Horizon (The Carpenters album)
Encyclopedia
Horizon is the sixth consecutive platinum-certified album by American musical duo The Carpenters
. It was recorded at A&M Records
(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.
After five consecutive albums peaking inside the U.S. top five, Horizon broke this run by reaching #13. The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million copies. Horizon became one of The Carpenters' biggest universal sellers reaching #1 in both Japan and the UK and charting high in many countries around the world.
" (released some seven months earlier), became the album's biggest hit single and also one of the Carpenters' biggest hits worldwide. It reached #1 in the United States, Australia, Germany, Japan and several other countries in the world, as well as reaching #2 in the UK and Canada. This tune features Karen on drums and Tony Peluso
on guitar solo. It is one of a handful of songs to be a U.S. #1 hit more than once. It reached #1 first in 1961 for the female Motown vocal group The Marvelettes
. The song also gained further acclaim when The Beatles
included it on their 1963 album With the Beatles
.
The following single, "Only Yesterday
," was also a success, reaching U.S. #4, UK #7, Canada #7 and was certified gold in Japan. The song also won the prestigious Grand Prix award in Japan. A third single, "Solitaire," reached #15 in the U.S. 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.
Other notable tracks include "Desperado
," which 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.
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 recorded at A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
(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.
After five consecutive albums peaking inside the U.S. top five, Horizon broke this run by reaching #13. The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over a million copies. Horizon became one of The Carpenters' biggest universal sellers reaching #1 in both Japan and the UK and charting high in many countries around the world.
Overview
The album's first single, "Please Mr. PostmanPlease Mr. Postman
"Please Mr. Postman" is the debut single by The Marvelettes for the Tamla label, notable as the first Motown song to reach the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart. The single achieved this position in late 1961; it hit number one on the R&B chart as well. "Please Mr...
" (released some seven months earlier), became the album's biggest hit single and also one of the Carpenters' biggest hits worldwide. It reached #1 in the United States, Australia, Germany, Japan and several other countries in the world, as well as reaching #2 in the UK and Canada. This tune features Karen on drums and Tony Peluso
Tony Peluso
Tony Peluso was an American guitarist and record producer. He was lead guitarist for pop duo Carpenters from 1972 to 1983....
on guitar solo. It is one of a handful of songs to be a U.S. #1 hit more than once. It reached #1 first in 1961 for the female Motown vocal group The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes were an American singing girl group on the Tamla label. Motown's first successful female vocal group, the Marvelettes are most notable for recording the company's first #1 Pop hit, "Please Mr...
. The song also gained further acclaim when The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
included it on their 1963 album With the Beatles
With the Beatles
With The Beatles is the second studio album by the English rock group The Beatles. It was released on 22 November 1963 on Parlophone, and was recorded four months after the band's debut Please Please Me...
.
The following single, "Only Yesterday
Only Yesterday (song)
"Only Yesterday" is a song recorded by The Carpenters in 1975. It was released on March 14, 1975, and was the Carpenters' last top-ten single in the United States. Composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, it peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the easy listening...
," was also a success, reaching U.S. #4, UK #7, Canada #7 and was certified gold in Japan. The song also won the prestigious Grand Prix award in Japan. A third single, "Solitaire," reached #15 in the U.S. 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.
Other notable tracks include "Desperado
Desperado (song)
"Desperado" is a soft rock song by the Eagles, an American rock band, written by group members Glenn Frey and Don Henley. It first appeared on the 1973 album Desperado, and has later appeared on numerous compilation albums although it was not a single....
," which was originally recorded by The Eagles in 1973 for the album of the same name. Several others have recorded this song including Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, and Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
. 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
Billy May
William E. "Billy" May was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music, for The Green Hornet , Batman , and Naked City and collaborated on films, such as Pennies from Heaven , and orchestrated Cocoon, and Cocoon: The Return among...
, who has worked with artists such as Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
and Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, to help orchestrate the song. The song features the Billy May Orchestra. John Bahler
John Bahler
John Bähler is an American vocalist, arranger, conductor, composer and producer.John Bähler is brother of Tom Bähler and husband of Janet Lennon .-Early career:...
is in the chorus of background singers.
At the time of the release of Horizon, lyricist 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....
claimed "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You" to be his and Richard's best collaboration.
Track listing
"I Can Dream, Can't I?" featured guest performances by:- Bass: Joe Mondragon
- Drums: Alvin StollerAlvin StollerAlvin Stoller was an American jazz drummer. Though he seems to have been largely forgotten, he was held in high regard in the 1940s and 1950s...
- Keyboards: Pete Jolly
- Vibes: Frank Flynn
- Guitar: Bob Bain
Chart positions
| Chart | Year | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1975 | 1 |
Singles
- "Please Mr. Postman" (US 7" single (1974) A&M 1646)
- "Please Mr. Postman"
- "This Masquerade"
- "Only Yesterday" (US 7" single (1975) A&M 1677)
- "Only Yesterday"
- "Happy"
- "Solitaire" (US 7" single (1975) A&M 1721)
- "Solitaire"
- "Love Me for What I Am"
- "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You" (credited as Prisonera Entre Un Adios Y Te Amo) (AR 7" single (1975) A&M 0003)
- "(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You"
- ??