CARPENTER/BETTIS: THE SINGLES

[Chris May]

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Fellow member Chris Mills made a wonderful suggestion some time back to feature a thread much like our OFFICIAL REVIEW threads that focused on the songwriting partnership of Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. After spending some time constructing a thread initially, I found that by trying to squeeze everything into one, it was impossible, due to the number of options available on our voting poll system. Chris and I discussed it further and figured out a way to break it down. This first thread is devoted specifically to the singles, which will be followed up by another that includes all of the album cuts.

 

[Dave]

In honor of my late-mom I made it "Top Of The World"... She loved the harmonies & bought it on a single w/ the yellow & green striped Forget Me (K)Not label... And she even started it & stopped it until she could write all the lyrics down...

It was also featured on that High School movie, LEAN ON ME... Mom took my sister & I out to see it & she of course was pleasantly surprised by this song featured on it at the beginning, as the new principal in the film had it playing in his car when driving to the school he was on his first day presiding at...!

Jerry Vale, The Ray Conniff Singers and some girl Country singer also covered this one...

But, for me, it would have to be the magic & melody of "Yesterday Once More"... Conniff Singers covered this one, too--and did these gal singers on The Benny Hill Show...!


-- Dave

 

[Harry]

When I consider the whole package - the song, the arrangement, the recording - I have to go with "Only Yesterday". It was an instant favorite the moment I heard it, and because it came at around the time that Carpenters records began to disappear from constant radio play, it has stayed a bit fresher for me than some of the earlier songs. The recording of this Carpenter/Bettis tune is second to none in my estimation. I love the harmonies, the overdubs, and the key change just seals the deal for me.

If I were to look at just the song - the composition - I'd have to pick "Yesterday Once More". Those lyrics and that melody fit together perfectly to tell the story of one who's longing for the greatness of the old days in music and finding it on "Oldies" radio stations. And that's not to say the recording of this is sub-par. Far from it. It too has a magic about it, but its sheer repetition over the years has worn it a bit thin for me. Anyone with any familiarity of Sergio Mendes, I can compare this tune to Sergio's "Mas Que Nada" - the song that opens seemingly EVERY compilation.

Harry

 

[Chris Mills]

"Only Yesterday", the first thing that hit me when I heard this song, was the drums, from that opening beat, it's a sheer joy to listen to. The production is stunning, the harmonies sublime, and Karen's vocals are just gorgeous, using her lower register to real good effect, and a great promo video to go with it.

 

[LondonRobert]

It was really hard to pick between GTL, YOM and OY. I went for goodbye to love in the end. It just has 'something' that grabs at me, similar to only yesterday but without the happy ending. It's out and out melancholy, although 'what lies in the future' line, hints at possible happiness, rather than only yesterday which GETS there!
My partner said vote for yesterday once more, but he was told - join the forum yourself then you can choose yourself! hehe. I'd better be careful or he might be saying 'goodbye to love' to me! lol.

 

[ullalume]

Well I went with "Those Good Old Dreams" since the title calls for "favourite". If it had been "best". . .whereby I try and stand back and objectively look at the recording, then I'd have gone for "Goodbye to Love". But it didn't, so "Dreams" it is.

As I've mentioned before, I came to the Carpenters in '91, so my first introduction was to the chart topping UK compilation Only Yesterday. As such I had no preconceived ideas about when songs came out. . .had no bias for the "early period". . .just 20 great songs over an 11 year period.

"Dreams" always grabbed me. It really has a very nice narrative thread that, being a loner, always appealed, whether when I listened at 13, or now at 36. There's some lovely Bettis visual metaphors. . ."life's a stage" and all that. And then there's Karen. To me her vocal sounds so intimate here - easy, conversational, crisp, she practically speaks the words which makes them more believable some how. And, as usual, though the lyric is actually upbeat, there's that sense of yearning and distance, like she doesn't quite buy the sentiment behind the song, but wished that she did.

It has that lilting country flavour, which is always a winner with me. I love the arrangement, the background vocals, the 1 minute instrumental fade at the end. . .you can almost see the sun sinking beneath the horizon. Then, you start the track again and up comes the sun "no more dark horizons, only blue."

It wasn't single material. . .it's a complex county composition that didn't have a chance in late '81. . .which is a shame, coz it's in my all time top 5 Carpenters Songs.

 

[Harry]

"Those Good Old Dreams" has the distinction of being one of the few songs that mentions "Christmas", but is not considered in any way a Christmas song. And yet there are plenty of songs now lumped in the "Christmas" category that have nothing to do with Christmas per se.

Harry

 

[GaryAlan]

From 'first hear' in 1975, until this day, I absolutely crave listening to "Only Yesterday".
This masterful pop song has it all: The drum beat, Karen's lower register, great vocal overdubs and wonderful arrangement.
Jim Gordon on drums, if I recall correctly.
Actually the first pop song I ever "fell in love with".
I recall Karen saying:" I have found my home here in your arms" (at the time) as one of her favorite lines to sing.

 

[MorningOpensQuietly]

No doubt about it for me - "Only Yesterday" - which was moving up the charts and receiving much airplay in Atlanta in Spring 1975, when I was so very fortunate to see them perform it live at their concert at the Civic Center. "Top of the World" is second due to its simplicity and magical quality of producing an instant smile and toe-tapping from every listener! Great thread idea here - thanks.

 

[Chris May]

From 'first hear' in 1975, until this day, I absolutely crave listening to "Only Yesterday".
This masterful pop song has it all: The drum beat, Karen's lower register, great vocal overdubs and wonderful arrangement.
Jim Gordon on drums, if I recall correctly.

Phenomenal drummer but such a difficult life he's lived. Not sure how many people actually know his story, but he was an undiagnosed schizophrenic and took his own mother's life in June of '83. To my knowledge he's been in prison ever since.

 

[newvillefan]

Is it Jim Gordon who's in the promo video for 'Those Good Old Dreams'?

 

[Chris May]

Is it Jim Gordon who's in the promo video for 'Those Good Old Dreams'?

No, actually that's Cubby O'Brien

 

[Jamesj75]

Great topic! Only Yesterday! It's always been one of my all-time favorite Carpenters' songs; it's magic from start to finish. I Need to Be in Love is a close second for me.

If you look at this list in its entirety, it is a powerhouse grouping, filled with classics. And it further cements the songwriting reputation of Carpenter/Bettis.

 

[A&M Retro]

'Only Yesterday', to quote Herb Alpert, was 'love at first hear' to me. That song has it all. Karen's vocals were never better and Richard's production was off the charts. It was the perfect single, and, as an amazing bonus, we also got 'Happy' on the flip! And neither track had been released up to the point, so that was a huge surprise. Talk about a great 'two-fer'. I've still got my cassette tape of it being played on WHB-71AM the first time I ever heard it.

 

[newvillefan]

Seems 'Only Yesterday' is running away with it at this stage. I also voted for it - the very first Carpenters song I ever heard. It was played on the radio while I was doing my homework as a teenager and I was transfixed with that voice. Have been ever since. The production values are probably the best you'll ever hear on a Carpenters record. Everything is in its place, from the arrangement to the backing vocals and that amazing lead vocal right up front.

 

[Rudy]

Torture--I could only pick one! For the singles listed, "Only Yesterday" has my vote today, but "Goodbye To Love" is so close that to me, my vote could be interchangeable on any given day. For the former, that song just knocks it out of the ballpark--killer arrangement, loaded with hooks, the stuff that top singles are made of. (And yet, "Please Mr. Postman" got the #1 Single honors from that album... 60s Motown grates on my nerves, largely from having it crammed down our throats in the Motor City 24/7.). For "Goodbye To Love", it has the drama (the tension building up throughout the song), the hooks, trademark vocal arrangement, and the prototype distorted electric guitar solo that would become a staple of power ballads in years to come.

"Yesterday Once More" is so overplayed, and so indelibly stamped on their image that I rarely play it anymore. Nice song, but it seems like that is the song which is dragged out anytime Carpenters are mentioned. (It's that negative association that many artists get when they are forever linked to one song in the public consciousness.) It makes a nice, nostalgic bookend for the oldies medley--again, I think of this more as an album track, or linked to the nostalgia concept of the "Then" side of Now & Then.

I never cared as much for "Top Of The World" (I still treat it as an album track, not the monster hit it became--I can see why they resisted releasing it as a single originally). The other two songs are off my radar.

The Carpenter/Bettis catalog, though, makes for a nice listen when the tracks are compiled together and sequenced nicely.

 

[BarryT60]

This WAS torture... Like Harry, I was torn between YOM and OY - but like many, Only Yesterday won out. The uniqueness of the arrangement and freshness of the whole thing - was, has been, and remains a favorite. I have often said that For All We Know was my favorite single of the 'early era' and Only Yesterday was my favorite of the latter era.

That said, I do recall fondly, the summer of 73 - when YOM got quite a bit of airplay. When I stop to think... I get a flash of me laying out in the sun on my parents old webbed lawn chair, out in the back yard, our battery Panasonic radio near-by, and probably my favorite summer of records were in heavy rotation.... Right Thing to Do, from Carly Simon, Daniel, Elton John, The Morning After, Maureen McGovern, Touch Me in The Morning, Diana Ross, You are the Sunshine of My Life, Stevie Wonder.... and of course, Yesterday Once More.

When I was young, I'd listen to the radio....

Probably the most autobiographical song of all - for me....

 

[song4u]

So far I'm the only one who's voted for Karen's favorite: I need to be in love. I guess it's the sentimentality and her emotional delivery of the song.

 

[GaryAlan]

And, probably no need for me to add that, strictly speaking, it is only the 4:12 version of Only Yesterday that I prefer
(over the 3:57 edit).
Also, if there were a second option, for me, it would be Goodbye To Love (with the countdown to Karen's lead).
Anyone have the japanese issued Carpenter/Bettis CD? (Not I).
The closest I have is Carpenters perform Carpenter (2003 USA, which includes Karen's Theme and Merry Christmas, Darling).
That is a great CD to listen to, and to compare the many differences in style, composition, and arrangements.
Richard Carpenter and John Bettis deserve kudos for so many great songs.

 

[Harry]

Yeah, I have the Japanese A&M COMPOSERS SERIES VOL. 2 for Carpenter/Bettis. There's one currently on eBay for around $20.


Harry

 

[Murray]

Although they are all terrific songs, the choice for me was easy. I voted for "I Need To Be In Love". It's the combination of the lyrics (which, truth be told, hit way too close to home), Karen's heartfelt delivery, and the melody... oh the melody! This is the song that motivated me to learn to play the piano (this was back in 1985, when I found the Kind of Hush music book in the library).

 

[A&M Retro]

Phenomenal drummer but such a difficult life he's lived. Not sure how many people actually know his story, but he was an undiagnosed schizophrenic and took his own mother's life in June of '83. To my knowledge he's been in prison ever since.

I heard a story at one point that Jim Gordon somehow blamed his mother for Karen's death. Very tragic story indeed.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

In my opinion, "I Need To Be In Love" is the only place where the Chorale doesn't sound overblown and "elevator." Karen's voice is also amazing on it and the "hangin' on a hope" line is great.

Ed

 

[Aero bob]

Only Yesterday, but still tough to choose over Goodbye To Love. The song cycle/theme of Side 1 of A Song For You had a huge impact in 1973.

 

[Geographer]

Tough choice indeed! Once I eliminated "Those Good Ol' Dreams" off the bat (never been a favorite of mine), it came down to YOM, IKINTBIL, and GTL. Goodbye to Love won out. As others have stated, the slow build, the drama, the tension, and the climax with the guitar solo is still amazing to me. Also, it doesn't seem to follow the standard "song-formula" of verse-chorus-second verse-repeat chorus-bridge-repeat chorus and for some reason, that holds my interest. Long story short (too late, I know), simply GENIOUS!

Then add Richard's masterful arraingment, Karen's amazing vocal....I could go on and on and on...