Top of the Poppers Sing & Play The Carpenters' Greatest Hits (SHM 838) - 1974
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Tracks:
Side 1
Side 2
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Sleeve notes:
Anyone attempting to analyse a Carpenters song comes up against a formidable obstacle, just how do you define simplicity? Because quite apart from the vocal harmonies that enhance the songs, their construction and appeal are on a very basic level. These deceptively simple and catchy songs first began finding favour with record buyers back in 1969 when Richard and Karen Carpenter, having been through many different musical ideas, finally emerged as a brother and sister vocal act that had the best possible formula going for it - simplicity. Simplicity of style and melody has kept The Carpenters at the top of the hit parade ever since and thus they emerge as fine subjects for this tribute from the Top of the Poppers. Songs like "Rainy days and Mondays", "We've Only Just Begun", "Sing" and the many others featured on this album have all been big hit records but even away from the charts and the passing of time, they retain their appeal. Many of them, in fact, look like becoming standards to be recorded by other artists in other ways, which is as it should be. But on this particular album you'll hear them performed in a way that retains those intangible elements that make every Carpenters song a joy to listen to and creates a true feeling of happiness. |
Comments: The Carpenters only had a few hits to their name when this LP came out. Consequently the Poppers fell back on B-sides and album tracks to flesh it out - although the basic connection with hit singles is thereby lost. Interestingly there is a re-make of "Close To You" which doesn't fare too well compared against the original interpretation way back on volume 13.
The new material was here produced by Steve Edgley, and in a rare acknowledgement, Pickwick credited him on the sleeve. (But of course the trio of oldies "Jambalaya", "Yesterday Once More" and "Top of the World" were correctly credited to Bruce Baxter.) What this strongly implies is that these new recordings were American-made and imported from the Pickwick-US discography.
The new material was here produced by Steve Edgley, and in a rare acknowledgement, Pickwick credited him on the sleeve. (But of course the trio of oldies "Jambalaya", "Yesterday Once More" and "Top of the World" were correctly credited to Bruce Baxter.) What this strongly implies is that these new recordings were American-made and imported from the Pickwick-US discography.
Overseas releases
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