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Passage (The Carpenters album)

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Passage
Studio album by
the Carpenters
ReleasedSeptember 23, 1977
RecordedLate 1976 – mid-1977
StudioA&M Studios, Hollywood
GenrePop, adult contemporary
Length39:39
LabelA&M
ProducerRichard Carpenter/Associate Producer – Karen Carpenter
The Carpenters chronology
A Kind of Hush
(1976) 		Passage
(1977) 		Christmas Portrait
(1978)
Singles from Passage
  1. "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song"
    Released: May 2, 1977
  2. "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"
    Released: September 9, 1977
  3. "Sweet, Sweet Smile"
    Released: February 18, 1978

Passage is the eighth studio album by the American music duo the Carpenters. Released in 1977, it produced the hit singles "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song", "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" and "Sweet, Sweet Smile". The Carpenters' "Sweet, Sweet Smile" (written by Otha Young and Juice Newton) was picked up by Country radio and put the duo in the top ten of Billboard's Country chart in the spring of 1978.

This album was a considerable departure for the siblings and contained experimental material such as the Klaatu cover "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" single—which reached no. 32 in the US but was a top ten hit in much of the world (and prompted numerous letters to the Carpenters asking when World Contact Day was scheduled).[1] The album was the group's first to fall short of gold certification in the US.

This is the only Carpenters album (aside from their Christmas albums) not to contain a Richard Carpenter or John Bettis song and also the second album to not have Karen playing drums at all. It was the first studio album since Close to You not to use the familiar Carpenters logo on the front cover, although a small version of the logo appears on the back cover.

Background and recording

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Prior to the album's recording, a search was made for a new Carpenters producer, prompted by the band's decreasing popularity and Richard Carpenter's struggle with production duties (caused by his addiction to sleeping pills).[1] However, according to Richard Carpenter, "not one major producer would sign on; radio was not quite as friendly at that time to our type of sound and to be honest, my track record on the whole was a tough act to follow. Accordingly, I remained producer, but I did try to approach this new project from a different angle, hence my selection of songs for this album made Passage a bit of a departure from our previous recordings."[1]

Richard Carpenter recalled that "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" was "submitted to us by the publisher, and I immediately felt it was perfect for Karen, though now I feel differently, as I believe the song doesn't linger long enough in a lower register, a great area for Karen's voice. We contacted England's late, great Peter Knight to orchestrate the song, and two others on Passage. Peter flew to Los Angeles to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the recording. (Due to a contractual agreement their name was not allowed in the credits, hence the credit of the "Overbudget Philharmonic"). Between the 100-plus member "Phil" and the 50-voice Gregg Smith Singers, the recording session had to take place on the A&M Sound Stage and was then wired into Studio D."[1]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

The Los Angeles Times called the album "crisp, punchy and often fun," and noted "the sparkle in Richard Carpenter's arrangements and the ambitiousness of the pair's efforts."[4]

Billboard noted "from the opening cut to the final track, this album represents the Carpenters' most boldly innovative and sophisticated undertaking yet...Karen Carpenter's textured vocals, evoking new heights of expressiveness, remains flexible and strong throughout while Richard's keyboards and impeccable production adds a polished refinement. This LP will garner new fans."[5]

Cashbox noted that "surely, this is a milestone Carpenters album. Where the sibling duo was once content with lushly arranged pop ballads with mass appeal, they have embarked this time on a well-charted course that takes them through a calypso boogie, an operatic and symphonic opus, a Latin-tinged number exploring the master/servant dilemma and an other-worldly tune exploring the theme of intergalatic harmony. A breathless ride on the gossamer wings of Karen's magic-carpet vocals with Richard's steady navigation through new and familiar territory."[6]

AllMusic has retrospectively described the Carpenters' effort as "surprisingly ambitious, almost experimental by the standards of the Carpenters" adding that the record was "admirable even if most of the results aren't memorable or essential."[2] However, "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" was described as, "much more memorable...had more of a beat than one was accustomed to in the duo's music."

Track listing

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Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."B'wana She No Home"Michael Franks5:36
2."All You Get from Love Is a Love Song"Steve Eaton3:47
3."I Just Fall in Love Again"Steve Dorff, Larry Herbstritt, Harry Lloyd, Gloria Sklerov4:05
4."On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada/Don't Cry for Me Argentina"Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice8:13
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Sweet, Sweet Smile"Juice Newton, Otha Young3:02
6."Two Sides"Scott E. Davis3:28
7."Man Smart, Woman Smarter"Norman Span4:22
8."Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"Terry Draper, John Woloschuk7:06

Personnel

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  • Karen Carpenter: Lead vocals, backing vocals (2)
  • Richard Carpenter: Electric & acoustic piano (2, 3, 6, 8), tack piano (7), synthesizer (8), backing vocals (2)
  • Pete Jolly: Piano (1)
  • Larry Muhoberac: Electric piano (1)
  • Tony Peluso: Electric guitar (1–3, 5–8), acoustic guitar (5), DJ (8)
  • Ray Parker Jr.: Electric guitar (2)
  • Lee Ritenour: Acoustic guitar (6)
  • Jay Graydon: Acoustic guitar (6)
  • Jay Dee Maness: Pedal steel guitar (6)
  • Joe Osborn: Bass (1–3, 5–8)
  • Ron Tutt: Drums (1, 3, 5, 8)
  • Ed Green: Drums (2, 6, 7)
  • Wally Snow: Percussion (1)
  • Tommy Vig: Percussion (1, 7), conga (2)
  • Jerry Steinholtz: Conga (1), percussion (2)
  • King Errisson: Conga (7)
  • Tom Scott: Tenor sax (1 & 2), alto flute (1)
  • Jackie Kelso: Tenor sax (7)
  • David Luell & Kurt McGettrick: Baritone saxophone (7)
  • Gene Puerling: Vocal arrangements (1)
  • Julia Tillman, Carlena Williams, Maxine Willard: Backing vocals (2)
  • Bobby Bruce: Fiddle (5)
  • Larry McNealy: Banjo (5)
  • Tom Hensley: Tack piano (5, 7)
  • Earle Dumler: Oboe (3, 8)
  • Gale Levant: Harp (3)
  • Peter Knight, Gregg Smith: Conductor (3, 4, 8)
  • Overbudget Philharmonic: Orchestra (3, 4, 8)
  • Gregg Smith Singers: Vocals (3, 4, 8)
  • William Feuerstein: Voice of Peron (4)
  • Jonathan Marks: Voice of Che (4)
  • Bernie Grundman, Richard Carpenter – remastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering

Singles

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  • "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" (US Hot 100 #35, US Adult Contemporary #4) US 7" single (1977) – A&M 1940
  1. "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song"
  2. "I Have You"
  • "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day) (US Hot 100 #32, US Adult Contemporary #18) US 7" single (1977) – A&M 1978
  1. "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day)
  2. "Can't Smile without You"
  • "Sweet, Sweet Smile" (US Hot 100 #44, US Adult Contemporary #7, US Country #6) US 7" single (1978) – A&M 2008
  1. "Sweet, Sweet Smile"
  2. "I Have You"
  • "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" CA 7" single (1978) – A&M 8629
  1. "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"
  2. "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" (The Recognized Anthem of World Contact Day)

Charts

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Chart (1977) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] 48
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[8] 57
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[9] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[10] 12
US Billboard 200[11] 49

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Carpenters: Passage album, 1977
  2. ^ a b Eder, Bruce. The Carpenters - Passage (1977) album review, credits & releases at AllMusic
  3. ^ 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. rolling stone carpenters album guide.
  4. ^ Hilburn, Robert (Oct 4, 1977). "LPs from Carpenters, Jane Olivor". Los Angeles Times. p. 4.8.
  5. ^ "Top Album Picks" (PDF). Billboard. No. 8 October 1977. p. 98. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  6. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 8 October 1977. p. 28. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5498b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) - Albums Chart Daijiten - Carpenters" (in Japanese). Original Confidence. Retrieved September 21, 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "Carpenters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  12. ^ "British album certifications – Carpenters – Passage". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2012-02-22.
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