Carpenters Album: “Made in America”

When I first heard MADE IN AMERICA, it struck me as a "fun" Carpenters album, one that is more guilty pleasure than breath-taking beautiful. As with A KIND OF HUSH, this album would almost have you believe that Karen and Richard Carpenter really were as happy as they appeared in public.

While VOICE OF THE HEART and CLOSE TO YOU will probably always be my favorite Carpenters CDs, there IS something special about MADE...perhaps because it's the first Carpenters album I actually remember seeing in the record store when I was a kid, the one that produced a top 40 single I wanted to request on my local radio station even though I was too embarrassed to say "touch me."--Imagine thinking a song with that title was racy:)!

In college I started a belated CD kick and tried to get all the Carpenters albums in that format. It took a while before I was able to track down "Made in America" after my cassette fell apart. Once I found it, though, I was thrilled (and a little dismayed) to rediscover songs such as the adorably catchy "Beechwood 4-5789" and the sexist "Strength of a Woman" (no woman in her right mind would have such an attitude toward a cheating man!)

Lightening up, I took a second look and realized that MADE IN AMERICA had more ballads than I thought it did and that it was

not nearly as fluffy and commercial as I had previously imagined. Yes, "(Want You) Back in My Life Again" and "Touch Me When We're Dancing" are pleasant by-products of their attempts to ride that early 80s pop bandwagon and "When You've Got What it Takes" is just a bit too precious, but all the other tracks hold out just fine 25 years later, especially the bittersweet "When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)"--a song that took on an even sadder edge after Karen Carpenter passed away.

The three songs on the album most true to the Carpenters' classic sound are "Because We Are in Love (The Wedding Song)," "I Believe You," and "Somebody's Been Lyin.'" The perfect balance between songs that are fun (if maybe a bit dated) and songs that are timeless may be why so many of fans believed the talented duo would have gone on to do so much more in the 80s.

Granted, I have some sentimental reasons for loving this album. I had just gotten married when it was released and several of the album's songs spoke to the wonder of a new life with my wife.

However, it is the beautiful texture of the album in its entirety that makes this the Carpenters' best effort. The songs do not just sing out with catchy melodies and arrangements, they speak to the listener in quiet words that hide just below the surface of the actual recording.

This album is pure poetry and each session I spend listening to it reminds me how great our loss was when Karen died just a short while later. And frankly, I was not that much of a "Carpenters" fan!

At a time when punk was ascendant and disco was waning, Karen and Richard Carpenter crafted an album that will endure long after the world forgets The Sex Pistols, Blondie, and Saturday Night Fever.

This is a gem that belongs in everyone's music collection.

This was the last album that Karen completed before her untimely death in 1983. It didn't have the same quality of songs as in their early work, but this is a solid collection of pop songs. The biggest hit from the album is "Touch Me When We're Dancing." It climbed to number 16 on the pop charts in the spring of 1981 and stayed there for four weeks. There were several other tracks released, but they failed to crack the top 50. Strangely, the best song on the album, "Stregnth of a Woman" was never released. This scorcher of a song had Karen singing in that rich lower register of hers about a woman holding on to her man, even with his infildelity. It was a classic Carpenters' song and I think could have taken them back to the top 10. Other highlights on the album include the uptempo "(Want you) Back in my life again" and beautiful yet tragic "When It's gone (It's just Gone)." Unfortunately, there was a remake of Beechwood 4-5789, which pales in comparison to other remakes the Carpenters did, and "Because We are in Love (The Wedding Song)" which is an over produced track that almost drowns out Karen's incredible voice. This was somewhat of a musical departure for the Carpenters. It had some of the same sounds as before (ie Karen's strong vocals and the harmony backgrounds) with an experimental musical side that should have paved the way for years of great music to lie ahead. Unfortunately, on February 4, 1983, Karen's voice was silenced forever. We are left with thinking what might have been. This album is pointer to what might have been and should not be listened to for that reason alone, but because it is a good album in its own right.

I find the departure from the jazzier style refreshing for a Carpenter's CD. I love the production on "I want you back in my life again". OK, it's pure pop, but there's no pretense that it is anything but. Pure zeal and that beautiful layered vocal climax. Other highlights "When you got what it takes" "I believe you" and "Touch me when we're dancing".

The last Album made by Richard and Karen before her death. From the opening Song,"These good old Days," The Carpenters welcome you into there fantastic sound,to Karen's Wedding song,written by Richard for her wedding,this CD is filled with the Carpenters we know and Love. My favorite is,"When you got what it takes."I just love this song,and can't understand why it wasn't released as a single.I heard this song years later at the half time show during the Super Bowl. Five of the records from this tape made it to the Adult Charts in Billboard,and "Touch me when were dancing," was a top 16 hit on the pop charts. If Karen would have lived,I'm sure the next Album would have put Karen and Richard on top again. This is a must buy for anyone who loves the Carpenters like I do.