Your favorites from the Singles Part One

[Rick Henry]

This is a revamping of a thread I started yesterday. I reread the thread and found it ackwardly worded so I reworded and reposted the thread.

The first part of the Carpenters' Golden Era happened from 1969 to 1974. The following songs were released as singles.

Which of these songs really captured your attention back when they were new and which ones seem to still keep you interested?

Ticket To Ride
(They Long To Be) Close To You
We've Only Just Begun
For All We Know
Rainy Days And Mondays
Superstar
Hurting Each Other
It's Going To Take Sometime
Goodbye To Love
Sing
Yesterday Once More
Top Of The World
Jambalaya (this is if you are from Europe or Japan)
I Won't Last A Day Without You

Once we have exhausted this thread I will post a part two to this conversation feature the single releases from 1974 to 1984. That would be beginning with "Please Mr. Postman" and ending with "Your Baby Doesn't Love you Anymore".

[wisejester7]

TICKET TO RIDE ... I don't remember this from when it first came out. This is probably due to the fact that I was ~ 14 and off living in my own little cloistered world. BC (before Carpenters) I listened to a lot of classical music, latin music and rhythms and popular music. The popular music ranged from Andy Williams/Perry Como types to Hermits Hermits/Beatles types. I'm sure Elvis was in the mix somewhere, too.

(THEY LONG TO BE) CLOSE TO YOU ... Ah, now I'm out buying (parents actually bought it for me) MY first album. This actually belonged to me ... I didn't have half (or a 3rd) ownership with my siblings. Cool days! This is the song that began the snowball effect and my lifelong love affair with Carpenters music.


The rest, as they say, is history. I loved ALL the songs the Carpenters put out. They just kept generating hit after hit. More than the hits though, I loved the album cuts , as well. Other than latin and classical music, I had never encountered a group were I liked EVERY album cut. To this day the Carpenters albums (cd's and other media) bring me so much joy.

With the internet and my advancing age ;-) I am able to find more and more Carpenters goodies. I've gone back and watched the TICKET TO RIDE video/film on YouTube and I've really enjoyed the song. What a fantastic version!
I've picked up stories and bylines to songs to coincide with what was happening in the world (and the Carpenters world) that related to the songs I was hearing. Sometimes the Carpenters songs seemed in direct opposition to what was happening in the world at large. This made for great escapism. When I just had to break away from it all for a while the Carpenters were there to soothe me. Good music is a healer. Of course, I listened to Carps music on happy days, too. They seemed to cover all the emotions required.

The information we share here helps me fill in some of the missing pieces I never got to experience ... i.e. the lucky people who got to go to their concerts. I am grateful for the shared memories and stories offered by these people.

Well, there is a lot to say about each of the songs, but I have rambled on enough for now.

;-)wisejester7

[ps11932]

I don't recall hearing "Ticket To Ride" until 31 months ago when I got seriously interested in The Carpenters, but all the others listed were frequently heard favorites that collectively cemented The Carpenters as "my group" and part of my life (though my interest was long dormant.) The songs that I remember most vividly were "Rainy Days", "Sing" and "Top Of The World". "Rainy Days" and "Sing", along with "I Won't Last A Day Without You" are the golden era songs that are among my top 20 (or so) now. The versatility of the group is seen in that while "Sing" is my very favorite for reasons I have explained before, I can understand well and not be at all offended that, when looked at from other angles, it could be for many the least favorite from that era as well.

[abbafanusa]

I've been trying to rack my brain and remember which was my first purchase and why, but I'm getting too old for that I think The Singles was the first thing I owned. I must have gotten it from one of those mail order record clubs I belonged to. There are quite a few songs that I just love to this day, but from those listed, I'm going to pick Superstar. Aside from Solitaire which will be in the next thread, Superstar has got to be one of Karen's finest vocal recordings.

[makapipi]

"We've Only Just Begun" still sounds great, because the first minute is Total Purity.

[Rick Henry]

Back in the 70's my favorites from these songs were "Ticket To Ride", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Hurting Each Other" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You".

As time has moved on the following have ended up becoming my favorites.
"Rainy Days And Mondays", "Superstar", "Goodbye To Love" and "I Won't Last a Day Without You".

"Rainy Days And Mondays" and "Superstar" - both a outstanding deep and dark songs. With these two songs the world was further exposed to the dark intensity of Karen's voice on a grander scale then before. Each song is delicate yet bold and powerful in both the vocal and musical performances.

"Goodbye To Love" - this is my favorite of the first part of Carpenters hits. I love Karen's voice on this one. Again another intense and dark tune. But, what really makes this one my favorite, of the early hits, is Tony Peluso's excellent guitar solo. I am always awestruck every time I hear Tony do his thing. This song is still as great as it was back in 1972.

"I Won't Last A Day Without You" - I particularly like this one for it's sweet lyrics, summery sort of sound and of course Karen's flawless vocal performance.

[GoodOldDreams]

Many of Carpenters' singles have struck a responsive chord in me and remained consistently as favorites over the years. I have found enduring appeal in the brooding qualities of "Ticket to Ride" (as a remake for the "Singles 1969–1973" album), the magic of "Close to You", the optimism of "We've Only Just Begun", the sparkle of "For All We Know", the intensity of "Rainy Days and Mondays", the longing of "Superstar" and the warm embrace of "Sing."

[YesterdayOnceMore]

It's interesting, because I'm listening to the Carpenters as I enter the forum, and one of the songs playing is Yesterday Once More....and I see that it's on the list.

As I've stated many times, the first song I heard of The Carpenters was "Close To You" while on my way to work one evening with a buddy whom I worked with. I was struck not so much at that time by Karen's voice as much as the fact that here was this group that was doing this dynamically tight, pop harmony. Geez, I was amazed, and floored, and called the DJ at the radio station as soon as I could find a phone to find out WHO the group was singing about birds appearing, or whatever it was. IT WAS GORGEOUS!

So CTY was my first listen, and, like wj7, I was FOREVER hooked. Yes, there were songs that I favored and listened to more than others, which I think is what Rick is getting at, here. The ones I listened to over and over and over again were Close To You, WOJB, Rainy Days and Mondays, For All We Know, Superstar, Goodbye to Love, Yesterday Once More, Top of the World, and I Won't Last A Day Without You.

Hurting Each Other, It's Going to Take Some Time, and Sing I certainly listened to, but just not as frequently as the others.

As for Ticket to Ride, I listened not only to it, but the entire TTR LP time and time again as well, due in large part to the wonderful jazz tunes there. But, I didn't learn about TTR until AFTER I had the Close To You album. After I purchased that one, I went back to the record store and bought anything else I could get my hands on by these artists.

My fascination with the music has never had a lull over these past 30+ years. I've always enjoyed Carpenters, no matter what or when. During my college days, my record player could be heard many hours of the day with Carpenters music playing loudly!!! Always loved them - Always will!!

Looking forward to part two!

Tim

[beaner]

For me back then it was:

TICKET TO RIDE

WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN

HURTING EACH OTHER

GOODBYE TO LOVE

I WON'T LAST A DAY WITHOUT YOU

What still holds fast with me are the We've Only Just Begun because not only do I love this song but it also gets played at many weddings, was the theme to their specials I think, at least some of them that I can recall.

Hurting Each Other cause it was just a fav of mine and it always brings me back to great times spent with a good friend of mine. I can remember that her fav song then (not my the Carps) was "Without You" by Nilsson and her sister loved "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green so when I hear any of these songs, the other two are right there in my mind.

I Won't Last a Day Without You is a great song and was one of my favorites from the "Top of the World" album and that remains the same today!

[smoothie2]

The first song I recall hearing by the C's was on the radio Rainy Days so I guess it started my great admiration for R. and K....it was such a very different song that really seemed to stand out among so many popular songs back "in the day".
And then Close to You and Superstar strike in my
memory as very important songs for me, because
at the time, I was about 13 and Cl. to You/supers....well,
the words really fit in well with my ever growing adolescent
crushes on different fellas at the time.
As far as ones that really keep my interest up now...well, they all do. I think Sing might be my least fave, if I have to have a least fave.
Yest. Once more, Goodbye to Love and all the rest continue to
be great great songs in my opinion.

[Moe]

As a child in the early 70's, I vaguely remember "Sing" and "Top of the World." We sang them in the school programs. 30 years later, I really don't like them as much..just occasionally listen to them.

Superstar, Rainy Days, I Won't Last a Day, Goodbye to Love are still favorites and are as timeless as ever.