“Hangin’ on a hope”... the Carpenters thread

[Monzo]

So far Richard Carpenter has released two songs from his upcoming album:

Both interpretations are fine, but I'm not really looking forward to his piano album.

 

[James from London]

And there's a new official Carpenters biography coming out this month. I've just ordered it for my brother for Christmas. He's gonna feel so obliged to get me something good, which is its own reward really.

Both interpretations are fine

But you can't help feeling there's something someone missing.

 

[Monzo]

Richard was featured on CBS Mornings:

Pieces of the interview also aired on a big German tv magazine with more than 2 million viewers every day. In it Richard was called John Carpenter twice.

 

[Richard Channing]

 

[Mel O'Drama]

This is really sweet. ONJ talks about Karen. It's especially fascinating to hear Olivia's measured, diplomatically phrased insight into the Carpenter family's less-than-supportive reaction to Karen's solo album:

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

This is really sweet. ONJ talks about Karen. It's especially fascinating to hear Olivia's measured, diplomatically phrased insight into the Carpenter family's less-than-supportive reaction to Karen's solo album:

Karen Carpenter had a once in a generation voice. There is no female vocalist in popular music since her, that is remotely close

 

[Monzo]

Songwriter Roger Nichols, who along with Paul Williams co-wrote several songs for the Carpenters, has died.

In Memoriam: Roger Nichols (1940-2025) - The Second Disc

If you don't know the name of Roger Nichols, you know the man's songs. His compositions have been sung by Carpenters, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Petula Clark, Jackie DeShannon, Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, The Monkees, and Nichols' most frequent lyrical collaborator, Paul Williams - just to name...

theseconddisc.com

"We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You" are among Roger Nicholas' greatest singles for the Carpenters. I particularly liked some of his album tracks "Let Me Be The One", "I Kept On Loving You" and "Now".

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Songwriter Roger Nichols, who along with Paul Williams co-wrote several songs for the Carpenters, has died.

Gosh - that Treasury album looks really interesting. Lots of his pop songs, plus stuff he wrote for commercials and TV themes.

It seems he wrote the original theme to Hart To Hart. Even though I don't remember anything other than Mark Snow's composition being the theme, Paul's department-store muzak version sounds comfortingly familiar:

"We've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You" are among Roger Nicholas' greatest singles for the Carpenters. I particularly liked some of his album tracks "Let Me Be The One", "I Kept On Loving You" and "Now".

Great tracks, all. Must confess if I find Now quite difficult to listen to, knowing it's from Karen's last recording session.

 

[Toni]

Gosh - that Treasury album looks really interesting. Lots of his pop songs, plus stuff he wrote for commercials and TV themes.

It seems he wrote the original theme to Hart To Hart. Even though I don't remember anything other than Mark Snow's composition being the theme, Paul's department-store muzak version sounds comfortingly familiar:

Great tracks, all. Must confess if I find Now quite difficult to listen to, knowing it's from Karen's last recording session.

I did notice the "Now" theme in the HTH Pilot when I rewatched it last year. The classic, better known love theme is hardly featured though. That cover version is awful, it sounds like the theme of "3´s Company" or some other American sitcom of the era.

 

[Monzo]

Until the 1990s, I didn't know the Carpenters at all. This may be because they were never big stars in my home country of Germany, even though six of their singles made the German charts, including "Please Mr. Postman," which peaked at number ten. The other charted singles are: "Yesterday Once More," "Top Of The World," "Jambalaya (On The Bayou), "Only Yesterday," and "Sweet, Sweet Smile." Only one regular studio album made it into the German charts for a single week: "Horizon," which reached number 42. Only after a TV appearance in 1980 did a compilation album called "Beautiful Moments" created exclusively for the German-speaking market reach the top of the German album charts: https://www.discogs.com/de/master/805587-Carpenters-Beautiful-Moments. By the way, the subtitle of the album is: The Carpenters With Their Most Beautiful Songs: Tender, Gentle And Cheerful.

I think I first discovered the Carpenters through Knots Landing, when "We've Only Just Begun" was played in episode 24 of season 11, titled "Only Just Begun". IMDb claims it is indeed the original version heard in the episode, but I know that Richard Carpenter almost never makes his music available, so I'm skeptical. Does anyone know more?

Melrose Place also piqued my interest in the Carpenters because Sydney had a poster of the cover of the tribute album "If I Were a Carpenter" on the wall in her apartment.

In the mid-1990s, I bought the first collection, "The Singles: 1969–1973", later "The Singles: 1974–1978", followed by the "From the Top" box set, and only then did the regular studio albums gradually follow. I enjoyed listening to the Carpenters often in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and even today, Carpenters CDs still end up on my (too full) rotation list of newly purchased CDs whenever I buy another best-of album on sale. Last year's "Christmas Once More" is still on my rotation as well.

I hadn't listened to their regular studio albums in a long time, but this summer, the Carpenters were exactly what I needed musically, and I listened to all of their albums again over the course of several weeks. I had assumed I remembered every Carpenters song, but I realized that there were songs on the 1980s albums that I had actually forgotten.

I like the first four Carpenters albums best. "Ticket to Ride" is the weakest for me, but I can't say which of the other three is my favorite. I still have problems with "Now & Then" because of side B, the medley, while I do like side A, but I find the medley too uninspired. I like "Horizon" and "A Kind of Hush", even though both albums marked the beginning of the Carpenters' commercial decline. I like "Passage" as well, but it seems more like a series of songs than an album with a concept. I enjoy both Christmas albums. "Made in America" contains the song which marked the Carpenters' comeback: "Touch Me When We're Dancing". I couldn't get into that song for a long time, but in recent years I've grown to like it more and see why it was a success.

I now consider Karen Carpenter's solo album to be the weakest. Despite Karen's missing vocals, I actually like Richard's "Time" album better because it still has the Carpenters vibe. "Karen Carpenter" lacks a lot, though I really like "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind," which probably would never have been recorded under Richard's direction. There are too few songs on "Karen Carpenter" that really blow me away.

When I imagine how the Carpenters' career would have continued if Karen were still alive today, I think it would have resembled Barry Manilow's career, with increasingly less success in the 1980s and 1990s, followed by a comeback with albums full of cover versions. Perhaps then the Carpenters would have returned with new material in the 2000s.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Only after a TV appearance in 1980 did a compilation album called "Beautiful Moments" created exclusively for the German-speaking market reach the top of the German album charts

How interesting that K-Tel were able to use the Carpenters' songs but apparently not an image of Richard and Karen nor the official Carpenters logo. It even sacrilegiously calls them "The Carpenters". Presumably this is all because it's unofficial, but that just makes it even more surprising they could use the original tracks (unless they're soundalikes).

I think I first discovered the Carpenters through Knots Landing, when "We've Only Just Begun" was played in episode 24 of season 11, titled "Only Just Begun". IMDb claims it is indeed the original version heard in the episode, but I know that Richard Carpenter almost never makes his music available, so I'm skeptical. Does anyone know more?

It's a long while since I watched, but I'm pretty sure it was a soundalike cover version (albeit a decently close one).

Melrose Place also piqued my interest in the Carpenters because Sydney had a poster of the cover of the tribute album "If I Were a Carpenter" on the wall in her apartment.

Yes, I remember this appeared a lot in the background and I always meant to check out the tribute album (even though I ultimately decided against it once I had the opportunity).

I like "Horizon" and "A Kind of Hush", even though both albums marked the beginning of the Carpenters' commercial decline.

Shamefully, these are the only two Carps studio albums I have (depending on whether or not you count Lovelines and the two Christmas albums). I LOVE Horizon, but find A Kind Of Hush patchy.

When I imagine how the Carpenters' career would have continued if Karen were still alive today, I think it would have resembled Barry Manilow's career, with increasingly less success in the 1980s and 1990s, followed by a comeback with albums full of cover versions.

Yes, I could picture their trajectories being very similar.

Funnily enough, I've been listening to Mandy Barnett's Every Star Above album a lot recently, which is a reimagining of Billie Holliday's Lady In Satin album. Re-reading some reviews more than one person mentioned they could imagine Karen Carpenter recording in this style had she lived into her forties and slid into covering standards.

 

[James from London]

I think I first discovered the Carpenters through Knots Landing, when "We've Only Just Begun" was played in episode 24 of season 11, titled "Only Just Begun". IMDb claims it is indeed the original version heard in the episode, but I know that Richard Carpenter almost never makes his music available, so I'm skeptical. Does anyone know more?

It's definitely a soundalike version!

Melrose Place also piqued my interest in the Carpenters because Sydney had a poster of the cover of the tribute album "If I Were a Carpenter" on the wall in her apartment.

I loved that album.