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
ReleasedNovember 9, 1973
Recorded1969–1973 at A&M Studios, Los Angeles
GenrePop
Length41:47
LabelA&M
ProducerRichard & Karen Carpenter, Jack Daugherty
Carpenters chronology
The Singles 1969–1973
(1973)
The Singles: 1974–1978
(1978)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[2]
Džuboks(favorable)[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

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

Side one
No.TitleWriter(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–McCartney4:10
4."Superstar"3:49
5."Rainy Days and Mondays"
  • Williams
  • Nichols
3:40
6."Goodbye to Love"
  • Carpenter
  • Bettis
3:50
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Yesterday Once More"
  • Carpenter
  • Bettis
3:50
2."It's Going to Take Some Time"
2:55
3."Sing"Joe Raposo3:20
4."For All We Know"2:34
5."Hurting Each Other"
  • Gary Geld
  • Peter Udell
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
  1. "Ticket to Ride" (1973 version)
  2. "(They Long to Be) Close to You"
  3. "We've Only Just Begun"
  4. "Top of the World"
  5. "Rainy Days and Mondays"

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1974 US Pop Albums 1
UK Albums Chart[7]
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References

  1. AllMusic review
  2. 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.
  3. Kostić, Borjan. Džuboks (in Serbian). Belgrade: Karpentersi - Singl ploče od 1969. do 1973. (1 (second series)): 44. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. 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.
  5. http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/fans_ask_5-archive.htm
  6. Billboard magazine article, written by Frank H Lieberman, 1973.
  7. "Number 1 Albums – 1970s". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
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