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Horizon (The Carpenters album)

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"Love Me for What I Am" redirects here. For the manga series by Kata Konayama, see Love Me for Who I Am.
Horizon
Studio album by
the Carpenters
ReleasedJune 6, 1975
RecordedSeptember 1974 – April 1975
StudioA&M Studios, Hollywood
GenrePop[1]
Length34:53
LabelA&M
ProducerRichard Carpenter/Associate Producer - Karen Carpenter
The Carpenters chronology
The Singles: 1969-1973
(1973) 		Horizon
(1975) 		A Kind of Hush
(1976)
Singles from Horizon
  1. "Please Mr. Postman"
    Released: November 8, 1974
  2. "Only Yesterday"
    Released: March 14, 1975
  3. "Solitaire"
    Released: July 18, 1975
  4. "I'm Caught Between Goodbye And I Love You"
    Released: June 6, 1975 [2]
  5. "Love Me For What I Am"
    Released: 1975

Horizon is the sixth studio album by the American musical duo the Carpenters. It was recorded at A&M Studios (mainly in Studio "D" using then-state-of-the-art 24-track recording technology, 30 Dolby, and recorded at 30 inches per second). The Carpenters spent many hours experimenting with different sounds, techniques and effects.[3]

After five consecutive albums peaking inside the US top five, Horizon broke this run by only reaching no. 13. The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 1 million copies. It was particularly successful in the United Kingdom and Japan, topping the charts and becoming one of the best-selling albums of 1975 in those countries. Horizon also reached no. 3 in New Zealand, no. 4 in Canada and no. 5 in Norway.

Overview

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The album's first single, "Please Mr. Postman" (released some seven months earlier), became the album's biggest hit single and also the Carpenters' biggest hit single worldwide. It reached no. 1 in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, as well as reaching no. 2 in the UK and Ireland.[4] This tune features Karen on drums and Tony Peluso on guitar solo. The following single, "Only Yesterday", was also a success, reaching no. 2 in Canada and France, no. 4 in the US, no. 5 in Ireland, no. 7 in the UK, no. 10 in New Zealand and was certified gold in Japan. The song also won the prestigious Grand Prix award in Japan.[5] A third single, "Solitaire", reached no. 17 in the US and the top 40 in several other countries around the world.[6] According to Richard,[7] Karen never particularly liked the song. The Carpenters' version of this song leaves out lyrics included in the original.

"Desperado" was originally recorded by Eagles in 1973 for the album of the same name. Several others have recorded this song, including Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Kenny Rogers. Because the song was already well-known, A&M decided not to release the song as a single.[original research?] Another cover, "I Can Dream, Can't I" is an interpretation of the 1949 Andrews Sisters hit, and was written in 1937. Karen and Richard hired Billy May, who has worked with artists such as Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, to help orchestrate the song. The song features the Billy May Orchestra. John Bahler is in the chorus of background singers.[8]

At the time of the release of Horizon, lyricist John Bettis claimed "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You" to be his and Richard's best collaboration.[9]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Rolling Stone(Positive)[11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[12]

Rolling Stone reviewer Stephen Holden acclaimed Horizon, calling it "the Carpenters' most musically sophisticated album to date," and noting that "while not an emotionally compelling singer, Karen Carpenter has developed into a fine vocal technician, whose mellow interpretations of the Eagles' "Desperado" and Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire" evidence professionalism on a par with such Fifties stars as Jo Stafford and Rosemary Clooney. Richard Carpenter has also grown into a highly skilled producer/arranger of easy-listening music. Against the carefully structured sound of the Carpenter formula, wherein Karen's solos burst in and out of diaphanous multiharmonies, Richard has imposed more elaborately orchestrated textures than before and wisely mixed them at a level that doesn't distract attention from Karen's intimately mixed singing."[11]

Billboard noted that "the grand eloquent sound of their superb backup arrangements gives this act a special launching pad with which to catapult its vocal sound. Karen's strong and positive voice melds into her lyrics be they on a by now well-known work ( "Please Mister Postman" and "Only Yesterday ") or an old evergreen like "I Can Dream Can't I." Karen's soft qualities plus her blending with brother Richard into an omni-directional attack provide easy to listen to material."[13]

In their review, Cashbox praised the album, stating that "the natural vocals of Karen and the arranging genius of Richard have combined to make the Carpenters' sound a classic in the easy listening market. This successful musical formula continues on "Horizons” as the Carpenters turn their finely toned talents to proven outings on "Only Yesterday” and "Love Me For What I Am"...The Carpenters once again prove themselves the listen of the century."[14]

However, AllMusic gave the album a mixed review , noting that "the beautifully arranged "Aurora" sets the album's ambience," however "the covers, "Desperado" and "Please Mr. Postman," have the duo adding nothing new to the tracks.... Although some might be put off by the sorrow-or-bust ethos of this, Horizon gains its strength from strong production values and, of course, Karen Carpenter's singular gifts as an interpreter."[15]

Re-packaged release

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Horizon was re-issued as a CD in 1996 with the track list and running order intact by the Belgium label ARC Records (not to be confused with the American label of the same name), retitled simply The Carpenters and with an entirely different cover design.[16]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Aurora"
1:35
2."Only Yesterday"
  • Carpenter
  • Bettis
4:10
3."Desperado"
3:35
5."I Can Dream, Can't I?"
4:46
6."Please Mr. Postman"
2:48
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
4."Solitaire"
4:40
7."Happy"
3:50
8."(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You"
  • Carpenter
  • Bettis
3:58
9."Love Me for What I Am"
  • Palma Pascale
  • Bettis
3:28
10."Eventide"
  • Carpenter
  • Bettis
1:27

Personnel

[edit]
  • Karen Carpenter – vocals, drums on "Please Mr. Postman" and "Happy"
  • Richard Carpenter – keyboards, ARP synthesizer, vocals
  • Joe Osborn – bass guitar
  • Jim Gordon – drums
  • Tony Peluso – guitar
  • Bob Messenger – tenor saxophone
  • Doug Strawn – baritone saxophone
  • Earle Dumler – oboe, English horn
  • Thad Maxwell, Red Rhodes – pedal steel guitar
  • Tommy Morgan – harmonica
  • Gayle Levant – harp
  • Bernie Grundman, Richard Carpenter – remastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering

Although percussion is audible on some of the songs, notably "Only Yesterday", it is not specified who the percussionist is, but this would change with the experimental album Passage, released in 1977.

Engineers: Roger Young, Ray Gerhardt Assistant engineer: Dave Iveland

Photography: Ed Caraeff

Arranged, orchestrated and conducted by Richard Carpenter

"I Can Dream, Can't I?" featured guest performances by:

  • Bass: Joe Mondragon
  • Drums: Alvin Stoller
  • Keyboards: Pete Jolly
  • Vibes: Frank Flynn
  • Guitar: Bob Bain

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[30] Gold 50,000^
Japan (Oricon Charts) — 228,000[31]
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[33] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Carpenters - Horizon Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-10-31
  2. ^ "Original versions of (I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You written by John Bettis, Richard Carpenter | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  3. ^ Carpenter, Richard: "Yesterday Once More: Memories of the Carpenters and Their Music", page 87. Tiny Ripple Books, 2000
  4. ^ "没有找到站点".
  5. ^ Carpenters Decade back cover; sold through the original fan club
  6. ^ "Carpenters Horizon (1975) Karen Carpenter". leadsister.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  7. ^ "Carpenters •• Solitaire". www.richardandkarencarpenter.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  8. ^ "Carpenters: Horizon album, 1975". www.richardandkarencarpenter.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  9. ^ The Carpenters: The Untold Story - An Authorized Biography by Ray Coleman
  10. ^ Eder, Bruce. Horizon at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  11. ^ a b Holden, Stephen (1975-08-28). "Music Reviews : Horizon by the Carpenters". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-07-26. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
  12. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 140. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone carpenters album guide.
  13. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. No. 21 June 1975. p. 70. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  14. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 21 June 1975. p. 24. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  15. ^ "Horizon - Carpenters | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  16. ^ Musik-Sammler (German text)
  17. ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 4012a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  20. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Carpenters – Horizon" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  21. ^ "Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) - Albums Chart Daijiten - Carpenters" (in Japanese). Original Confidence. Retrieved September 21, 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  22. ^ "Charts.nz – Carpenters – Horizon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  23. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Carpenters – Horizon". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  25. ^ "Carpenters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  26. ^ "Cash Box Top 200 Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. August 2, 1975. p. 47. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  27. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6489a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  28. ^ "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart of 1975" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from 1975年アルバム年間ヒットチャート the original on November 4, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  29. ^ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  30. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Carpenters – Horizon". Music Canada. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  31. ^ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  32. ^ "British album certifications – Carpenters – Horizon". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  33. ^ "American album certifications – Horizon – Kind of Hush". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
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