| Horizon | ||||
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| Studio album by The Carpenters | ||||
| Released | June, 1975 | |||
| Recorded | 1975 | |||
| Genre | Pop, easy listening, adult contemporary | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Richard Carpenter | |||
| Professional reviews | ||||
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| The Carpenters chronology | ||||
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Horizon is the sixth consecutive platinum-certified album by American musical duo The Carpenters. It was recorded at A&M Records (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.[1]
After five consecutive albums peaking inside the U.S. top five, Horizon broke this run by reaching #13. The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million copies. Horizon became one of The Carpenters' biggest universal sellers reaching #1 in both Japan and the UK and charting high in many countries around the world.[2][3]
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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 one of the Carpenters' biggest hits worldwide. It reached #1 in the United States, Australia, Germany, Japan and several other countries in the world, as well as reaching #2 in the UK and Canada. This tune features Karen on drums and Tony Peluso on guitar solo. It is one of a handful of songs to be a U.S. #1 hit more than once. It reached #1 first in 1961 for the female Motown vocal group The Marvelettes. The song also gained further acclaim when The Beatles included it on their 1963 album With the Beatles. The following single, "Only Yesterday," was also a success, reaching U.S. #4, UK #7, Canada #7 and was certified gold in Japan. The song also won the prestigious Grand Prix award in Japan. A third single, "Solitaire," reached #15 in the U.S. and the top 40 in several other countries around the world. According to Richard, Karen never particularly liked the song. The Carpenters' version of this song leaves out lyrics included in the original.
Other notable tracks include "Desperado," which was originally recorded by The Eagles in 1973 for the album of the same name. Several others have recorded this song including Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Kenny Rogers. Due to the fact that the song was already well known, A&M decided not to release the song as a single. Another cover, "I Can Dream, Can't I" is an interpretation of the 1949 Andrews Sisters hit, and was originally 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.
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.[4]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aurora" | Richard Carpenter, John Bettis | 1:32 |
| 2. | "Only Yesterday" | Richard Carpenter, John Bettis | 4:11 |
| 3. | "Desperado" (cover of Eagles song) | Don Henley, Glenn Frey | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Please Mr. Postman" | W. Garrett, B. Holland, F. Gorman, G. Dobbins, R. Bateman | 2:53 |
| 5. | "I Can Dream, Can't I?" | Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal | 4:59 |
| 6. | "Solitaire" | Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody | 4:40 |
| 7. | "Happy" | Tony Peluso, Diane Rubin, John Bettis | 3:51 |
| 8. | "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You" | Richard Carpenter, John Bettis | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Love Me For What I Am" | Palma Pascale, John Bettis | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Eventide" | Richard Carpenter, John Bettis | 1:33 |
"I Can Dream, Can't I?" featured guest performances by:
| Chart | Year | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[5] | 1975 | 1 |
| Preceded by Venus and Mars by Wings Venus and Mars by Wings |
UK number-one album 5–12 July 1975 26 July - 9 August 1975 |
Succeeded by Venus and Mars by Wings The Best of the Stylistics by The Stylistics |
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