Jump to content

If I Were a Carpenter (tribute album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If I Were a Carpenter
Compilation album by
Various Artists
ReleasedSeptember 13, 1994 (1994-09-13)
GenreAlternative rock
Length49:06
LabelA&M
ProducerMatt Wallace & Dave Konjoyan
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[2]
Los Angeles Times[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

If I Were a Carpenter is a 1994 tribute album to The Carpenters. It features alternative rock bands covering the songs of Richard and Karen Carpenter.

Overview

[edit]

The cover is a painting done, Margaret Keane style, of Richard and Karen Carpenter listening to an LP album against an orange background. Richard Carpenter has said that he doesn't "care for" the version of "Superstar" by Sonic Youth.[5]

The album was the brainchild of Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Replacements, Faith No More) and David Konjoyan.

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]

Rolling Stone praised the album, calling it "an affectionate, almost reverent tribute to the Carpenters...For those who dismiss the notion of a Carpenters revival as some kind of joke – hey, if Nixon received re-evaluation, why not the Carpenters? – the fact that this tribute album mostly plays it straight will come as a surprise. But for the more open-minded, listening to If I Were a Carpenter and going back to the originals movingly evokes an era we've only just begun to come to terms with."[7]

In their review, Billboard noted that "as concepts go, this went one step beyond: Bring together cutting edge acts such as Sheryl Crow, Shonen Knife, the Cranberries, and Babes In Toyland, and turn them loose on hits like "Close To You" and 'We've Only Just Begun" from '70s pop icons Richard & Karen Carpenter. But it works, and as much more than a goof, partly because there is nary a snicker in sight, and largely because, despite their gooey heart, these are, at bottom, solid songs." [8]

Cashbox stated "Mark Eitzel’s a cappella opening to American Music Club’s version of “Goodbye To Love” pretty much says it all. Eitzel’s opening lies somewhere between reverence and dark satire, which is pretty much the case with this salute to the Carpenters, America’s sweethearts of the ’70s... The hype is justified in the sense that the album’s eccentricities live up to what everyone expected."[9]

Allmusic have the album a positive review, stating "released among a bevy of tribute albums, 'If I Were a Carpenter registers as one of the best of the lot, with spot-on performances of Carpenters classics from the '70s. Unlike many tribute collections, this CD gets it right most of the time, thanks to a lineup of artists suited to the duo's wide-screen pop mix...And, while being impressed by the sheer range and originality of these interpretations, listeners will also discover the overlooked songwriting talents of Paul Williams, Roger Nichols, Leon Russell, Neil Sedaka, and Richard Carpenter. A must for the post-punk-savvy Carpenters fan."[10]

Use in Media

[edit]

The album, and specifically the Sonic Youth cover of "Superstar," featured prominently in the 2007 film Juno; "Superstar" was included on the Juno soundtrack.

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleArtistLength
1."Goodbye to Love"American Music Club3:12
2."Top of the World"Shonen Knife3:55
3."Superstar"Sonic Youth4:06
4."(They Long to Be) Close to You"The Cranberries2:40
5."For All We Know"Bettie Serveert3:27
6."It's Going to Take Some Time"Dishwalla4:16
7."Solitaire"Sheryl Crow4:43
8."Hurting Each Other"Johnette Napolitano with Marc Moreland4:09
9."Yesterday Once More"Redd Kross3:58
10."Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft"Babes In Toyland4:06
11."Rainy Days and Mondays"Cracker3:44
12."Let Me Be the One"Matthew Sweet3:26
13."Bless the Beasts and Children"4 Non Blondes4:17
14."We've Only Just Begun"Grant Lee Buffalo3:51

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1994) Peak
position
New Zealand Albums Chart[11] 34
UK Compilation Albums (OCC)[12] 27
US Billboard 200[13] 69
US Cash Box Top 200 Albums[14] 74
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[15] 47

References

[edit]
  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Entertainment Weekly review
  3. ^ Los Angeles Times review
  4. ^ Rolling Stone review
  5. ^ "40/40 Celebrates The Carpenters 1969 Debut", November 25, 2009
  6. ^ Cook, Stephen. If I Were a Carpenter at AllMusic. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Album Releases". Rolling Stone. No. Oct 20, 1994). Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  8. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. No. 24 September 1994. p. 72. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 1 October 1994. p. 9. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  10. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/if-i-were-a-carpenter-a-m--mw0000120546
  11. ^ "CARPENTERS - IF I WERE A CARPENTER (ALBUM)". charts.nz. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  13. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums" (PDF). Billboard. October 1, 1994. p. 88. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "Cash Box Top 200 Pop Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. October 15, 1994. p. 8. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  15. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2619". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_I_Were_a_Carpenter_(tribute_album)&oldid=1253664238"