Carpenters - Now & Then

Now & Then is the fifth studio album by American pop duo Carpenters, originally released in May 1973 via A&M Records.

Now & Then is the follow-up album to their successful 1972 album A Song For You was loosely themed around a rock and roll “oldies” revival movement. Side B sets the scene for this theme with the Richard Carpenter and John Bettis penned “Yesterday Once More”, with the opening line “When I was young I’d listen to the radio, Waiting for my favourite songs…”. How appropriate is that song lyric; so many teenagers growing up in the 1960s and 1970s would relate to those lines.

The song then moves into an eight song medley containing classic hits such as The Beach Boys “Fun, Fun, Fun”, The Crystals “Da Doo Ron Ron”, and Jan & Dean’s “Deadman’s Curve”. The medley closes out with a reprise of “Yesterday Once More”.

Side A contains a set of cover songs, including a song originally written for Sesame Street “Sing”, which became a smash hit single for the Carpenters. They also cover another Leon Russell song “This Masquerade”, and a 1952 Hank Williams song “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)”. The album marked a return by Karen Carpenter to playing drums on most of the recordings on this album.

Now & Then is another strong album with their trademark vocals and lush arrangements for which the Carpenters are now recognised in a class of their own.

The album continued their run of chart success around the world, peaking at #2 on the US Billboard 200, #2 on the UK and #3 on the Australian Albums charts.

The distinctive cover artwork features a photograph of the Carpenters driving past their family home on Newville Avenue in Downey, California. The car pictured on the cover was a 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 ("Daytona") owned by Richard.

Check out the tracks:  “Sing”; “This Masquerade”; “Jambalaya (On The Bayou)”; and “Yesterday Once More”.

This LP record is a 2017 reissue on 180 gram heavyweight vinyl featuring remastered audio with replicated original US album artwork with a three panel fold-out gatefold cover, pressed in the US.