How does it compare to the artist's other releases
Good
Value for Money
Advantages:
poetry in motion , songs for lovers it true .
Disadvantages:
set such a high standard , none can equal
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
‘Only Yesterday’ - The Carpenters
First , a brief history...>
Many of you who read this op , will have read other music ops of mine , concentrating on groups I really love , eg Queen , Fleletwood Mac and Erasure . All have been very well received via the ratings given , which is always good news .
Many have said you also like the same groups . But why is it when I say I love anything to do with The Carpenters , that I get quite a few quips and knock backs ?
Ask anyone with a fairly decent knowledge of music , to name a female singer with abosolute pitch perfect voice , and one answer that will always surface is that of Karen Carpenter , who with brother Richard , made up The Carpenters .
Formed as the Carpenters in 1968 , their big break came from the A in A&M Records , Herb Alpert , who upon hearing Karens voice , signed them up in double quick time , and set about helping them on a worldwide crusade , to prove that Popular music was a force to be reckoned with .
With Karens rich and medolious voice ( she was also a great drummer ! ) and the quite superb arrangements ( and also to a lesser extent writing abilitity ) of Richard , the Carpenters proved to be a world hit , and are still as popular today
Their first hit was in 1969, a Lennon & McCartney song , ‘Ticket to ride’ . They had their rocky patches , as do all groups , but were still in very high demand when in 1983 , Karen tragically died , aged just 32 years .
1989 saw the release of the final new Carpenters album ‘Lovelines’ which saw archive material never before released , thus proving their saleability .1990 saw the release of ‘Only Yesterday’ , their greatest Hits album ( which in itself has been release on at least one other occasion under a new name - a great marketing ploy eh ). , and to which this op is really all about , so hear goes....>
So what’s on this album then , well for starters 20 tracks , almost all of which you would recognise if played , even if you don’t like to admit it ! And they are :
1) ‘Yesterday Once More’ - 1973 > a classic 2) ‘Superstar’ - 1971 > catchy 3) ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’ - 1971> haunting 4) ‘Top Of The World’ - 1972 > poptastic while being funky 5) ‘Ticket to Ride’ - 1969 > much better than the Beatles version 6) ‘Goodbye To Love’ - 1972 > ode to the broken hearted 7) ‘This Maquerade’ - 1973 > mellow babe ! 8) ‘Hurting Each Other’ - 1972 > reflective mood but some... 9) ‘Solitair’ - 1975 > even Sedaka recognises this as sheer beauty 10) ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ - 1970 > so apt , so true 11) ‘Those Good Old Dream’ - 1981 > snazzy, kitsh 12) ‘Please Mr Postman’- 1974 > remember the Disney themed video ? 13) ‘I Won’t Last A Day Without You’ - 1972 > poetry in otion 14) ‘Touch Me When We’re Dancing’ - 1981 > one for true lovers 15) ‘Jambalaya’ - 1973 > crawfish pie and fillet gumbo - so good ! 16) ‘For All We Know’ - 1971 > moody and melodramatic 17) ‘All You Get From Love Is A Love Song’ - 1977 > oh so true 18) ‘Close To You’ - 1970 > the beginning and originally music to a TV ad ! 19) ‘Only Yesterday’ - 1975 > an all time great 20) ‘Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft’ - 1977 > unuasual & great.
So there you have it twenty clasic songs and history to - yes HISTORY , ‘Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft’ is still the recognised anthem of world contact day , so should those little green men ever grace us mortals with their presence then this is what they’ll hear first of all .
Everyone should own at least one piece of work by The Carpenters , and your first choice and an excellent introduction is this album . Highly recommended .
PS> others to note , Singles I & II ( both providing missing links such as ‘Happy It’ ) , Lovelines and Reflections
More details
How does it rate alongside the competition
Outstanding
Cover / Inlay Design and Content
Outstanding
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
