A Kind of Hush is the seventh studio album by American popular music duo The Carpenters

The Carpenters

Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...

. It was released in May 1976.

Of its three excerpted singles only the title track, "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)," a cover of a 1960s song by Herman's Hermits

Herman's Hermits

Herman's Hermits are an English beat band, formed in Manchester in 1963 as Herman & The Hermits. The group's record producer, Mickie Most , emphasized a simple, non-threatening, clean-cut image, although the band originally played R&B numbers...

, gave the pair a hit single - both the US Top Ten, and UK Top 20.

John Bettis

John Bettis

John Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....

 called a minor hit from the album, I Need to Be in Love

I Need to Be in Love

"I Need to Be in Love" is a song written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. It was released as a single on May 21, 1976. It was featured on the "A Kind of Hush" album, which was released on June 11 of the same year. The single featured a version without the piano lead-in and starts immediately...

, the favorite lyric he ever wrote for Karen. "If there was ever anything that came out of my heart straight to Karen I would say that that was it, and I was very proud of it for that."

The album, despite its gold certification and a high UK chart placing, was a commercial disappointment in the US where its chart peak was outside the Top 30. The CD has been out of print since 2006.

Track listing

1. "There's a Kind of Hush
   There's A Kind Of Hush
   "There's a Kind of Hush" is a popular song written by Les Reed and Geoff Stephens which was a hit in 1967 for Herman's Hermits and again in 1976 for the Carpenters.-First recordings:...
   
   " – (Reed/Stephens) -2:57
2. "You" – (Randy Edelman
   Randy Edelman
   Randy Edelman is an American film and TV score composer.-Life and career:Edelman was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, the son of a first-grade teacher and an accountant. He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music before heading to New York where he played...
   
   ) -3:52
3. "Sandy" – (Carpenter/Bettis) -3:42
4. "Goofus" – (King/Harold/Kahn) -3:09
5. "Can't Smile Without You
   Can't Smile Without You
   "Can't Smile Without You" is a song written by Christian Arnold, David Martin, and Geoff Morrow, best known in its rendition by Barry Manilow."Can't Smile Without You" was the first single to be released from Manilow's album Even Now in 1977...
   
   " – (Arnold/Martin) -3:28
6. "I Need to Be in Love
   I Need to Be in Love
   "I Need to Be in Love" is a song written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. It was released as a single on May 21, 1976. It was featured on the "A Kind of Hush" album, which was released on June 11 of the same year. The single featured a version without the piano lead-in and starts immediately...
   
   " – (Carpenter/Bettis/Albert Hammond
   Albert Hammond
   Albert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
   
   ) -3:47
7. "One More Time" – (Anderson) -3:32
8. "Boat to Sail" – (Jackie De Shannon) -3:31
9. "I Have You" – (Carpenter/Bettis) -3:27
10. "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" – (Neil Sedaka
    Neil Sedaka
    Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
    
    /Howard Greenfield
    Howard Greenfield
    Howard Greenfield was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building...
    
    ) -2:35

Singles

• There's a Kind of Hush
  • US 7" single (1976) A&M 1800

1. There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)
2. (I'm Caught Between) Goodbye And I Love You

• • UK 7" single (1976) AMS7219

1. There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)
2. (I'm Caught Between) Goodbye And I Love You

• • JP 7" single (1976) CM-2001

1. There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)
2. (I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You

• I Need to Be in Love
  • 7" single (1976) A&M 1828

1. I Need to Be In Love
2. Sandy

• • JP 7" promo (1976) CM-2020

1. I Need to Be in Love
2. Sandy

• • JP CD single (1995) PODM-1060

1. I Need to Be in Love
2. Top of the World

• Goofus
  • US 7" single (1976) A&M 1859

1. Goofus
2. Boat To Sail

• Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
  • JP 7" single (1976) CM-2025

1. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
2. I Have You

• I Have You
  • MX 7" single (1978) AM-064

1. I Have You
2. Sweet Sweet Smile

Richard Carpenter's review

"As I have written elsewhere, I believe that the Carpenters’ explosive worldwide success in 1970 was too much, too soon for us; we were young, naïve and ultimately ill-equipped to handle properly all that was required of us. Karen, though 3½ years my junior, dealt with many career problems better than I, although some feel that these, combined with a perceived weight problem contributed to her developing anorexia nervosa. As a result of all of this, I inadvertently got myself addicted to prescription sleeping pills as early as 1975. As I did not take any of these during the day, I was able to function well for quite some time, but by 1976, and the making of A Kind of Hush – and the two albums that followed – I now feel I was not at my best, and am not pleased with some of the material chosen, such as 'Goofus,' and 'Breaking Up Is Hard To Do.'"

"Three songs, however, do stand out for me: 'I Need To Be In Love,' with its soaring melody and melancholy John Bettis

John Bettis

John Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....

lyric; this became Karen's favorite Carpenters song; 'One More Time' by Lewis Anderson, a lovely combination of music and lyric; and 'Sandy,' a lilting original that is perfect for Karen's voice."