Fifty years ago, on May 15th, 1970, A&M Records released Carpenters second single for the label. After the middling success of their prior attempt at a hit with “Ticket To Ride”, this one rode all the way to the top of the charts. Come visit the A&M Corner and discuss your first experience with “(They Long To Be) Close To You”.
By this time, A&M was pretty much all stereo with most of their singles. Pictured here is the rare mono promotional single issued to AM radio stations.
Paul Grein has written a great article on Carpenters 50th anniversary of their first appearance on the Billboard chart with “Ticket To Ride”. Read the article here and be sure to join in our discussion at the A&M Corner Forum.
Out now is an exciting new book for Carpenters fans, a lushly illustrated discography by forum member and longtime Carpenters fan Randy Schmidt. This coffee-table presentation is chock-full of pictures, some never-before seen, interviews and facts about the discography of our favorite duo. Check it out at bookstores everywhere, or use this handy Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/Carpenters-Illustrated-Discography-Randy-Schmidt/dp/1643073214/
Then, join in the discussion at the A&M Corner Forum: https://forum.amcorner.com/threads/carpenters-an-illustrated-discography-new-book-by-randy-schmidt.16715/
Carpenters fans from all over the world are gathering in Thousand Oaks, California to see the sites, intermingle with each other, and enjoy panel discussions with some Carpenters “Insiders”. Learn more at http://www.carpenters50th.com/index.html
And join in the discussion on A&M Corner where details and photos are sure to emerge:
https://forum.amcorner.com/threads/50th-anniversary-celebration-west-coast.15873/
The BBC Radio 2 Interview with Richard Carpenter is available for streaming via the BBC’s website. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001q2g
Be sure to catch it before January 21, 2019, when the stream will expire.
The Carpenters are getting the royal treatment. Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is set for release worldwide December 7 by A&M/UMe. Featuring timeless hits and favorites, the album pairs Carpenters’ original vocal and instrumental tracks with new orchestral arrangements from Carpenter, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) at Abbey Road Studios. It is available now for preorder in digital, CD and 180-gram 2LP vinyl LP formats. The LP set will be released February 8.
LOS ANGELES and LONDON, Nov. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — The Carpenters are getting the royal treatment. Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is set for release worldwide December 7 by A&M/UMe. Featuring timeless hits and favorites, the album pairs Carpenters’ original vocal and instrumental tracks with new orchestral arrangements from Carpenter, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) at Abbey Road Studios. It is available now for preorder in digital, CD and 180-gram 2LP vinyl LP formats. The vinyl set will be released February 8.
With their 1970 chart breakthroughs of “(They Long To Be) Close to You” and “We’ve Only Just Begun,” Richard and Karen Carpenter set a new standard for melodic pop that has never been surpassed. With over 100 million in sales, Carpenters are among the all-time most successful artists in recording history. The long hit list also includes “Rainy Days And Mondays,” “Top of the World,” “Yesterday Once More” and “Superstar.”
On the heels of RPO successes with Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Roy Orbison and The Beach Boys, Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra marks the first time the series has the actual artist playing key roles in the recording process. Richard Carpenter served as the album’s producer, arranger and conductor.
“I think that’s what makes it very special: the fact that it’s his music and he knows it and that he was there from the start,” says Royal Philharmonic orchestral manager Ian Maclay. “It’s not somebody else interpreting, which is what normally happens.”
The fusion of Richard’s production genius, the duo’s harmonies and Karen’s immortal vocals make Carpenters both endearing and enduring.
In 2016, Carpenters returned to the UK album charts, climbing to No. 2 with the compilation The Nation’s Favourite Carpenters Songs. 2017 saw the release of the best-selling 12LP Carpenters Vinyl Collection. And, stateside alone, nearly six million watched last month’s season opener of “American Horror Story: Apocalypse,” which prominently featured The Carpenters’ 1977 global hit, “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft (The Recognized Anthem Of World Contact Day).”
Starting today, the first two tracks from Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, “Yesterday Once More” and “Merry Christmas, Darling,” are available for streaming and immediate download with digital-album preorder. On November 16, “Ticket To Ride” will become available. Preorder Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra here.
Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Track List: [CD, 180g LP]