THE OFFICIAL REVIEW: "MADE IN AMERICA" (SP-3723)

[Chris May]

“MADE IN AMERICA”

Catalogue Number: A&M SP-3723
Date of Release: 06/09/81
Chart Position- U.S.: #52; U.K.: #12; JAPAN: #44
Album Singles: "I Believe You"/"B'wana, She No Home"
"Touch Me When We're Dancing"/"Because We Are In Love"
"(Want You) Back In My Life Again"/"Somebody's Been Lyin"
"Those Good Old Dreams"/"When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)"
"Beechwood 4-5789"/"Two Sides"
Medium: Vinyl/Cassette/CD​

Track Listing:

1.) Those Good Old Dreams 4:12 (Carpenter/Bettis)
2.) Strength of a Woman 3:59 (Brown/Curiel)
3.) (Want You) Back In My Life Again 3:39 (Chater/Christian)
4.) Whe You've Got What it Takes 3:39 (Nichols/Lane)
5.) Somebody's Been Lyin' 4:22 (Bayer Sager/Bacharach)
6.) I Believe You 3:55 (Addrisi/Addrisi)
7.) Touch Me When We're Dancing 3:19 (Skinner/Wallace/Bell)
8.) When It's Gone (It's Just Gone) 4:59 (Handley)
9.) Beechwood 4-5789 (Stevenson/Gaye/Gordy)
10.) Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song) 5:00 (Carpenter/Bettis)

Album Credits:

Those Good Old Dreams:
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Ron Tutt
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Acoustic & Electric Guitar: Tim May
Pedal Steel Guitar: Jay Dee Maness
Percussion: Karen Carpenter, Paulinho DaCosta
Harp: Gayle Levant
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff

Strength Of A Woman:
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Larrie Londin, Ron Tutt
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Electric Guitar: Tim May, Tony Peluso
Oboe: Earl Dumler
Harp: Gayle Levant
Percussion: Paulinho DaCosta
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter & The Carpettes: Karen Carpenter, Carolyn Dennis, Stephanie Spruill, Maxine Waters Willard
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff

(Want You) Back In My Life Again:
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Ron Tutt
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Acoustic & Electric Guitar: Tim May
Electric Guitar: Tony Peluso
Percussion: Paulinho DaCosta
Synthesizer Programming: Daryl Dragon, Ian Underwood
Tenor Sax: Tom Scott
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff

When You've Got What It Takes:
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: John Robinson
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Acoustic Guitar: Tim May
Electric Guitar: Tony Peluso
Oboe: Earl Dumler
Harp: Gayle Levant
Percussion: Paulinho DaCosta
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff

Somebody's Been Lyin':
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Ron Tutt
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Acoustic Guitar: Tim May
Percussion: Peter Limonick
Harp: Gayle Levant
Oboe: Earl Dumler
Concertmaster & Solo: Jerry Vinci

I Believe You:
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Larrie Londin
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Acoustic & Electric Guitar: Tim May
Congas: Jerry Steinholtz
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff
Vocals arranged by Richard Carpenter

Touch Me When We're Dancing:
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Larrie Londin
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Acoustic & Electric Guitar: Tony Peluso, Tim May
Harp: Gayle Levant
Oboe: Earl Dumler
Percussion: Paulinho DaCosta
Tenor Sax: Tom Scott
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter & The Carpettes: Karen Carpenter, Carolyn Dennis
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff

When It's Gone (It's Just Gone):
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Larrie Londin, Karen Carpenter
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Acoustic Guitar: Dennis Budimir, Fred Tackett
Electric Guitar: Tim May, Tony Peluso
Pedal Steel Guitar: Jay Dee Maness
Percussion: Karen Carpenter, Bob Conti
Oboe: Earl Dumler
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff

Beechwood 4-5789:
Background vocals: Karen & Richard Carpenter
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Ron Tutt
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Electric Guitar: Tim May
Harp: Gayle Levant
Tenor Sax: Tom Scott
Concertmaster: Jimmy Getzoff

Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song):
Bass: Joe Osborn
Drums: Ron Tutt
Keyboards: Richard Carpenter
Electric Guitar: Tim May
Percussion: Peter Limonick
Harp: Gayle Levant
Choir: The O.K. Chorale under the direction of Ron Hicklin, Conducted by Frank Pooler
Concertmaster: Jerry Vinci

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Produced by Richard Carpenter
Arranged & Orchestrated by Richard Carpenter
"Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song)" & "Somebody's Been Lyin'" arranged by Richard Carpenter & Orchestrated by Peter Knight. "I Believe You" arranged by Paul Riser.
Recorded at A&M Recording Studios
Engineered by Roger Young
Additional recording by Dave Iveland
"I Believe You" engineered by Ray Gerhardt
Mixed at Sound Labs and A&M Recording Studios
Mix-down engineer: Roger Young
Assisted by Stewart Whitmore
Mastered at A&M Recording Studios by Bernie Grundman
Special thanks to Gary Sims, Pat Peters, Ron Gorow, John Bettis, Jules Chaikin, Herb, Jerry, Gil and the entire A&M family.
Art Direction: Chuck Beeson & Jeff Ayeroff
Album Design: Lynn Robb
Illustration: David Willardson, Willardson & White, Inc.
Photography: John Engstead

 

[Mike Blakesley]

This album is of course the "return to form" album for the Carpenters. Even their smiling faces on the cover are back, having been missing on a few of their recent albums.

There are some decent tunes, including a few that make it into my top-30 favorites list, but by and large it's too "safe" of an album. PASSAGE pushed the envelope but in the wrong direction, and this one goes too far the other way.

 

[aaflyer98]

To me, this is my favorite Carpenters Album of all time. It marked the Carpenters return to the top 40 radio with the hit, "Touch Me When We're Dancing" and brought them back to the music scene in 1981. It would also be their last hit. It's a special album for me after calling radio stations for the previous years, begging them to play Carpenters singles like "I Need To Be In Love" which was a minor hit, to non-hits (at least on the US Charts) like "Goofus", "Calling Occupants..." "All You Get From Love..." "I Believe You"....don't get me wrong I like those songs, but radio DJ's would say 'no thanks" to most of them. So having "Touch Me..." be a hit was very rewarding for the Carpenters fan of that time! The album has some very classy music ("Grown up music" I remember one DJ calling the set!). And, it's special because it was the last album that Karen was able to see and promote. Thankfully, it had a hit on it for her sake and ours!
This album will always be very special for me!

A long time die-hard fan who remembers when....

 

[Dave]

An "official return" to a Big Hit-era and the two firmly reasserted their Chart-Prescence with singles such as: "Touch Me When We're Dancing", "Those Good Old Dreams", the Disco-esque (while that trend seemed to be waning, Karen made it very Listener/Fan-friendly) "(Want You) Back In My Life Again" and a Golden-Oldie: "BEechwood4-5789", probably having the potential to make it onto Now And Then's "Oldies Medley"; ...Too Bad!

But also a "Grab-Bag" containing numbers like "Somebody's Been Lyin", which its writer Carol Bayer-Sager covered with her then-hubby Burt Bacharach on their Joint-Project/Concept Album, Sometimes Late At Night, there, done with more depth, but here, with a bit more feeling... As well as "When You've Got What it Takes", written by Roger Nichols and "the idea of doing a Nichols' song" not nearly as well-worn with age as you'd expect... The same can be said for a certain Addrisi Brothers number, "I Believe You", more "up-to-date" as opposed to "out-of-date" in style, compared to their older compositions, such as the Classic, "Never My Love" and the "Theme from NANNY & THE PROFESSOR"--I remember falling in love to their songs, as well as WITH their songs... And even ironically creating their own "Nuptual Anthem", "Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song)" as opposed to covering "Wedding Song (There Is Love)", popularized by Paul of Peter, Paul & Mary, The Captain & Tennille and Inspirational Songbird, Sandi Patti, just to name a few--and cause debate at WHICH version or SONG to do at that "Union of Holy Matrimony"...

A couple of obscurities round-out this final outing, such as "Strength of a Woman" (perhaps an attonement for "Man Smart/Woman Smarter" or something to 'rub things in more') and "When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)"...

A very beautiful way to usher in what would've been a bountiful decade and putting together a good crew of Studio Musicians and Orchestra, though much of them as "up-in-their-years", as the idea of recording in this manner as they had for then then-past ten- to fifteen-years, as Drum Machines and Synthesizers were beginning to take over...

A "Swan Song" that really wasn't meant to be Karen's final say...


Dave

 

[newvillefan]

I voted 5 stars for this simply because it's my favourite album from their catalogue. It's the clearest indication we have of where their music was headed into the 80s. And I'm not talking here about the throwaway cheesy numbers like Beechwood, which in my honest opinion was not something they should have been recording in 1981 and definitely not something they should have released as a single in 1982, whether on Karen's birthday or not. Contrast those kinds of single releases with all the New Wave and David Bowie kind of stuff that was coming out in the early 80s, and this, along with Those Good Old Dreams, just sound anachronistic.

Of course, the song I was alluding to in my opening above is 'Touch Me When We're Dancing'. I feel like that was the kind of sophisticated forerunner to 'Something In Your Eyes', which I believe would have been a hit in the mid 80s if recorded and released by the Carpenters proper, as opposed to Richard with a guest vocalist. It was the one illuminating flash forward to what they might have been and become.

The rest of the album just has this vibrant West Coast, Californian sunshine sound to it that I find irresistible, so in that sense I can forgive the weaker tracks like Strength Of A Woman, because the set as a whole is so homogenous. Strange to believe that 'Strength...' was actually considered upon the album's release, as a future single by Richard, as stated in one of the 1981 fanclub newsletters.

Stephen

 

[Mark-T]

This album is the most anticipated release in my collection EVER.
I was so disappointed by Passage. It made for a long 4 years...
Recollections from the past:

Even though I do not really care for the cover- too cartoonish for my taste- the inside photo is great.

But the music mostly holds its own.

The opening of Good Old Dreams was like waiting for Karen to come in on Christmas Portrait- but thankfully not as long. There it is- the Voice! Warm, inviting, and familiar. I just broke into a smile when I heard her once again.

I LOVE the intro to Strength of a Woman. Very Superstarish, but here Karen's voice is soft and intimate. In fact, I prefer this song to Superstar, to be 100% honest. (Sounds sacriligious, I guess.) A very mature cut as far as content goes. I think it would have made a better single than Those Good Old Dreams for the Fall of 1981.

Want You Back was fun just for all the vocals. Really nice but Not too special though.

When You've Got What it Takes- ditto

Somebody's Been Lyin' shows off Richard's arranging skills to good effect- and I love how Karen plays with the lyrics. Just beautiful.

I Believe You- good song, not sure the arrangement is up to what Richard would have done with it. But it fits the album well.

Touch Me- pure magic! A wise choice for a single. Short enough to leave you wanting more. (Awful video, however- but compared to some other Carps videos, its terrific!)

When Its Gone- A very pretty song but I never understood what Richard loved about it so much.

Overall, a four star result- and worth it. Left me waiting for the next album thinking their career was on the upswing again. I mean Kenny Rogers and so many older artists were hot again, why not K&R?
Of course, it was not meant to be.

Twenty-five years (!) later, I really only play tracks 1 through 8 as I strongly dislike the Wedding Song (it drags on and on) and am ambivalent about Beechwood (a Postman ripoff and a desperate attempt at a hit). This album reminds me most of Hush- feels similar yet enough different.

However, Made in America came out at a very happy time of my life (I met my future wife then!), so I always have fond memories when playing it.

 

[goodjeans]

I am dating myself. I was painting a house in college when i first heard "Touch Me When We're Dancing". It was on a walkman and I was like WOW. The Fanclub newsletters weren't reaching me in my dorm so I was a little out of it with no heads up regarding the single. I ran out and got MIA (on vinyl). I love" Touch Me...", "Strength..." which I thought had a bit of an R&B feel to it and "Back In MY Life...." was playing on radios at the beach in Fla. People were dancing to it on hmmm Daytona Beach? not sure but it was a beach that we could drive and park on. The rest of the album didn't do it for me. It was meticulously produced and every sound was great, but I guess the choice of songs weren't to my liking. I much prefer "Kiss Me The Way..." to the remainder of that album. When I read my Joel Whitburn book with the top 100 charts of the 80's, I still remember when "Touch Me..." was charting and got to 16, then stayed there for maybe 3 weeks and then dropped. I truly thought that is was going to be a smash. Still haven't gotten over that one.

 

[no1kandrfan]

A good album, but as others have mentioned I was hoping for more experimentation; this was a swing back to their usual sound, but still done a bit differently.

The only song I really don't care for is "Beechwood.." - just too cute and really didn't belong on this LP. "Touch Me.." was wonderful but has ended up being somewhat bittersweet; their last single, and a good sign post of what could have come if Karen hadn't passed.

My absolutely favorite song is "When It's Gone" - I think Richard referred to it as 'an arrangers dream' and I heartily agree. Ever listen to this with a headset? Incredible - so many things going on in the background, plus Karen provided some of the percussion. Her vocal is painful and beautiful.

Mike

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I gave this one 4 stars.

Even though this was the last album, I have always felt that Lovelines was really the last album even though that was just a collection of tracks over past years.

I think MIA could have been better, it was sorta a "safe" album, not really taking much of a risk. Now Karen's solo album was taking a risk, Olivia venturing off into Physical was taking a risk. I also believe though that it was a matter of time before Karen & Richard would have been in the top 10 again with a number 1 huge hit. I agree with Stephen that Beechwood (although a fun song) is out of place on this album. More suitable for Now and Then. The strongest songs of this album would be Want You Back in My Life and Touch Me.

Of course my favorites always end up being the non-hits, the special tracks for me are "When It's Gone"-Karen just gets me on that one, emotional, words that really mean something, "no face in the locket", "no place for the past" "put it back in my pocket" "it was never meant to last" Gosh when Karen says those words, it reads like a poem to the heart. But when she says, "there's no color in the stain where the tears have fallen" I just fall to pieces and my heart melts with her voice. This is why the non-hits affect me soooo much. The other non-hit I really love is "When You've Got What it Takes"-This song reminds me alot of Happy, in the fact that it just brings a smile to my face and I really enjoy just singing it, makes me happy.

 

[Jeff]

Tried-n-true. The final effort our girl materialized a keepsake and most cherished moment in recording history.

As Karen's date of passing is upon us and her subsequent birthday to follow I grieve to this day. Gosh sakes what-n-the Hell is that all about? Hurt aint fun. As the older and wiser sometimes say "somethings we will never know." I TRY to find peace knowing that our girl is finally at rest.

God, Buddha, or whoever thankyou for the blessing of Karen Carpenter.

Forever grateful,

Jeff

 

[newvillefan]

I have a question: in the listing at the beginning of this thread, it mentions that the Made In America tracks featured the involvement of a 'concertmaster', in this case Jimmy Getzoff. I wondered, what does a concertmaster do, if Richard does all the arranging and orchestration? And why does Jimmy's name only feature throughout this particular album and Voice Of The Heart, and not on any of the others?

 

[Harry]

A "concertmaster" by definition is the first violinist for a symphony orchestra.

Harry

 

[Dave]

...In the listing at the beginning of this thread, it mentions that the Made In America tracks featured the involvement of a 'concertmaster', in this case Jimmy Getzoff... ...I wondered, what does a concertmaster do, if Richard does all the arranging and orchestration? And why does Jimmy's name only feature throughout this particular album and Voice Of The Heart, and not on any of the others...?

...Yes, it's interesting that String Section players are usually "left out" of credits, 'cept for mostly the Lead Violinist! I really should've kept some of those albums with PHOTOGRAPHS of some Orchestra members, such as Mason Williams' Music, José Feliciano's ...And The Feeling's Good (photo of Sid Sharp; ...and of String Section, playing Poker on the piano), Herb Pedersen's Southwest (Sid Sharp & His Raiders), John Mark's Songs For A Friend (violinists, Paul Shure & Bonnie Douglas, as well as cellists, Jerome Kessler & Jesse Ehrlich) Liza Minnelli's Tropical Nights and Patti Dahlstrom's Your Place or Mine (Sid Sharp, et. al., on the latter two)... Jim Getzoff is the Concertmaster on James Last's Well Kept Secret and easily identified in one of the photos... And look for his name on a couple of Captain & Tenille albums, as well as Perry Botkin Jr.'s Ports, among many others (Walt Disney, Phil Spector projects, Motown, etc. are only the beginnings)...

According to one story I read on The Web, Eric Burdon used him as Concertmaster on his albums when recording in The States... Getzoff was also the Leader of the Orchestra at Glendale Auditorium (Much like Sid Sharp, another famous [and frequently recorded] Concertmaster/Orchestra Leader was Leader at The Holywood Bowl, according to the Booklet in the Beach Boys' Makings Of Pet Sounds, which at least I kept)...

...A "concertmaster" by definition, is the First Violinist for a symphony orchestra...

It would be nice to keep track of ones who graced a few of the A&M recordings; Erno Neufeld and Jerry Vinci, I think are names that led A&M's "House Orchestra" and Harry Bluestone was Nick DeCaro's First Violin in his recordings on and outside of the A&M fold, including his A&M album, Happy Heart and Italian Graffiti LP, done on Blue Thumb...


Dave

 

[Roland Chayer]

I gave "Made In America" a 4..., 'cause it's about a 3.5 for me.

My favorites are (in order) :

Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song)
Those Good Old Dreams
When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)
Somebody's Been Lyin'
I Believe You
Beechwood 4-5789

"Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song)" is my #5 all-time favorite Carpenters song. It's a very complicated compositon (no musical part ever comes back twice in that song), classic Peter Knight arrangements..., great MIA Carpenters sounds on some parts (Richard/Band) and, of course..., the sublime Karen voice tone and feel.

"Beechwood 4-5789" is different compared to the other songs on that album, but The Carpenters almost always had one song of that style on previous albums, so it makes "Made In America" a Carpenters album..., no surprise for me.

 

[Rudy]

A "concertmaster" by definition is the first violinist for a symphony orchestra.

Correct. The concertmaster is also considered the "leader" of the musicians in an orchestra, and is the one who gives the tuning pitch. If I remember from my music-playing days, the concertmaster is also responsible for being the substitute conductor if the need arises.

In a concert band, the concertmaster is usually the first clarinetist.

 

[Harry]

This is an album that I warmed up to over the years. I recall not being all that thrilled by it when I first got it. By then, somehow the "magic" had gone out of the Carpenters albums for me. Sure, I listened, and loved the sound of Karen's voice, but I found nothing that grabbed me the way the old CLOSE TO YOU or A SONG FOR YOU did. It was as if things were too perfect here and it all sounded a bit sterile to me.

As I said, I've warmed up to it over the years and now find it to be quite good. Thus, it's hard for me to give it a star rating because on the one hand, I recall the way I felt originally and the fondness I've acquired for it today.

I've come to like the single tracks a great deal over the years. Perhaps it's the repetition of hearing them included in the many compilations that have come out since then. Songs like "I Believe You" that didn't grab me the first time around are now like old friends. Even the once-tacky "BEechwood 4-5789" is now more fun than it once was.

I recall our radio station jumping on the "Touch Me When We're Dancin'" bandwagon and playing it. It was refreshing to hear something new from the Carpenters playing on the radio. It had been a long, dry spell. But once again, I felt that the backing vocals didn't need help from anyone. Karen & Rich did the overdubs perfectly by themselves before, and this Carolyn Dennis felt like an intruder to me, even though she was just a small part of the "Carpettes". She must've had a powerful voice to punch through all of that.

My least favorite here has to be the "Wedding Song". That's one I just never warmed up to at all, and still skip on compilations to this day.

Harry
...remembering his original MADE IN AMERICA observations, online...

 

[Mark-T]

I'm with you, Harry. "The Wedding Song" is just too much-oversung, overproduced, over the top.

 

[Chris_Sydney]

'Made In America' is the most frustrating Carpenters album for me. It had so much potential and could have been a really powerful statement of intent to the world: we're back, watch out! Some of the songs from these sessions rate amongst my favourite Carpenters tunes ever. Sadly, track selection lets the album down so badly. 'At The End Of A Song', 'Kiss Me The Way You Did Last Night' and 'Two Lives' are much better songs than a lot of the ones which made the final cut, in my opinion. The album would have ended up sounded a lot more contemporary and in tune with what was happening to the music scene at the time. I'm not suggesting that Richard should have disowned 'the Carpenters' sound' completely, but the album feels so dated to me. For the most part it sounds like it could have been released a few years prior. Both Karen and Richard were better than the music on this record suggested.

My favourite cut is '(Want You) Back In My Life Again'. It's an ambitious pop track that makes me froth at the mouth to consider the direction the album could have taken. I can't help but think that Karen was the deciding factor regarding that song. It sounds more at home on Karen's solo album than here on 'Made In America', and also wouldn't have sounded too out of place on Olivia's 'Physical'. Karen's voice is much thinner and frothier than usual but those fantastic harmonies with Richard in the chorus more than make up for it. 'Touch Me When I'm Dancing' is another stellar song, the obvious hit single and I'm glad it was received so warmly at the time. I have no problem with the extra backing singers on this one, and love the way the chorus opens up like a kaleidoscope because of them. Those soft electric guitar sounds in the bridges are the little touches which would have given the other songs on the album a much more contemporary sound.

I really like 'When You've Got What It Takes', even though at times it pushes the schmaltz factor a little too much. The chorus is like a breath of cool air on a summer's day. So pretty. I'm a fan of 'I Believe You' the more I hear it, definitely one of the album's stronger inclusions. That fake ending around 2:20 is killer! I've never been too bothered by 'Beechwood 4-5789'; sure, it's silly and not what the duo should have been focusing on, but at least it's some uptempo respite to the slew of balladry. 'Those Good Old Dreams' is alright but it's one of the few Carpenters songs that I think is too much of a cynical attempt to rewrite an earlier hit. It's basically 'Top Of The World' redone to my ears, and that's a song that doesn't do much for me.

I agree with most of the other opinions on this thread regarding 'Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song)'. If I never heard it again, it will be too soon. I'm rather fond of the album cover for some unknown reason. It's novel and stands out amongst their other sleeves. Karen's flowing locks are pretty cool, and at any rate I think it looked better than the perm she was sporting in real life! I imagine not using a photograph did have something to do with the fact that Karen didn't look too healthy at the time. You can see it in her face on the back cover and the photo in the liner notes.

Overall, I gave 'Made In America' a 3. It could have been a 4 but knowing how much better this album would have been if they'd left some cuts as outtakes and finished ones consigned to later compilations I had to dock another star. *makes the BA-BOWWWM! gameshow disappointment noise*


x

 

[Mark-T]

^^ Chris- I just read your three reviews (so far). Much enjoy the way you write.
Should consider becoming a lyricist!

 

[alonely bull in paradise]

I heard a small snippet of "Touch Me" on a Carpenters TV special, but I'm more fimiliar with Alabama's rendition, which was a huge hit for them on the country music charts.

 

[Cordell]

Finally, I was able to buy it on CD alongside with other albums! In my opinion, it is a difficult album. I respect the effort that they wanted to make a huge comeback, but I think it did not happen. However, the ere was a huge retro fever after the disco era , in parallel with new wave. It could have helped the band. However, it had not happened. Why?

1. The duo tried to used everything which made them superstars during their career. Many familiar musical and vocal arrangements were put on the records. It can be seen as lots of recycled song ideas.

2. I appreciate the effort that they tried very hard to be more modern. Some 80s echoed drum tracks, the backing vocals and more sythesizer were used in order to make the records more contemporary...but mixed with old ideas, sometimes it is felt too odd. The huge problem is the rate how to combinate familiar ideas with the new, more modern ones. The contrast is too big. A more stripped-down arrangement with old ideas may have been better.

3. If Karen solo album had been released, the wave around it could have kept the air hot for this release.

4. I feel that RC was very afraid of making something different, something contemporary. If it had become more modern, it could have gathered more fans. However, sadly, by 1981, Carpenters were thought to be an oldie duo and 'Made in America' proved it sadly....

5. The sugary, oversweet arrangements with lots of strings can also be a problem. With less of them it could have been much better....


Overall, in my opinion, despite the close bonds to the world of older songs' arrangements, there are some good tracks on the album. 'Beechwood', ' I Believe in You', 'Those Good Old Dreams' and 'When It's Gone' are the highlights on the record. I also prefer '(I Want You) Back In My Life Again' and 'Touch Me' because on these ones they tried very hard to be contemporary. The worst track is 'Because We Are In Love' because of its oversweetness.