A fabulous collection Carpenters' songs from 1974-1978

The Singles 1974-1978 will of course have no songs that aren't on previous compilations, however it contains the best hits from "Sweet Sweet Smile" to "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft". The most pleasant surprise is "Can't Smile Without You". This CD contains a slightly different version, with an unheard line in the beginning..."You know I can't smile without you, can't smile without you. I can't laugh and I can't sleep, I don't even talk to people I meet." Karen's vocals throughout are superb. This is definitely worth adding to your Carpenters' collection if you don't already have it!

Carpenters' second hits collection

This album is the follow-up to the hugely successful THE SINGLES: 1969-1973. However, it doesn't have the strength or impact of that first collection. The songs represented here were, for the most part, moderately successful singles ("Please Mr. Postman" is the only one of the bunch that reached #1 on the charts in the U.S.). Interesting to note is the fact that this album was never released in the United States (was A&M Records losing confidence in the Carpenters, or did Karen and Richard have something to do with this decision?).

This collection is not as carefully crafted as the first one; THE SINGLES 1969-1973 contained newly-recorded segments which created introductions and segues between some of the songs, and other songs had new vocals recorded or instruments added in a remix to create a "new" sound for some songs. The only thing different about THE SINGLES: 1974-1978 is the inclusion of the single version of "Can't Smile Without You," which has a modified lead vocal (Karen sings some different lyrics at the beginning) and a different instrumental mix. Otherwise, it's just a collection of songs that can be found elsewhere.

The mid-seventies classics

Richard and Karen Carpenter were very popular throughout the seventies and this compilation, as originally released on vinyl, was their second volume of singles. I tend to think that the first volume (1969 to 1973) is slightly stronger, though not by much.



The set begins with two country songs - Sweet sweet smile (a top ten American country hit - their only country hit) and Jambalaya (a cover of the old Hank Williams classic that almost made the top ten in the British pop charts) and ends with their strange song about outer space with a very long title - Calling occupants of interplanetary craft (the recognized anthem of world contact day). In between, the album is filled with pop songs typical of the Carpenters - a mix of brilliant originals and classic covers. One of the songs (I won't last a day without you) was originally released in 1972 but re-issued in 1974 so that's how it qualifies for this set.



The covers here include There's a kind of hush (Herman's hermits), Please Mr Postman (Marvelettes) and Solitaire (Neil Sedaka). Can't smile without you, a song that I associate with Barry Manilow, is also here but the Carpenters recorded it before Barry. The originals include Only yesterday, All you get from love is a love song, Happy and I need to be in love.



The music here is brilliant although there are plenty of more comprehensive compilations available these days.