of us the time reading his failed attempt at trying to be clever with lots of words by just saying "Carpenters; they may not be cool, but they're good."
Geographer
Well-Known Member
Yes, Harry. Much better!
JohnFB
She was born to belong to the lines of a song...
Well, he could have said that and it would have been more honest and straight forward - but it would still have been wrong - many millions of people around the world thought the Carpenters were pretty cool - only a handful thought this about their nasty, cynical, sadistic critics - one of the biggest mistakes Karen & Richard ever made was fretting or worrying to any extent at all about what these slugs and morons said...they were good people and they should have been proud of and flaunted their reputation for wholesomeness and thrown it back in the face of their detractors...
tomswift2002
Well-Known Member
Anyone ever notice how on the word ābirthā it sounds like Karen tacks a ā-puh ā sound onto it. It makes no sense, since the next has no āPā sound in it.
CraigGA
Well-Known Member
I just listened this morning and it did not stick out, so I did not notice. I just listened again and did not hear it. You usually have a keen ear, so I donāt dispute you. Maybe itās the speakers? Just a shot in the dark.
tomswift2002
Well-Known Member
Iāve noticed it on a wide variety of speakers, from Walkman headphones to good home stereo speakers to your average car stereo & boom box speaker, over the past 25 years ever since I first got the album on cassette.
GaryAlan
Well-Known Member
The 15 Best Christmas Records To Own On Vinyl
"Itās that time of year again and if youāre rushing to buy gifts, hey you might consider giving your audiophile friends and family a vinyl record.But not just any vinyl record, choose the best Christmas records to own on vinyl to match the season."
"To help you along with choosing the best ones, here are some of the coolest Christmas vinyl record releases weāve seen."
#8 CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT - THE CARPENTERS
"The Carpentersā 1978 Christmas album entitled Christmas Portrait is the first black vinyl record on this list and even so, it is definitely at par with the other vinyl albums on this list. It is an album consisting of 17 tracks which features the duoās signature Christmas song āMerry Christmas Darlingā
and two versions of āSanta Claus Is Cominā to Townā. And, for this vinyl album, aside from the standard black vinyl record is the vinyl jacket showcasing
Robert Tanenbaumās āTriple Self-Portraitā as well as the lyrics of the tracks printed on the inner sleeve."
Source:
The 15 Best Christmas Records To Own On Vinyl
Itās that time of year again and if youāre rushing to buy gifts, hey you might consider giving your audiophile friends and family a vinyl...
Murray
Well-Known Member
I get the feeling that the author of that article, has never actually listened to the "Christmas Portrait" LP. Two versions indeed...
