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Post by Christian on Sept 22, 2003 12:01:32 GMT -5
Hi! Ever since I heard the album Made in America I have had somewhat bland feelings about it. I find it a bit boring and bland compared to their other albums so I have always found it strange that it was K&R favourite album. What also puzzles me is when I look at the extra material recorded for the album. Most of those songs are far better than the ones chosen. I love Uninvited guest, Kiss me the way...and cannot for the life of me understand why they were decided against. I also find the album to be a bit of an effort to copy earlier successes with Beechwood being the new Postman, Those good old...the new Top of the World etc. It is, along with Ticket To Ride, the album I always have a problem remebering all the songs from and I`ve had their cd`s for 12years now! I think it should have looked like this: 1. Those Good Old Dreams 2. Kiss Me the Way You Did Last night. 3. When You`ve Got What It Takes 4. I Believe You 5. Because We Are In Love 6. Slow Dance or You`re the One 7. Uninvited Guest 8. Beechwood 4-5789 (just to speed it up abitt) 9. Touch Me When We`re Dancing 10. Thank You For the Music What do you think? Christian
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Post by Federico Cruz on Sept 22, 2003 12:41:13 GMT -5
Hi! Ever since I heard the album Made in America I have had somewhat bland feelings about it. I find it a bit boring and bland compared to their other albums so I have always found it strange that it was K&R favourite album. What also puzzles me is when I look at the extra material recorded for the album. Most of those songs are far better than the ones chosen. I love Uninvited guest, Kiss me the way...and cannot for the life of me understand why they were decided against. I also find the album to be a bit of an effort to copy earlier successes with Beechwood being the new Postman, Those good old...the new Top of the World etc. It is, along with Ticket To Ride, the album I always have a problem remebering all the songs from and I`ve had their cd`s for 12years now! I think it should have looked like this: 1. Those Good Old Dreams 2. Kiss Me the Way You Did Last night. 3. When You`ve Got What It Takes 4. I Believe You 5. Because We Are In Love 6. Slow Dance or You`re the One 7. Uninvited Guest 8. Beechwood 4-5789 (just to speed it up abitt) 9. Touch Me When We`re Dancing 10. Thank You For the Music What do you think? Christian What a interesting post!. You describe perfectly my feeling about this album. But I disagree with Ticket To Ride, because it has my favorite Carp song : EVE! Also, I love so much All Of My Life, Don't Be Afraid, What's The Use and Someday. Undoubtedly, the 1973 version of TTR is far better than the 1969 version, but even so , I love it too(and all the pre-Carpenters and the early stuff). PLEASE, Christian, give them a relisten to these songs!! From MIA, I like I Believe You and When You've Got What It Takes.
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Post by Christian on Sept 22, 2003 12:54:05 GMT -5
Hi Frederico! I think i made myself abitt misunderstood, I really like Ticket To Ride album but for some reasons never remeber the songs(don`t know why) I like Eve, Don`t Be Afraid, Turn Away(cool!!) ans What`s the Use(which is also cool) I think Ticket is a different Carpenters album but in a very positive way. Love Karens rougher vocals on it. As for Made In America I agree with you, When You Got What It Takes is great, especially when she sing "let it shine like a fine tomorrow". Love the way her voice goes up there. But When It`s Gone is boring I think and cannot for the life of me see why Richard finds it so fantastic. It is just to plain and dull I feel but from an arrangers point of view it`s probably great. Christian
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Post by Christian on Sept 22, 2003 12:58:08 GMT -5
And for some unknown reason I always type too fast and miss the odd letter while adding one extra here and there. Like the word remember, I have missed an M there several times in my last spot. Can you believe that when I studied in England for a year, none of my university professors believed I was Norwegian because my spoken and written language was so fluent?? Ah, those were the days...
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Post by Fedrico Cruz on Sept 22, 2003 13:00:46 GMT -5
Yes! It's Richard fav song from that album. PLEASE, Richard!!
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Post by cam83 on Sept 22, 2003 13:01:55 GMT -5
Hello All, Well MADE IN AMERICA was the next album I listened to, after THE SINGLES 1969-1973...and I absolutely loved the fact that it was more recent. That voice!! It was still brilliant, and the song choices were so contemporary sounding (even in 1988)...I really loved the songs WANT YOU BACK IN MY LIFE AGAIN, I BELIEVE YOU, WHEN YOU'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES, SOMEBODY'S BEEN LYIN, STRENGTH OF A WOMAN and of course, TOUCH ME WHEN WE'RE DANCING. I felt they were marvelous sounding. I can see why it was Richard and Karen's favorite album...they put a lot of work and effort into it, and it had been at least 5 years since they put out an album (besides the Christmas Portrait lp)...so there was a buzz...even in A&M...and they held a comeback party for Richard and Karen. They were back on TV promoting it...doing some light tours...etc. I personally loved the album cover, the photos of them. Actually, when I first saw that picture I kept staring at how beautiful she was. I thought she was mexican, from her dark features...and that Richard, who was blond and hazel eyed, was her husband! I didn't know at this time that they were a brother and sister duo. She did look thin, but still looked wonderful. I loved her hair, her smile, her eyes, her sweater...
My jumbled thoughts, Cameron Longo clongo83@hotmail.com
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Post by Fedrico Cruz on Sept 22, 2003 13:07:46 GMT -5
And for some unknown reason I always type too fast and miss the odd letter while adding one extra here and there.... Me too! My native language is spanish( I'm from Dominican Republic), so you all excuse my poor english.
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Post by Christian on Sept 22, 2003 13:12:04 GMT -5
Hehehe...I think we absolutely have the same view on MIA Frederico. When It`s Gone is, in my humble opinion, the weakest link on the album along with Back in My Life which I am sorry to say Cameron is probably the song from the album which got outdated first. However, I do like the album, it being a Carpenters album, but I feel it lack some variety. Some of the tunes get to much of the same, they don`t stand out. People are going to kill me for what I am about to say but here we go: Touch Me When We`re Dancing is one of the few songs I always skip when playing their greatest hits albums. I don`t know why because I can see why so many people like it but for some reason it never gets to me.
But offcourse R&K loved MIA, they were back, had a great time recording it and it started off so well with Touch Me...in Top20.
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Post by Fedrico Cruz on Sept 22, 2003 13:22:39 GMT -5
Hey, Cameron, what a good posting you make! I'm glad you are here....welcome! About the MIA cover, I thought it was going to be the next (and third) Carpenters silhouette-logo. Do you remember the first one? : in the alette(?) on A Song For You LP. And the second one: in the back cover on Horizon LP.
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Post by Christian on Sept 22, 2003 13:45:34 GMT -5
Hi again!
Yeah, great to have you here Cameron, you write so many interesting and great posts!
About the silhouette you mentioned Frederico, didn`t the first one debut on the picture sleeve of Rainy days or Superstar single? I might be wrong on this one but believe it was available before A Song For You album.
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Post by Federico Cruz on Sept 22, 2003 13:51:16 GMT -5
Yes, it is! And the second one was used in the Only Yesterday/Happy single sleeve.
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Post by Christian on Sept 22, 2003 14:08:42 GMT -5
I love that picture and silhouette of them. Karen is sooooo beautiful!!! By the way, why aren`t you a memeber Frederico? Seems like you are on quite often. Great to read your input
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Post by Federico Cruz on Sept 22, 2003 18:55:17 GMT -5
I don't know how to do it, cause always it says I did a mistake when I'm suscribing!
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Post by Rick Henry on Sept 23, 2003 2:16:00 GMT -5
for quite some time I didn't listen to Made In America. I considered it to be a weak. and even more so after the release of Karen's solo album in 1996.
Though last week I decided to give it a listen. It was the first time I listened to it since I bought the disc back in 1998, when it was released in the remastered edition. To my pleasant surprise I really enjoyed it.
"Those Good Old Dreams" has such an excellent rhthym and I love the lyrics.
"Strength Of A Woman" Karen's vocal excells here. she shows off her soulful side.
"(Want You) Back In My Life Again" although it is slightly fluffy, it has a great beat and is very well arranged.
MIA has a modern feel to it. K&R were going in the right direction and I feel that if Karen were to have lived they would have hit it right on by 1985.
My main problem with the album is the cover. I think they should have had something more like an Andy Warhol type portrait. That would have been more in tune with the time.
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Post by Christian on Sept 23, 2003 6:53:37 GMT -5
Hi guys!
What I find so great bout this forum is that we all have different views and input. I agree with you Rick on the cover of MIA, somewhat bland feelings about it and agree htat they should have used somethng more artful like Andy Warhol like you mention. This would also have benefited there image.
I do however fell that some parts of the album are too 80`s and out of touch with the music scene. Kiss Me The way... and Uninvited Guest were more classy and timeless tunes and should have been included as i previously mentioned. But off course, it is a Carpenters album an they are all great!
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Post by Boat2Sail on Sept 23, 2003 11:28:21 GMT -5
I like Made In America especially Those Good Old Dreams, I Believe You and Touch Me When We're Dancing. But I have to agree with Chrisitian they could have used more classic tunes on the album, as it does sometimes sound too 80's. I agree with both Rick and Christian about the cover.
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