The Singles: 1969–1973
The Singles: 1969–1973 is an album by the brother/sister pop duo the Carpenters. A greatest hits collection, it topped the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom and became one of the best-selling albums of the 1970s. Features of this compilation include a newly recorded version of "Top of the World", "Ticket to Ride" and a number of musical introductions and segues between the songs "Superstar", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Goodbye to Love", the latter two were sped up in pitch, much to the regret of Richard in subsequent years.[5] It has been certified 7× platinum in the US alone. In the UK, the album reached number 1 for 17 (non-consecutive) weeks.
The Singles 1969–1973 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Compilation album by | ||||
Released | November 9, 1973 | |||
Recorded | 1969–1973 at A&M Studios, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 41:47 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer | Richard & Karen Carpenter, Jack Daugherty | |||
Carpenters chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Christgau's Record Guide | C+[2] |
Džuboks | (favorable)[3] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide |
Richard gave the album this title because he doesn't like the term "greatest hits" because he felt it was "an overused thing".[6] He continues:
- Individuals and groups with two or three hits all of a sudden put them on an album, use filler for the rest and title it "greatest hits". This album contains eleven true hits and it just wasn't slapped together. We've remixed a few, re-cut one and joined a couple of others. It's simply something I believe we owe our audience and ourselves.[6]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "We've Only Just Begun" | 3:04 | |
2. | "Top of the World" (new recording) | 2:56 | |
3. | "Ticket to Ride" (new recording) | Lennon–McCartney | 4:10 |
4. | "Superstar" | 3:49 | |
5. | "Rainy Days and Mondays" |
| 3:40 |
6. | "Goodbye to Love" |
| 3:50 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Yesterday Once More" |
| 3:50 |
2. | "It's Going to Take Some Time" |
| 2:55 |
3. | "Sing" | Joe Raposo | 3:20 |
4. | "For All We Know" | 2:34 | |
5. | "Hurting Each Other" |
| 2:46 |
6. | "(They Long to Be) Close to You" | 4:34 |
Notes
- "We've Only Just Begun" begins with an excerpt of "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and contains elements of "Superstar."
- "Superstar," "Rainy Days and Mondays," and "Goodbye to Love" are continuously mixed.
EP
- US 7" promo (1973); A&M LLP 238
- "Ticket to Ride" (1973 version)
- "(They Long to Be) Close to You"
- "We've Only Just Begun"
- "Top of the World"
- "Rainy Days and Mondays"
Chart positions
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
1974 | US Pop Albums | 1 |
UK Albums Chart[7] |
References
- AllMusic review
- Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: C". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 23, 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
- Kostić, Borjan. Džuboks (in Serbian). Belgrade: Karpentersi - Singl ploče od 1969. do 1973. (1 (second series)): 44. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - 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.
- http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/fans_ask_5-archive.htm
- Billboard magazine article, written by Frank H Lieberman, 1973.
- "Number 1 Albums – 1970s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 15 June 2011.