40/40 (originally subtitled The Best Selection) is a two-disc compilation by American pop group The Carpenters. The album features 40 songs that span their entire career (10 of them were determined by Japanese fan voting), and first issued by Universal Japan on April 22, 2009 (forty years after they signed to A&M Records).[2] It was issued worldwide half a year later, leaving out its subtitle.
| 40/40 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 cover of the Japanese edition | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | April 22, 2009 (Japan) October 20, 2009 (worldwide) | |||
| Recorded | 1969–1982 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | A&M/Universal Music Distribution | |||
| Producer | Richard Carpenter | |||
| The Carpenters chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Live/compilations chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
The cover art was taken from the photo sessions for the album Horizon, showing a healthy and glowing Karen and Richard. A television spot aired for the album, prominently featuring the famous "Carpenters" logo. Included in this set is the original, long version of a UK top-10 hit "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft", and their last top-20 U.S. hit "Touch Me When We're Dancing".
In Japan, 40/40 received a commercial success upon its release. It debuted and peaked at the number-three position on the Japanese Oricon, making them one of the Western artists with the most top-ten albums in the history of that country's chart (following Madonna and The Beatles, tying with Queen, The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney/Wings).[3] The album also charted in the UK, peaking at #21 in November 2009.
The original Japanese release was pressed on the SHM-CD (super high material CD) with improved sound, while the cheaper international edition was issued on the standard CD format. One other change is that the Japanese track listing included "Leave Yesterday Behind" while the standard worldwide release substituted "Touch Me When We're Dancing".
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Need to Be in Love" | Bettis, Carpenter, Albert Hammond | 3:48 |
| 2. | "Now" | Nichols, Dean Pitchford | 3:50 |
| 3. | "Solitaire" | Neil Sedaka, Phil Cody | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Please Mr. Postman" | Robert Bateman, Georgia Dobbins, William Garrett, Freddie Gorman, Brian Holland | 2:48 |
| 5. | "Hurting Each Other" | Gary Geld, Peter Udell | 2:47 |
| 6. | "I Won't Last a Day Without You" | Nichols, Williams | 3:54 |
| 7. | "Sweet, Sweet Smile" | Otha Young, Juice Newton | 3:02 |
| 8. | "A Song for You" | Russell | 4:37 |
| 9. | "Ordinary Fool" | Williams | 3:42 |
| 10. | "When You've Got What It Takes" | William M. Lane, Nichols | 3:41 |
| 11. | "Goodbye to Love" | Bettis, Carpenter | 3:56 |
| 12. | "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" | Larry Weiss | 3:51 |
| 13. | "Sing" | Joe Raposo | 3:18 |
| 14. | "Baby It's You" | Bacharach, Mack David, Barney Williams | 2:52 |
| 15. | "Let Me Be the One" | Nichols, Williams | 2:49 |
| 16. | "Only Yesterday" | Bettis, Carpenter | 3:46 |
| 17. | "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" | Hank Williams, Moon Mullican | 3:39 |
| 18. | "Touch Me When We're Dancing" | Ken Bell, Terry Skinner and J. L. Wallace | 3:20 |
| 19. | "We've Only Just Begun" | Nichols, Williams | 3:04 |
| 20. | "When It's Gone (It's Just Gone)" | Randy Handley | 5:00 |
Charts
edit| Chart (2009–2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[4] | 7 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[5] | 3 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[6] | 2 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[7] | 25 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[8] | 92 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[9] | 21 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[10] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ 40/40 at AllMusic
- ^ Masayuki Nishi, ed. (April 30, 2009). "「カーペンターズは進行中」 デビュー４０周年に兄語る ("Carpenters goes on": Elder brother of Carpenter siblings talks about their pop group's 40th anniversary project)". Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Osaka, Japan. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
- ^ "カーペンターズ、40年の歴史ではじめて初登場トップ3入り (The Carpenters' album debut at the top-3 on the Japanese chart for the first time)". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 23, 2009.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Carpenters – 40/40". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "カーペンターズ 40/40 ～ベスト・セレクション". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Carpenters – 40/40". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Carpenters – 40/40". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – Carpenters – 40/40" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2009年6月 on the drop-down menu
- ^ "British album certifications – Carpenters – 40/40". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 12, 2024.