Horizon (The Carpenters album)

Horizon
Studio album by Carpenters
Released June 6 1975
Recorded 1974 - 1975 at A&M Studios, Los Angeles
Genre Pop, easy listening, adult contemporary
Length 34:53
Label A&M
Producer Richard Carpenter/Associate Producer - Karen Carpenter
Carpenters chronology
Live in Japan
(1973)		 Horizon
(1975)		 A Kind of Hush
(1976)

Horizon is the sixth consecutive platinum-certified album by American musical duo Carpenters. It was recorded at A&M Studios (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 US top five, Horizon broke this run by reaching no. 13. The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 1 million copies. It was particularly successful in the United Kingdom and Japan, topping the charts and becoming one of best-selling albums of 1975 in those countries. Horizon also reached no. 3 in New Zealand, no. 4 in Canada and no. 5 in Norway.

Overview

The album's first single, "Please Mr. Postman" (released some seven months earlier), became the album's biggest hit single and also the Carpenters' biggest hit single worldwide. It reached no. 1 in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, as well as reaching no. 2 in the UK and Ireland.[2] This tune features Karen on drums and Tony Peluso on guitar solo. The following single, "Only Yesterday", was also a success, reaching no. 2 in Canada and France, no. 4 in the US, no. 5 in Ireland, no. 7 in the UK, no. 10 in New Zealand and was certified gold in Japan. The song also won the prestigious Grand Prix award in Japan.[3] A third single, "Solitaire", reached no. 17 in the US 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.

"Desperado" 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]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Rolling Stone(Positive)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Rolling Stone reviewer Stephen Holden acclaimed Horizon, calling it "the Carpenters' most musically sophisticated album to date."[6] However AllMusic gave the album a less enthusiastic review and cited flaws despite a good production.

Track listing

Side one
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Aurora"  Richard Carpenter, John Bettis 1:32
2. "Only Yesterday"  Carpenter, Bettis 4:11
3. "Desperado"  Don Henley, Glenn Frey 3:38
4. "Please Mr. Postman"  Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland, Robert Bateman 2:53
5. "I Can Dream, Can't I?"  Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal 4:59
Side two
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
6. "Solitaire"  Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody 4:40
7. "Happy"  Tony Peluso, Diane Rubin, Bettis 3:51
8. "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You"  Carpenter, Bettis 4:06
9. "Love Me for What I Am"  Palma Pascale, Bettis 3:30
10. "Eventide"  Carpenter, Bettis 1:33

Although percussion is audible on some of the songs, notably "Only Yesterday", it is not specified who the percussionist is, but this would change with the experimental album Passage, released in 1977.

Engineers: Roger Young, Ray Gerhardt Assistant engineer: Dave Iveland

Photography: Ed Caraeff

Arranged, orchestrated and conducted by Richard Carpenter

"I Can Dream, Can't I?" featured guest performances by:

Singles

  1. "Please Mr. Postman"
  2. "This Masquerade"
  1. "Only Yesterday"
  2. "Happy"
  1. "Solitaire"
  2. "Love Me for What I Am"

Charts

Chart positions

Chart (1975) Position
Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart[8] 21
Canadian RPM Albums Chart[9] 4
Japanese Oricon LP Chart[10] 1
New Zealand Albums Chart[11] 3
Norwegian VG-lista Albums Chart[12] 5
UK Albums Chart[13] 1
United States Billboard Pop Albums[14] 13
West German Media Control Albums Chart[15] 42

Year-end charts

Chart (1975) Position
Australian Albums Chart[8] 78
Canadian Albums Chart[16] 40
Japanese Albums Chart[17] 8
UK Albums Chart[18] 4

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Gold 50,000^
Japan (Oricon Charts) 228,000[20]
United Kingdom (BPI)[21] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[22] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Carpenter, Richard: "Yesterday Once More: Memories of the Carpenters and Their Music", page 87. Tiny Ripple Books, 2000
  2. ↑ http://leadsister.com/?page_id=725
  3. ↑ Carpenters Decade back cover; sold through the original fan club
  4. ↑ The Carpenters: The Untold Story - An Authorized Biography by Ray Coleman
  5. ↑ Eder, Bruce. Horizon (The Carpenters album) at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  6. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (1975-08-28). "Music Reviews : Horizon by the Carpenters". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-07-26. Retrieved 2011-08-17.
  7. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 140. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. 1 2 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  10. ↑ a-カーペンターズ "Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) - Albums Chart Daijiten - Carpenters" Check |url= value (help) (in Japanese). Original Confidence. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  11. ↑ "charts.org.nz Carpenters - Horizon" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  12. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com Carpenters - Horizon" (ASP). Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Chart Stats – Carpenters – Horizon" (PHP). UK Albums Chart. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  14. ↑ Allmusic Carpenters > Horizon > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
  15. ↑ "Album Search: Carpenters – Horizon" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  16. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1975". RPM. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  17. ↑ 1975年アルバム年間ヒットチャート "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart of 1975" Check |url= value (help) (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Carpenters – Horizon". Music Canada. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  20. ↑ Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  21. ↑ "British album certifications – Carpenters – Horizon". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 21, 2012. Enter Horizon in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  22. ↑ "American album certifications – Horizon – Kind of Hush". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 21, 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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