| Carpenters (LP, 180 Gram)

Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing of this album from the soft pop duo. Carpenters is the third studio album by the Carpenters. Released on May 14, 1971, it was their most successful studio album ever, reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 chart and #12 in the UK. The album contained the hit songs "For All We Know", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Superstar". It has been said that the strength of these recordings is what caused Richard Carpenter to ask his sister to front the band for their live performances instead of playing behind the drums. Amongst many fans, the album has simply been referred to as "The Tan Album", because the original LP cover, complete with overlapping flap, looked like an oversized tan envelope, and is presumably a play on The Beatles' so-called White Album. The Carpenters produced a distinct soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's arranging and composition skills. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles and several television specials. Their career together ended in 1983 following Karen's death from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia.

The Carpenters: Richard Carpenter (vocals, arranger, keyboards); Karen Carpenter (vocals, drums). Additional personnel includes: Bob Messenger (reeds, bass); Douglas Strawn, Jim Horn (reeds); Joe Osborn (bass); Hal Blaine (drums). All tracks have been digitally remastered. The Carpenters' radio-friendly soft rock virtually defined the genre in the early 1970s, and this album -- their third full-length -- was the group's ace card. Following on the heels of the wildly successful Close to You, Carpenters features more breezy melodies marked by rich arrangements and beautiful lead vocals, courtesy of siblings Richard Carpenter and Karen Carpenter, respectively. The record is most notable for two of the duo's strongest and best-loved singles. "Rainy Days and Mondays," written by soft pop gods Paul Williams and Roger Nichols, is a bittersweet pop masterpiece fleshed out by Richard's string orchestrations and smoothly produced backing vocals, while Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett's "Superstar," from its melancholic verse to its dramatic chorus, is equally hard to resist. (Both songs showcase Karen's sultry alto.) The rest of the album includes Richard's bubble-gum pop originals, another Williams-Nichols tune ("Let Me Be the One"), and a medley of Burt Bacharach-Hal David tunes. Even more commercially streamlined than its predecessors, Carpenters is a classic of early-'70s pop.

Tracklist

A1        Rainy Days And Mondays
A2        Saturday
A3        Let Me Be The One
A4        (A Place To) Hideaway    
A5        For All We Know
B1        Superstar
B2        Druscilla Penny
B3        One Love
B4        Bacharach/David Medley
B5        Sometimes

*Audio and/or tracklist may vary slightly from the vinyl version.

Label: A&M
Rel. Date: 11/17/2017
UPC: 602557403756

• Genre: Pop
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 11/17/2017