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I've always liked it, but I was used to the sounds of Close To You and Carpenters, so it took me some time to grow to it. I really, really love this album and it's one of my favorites now. I love the experimentalism that they used on this album. It starts with a tune called B'wana She No Home, which is a really riveting, somewhat funky-type song. Of course we all love All You Get From Love Is A Love Song, which is the highlight of this album. The next song is the beautiful power ballad I Just Fall In Love Again. On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada/Don't Cry For Me Argentina is a beautiful song and the absolute greatest interpretation of that song of all-time. Sweet, Sweet Smile is such a fun, Country influenced tune. I love it! I also love their ballad Two Sides, and it's in my opinion, one of the highlights of the album. Then we go into the fun, upbeat song Man Smart (Woman Smarter). The album ends with Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft, which is a true masterpiece.

How do you rank the classic album Passage?

It's one of my favorites Marty!!!! I love it because K & R branched out and tried different styles of music.... that's why I love it so much. My favs off this album are "All You Get From Love", "Don't Cry For Me", "Two Sides" and "Bwana She No Home"...... but overall I love most of the songs on this album!

Me too. I love this album ! Is the song "Don't cry for me Argentina" a live version ? I can hear the applause on that track !

Don't Cry For Me, Argentina was recorded with over 100 musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the 50-voice Gregg Smith Singers. The prologue that so many fans hate (On The Balcony of the Casa Rosada) is performed exactly the same as on the Broadway album. The assembly of musicians and singes was so large that the recording session had to take place on the A&M Sound Stage, and was wired into Studio D. My understanding is that Karen sang live in a separate booth with her vocals recorded on a separate track. Then later, when the final recording of the vocals was done, she sang the song again with pre-recorded music track.

And didn't they use the USC Marching Band for Calling Occupants? They went all out on this album!

I love playing this album at night. It has a night mystique about it! I'm glad that you guys enjoy it!

I guess I never thought of it as a "night" album before.... that's really interesting Marty.... I can see why you say that..... I guess for me the "Song For You" album would definitely be a night album..... "Ticket to Ride" would be a day album..... oh.... definitely "Horizon".... the Horizon album is a definite night album!!!!!! Good job Marty! I never thought about the Carp albums as being night and day albums! That's an interesting concept! Hey everybody.... what are night albums and what are day albums to you?

You're right, Jayne!

Day Albums:
-----------------
Offering
Close To You (Well, I think it can be both because of the beautiful tune "Crescent Noon".)
Carpenters
Now & Then
A Kind Of Hush
Made In America

Night Albums:
------------------
A Song For You
Horizon
Passage

Of course, they all go both ways. We're just speaking in special terms.

I agree!

I love to listen to "Good Friends Are For Keeps" during the night and "Ordinary Fool" during the day.

I like the concept of Passage as they tried different kinds of music and it wasn't all sleepy standard stuff. Each song has its own variety. I really like "All You Get From Love is a Love Song" "Sweet Sweet Smile" and Argentina. I also love "Two Sides"... Karen's voice is perfect and just amazing when she goes "Goodbyeeeee" and not only goes higher than usual but she sustains the note perfectly with a "perfect vibrato" with the music just totally matching. I don't know.. lol, but if you really listen to it, its just nothing more than perfection!

I also love this cover with the colors. I always have this one framed on my wall. I do not really like Bwana, Occupants or Man Smart Woman Smarter though.

Good job Judy! I'd have to put "Voice of the Heart" in the night album category. I'm not sure where to put the "Singles 1969-1973" album...... Hmmmmm....... I'm leaning toward day.... or it could be night.... that's a tough one!

The only thing I've ever been able to find is what is in the album notes by Tim Nolan:

http://www.vex.net/~paulmac/carpenter/albums/passage_lp.html

But surely the most unexpected entry here is the Carpenters' adaption of Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft, a paen to galactic communication written by the Beatles-influenced group, Klaatu. Richard chose this song for three reasons: "I'm a Beatles fan, a Klaatu fan, and a science fiction fan." Again, his arrangement is orchestrated by Knight. Richard purposely avoided the kind of electronic devices with which Klaatu conveyed the illusion of outer space. "They employed a lot of sound effects - tape delay, things like that - and did all their sweetening with synthesizer. I wanted to use the real thing." So Tony Peluso (who also portrays the confused disc jockey) plays his Appollonian guitar over swelling cosmic threnodies, swirling violins, pipe organ, choir, classical piano and a marching band - Charles Ives goes to Mars! Somehow it all seems as natural as catching a wave.

The album credits don't list a marching band, so I don't know for sure the answer to your question.
Edited by NedNickerson, 05 October 2007 - 04:52 PM.

Thank you..... if I remember right it was in one of the fanclub newsletters.... I think Ev mentioned the USC marching band.... either that or I was dreaming!!!!

"Voice Of The Heart" is classic. Great choices!

I like Passage a lot, it showed that the Carpenters could perform all different kinds of music well, in addition to their standards.

As for day and night albums, here's my list:
Day:
1970-Close To You
1969-Ticket To Ride (Offering)
1973-Now and Then
1976-A Kind of Hush
1972-A Song For You

Night:
1971-Carpenters (Tan Album)
1977-Passage
1981-Made in America
1975-Horizon
1983-Voice of The Heart
Edited by Carpenters Fan, 05 October 2007 - 08:01 PM.