Your SECOND Favourite Carpenters Studio Album*

[Mark-T]

I thought it would be fun to piggyback on the other thread. We hear a lot about favorite album and why but what about your runner up choice?

At this point in time, I would give that to Horizon. Some of the most beautiful songs K&R ever recorded are on this disc: Only Yesterday, Desperado, Solitaire, I Can Dream Can't I?, and Love Me For What I Am. Not only does Karen sound amazing- the best recording of her voice ever- Richard's arrangements are equally stunning, showing his amazing skill. Lastly, Postman is great fun and Only Yesterday is one of my all time favorite singles.

 

[CraigGA]

I like your topic and my selection for next favorite is A Song For You. At times it is my favorite but Karen outshines on Horizon as you eloquently stated. A Song For You is a perfect snapshot of time and bears many of the same qualities. The title song is one of my favorite album picks that should have been a single in my opinion.

 

[Mark-T]

@Harry - I forgot to do this with a poll, can you fix that?

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I would probably go with Close To You. It shows a remarkable progression in their sound and style after their first album, but doesn't have the (sometimes) hurried-up feel that the tan album has. Truth be told, I never get tired of hearing either CTY or ASFY.

 

[Jamesj75]

And for anyone who might have paid attention to the "Your Single Favourite Carpenters Studio Album"
thread, it should come as no surprise that I am selecting A Kind of Hush as fave album #2! What can I say?

It's the one I'm thinking of;
It has "I Need to Be in Love!"
For me, the album is sublime;
And it features "One More Time!"
I genuinely love the album through and through;
For it contains "You" and "I Have You!"
The artwork design is lush;
It's got "There's a Kind of Hush!"
The beauty a songwriter can regale,
With a song like "Boat to Sail!"
Music is subjective; that's true;
I like "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do!"
We can all appreciate ear candy;
For some, even a song like "Sandy!"
I must be some kind of doofus;
But I really do like "Goofus!"
And this is no doubt true:
I "Can't Smile Without You!"

 

[Don Malcolm]

That was a lot of fun, James--I hope folks will give you a ton of "likes" for that very amusing effort! And over the year I've come to enjoy A Kind of Hush a good bit more than was the case previously, so you stick to your guns!

I'm with Mike on this, though I'd reverse the order and say it's A Song For You that is my #2 after Close to You. I really enjoy Horizon (a little too ballad-y for intensive listening, IMO, though) and Passage (with some simply wonderful tracks but maybe a bit too all over the map for cohesive listening), plus a continuing boy-crush on Offering (just a little too rough around the edges, perhaps, but filled with youthful energy), but Richard was cooking with gas in from mid-70 to mid-72 and these two LPs cover a lot of ground while maintaining a sweet flow that makes for seamless listening. I agree with Mike that Carpenters (tan LP) seems a bit rushed, though it's a strong record with some of the C's very best songs.

 

[Jamesj75]

That was a lot of fun, James--I hope folks will give you a ton of "likes" for that very amusing effort! And over the year I've come to enjoy A Kind of Hush a good bit more than was the case previously, so you stick to your guns! ....

Don, thanks a million for your kind words and encouragement! I am thrilled that you've come to enjoy Hush more so over the years. I've had that same reaction with other songs/albums as well. For me, Passage is the one I didn't appreciate as much early on, but I have come to thoroughly enjoy it. And now, I'm holding out hope for RPO treatment for "Two Sides," among others...

 

[CraigGA]

I liked Hush when it was released but also understood it was 50’s adult sounding in nature. As a high school student I was embarrassed that Breaking Up Is Hard To Do was on it for I felt it was too bubblegum for such a talented group that wanted respect in the community.

Karen makes all the album’s found great. It’s not that we don’t like all of them, it is asked that we examine our favorites.

I think that Albums up to and including Horizon fall into everyone’s favorites, then add Lovelines to the mix. The weakest is Made In America but it also has a few worthy songs. I feel Karen’s solo had more for the day but also realize that it needed a 1979 release for a chart opportunity and that 1980 was too late to get maximized tracking. The rhythm and blues numbers would have fit perfectly and if she sang them down just a half step it would have helped. I feel a break in recording until 1986 after the Christmas album in 1978 would have been best, but since that time was not given to Karen, I am glad she had a great recording urge so we can keep her alive with ‘new’ material in our hearts with Richard’s continued releases.

So, they are all good to us fans. We just like some better than others. It is very difficult to give a top 5 but I bet most of us would fall into the same top 5, but in a different order.

 

[AnnaSock]

Great thread, Mark

I’m currently torn between Horizon and A Song For You, so I’m going to give them both a good listen over the next couple of days then try to decide.

I played Horizon on my way to work this morning and I’ve been singing Happy ever since!

And now, I'm holding out hope for RPO treatment for "Two Sides," among others...

YES! That would be great. Two Sides is one of my favourites.

 

[Carpe diem]

My 2nd pick would be ASFY. "And the hits just keep on coming!"

 

[John Tkacik]

Even though it is not listed in the original poll, my 2nd favorite studio album is Christmas Portrait. The only way to make it better would have been to include the 1974 version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. My 2nd favorite album from the ones listed in the poll would be Lovelines. The combination of selections from Karen's solo album with haunting songs like Where Do I Go From Here, You're The One, and Little Girl Blue created an exquisite album.

 

[GDBY2LV]

I would probably go with Close To You. It shows a remarkable progression in their sound and style after their first album, but doesn't have the (sometimes) hurried-up feel that the tan album has. Truth be told, I never get tired of hearing either CTY or ASFY.

 

[GDBY2LV]

I totally agree, and that’s why Richard chose ASFY to give the gold disc Mobile Fidelity treatment with more remixes. ASFY#1 and CTY#2. The best fidelity and sound in my opinion is Horizon which would be my 3rd pick. I love the album, but feel cheated with only 8 full tracks. Only Yesterday should have been a number 1 hit, and Solitare top 10. You can’t beat Karen’s lead vocals on that track. So sexy. The beginning of radio burnout for our favorite duo.

 

[New Horizons.]

I'm going with Lovelines.I like the variation of styles and Karens tracks included.
Favourites are Where do I go from here,Honolulu city lights, slow dance and Lovelines itself.
is Lovelines classed as a studio album as per the header?

 

[Harry]

@Harry - I forgot to do this with a poll, can you fix that?

All right. It's done. Just promise me that there won't be requests for "Third" and "Fourth" and "Fifth"...

 

[Harry]

My second favorite as things stand now is CLOSE TO YOU. I had initially picked it as favorite - and sometimes it is. Right now OFFERING is tops and CLOSE TO YOU is second.

 

[Shalom Bresticker]

Actually, I think that a poll for the second favorite is a little strange, as it depends on what your first favorite is.

 

[Carpenters-in-the-crib]

First is Horizon, Carpenters and A Song For You are pretty even at second.

 

[Mark-T]

Thank you, Harry! And I promise no 3rds and 4ths.
It's great to be able to vote now.

 

[AnnaSock]

I changed my mind this morning and voted for Lovelines after listening to it in the car. I love the eclectic mix of songs and I’ve been playing it quite a lot lately. I imagine I’ll change my mind again at some point though

 

[Sabar]

Horizon beats Close to You by a hair. As many others have noted, Karen's voice is front and center on Horizon, and her voice just shines.

 

[Murray]

Choosing a second-favorite is much harder than choosing my overall favorite! I'd say that I like CTY, ASFY, Hush, and Horizon equally. But since I can choose only one, I have to go with Horizon. Karen never sounded better than she did on this album.

 

[tomswift2002]

It’s interesting, right now “Lovelines” is leading the way with 5 votes.

Lovelines (5)
Horizon (3)
CTY/ASFY (2)
Carpenters/AKOH (1)
Offering/Now & Then/Passage/MIA/VOTH/ATGB (0)

 

[Harry]

Leading the way to #2...

 

[John Adam]

It’s interesting, right now “Lovelines” is leading the way with 5 votes.

Lovelines was my first "new" Carpenters album (as a current release) so it remains a favorite. That said, it is a great mix of songs from their later period. The two leftovers from MIA were brilliant cuts, the four KC solo cuts added texture and interest to this album. The five cuts from 1978 found Karen's voice in a great place and the icing on the cake was the song "You're The One" from 1977, that deserved to be heard. It is one of their most cohesive albums, even though the sessions were from all over the place.