The 20th of February 1974
Official U.K. Albums Chart results from Sunday the 17th to Saturday the 23rd of February 1974
Cut-off for sales figures was up to the end of Saturday the 16th of February
Results counted from Sunday the 17th,
and published on Wednesday the 20th of February 1974.
Carpenters
Now & Then
At No.40, on the “The Top 50 U.K. Albums Chart”, the week of my 2nd Birthday, are the Carpenters with Now & Then.
Richard and Karen…
…return back this year in the chart for my second birthday and are (if you pardon the pun) on top of the world, since appearing in the album chart the day of my birth.
Back then,..
…they’d recently bought a new family for their parents from the financial rewards they’d gained from there initial success, and which is now pictured on the cover of this album, along with Richard’s recently purchased brand new 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona.
In fact, the couple are held in such esteem, that on the day the album was released in the United States in May last year (it wouldn’t be released for another couple of months over here in the U.K.), they were performing that very day at the White House.
A concept album,..
…the title of which had been suggested by their mother Agnes, the LP is split into the contemporary songs on side one (the Now side), one track of which I featured its origins in a previous post, and which I’ll link back to below; with side two (the Then side) consisting of one continuous medley of cherished ‘oldies’ bookended with a new musical love letter to those songs of the past, interjected by the revving of engines and linked with new created but old style DJ links to give the authentic feel of the American radio stations from way back when there seemed to be more innocence in the world.
The whole project…
…is another polished work of inspiration, meticulously produced by the both of them. It’s also an album in which Karen’s drumming is showcased on every track bar one; and highlights how amazing her percussive skills and sense of rhythm really are. Something I feel gets overlooked far too much.
Lastly, and on a personal level, this album included one of the most achingly beautiful tracks I ever heard, but I’ll cover more of that in another post a little further along my musical road.
The album…
…had driven straight into the Top 20 during the summer of 1973 on the 1st of July, when it debuted at No.16, and over the rest of the summer it had climbed steadily, easily making it into the Top 10 by the middle of that month, until it reached a peak position of No.2 at the beginning of September.
Since then, it had slowly reversed back down the chart during the recent autumn and winter months and into this year of 1974, which is where we find it idling at this point.
From here,..
…it accelerates back up the chart to the position it began, at No.16, and again keeps going to break into the Top 10 once again, as March turns to April.
It will steer around this area of the chart for the rest of spring before again backing through at the beginning of a new summer, and eventually backing out of the Top 50 after the last day of August.
There will be a few week long appearances through the autumn; one in the middle of September and the other two at the beginning and the middle of October. However, it’s last showing will be almost a year from now, when it makes it’s last appearance to date during the first week next February 1975, by which point, it will have notched up an extremely satisfying year and a quarter of non-consecutive weeks in the chart.
Side 1
Side 2
Many thanks go to the following YouTube Channels for providing the chance to hear this music once again.
Please show your appreciation by visiting their channel:
Grab Your Binoculars, Come Follow Me
My Socials
What is it…?
Who am I…?
When am I…?
Why am I…?
How do I…?
