If you know me personally, you know that I am a huge fan of the Carpenters. If you were around in the 70's this wouldn't be a surprise-but I was born in 1974 and didn't actually start to really get into the Carpenters until 1988, five years after the passing of Karen Carpenter and a few years after their days at the top of the charts.
The very first Carpenters album I purchased was a two cassette (remember those?) collection of many of their hits. In time 28 songs was not enough for me and I wanted to hear all of the other songs they recorded, until I owned every Carpenters album released in the U.S.
Having all of the albums allowed me to listen to their music beyond the mega-hit singles like "We've Only Just Begun", "Close to You", and "For All We Know." In doing so, I discovered many of their album cuts (songs never intended for release as singles) that ending up being some of my favorite recordings of theirs.
While I think the iPod and Mp3 players are terrific inventions; their popularity has changed how people buy music, right? Now the element of buying an album because you liked a couple of songs from that artist, but then finding other songs that you grew to love, that you initially knew nothing about, is something that is gone.
Now, technology allows us to find and purchase exactly and only the songs we want. And while I think this can be a great thing, I still can't help but wonder of all of those hidden treasures that go undiscovered that people don't know about, in our zeal to find only the "hits."
Life, love, work and our relationships can work in the same way can't they? We concentrate on the big things, sometimes forgetting to take the time to uncover the hidden treasures laying all around. The big things are important, but sometimes the unexpected can enrich our lives in ways we never thought of.
Sure, I tend to gravitate more towards the Carpenters' hits, and I know that they were their hits for a reason; but I'm glad I've also decided to go beyond just listening to "Yesterday Once More" and "Top of the World" and have taken the time to find the lesser known album cuts as well.
What are the album cuts you need to discover in your life and relationships?
While I think the iPod and Mp3 players are terrific inventions; their popularity has changed how people buy music, right? Now the element of buying an album because you liked a couple of songs from that artist, but then finding other songs that you grew to love, that you initially knew nothing about, is something that is gone.
Now, technology allows us to find and purchase exactly and only the songs we want. And while I think this can be a great thing, I still can't help but wonder of all of those hidden treasures that go undiscovered that people don't know about, in our zeal to find only the "hits."
Life, love, work and our relationships can work in the same way can't they? We concentrate on the big things, sometimes forgetting to take the time to uncover the hidden treasures laying all around. The big things are important, but sometimes the unexpected can enrich our lives in ways we never thought of.
Sure, I tend to gravitate more towards the Carpenters' hits, and I know that they were their hits for a reason; but I'm glad I've also decided to go beyond just listening to "Yesterday Once More" and "Top of the World" and have taken the time to find the lesser known album cuts as well.
What are the album cuts you need to discover in your life and relationships?
A modified version of this post was originally published in 2008.
keywords: carpenters, karen carpenter, richard carpenter, relationships, communication, LPs, carpenters music, rommel anacan, relationship difference, corporate training, keynote speaking, consulting
