As Time Goes By [Bonus Track]

by Carpenters

Overview

As Time Goes By is a collection of songs taken from demos, live shows, and television performances recorded by the Carpenters between 1967 and 1980. In his liner notes, Richard Carpenter says this is a record for hardcore Carpenters fans only and he is right. The songs from the various TV specials the duo recorded are cute, mostly versions of standards like "I Got Rhythm," versions of the hits of the day, and Richard Carpenter instrumentals. Apart from the pretty take on the Wildweeds' country-rock-influenced "And When He Smiles," a song that should have been a hit for them if they had officially released it, the best of the lot is the duet on a medley of standards by Karen Carpenter and Ella Fitzgerald from 1980. While Ella is near the end of the road vocally, it is interesting to have two of the most precise singers ever trading verses back and forth. The "Carpenters/Como Medley" is also fun but much cheesier. The disc also includes a couple of songs that were previously unreleased ("Leave Yesterday Behind," a sweetly sung ballad recorded for a TV movie of the same name, and "The Rainbow Connection," which features a typically charming vocal from Karen as well as their versions of "California Dreamin'" and "Nowhere Man" from the original demos that got the band its record deal). The only problem with the outtakes and rarities here are that Carpenter felt the need to go in and fix, sweeten, or totally refurnish the songs. Perhaps he just has too much free time, perhaps he is an obsessive tinkerer. Whatever the excuse, the archival value of the songs has been tampered with and that makes the songs less valuable somehow. If indeed this set is designed with Carpenters diehards in mind, wouldn't they have liked to hear the original version of "Nowhere Man," the one-track mono version? Richard proudly boasts that he transferred the acetate disc to a 48-track, leaving him "47 tracks with which to play." Fine and dandy, but why not put the original on the disc and then follow it with the new version for comparison's sake? Or just listen to your new version at home and let the fans get a chance to hear an extremely rare and no doubt very interesting piece of Carpenters history? As for the tracks like "The Rainbow Connection" and the "Superstar/Rainy Days and Mondays" medley, Richard drenches his sister's vocals with strings and background singers when he should have left them alone. Maybe he just doesn't understand that people don't really care about his arrangements. What they care most about are his sister's vocals. As it is, he has done Karen and Carpenters fans a big disservice by tampering with artifacts that could have made for a very interesting disc. It still might be worthwhile to have for the material from the television specials and to hear Karen's voice again, however.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/13/2004
Label:	A&M
UPC:	0606949311223
catalogNumber:	493112
Rank:	46857

Tracks

1. Without a Song
2. Medley: Superstar/Rainy Days and Mondays
3. Nowhere Man
4. I Got Rhythm Medley
5. Dancing in the Street
6. Dizzy Fingers
7. You're Just in Love
8. Karen/Ella Medley
9. Medley: Close Encounters/Star Wars
10. Leave Yesterday Behind
11. Carpenters/Como Medley
12. California Dreamin'
13. The Rainbow Connection
14. Hits Medley '76
15. And When He Smiles

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Carpenters   Primary Artist
Perry Como   Vocals
Buddy Childers   Flugelhorn
Ella Fitzgerald   Vocals
Tom Scott   Tenor Saxophone
Pete Jolly   Keyboards
Chuck Berghofer   Bass
Karen Carpenter   Drums,Vocals,Background Vocals,Soloist,Group Member
Earl Dumler   English Horn,Oboe
Jay Dee Maness   Pedal Steel Guitar
Harvey Mason   Drums
Timothy May   Banjo,Guitar,Mandolin
Bob Messenger   Bass,Flute
Tommy Morgan   Harmonica
Nelson Riddle   Conductor
Jack Nimitz   Baritone Saxophone
Cubby O'Brien   Drums
Tony Peluso   Electric Guitar
Paul Riser   Conductor
Sheridon Stokes   Flute,Recorder
Doug Strawn   Clarinet
Ron Tutt   Drums
Danny Woody Woodhams   Bass
O.K. Chorale   Vocals
Joe Osborn   Bass

Technical Credits

George Gershwin   Composer
Irving Berlin   Composer
Anderson   Composer
Marvin Gaye   Composer
John Lennon   Composer
Paul McCartney   Composer
Leon Russell   Composer
Bonnie Bramlett   Composer
Vincent Youmans   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
John Phillips   Composer
Richard Carpenter   Composer,Producer
Armando Manzanero   Composer
Kenny Ascher   Composer
John Bettis   Composer
Hal David   Composer
Sammy Fain   Composer
Ray Gerhardt   Engineer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Bobby Hammack   Arranger
Lorenz Hart   Composer
John Hendrickson   Engineer
Ivy Jo Hunter   Composer
Dave Iveland   Engineer
Irving Kahal   Composer
Fred Karlin   Composer
Nelson Riddle   Arranger
Joe Raposo   Composer
Paul Riser   Arranger
Schmitt   Engineer
William "Mickey" Stevenson   Composer
Paul Vance   Composer
Paul Williams   Composer
Roger Young   Engineer
Zez Confrey   Composer
Michelle Gilliam   Composer
Lee Pockriss   Composer
Robert Van Epps   Arranger
Edward Eliscu   Composer
Hugh Barker   Engineer
Roger Nichols   Composer
Joe Osborn   Engineer
Billy Rose   Composer
Herman Hupfeld   Composer