Horizon (The Carpenters album)

Horizon is the sixth studio 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]

"Love Me for What I Am" redirects here. For the manga series by Kata Konayama, see Love Me for Who I Am.
Horizon
Studio album by
Carpenters
ReleasedJune 6, 1975
RecordedSeptember 1974 - April 1975
StudioA&M Studios, Hollywood
GenrePop rock, easy listening, adult contemporary
Length34:53
LabelA&M
ProducerRichard Carpenter/Associate Producer - Karen Carpenter
Carpenters chronology
Live in Japan
(1975)		 Horizon
(1975)		 A Kind of Hush
(1976)

After five consecutive albums peaking inside the US top five, Horizon broke this run by only 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 the 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.[4] According to Richard,[5] Karen never particularly liked the song. The Carpenters' version of this song leaves out lyrics included in the original.

"Desperado" was originally recorded by Eagles in 1973 for the album of the same name. Several others have recorded this song, including Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, and Kenny Rogers. Because 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.[6]

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.[7]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Rolling Stone(Positive)[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]

Rolling Stone reviewer Stephen Holden acclaimed Horizon, calling it "the Carpenters' most musically sophisticated album to date."[9] However, AllMusic gave the album a less enthusiastic review and cited flaws despite a good production.

Re-packaged release

Horizon was re-issued as a CD in 1996 with the track list and running order intact by the Belgium label ARC Records (not to be confused with the American label of the same name), retitled simply The Carpenters and with an entirely different cover design.[11]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Aurora"
1:32
2."Only Yesterday"
  • Carpenter
  • Bettis
4:11
3."Desperado"
3:38
4."Please Mr. Postman"
2:53
5."I Can Dream, Can't I?"
4:59
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Solitaire"
4:40
7."Happy"
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

Personnel
  • Karen Carpenter – vocals, drums
  • Richard Carpenter – keyboards, vocals
  • Joe Osborn – bass guitar
  • Jim Gordon – drums
  • Tony Peluso – guitar
  • Bob Messenger – tenor saxophone
  • Doug Strawn – baritone saxophone
  • Earl Dumler – oboe, English horn
  • Thad Maxwell, Red Rhodes – pedal steel guitar
  • Tommy Morgan – harmonica
  • Gayle Levant – harp

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:

  • Bass: Joe Mondragon
  • Drums: Alvin Stoller
  • Keyboards: Pete Jolly
  • Vibes: Frank Flynn
  • Guitar: Bob Bain

Singles
  • "Please Mr. Postman" US 7" single (1974) – A&M 1646
  1. "Please Mr. Postman"
  2. "This Masquerade"
  • "Only Yesterday" US 7" single (1975) – A&M 1677
  1. "Only Yesterday"
  2. "Happy"
  • "Solitaire" US 7" single (1975) – A&M 1721
  1. "Solitaire"
  2. "Love Me for What I Am"

Charts
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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. "Carpenters Horizon (1975) Karen Carpenter". leadsister.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  5. "Carpenters •• Solitaire". www.richardandkarencarpenter.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  6. "Carpenters: Horizon album, 1975". www.richardandkarencarpenter.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  7. The Carpenters: The Untold Story - An Authorized Biography by Ray Coleman
  8. Eder, Bruce. Horizon at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  9. 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.
  10. 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. rolling stone carpenters album guide.
  11. Musik-Sammler (German text)
  12. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Retrieved 2012-03-03.
  14. "Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) - Albums Chart Daijiten - Carpenters" (in Japanese). Original Confidence. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  15. "charts.nz Carpenters - Horizon" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  16. "norwegiancharts.com Carpenters - Horizon". Archived from the original (ASP) on November 13, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  17. "The Official Charts Company – Carpenters – Horizon" (PHP). Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  18. Allmusic Carpenters > Horizon > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums
  19. "Album Search: Carpenters – Horizon" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  20. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1975". RPM. Archived from the original on July 24, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  21. "Japanese Year-End Albums Chart of 1975" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from 1975年アルバム年間ヒットチャート the original Check |url= value (help) on November 4, 2014. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  22. "Complete UK Year-End Album Charts". Archived from the original on May 19, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  23. "Canadian album certifications – Carpenters – Horizon". Music Canada. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  24. Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970-2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. 2006. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  25. "British album certifications – Carpenters – Horizon". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 21, 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Horizon in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  26. "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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