John Coan's SHIT OR HIT 9

[naughty boy]

[toomanyhatz]

Absolute hit, though Dionne Warwick's version is better.

[Modesty Forbids]

Everything else about the Carpenters was a bit naff, but Karen 's is one of the great pop voices, and when you give her a Bacharach-David song to display it on she transcends old golden-hair's cheesy arrangement tendencies.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

HIT

[Velvis]

HIT

[Charlie O.]

HIT. I love Dionne's version, but unlike hatz I would say that this is one of the very few times she was bested on her own turf.

[Loki]

Loved it then; have a sentimental attachment (of sorts) to it now.

[Bent Fabric]

I think it's the best fucking thing on Earth.

I performed a concert tonight with five other people (and my youngest, James, doing the "cute kid shit" on 'Sing') as Carpentersville. We performed "the brown album"* note for note with all the little bells and whistles, and...the record (and our concert) opens and closes with "(They Long To Be) Close To You" (in overture form at the top, I suppose). For good reason.

This song was waiting for this band to come along - and even Bacharach (stingy with praise) has always been very generous in his estimation of Richard and Karen's mining and polishing of this jewel.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Singles:_1969-1973

[never/ever]

A snoozefest. Yes, it sounds nice and I'll probably appreciate it more once I hit 70+ and my tinnitus gives me more grief.

[mentalist (slight return)]

Didn't Burt say all he wanted them to keep in their production were those trilly piano bits. I guess this would be one of my favourite songs. Not other versions but this production and performance. Love this utterly. Me and Marge Simpson.

[yomptepi]

Shit.

I don't get why Americans in particular think this sort of bollocks is any good. It is syrupy nonsense.

[Darkness_Fish]

I really just can't stand The Carpenters. I'm not even willing to listen again to give it some kind of reappraisal.

[TG]

Shit.

I don't get why Americans in particular think this sort of bollocks is any good. It is syrupy nonsense.

Not this American. I don't understand the fascination with adult pop. My mom liked this song and that's reason enough for me to dislike it. But it's not the primary reason. Mostly it's just bland.

You've likely seen those films from the 50s and 60s where the racist southern preacher warns the white folks about the dangers of rock and roll. He pounds his desk and rails on about The Beat, The Beat, The Beat. That's the one thing he was right about. R&R needs The Beat. The Carpenters wouldn't know a good beat if it was sitting next to them naked but for a big pointy hat that said The Beat. There are just too many great records out there to bother with this kind of pap.

[Charlie O.]

That seems to be assuming that this is trying to be rock and roll, and failing.

[TG]

That seems to be assuming that this is trying to be rock and roll, and failing.

No, it's assuming that I won't waste my time listening to things that aren't somehow visceral, don't have a beat, aren't sexy and are made specifically for people who don't like those things. It's adult pop. It doesn't have a beat, it's vanilla, white bread, boring music that no one in their right mind would want to have sex to. I know they ain't rock and roll and that's just one of the problems I have with it.

It's the 70s equivalent of the Lawrence Welk show. Minus the edgy humor.

[Charlie O.]

That seems to be assuming that this is trying to be rock and roll, and failing.

No, it's assuming that I won't waste my time listening to things that aren't somehow visceral, don't have a beat, aren't sexy and are made specifically for people who don't like those things.

That's an even more questionable assumption. Most of the people voting "HIT" here, myself included, like all those things, and I think you know that. It's just that we don't like those things to the exclusion of other things.

You're more than welcome to dislike whatever you see fit, but gimme a break.

[fange]

That's a hit, no doubt. I almost never want to hear it again to be honest, but there's no denying it's a glorious song.

[TG]

That seems to be assuming that this is trying to be rock and roll, and failing.

No, it's assuming that I won't waste my time listening to things that aren't somehow visceral, don't have a beat, aren't sexy and are made specifically for people who don't like those things.

That's an even more questionable assumption. Most of the people voting "HIT" here, myself included, like all those things, and I think you know that. It's just that we don't like those things to the exclusion of other things.

You're more than welcome to dislike whatever you see fit, but gimme a break.

You may well like it but I don't think it was made for you. It was made as a middle of the road, adult pop record not unlike Perry Como's Hot Diggity or some such. Unless you're nearing 90 it wasn't made for you. Or maybe it was. It certainly wasn't made for me. I realize I'm in the minority around these parts but, as I've said many times, there are far too many great records out there to waste my time liking everything that comes down the road. It is bland in the extreme, made for folks much older than we were when it came out and is the very definition of middle of the road adult pop. It's boring.

I'm pretty sure I didn't give you the break you asked for. And I'm chock full of questionable assumptions.

[Davey the Fat Boy]

C'mon...is this a question?

[Brickyard Jack]

Great.