A Kind of Hush | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 11, 1976 | |||
Recorded | December 1975 - April 1976 | |||
Studio | A&M Studios, Hollywood | |||
Genre | Pop, easy listening, adult contemporary | |||
Length | 34:00 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Producer | Richard Carpenter/Associate Producer - Karen Carpenter | |||
Carpenters chronology | ||||
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Singles from A Kind of Hush | ||||
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A Kind of Hush is the seventh studio album by the American music duo Carpenters. It was released on June 11, 1976.
By the time of the album's recording, Richard Carpenter's addiction to sleeping pills had begun to affect him professionally, and he blames this for the album being, in his opinion, sub-par. [1] All three excerpted singles became hits. "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)", a cover of a 1960s song by Herman's Hermits, broke both the UK Top 30 [2] and US Top 20, as well as topping the adult contemporary chart. [3] "I Need to Be in Love" hit number 25 in the US [4] and number 36 in the UK. [2] "Goofus" was only a minor success, stalling at number 56 on the Billboard chart, though it did crack the adult contemporary top 10. [5]
John Bettis called "I Need to Be in Love" the favorite lyrics he ever wrote for Karen Carpenter. "If there was ever anything that came out of my heart straight to Karen's I would say that was it. I was very proud of it for that." [6] Richard Carpenter recalled that the song "became Karen's favorite Carpenters song". [1] The album was also the first not to have Karen playing drums on any tracks, which were performed by Los Angeles session drummer Jim Gordon (except two, "Goofus" and "Sandy," by Cubby O'Brien).
Despite being certified Gold, the album was a relative commercial disappointment in the US, where its chart peak was outside the Top 30. [7] Like its predecessor Horizon , it performed better in the UK, reaching number three in the UK Albums Chart. The CD has been out of print since 2006 except in the Japanese market.
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [9] |
While noting that there are occasional highlights, AllMusic's retrospective review was generally negative, calling the album "pleasant, well-sung, and well-played, but basically bland". They particularly criticized the selection of material and the overt similarity of the album's formula to that of previous Carpenters albums. [8]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "There's a Kind of Hush" | 2:57 | |
2. | "You" | Randy Edelman | 3:52 |
3. | "Sandy" |
| 3:42 |
4. | "Goofus" |
| 3:09 |
5. | "Can't Smile Without You" | 3:28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
6. | "I Need to Be in Love" |
| 3:47 |
7. | "One More Time" | Lewis Anderson | 3:32 |
8. | "Boat to Sail" | Jackie DeShannon | 3:31 |
9. | "I Have You" |
| 3:27 |
10. | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | 2:35 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) [18] | Gold | 10,000* |
Japan (RIAJ) | — | 81,000 [19] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [21] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Close to You is the second studio album by the American music duo the Carpenters, released on August 19, 1970. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 175 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. The album contains the hit singles "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun". The success of the title track earned Carpenters an international reputation. The album topped the Canadian Albums Chart and peaked at #2 on the U.S. Billboard albums chart. It was also successful in the United Kingdom, entering the top 50 of the official chart for 76 weeks during the first half of the 1970s.
"Goofus" is a 1930 popular song with music written by Wayne King and William Harold and lyrics by Gus Kahn.
"There's a Kind of Hush" is a popular song written by Les Reed and Geoff Stephens. Originally recorded by Stephens' group the New Vaudeville Band in 1967 as a neo-British music hall number, this version of the track became a hit in Australia and South Africa. However, in the rest of the world, a near-simultaneous cover was a big hit for Herman's Hermits. The song was a charted hit again in 1976 for The Carpenters.
A Song for You is the fourth studio album by the American music duo the Carpenters, released on June 22, 1972. According to Richard Carpenter, A Song for You was intended to be a concept album with the title tune opening and closing the set and the bookended selections comprising the 'song'. "A Song for You" was written by songwriter Leon Russell.
Now & Then is the fifth studio album by the American music duo the Carpenters, released on May 1, 1973. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart on July 21, 1973, and ranked No. 20 on the Cash Box year-end pop albums chart. The title, suggested by Karen and Richard's mother Agnes, was taken from a leftover song that did not appear on the album.
"Solitaire" is a ballad written by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody. Cody employs playing the card game of solitaire as a metaphor for a man "who lost his love through his indifference"—"while life goes on around him everywhere he's playing solitaire". The song is perhaps best known via its rendition by the Carpenters. Another version by Andy Williams reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart in 1973.
Made in America is the tenth and final studio album by the American music duo The Carpenters, released in June 1981. Karen Carpenter died less than two years later, making it their final album released in her lifetime. It reached number 52 in the US and number 12 in the UK.
Ticket to Ride is the debut studio album by the American music duo Carpenters. At the time of its initial release in 1969, it was issued under the title Offering, with a completely different cover photo. It was a commercial failure and produced only one minor hit single, a ballad version of the Lennon-McCartney song "Ticket to Ride".
Horizon is the sixth studio album by the American musical duo the Carpenters. It was recorded at A&M Studios. The Carpenters spent many hours experimenting with different sounds, techniques and effects.
The Singles: 1974–1978 is a compilation album by American pop duo the Carpenters containing some of their singles released in the years mentioned in the title. It was released internationally, reaching #2 on the UK Albums Chart, but the declining popularity of the Carpenters in the U.S. prevented a release in that country. Contrary to the album's title, two of the included tracks were not actually released as singles, while one commercial single ("Goofus") was omitted. One of the songs was originally recorded in 1972 for inclusion on their album "A Song for You". It was eventually released as a single in 1974 and became a hit, so it was included here.
Voice of the Heart is the eleventh studio album by American music duo Carpenters. It was released in 1983 after Karen's death and contains the two songs from her final recording sessions, "Now" and "You're Enough", as well as previously unreleased tracks from sessions of their previous albums A Kind of Hush, Passage and Made in America. At least one song, "In Love Alone", was intended to be on this album, but Karen did not get the opportunity to hear the track or record a vocal for it before her death; it would be released in 1987 on Richard's solo album Time with Dionne Warwick on lead vocals.
Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition is a two-disc compilation released by the Carpenters in early 2004.
Love Songs contains the Carpenters' love ballads, from their first big hit, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" to their later songs, like "Make Believe It's Your First Time" and "Where Do I Go from Here?". It remained on the Billboard charts for over six months and was certified Gold.
Yesterday Once More is a two-disc compilation album by American pop group Carpenters. It was released in 1985 and has been certified platinum in both the US and UK. The album was re-released in 1987 as Classics Volume 2 in the A&M 25th Anniversary Classics series. It was a simple repackage, reusing the 1985 glass CD masters, but with different artwork. It was re-released in 1998 with the addition of an extra track, "I Just Fall in Love Again," a revised track order, and remastered in 24-bit sound with new notes by Paul Grein.
"I Need to Be in Love" is a song written by Richard Carpenter, Albert Hammond 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.
"All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" is a song composed by Steve Eaton. Previously recorded by The Righteous Brothers in 1975, it was popularized by the Carpenters in 1977. It was released to the public on May 21, 1977. Its B-side was "I Have You", a song released on the A Kind of Hush album in 1976. The song was also included on their 1977 album, Passage.
The Ultimate Collection is a 3-CD set by The Carpenters released in 2006. It contains many of their popular songs, like "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "Top of the World", and their album cuts, like "Desperado" and "Jambalaya ". All of the songs are taken directly from the original album. In the case of "Yesterday Once More", it fades into a motorcycle engine, which subsequently fades into the oldies medley on the Now & Then album.
The Carpenters, officially known as Carpenters, were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter. They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's harmonizing, arranging, and composition skills. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded 10 albums along with many singles and several television specials.
The discography of the American pop group the Carpenters consists of 14 studio albums, two Christmas albums, two live albums, 49 singles, and numerous compilation albums. The duo was made up of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter.
"I Believe You" is a love ballad composed by Don and Dick Addrisi which was a 1977 single for Dorothy Moore; taken from her self-titled Dorothy Moore album. "I Believe You" reached #5 R&B and crossed over to the US Pop Top 30 at number 27. The track also reached number 20 in the UK.
rolling stone carpenters album guide.