The Singles: 1969–1973

The Singles 1969–1973
Compilation album by The Carpenters
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
The Carpenters chronology
The Singles: 1969–1973
(1973)		 The Singles: 1974–1978
(1978)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauC+[2]
Džuboks(favorable)[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[4]

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.

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.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We've Only Just Begun"  Paul Williams; Roger Nichols3:04
2."Top of the World"  Richard Carpenter; John Bettis2:56
3."Ticket to Ride"  John Lennon; Paul McCartney4:10
4."Superstar"  Bonnie Bramlett; Leon Russell3:49
5."Rainy Days and Mondays"  Paul Williams; Roger Nichols3:40
6."Goodbye to Love"  Richard Carpenter; John Bettis3:50
7."Yesterday Once More"  Richard Carpenter; John Bettis3:50
8."It's Going to Take Some Time"  Carole King; Toni Stern2:55
9."Sing"  Joe Raposo3:20
10."For All We Know"  Fred Karlin, Jimmy Griffin, Robb Royer2:34
11."Hurting Each Other"  Gary Geld; Peter Udell2:46
12."(They Long to Be) Close to You"  Burt Bacharach; Hal David4:34

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]

References

  1. ↑ AllMusic review
  2. ↑ Robert Christgau Consumer Guide
  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. 1 2 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.
Preceded by
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John		 Billboard 200 number-one album
January 5–11, 1974 		Succeeded by
You Don't Mess Around with Jim by Jim Croce
Preceded by
And I Love You So by Perry Como

Old, New, Borrowed and Blue by Slade

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Rick Wakeman

Diamond Dogs by David Bowie		 UK number-one album
2 – 23 February 1974

9 March – 18 May 1974

1 June 1974

6 July 1974 		Succeeded by
Old, New, Borrowed and Blue by Slade

Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Rick Wakeman

Diamond Dogs by David Bowie

Caribou by Elton John
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