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Post by Superstargal on Jun 29, 2004 3:04:11 GMT -5
The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. It has actually become one of my very favorite Carpenters albums. It just seems so smooth and polished to me; one of the best soft rock albums I've heard. Karen's voice is so amazing, and Richard does such an excellent job. I mean, "Touch Me When We're Dancing," "I Want You Back In My Life Again," "Sombody's Lyin'," "When You've Got What It Takes," "When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)"......there's just an endless set of wonderful music. The arrangements, the melodies, the harmonies; everything just fits so well. I love "Made In America." Just wondering if there are other fans of "Made In America." What do you all think?
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Post by enigma on Jun 29, 2004 10:06:53 GMT -5
I like all of the Carpenters records but MIA is not on the top of my list. I love some of the songs on the album (the ones you mentioned are among them) but it does not measure up to thier earlier work in my opinion. It is a good album and I still listen to it fairly regularly.
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Post by Rick Henry on Jun 29, 2004 11:09:13 GMT -5
"Made In America" is certainly a very well produced album with a slick 80's sound. This was recorded after Karen's solo album and I feel she sang the songs on MIA with a slightly different viewpoint - given what she learned from Phil Ramone. "Strength Of A Woman" in my mind is one of Karen's most intricate vocal performances.
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Post by Will on Jun 29, 2004 14:27:57 GMT -5
"Made In America" is certainly a very well produced album with a slick 80's sound. This was recorded after Karen's solo album and I feel she sang the songs on MIA with a slightly different viewpoint - given what she learned from Phil Ramone. "Strength Of A Woman" in my mind is one of Karen's most intricate vocal performances. I don't own MIA but I will buy it based on Rick's comments about Phil's possible influence on Karen's singing.
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Post by BethMosior on Jun 29, 2004 19:01:27 GMT -5
I really agree with you Superstargal I love all of it of course, the cover and the picture on the back is one of my most favorite ones of the Carpenters and I love the music video for Those Good Old Dreams, Touch Me When Your Dancing, and the coooooolest is Beechwood 4-5789 my friend in Arizona really loves the last video and when I call the question that is alway asked is " when you come back to Az, bring the one with Beechwood 4-5789'
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Post by Superstargal on Jun 29, 2004 20:30:30 GMT -5
Yes, I've really come to love The Carpenters' later albums "Made In America" and "Voice Of The Heart." I like soft 80's rock music a lot, so these two albums are very enjoyable for me. I was glad when I finally got these albums and found some great songs beyond their hey day with "Close To You," "Superstar," "We've Only Just Begun," and the other classics that made them famous. What can I say, Richard and Karen are just the best. I loved all of their 70's music, and their early 80's music was great. Can you imagine what The Carpenters could have done throughout the 80's? Wow! They would have continued to bring us excellent music. But we're so lucky to have the music they have given us. It is a priceless gift we will cherish for a lifetime!
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Post by cam83 on Jun 30, 2004 0:39:10 GMT -5
Hey All, You know it's funny, because, there are some Carpenters fans who love all the pre HORIZON albums and are not fans of the later albums, and then you have some that are fans of the post HORIZON album. But I think that the early albums were great in that Karen sounded lovely, but in a more rougher way vocally. By 1976 and onwards, her vocals were much more adjusted, and she found a style that she liked. I always will link A KIND OF HUSH album to the VOICE OF THE HEART album, as I link MADE IN AMERICA to LOVELINES. I think Karen's voice was just getting better. That is one reason why I adore the MADE IN AMERICA album. The artwork is lovely. I remember going into a record store and holding the LP in my hand and deciding if I should buy it. I didn't. I had first heard that lp in the summer of 1988. I had gotten that album and VOICE OF THE HEART from the library and took them home and fell in love with it. To me, it was new music because the only album I had heard before this of the Carpenters was THE SINGLES 1969-1973 8-Track. So it was great to hear some "NEW" songs. I remember looking at the MADE IN AMERICA inner photo of them, and thinking to myself, is Karen Spanish? She looked darker than her brother. Even though facially they looked brother and sister. Her dark beautiful eyes, her lovely manicured nails, her white straight teeth, her dark curly-esh hair. She was also tiny but not overly anorexic in that pic. Of course I have seen the "real" pics of that photo session, where they haven't airbrushed her and she looks old, very very thin, sad but still beautiful. Even that one pic in the COLEMAN book, where she is wearing that grey sweatsuit with MADE IN AMERICA written on it, which is where they got the title for their 1981 album. She looked so thin...(also in THE KAREN CARPENTER STORY movie, she is wearing that outfit when she is riding on that bicycle to lose extra pounds)...I digress. Her voice makes up for her thinness. I think that by 1981, she had GAINED so much belief into herself musically and was challenged by the 1979-1980 solo sessions, in terms of what she could sing, the style, the beat, and what she could offer a song.
My thoughts, Cameron
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Post by Christian on Jun 30, 2004 7:24:30 GMT -5
Seems like Made In America is the album where fans are divided, some love it while others are not that craze about it. I am in the latter group as for some reason this album doesn`t appeal as much to me as the others. According to the Coleman book, when returning to the studio to produce a new Carpenters album after some time off, it was decided to return to the old "bread and butter" formula which had worked so well in the past. You can certainly hear the similarities to old hits with Beechwood being the "new " Please Mr.Postman and Those Good Old Dreams the "new" Top Of The World etc. I can`t quite put my finger on it but the album doesn`t appeal to me and considering the songs that were left off the album and released later(Lovelines, VOTH) they are stronger material than the ones released on MIA. Probably my least played Carpenters album.
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Post by Rob813 on Jun 30, 2004 18:33:13 GMT -5
I think Made In America is not their greatest album. Actually I see it as a transition. In the late 70's their popularity had waned. Karen spread her wings and tried the solo album - which Richard and Herb Albert- did not like. It was shelved. Karen got married and she and Richard went back into the studio to produce their first album since Christmas Portrait from 1978. Both of them knew they had to try something new. I agree with Rick that Karen had learned new things working with Phil Ramone - like releasing more of her sexuality. I think Richard was confused by this. He went back to the tried and true of earlier years. I believe their follow up to MIA might have been edgier. They had only recorded two songs for the next album when Karen died. Who knows what Richard was planning for that never completed project. I personally would have liked Richard to "let go" a little more and try some new sounds. The fans would have not deserted them. The 1980's could have been a whole new era for our duo. Anyway just my thoughts.
Rob(813)
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Post by Moe on Jun 30, 2004 23:22:13 GMT -5
I have and love all of the Carpenters' albums, but MIA is not a favorite. That being said, I still play it fairly often, but often skips various tracks.
There are a couple of reasons for my thoughts:
1. The material is not as classic as some of their earlier songs. Beechwood doesn't hold a candle to their other remakes like Postman and Hush. Those good old dreams is a good song, but not to the extent of Top of the World. When you got what it takes, Beechwood, and the Wedding song are filler songs...to me anyway.
2. Karen's voice isn't as rich and full as it was on the albums in the 70's. I realize that she was trying something new with her voice, and it is still very good, I just prefered the sound of her voice from Horizon to Chritsmas Portrait.
Touch me when we're dancing and Strength of a woman are the standouts to me. I remember loving (Want you) Back in my life again in the 80's, but it feels a little dated now. When it's gone and Somebody's been lyin' are nice songs, but not comparable to the songs on Horizon or Song for you.
Like I said, I really do like this CD, but it is just not a favorite. It would have been interesting to see where the Carpenters sound may have gone in the 80's.
my 2 cents...
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Post by BethMosior on Jul 2, 2004 8:15:36 GMT -5
The Made in Amarica cd seems to me to be more hopeful of the future, more positive then negitive in its outlook really uplifting, a brighter tomorrow a little less melancholy and more happy I really love it thats the way the cd makes me feel anyway
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Post by cam83 on Jul 2, 2004 11:51:00 GMT -5
Hello, I also loved the happy ALBUM cover of them, looking into the horizon(pardon the pun). It's a very wonderfully done cover.
Cameron
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Post by karenandrichardfan on Jul 2, 2004 18:50:44 GMT -5
Made In America isn't my favorite album but I like 3 or 4 of the songs. Those Good Old Dreams is my favorite and I also like I Believe You. I don't really care for the cover. It seems to cartoonish. The Carpenters should have had a more contemporary album cover going into the 80's. All in all I like the album, but it's not a favorite. I like the Carpenters' 1975 to 1978 period the most.
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Post by Moe on Jul 2, 2004 22:45:56 GMT -5
Just another thought about "Made In America;" I don't know if the album is over produced or if there is just a lot of orchestration, but it is almost too much. I would have liked to see the Carpenters strip down some of the arrangements. "All because of you" and "Make believe it's your first time" on the solo project are wonderful in their simplicity. It would have been interesting to see if Richard would have gone that way with their sound.
just my thoughts...
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