Although music industry executives thought he was crazy, Herb Alpert gave Karen and Richard Carpenter the chance to record on A&M Records, and he remained a friend and personal fan of the duo ever since. Carpenters first disc Offering (later retitled Ticket to Ride after their single 45 remake of the Beatles song) was not a moneymaker. That didn't deter Herb, who was sure something special was there. he was right. The next single was (They Long to Be) Close to You, a number one smash on the Billboard charts. And the rest is history.
In November of 1973, A&M released The Singles 1969-1973, a true greatest hits records chocked full of surprises as it presented nine gold records as part of the collection. In celebrating their accomplishments, Herb took out this nice introductory ad. The text reads, "When you know a good song...when you can write a good song...and when you have talent, watch out- 'cause it can go on forever. Love you Richard & Karen and congratulations. Herb Alpert".
How we wish it did go on forever, and yet it does! Karen may have passed, but the music lives on. Richard's latest masterstroke is his reworking of their beloved songs with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. May there be more to come.
This post is just one of many on the blog. Rare photos, an article on The Night I Met Karen Carpenter, and more can be found on this blog. Below is the list of my initial reviews of the Carpenters albums and then my "Revisited /Fresh Look" reviews a decade later. On these, I'm recently completed The Singles 1969-1973. The next is Live in Japan, and it's coming in next month.
My Initial Reviews of the albums:
My Revisited / Fresh Look at the albums:
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