Carpenters ‎– Now & Then (LP)

Now & Then begins on a familiar note with “Sing.” This version of the Sesame Street favorite became a hit for the Carpenters and brought the song to an even wider audience. The Carpenters often get a bad reputation for making overly sentimental music, but songs like the buoyant “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)” are refreshingly bright. The real highlight of Now & Then, though, is the album’s entire second side. Beginning (and later ending) with “Yesterday Once More,” the latter half of the album is comprised of a medley of pop hits from the early ‘60s.

Evidently inspired by Rick Nelson’s infamous and ill-fated 1971 performance at Madison Square Garden, the Carpenters revisited the music of the previous decade with gleeful reverence. Girl-group classics like “Da Do Ron Ron” and “One Fine Day” stand alongside more dramatic teenager tunes like “Dead Man’s Curve” and “Johnny Angel.” Throughout the medley, guitarist Tony Peluso shows off his skills as a fast-talking DJ, even hosting a listener call-in contest where Richard and Karen’s cousin, Mark Rudolph, guesses a wrong answer. Paluso would reprise this fast-talking role on the group’s cover of “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft” on 1977’s Passage.

Label: A&M Records

Country: Netherlands

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Tri-Fold Sleeve. Plaine White Innersleeve. Plays great but has some superficial hairlines.