1973 Carpenters – Now & Then
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.
As an outgrowth of the Rick Nelson “Garden Party” incident,[citation needed] an oldies revival occurred in pop music by 1973, and Side B of the album is an oldies medley. The medley starts with the Carpenters’ original song “Yesterday Once More”. Tony Peluso, the Carpenters’ guitarist who made his debut on the 1972 album A Song for You, is heard as a radio DJ throughout the medley, which includes such songs as “The End of the World”, “Dead Man’s Curve”, “Johnny Angel” and “One Fine Day”. Peluso was also heard as a DJ on the Carpenters’ “Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft” recording in 1977. The medley also features Mark Rudolph, a cousin of the Carpenters, as the listener who calls in during “Guess the Golden Goodies Group Contest”.
Now & Then is one of only two albums for which Karen Carpenter performed all or most of the drumming, the other being Offering (later re-released as Ticket to Ride). She plays all of the drum tracks with the exception of “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)”, for which the session drummer Hal Blaine played drums.
Tracks
1 Sing (Joe Raposo) 03:18
2 This Masquerade (Leon Russell) 04:51
3 Heather (Johnny Pearson) 02:51
4 Jambalaya (On The Bayou) (Hank Williams) 03:42
5 I Can’t Make Music (Randy Edelman) 03:18
6 Yesterday Once More (John Bettis; Richard Carpenter) 03:53
7 Fun, Fun, Fun (Brian Wilson; Mike Love) 01:41
8 The End Of The World (Arthur Kent; Sylvia Dee) 02:26
9 Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home) (Ellie Greenwich; Jeff Barry; Phil Spector) 01:47
10 Deadman’s Curve (Artie Kornfeld; Brian Wilson; Jan Berry; Roger Christian) 01:32
11 Johnny Angel (Lee Pockriss; Lyn Duddy) 01:31
12 The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (Ben Weisman; Dotty Wayne; Marilyn Garrett) 02:19
13 Our Day Will Come (Bob Hilliard; Mort Garson) 01:59
14 One Fine Day (Carole King; Gerry Goffin) 01:38
15 Yesterday Once More (Reprise) (John Bettis; Richard Carpenter) 01:00
Biography
Musicians
Bass | Joe Osborn |
Drums | Karen Carpenter |
Guitar | Tony Peluso |
Guitar | Gary Sims |
Keyboards | Richard Carpenter |
Horn | Earl Dumler |
Oboe | Earl Dumler |
Recorder | Tom Scott |
Sax | Doug Strawn |
Steel Guitar | Buddy Emmons |
Steel Guitar | Jay Dee Maness |
Vocals | Karen Carpenter |
Other Musicians
4 Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
Drums | Hal Blaine |
Backing Vocals – The Jimmy Joyce Children’s Chorus (Track 1)
Liner Notes
Producer – Karen Carpenter, Richard Carpenter
Engineer – Ray Gerhardt
Engineer (Assistant) – Roger Young
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Art Direction – Roland Young
Illustration – Design Maru, Len Freas
Photography – Jim McCrary
Phonographic Copyright A&M Records Inc
Copyright A&M Records Inc