| If I Were a Carpenter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by Various Artists | |
| Released | September 13, 1994 |
| Genre | Alternative rock |
| Length | 49:06 |
| Label | A&M |
| Producer | Matt Wallace & Dave Konjoyan |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A− [2] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
If I Were a Carpenter is a 1994 tribute album to The Carpenters. It features alternative rock bands covering the songs of Richard and Karen Carpenter.
The cover is a painting done, Margaret Keane style, of Richard and Karen Carpenter listening to an LP album against an orange background. Richard Carpenter has said that he doesn't "care for" the version of "Superstar" by Sonic Youth. [5]
The album was the brainchild of Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Replacements, Faith No More) and David Konjoyan.
The album, and specifically the Sonic Youth cover of "Superstar," featured prominently in the 2007 film Juno ; "Superstar" was included on the Juno soundtrack.
| No. | Title | Artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Goodbye to Love" | American Music Club | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Top of the World" | Shonen Knife | 3:55 |
| 3. | "Superstar" | Sonic Youth | 4:06 |
| 4. | "(They Long to Be) Close to You" | The Cranberries | 2:40 |
| 5. | "For All We Know" | Bettie Serveert | 3:27 |
| 6. | "It's Going to Take Some Time" | Dishwalla | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Solitaire" | Sheryl Crow | 4:43 |
| 8. | "Hurting Each Other" | Johnette Napolitano with Marc Moreland | 4:09 |
| 9. | "Yesterday Once More" | Redd Kross | 3:58 |
| 10. | "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" | Babes In Toyland | 4:06 |
| 11. | "Rainy Days and Mondays" | Cracker | 3:44 |
| 12. | "Let Me Be the One" | Matthew Sweet | 3:26 |
| 13. | "Bless the Beasts and Children" | 4 Non Blondes | 4:17 |
| 14. | "We've Only Just Begun" | Grant Lee Buffalo | 3:51 |
Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City and formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo remained together for the entire history of the band, while Steve Shelley (drums) followed a series of short-term drummers in 1985, rounding out the core line-up. Jim O'Rourke was also a member of the band from 1999 to 2005, and Mark Ibold was a member from 2006 to 2011.
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer who formed half of the highly successful duo the Carpenters with her older brother Richard. With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was praised by her peers for her vocal skills. Carpenter's work continues to attract praise, including appearing on Rolling Stone's 2010 list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story is a 1987 American experimental short biographical film that portrays the last 17 years of singer Karen Carpenter's life, as she struggled with anorexia. Directed by Todd Haynes, the film uses Barbie dolls as actors, as well as documentaries and artistic footage. Superstar was co-written and co-produced by Haynes and Cynthia Schneider, with an unauthorized soundtrack consisting mostly of the hit songs of The Carpenters. It was filmed over a ten-day period at Bard College in the summer of 1985. Barry Ellsworth collaborated on the film and was the cinematographer for the Barbie themed interior segments of the film.
Close to You is the second studio album by the American music duo Carpenters, released on August 19, 1970. In 2003, the album was ranked #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.
"For All We Know" is a soft rock song written for the 1970 film Lovers and Other Strangers, with music by Fred Karlin and lyrics by Robb Wilson and Arthur James. Both Royer and Griffin were founding members of the soft rock group Bread. It was originally performed, for the film's soundtrack, by Larry Meredith. The best known version of the song is by American pop duo the Carpenters which reached No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart in 1971. The song was also a hit for Shirley Bassey at the same time in the United Kingdom. It has since been covered by various artists including Petula Clark.
Richard Lynn Carpenter is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, who formed half of the sibling duo the Carpenters alongside his younger sister Karen. He had numerous roles in the Carpenters, including record producer, arranger, pianist, keyboardist, and songwriter, as well as joining with Karen on harmony vocals.
A Song for You is the fourth studio album by the American music duo 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.
"Yesterday Once More", written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, is a hit song by the Carpenters from their 1973 album Now & Then. Thematically the song concerns reminiscing about songs of a generation gone by. It segues into a long medley, consisting of eight covers of 1960s tunes incorporated into a faux oldies radio program. The work takes up the entire B-side of the album.
Now & Then is the fifth studio album by the American music duo 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.
"Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell with a songwriting credit also given to Delaney Bramlett that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best-known versions are by the Carpenters in 1971, and by Luther Vandross in 1983.
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 Carpenters. It was recorded at A&M Studios. The Carpenters spent many hours experimenting with different sounds, techniques and effects.
Corporate Ghost is a Sonic Youth DVD released by DGC in 2004. It is a collection of their music videos from 1990 to 2002.
Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition is a two-disc compilation released by the Carpenters in early 2004.
Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor is the second solo album by American musician Richard Carpenter, released in 1998. It includes instrumental versions of popular songs of the Carpenters, and is dedicated to their deceased mother, Agnes Carpenter. The album contains two new songs, "All Those Years Ago" and "Karen's Theme", which was released as a single.
"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.
The 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.
Goo is the sixth full-length studio album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released on June 26, 1990, by DGC Records. For this album, the band sought to expand upon its trademark alternating guitar arrangements and the layered sound of their previous album Daydream Nation (1988) with songwriting on that was more topical than past works, exploring themes of female empowerment and pop culture. Coming off the success of Daydream Nation, Nick Sansano returned to engineer Goo, but veteran producer Ron Saint Germain was chosen by Sonic Youth to finish mixing the album following Sansano's dismissal.
Carpenters is the third studio album by American music duo The Carpenters. Released on May 14, 1971, it was their most successful studio album, reaching number two on the Billboard 200 chart and number 12 in the UK, as well as being certified 4× Platinum by the RIAA. The album contained the hit songs "For All We Know", "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Superstar".
Only Yesterday is a greatest hits compilation album by American group the Carpenters. It was released in 1990 by A&M Records and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart for seven weeks.
