Carpenters cds

Could any guys or gals out there direct me towards the best sounding Carpenters hits collection cd?

Thanks.

 

It depends on if you care about the remixing that Richard has done over the years. Nearly all compilations out there feature remixes to one degree or another. The later the date, the more likely that more and more songs are remixes.

If the remixing bothers you, then the best bet is to acquire the individual albums in the Remastered Classics series. These are the albums currently in print, so they're easy enough to find. Buying the original albums used might get you into remixing territory, as the original CD issues features occasional updated tracks.

If the remixing doesn't bother you - and it might not, since you asked about the 'best sounding' compilations. Generally, the later remixes have an updated and modern sound to them, whereas the originals are a warts-and-all proposition with the original noise, hiss, dropouts, just the way they were on LP back in the '70s. Thus the newer compilations have the latest-and-greatest versions of the songs.

Specific recommendations:

For the closest to the original tracks, seek out SINGLES 1969-1973. Though it only features the earliest group of hits, they're presented in a creative way. The first bunch of tracks feature some segueing from track to track with some newly recorded 'joiners.' If you're looking for a more extensive package, try CLASSICS VOLUME 2 or YESTERDAY ONCE MORE, the earliest version of that title - it has an icy-blue colored cover and is a 2-disc set. Some tracks were remixed for that project but not the whole thing. Neither is currently in print, but they should be easily available in the used market. Actually, if you're from the UK (as your 'location' indicates), there's a local version of YESTERDAY ONCE MORE, with a silver cover, also out of print that features NO remixes.

For modern, up-to-date sounding tracks, try the new GOLD: 35th ANIVERSARY EDITION
for a 2-disc compilation, or for the most extensive and perhaps best sounding compilation, look for the current box set called ESSENTIAL COLLECTION a 4-disc set that just sounds outstanding.

 

Yep. For a lot of us, this is the only Carpenters we need. But if you want the 'original' version of 'Top of The World,' which is gentler and features more prominent steel guitar, you need to pick up the 'remastered' version of 'A Song For You.'

 

I'm not a Carpenters afficionado, but I'm a big fan of the MFSL "Song for You".

 

Sorry I should have been clearer, I had a 90's UK collection with a white cover which was called, confusingly "Yesterday Once More" and was soon after, for some reason, reissued with a different title (can't remember what) but with the same disc and cover and it contained remixes which to me were horrible so I guess I am leaning toward you guys suggestion of 69-73, as I would rather have closer to the original, does the latter have a brown sleeve similar to the vinyl version and was it released in 1990 - is this the one I should get ?

Thanks again.

 

Yes there is a remastered and a non-remastered version both sound similar.

 

Yes, all have the brown cover with gold printing.

The Remastered Classics version of SINGLES 1969-1973 should have a clear left pane and tray with the words REMASTERED CLASSICS or some such printed in there. You'll also see teeny tiny print under the tray at the bottom about it being remastered by Richard Carpenter and Bernie Grundman.

The older version usually has a black tray.

It's been discovered that some songs on the older version were sped up a bit to match pitch. Richard corrected this on the later release, as he's documented on the Carpenters website, http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com in the "Fans Ask" section.

Bottom line - newer version, clear tray, proper pitch.

 

There's also a 1974-78 singles collection as well. No remixes.

 

Exactly. A nice companion CD if you already have the 1969-1973 CD. This was released in Europe and Canada, but, strangley, not in the USA.

 

Just to clarify, the version on "Singles 1969-1973" is the original single version. (The album version on A Song For You is different). Sorry if I am stating the obvious.

 

The album version was out for a year or two before it was released as a single, where it got a bit of a remix. From what I remember, they never planned to release it as a single, but it became popular enough to release it that way.

 

I have the box "From the Top". Does the Essential box sound better? I hope not!

Ok, did the search but the only consensus I can find is they both contain many remixes.

Maybe coping the original vinyl for cheap is the way to go. I did find a nice copy of "Close To you" recently.

 

IMHO yes, ESSENTIAL COLLECTION does indeed sound better than FROM THE TOP.

And, if you really want to know, quite a few of the hit singles on ESSENTIAL COLLECTION are the original mixes, where FROM THE TOP used a lot more remixes and had less hits to begin with.

It's a bummer that two box sets had to be done in the first place, but the philosophy for their individual releases changed.

In 1990, FROM THE TOP was compiled to gather together a bunch or rarities and to throw in some favored tracks and album cuts along the way. It really was intended for fans to fill in their collections with a lot of previously unreleased stuff.

By 2002, that set seemed old and out of date, so Richard essentially went back to square one and assembled a whole new set. Since it's chronological, like FROM THE TOP, a lot of it looks the same, but really the whole thing was re-done and re-mastered, including basically all of the hits this time and wrapping them around the rarities. Some stuff like a few of Karen's solo tracks were no longer rarities like they were in 1990, so they were eliminated. Other tracks were added, like "Trying To Get The Feelin' Again" which was originally INTENDED for FROM THE TOP, but wasn't included because Richard couldn't find the original lead-demo recording. It didn't turn up for a few years when it landed on INTERPRETATIONS.

 

Thanks all you good people. I managed to find 69-73 & 74-78 cd's, the latter is sonically slightly better than the former which is musically beautiful, I'd love to find the remaster based on HGN2001's comments. I came close on ebay but it was a US only delivery.

 

I know this is going to be considered heresy, but having no Carpenters in my collection, I went out and bought the recent Gold: 35th Anniversary Collection. While I may have heard a couple of their songs on the radio years back, I don't remember them all that well, so hearing these remixed and redubbed versions doesn't have the same effect on me that it would a long-standing Carpenters fan.

I like the songs, but not enough to get into their catalog, so I'll stick with what I have. It sounds fine to me and I'm happy with it.

But I understand the grousings of hardcore Carpenters fans: If one of my favorite groups went back and did revisionist remixings, I'd be upset too.

 

As promised, I got hold of the original Canadian Singles 1969-73 CD and here is my report. It has all the pitch problems of the original vinyl and yet Yesterday Once More is the 1985 remix. The remaster, as I said before, has all the pitch problems corrected and yet Yesterday Once More is still the 1985 remix. The Now & Then remaster contains a period mix of Yesterday Once More but it is missing an electric guitar overdub and is not the originally released mix. Conclusion, the original mix of YOM is missing in action on CD unless I overlooked some necessary compilation.
Bob.

 

Thanks Bob, that's also the one (Canadian) I got today, because the "Yesterday Once More double" has never sounded 'right' to me and the remixes haven't helped. This brown-sleeved 69-73 beauty sounds more like it (now I remember why I bought the album when I was fifteen), but I find the upper mid-range a bit hard at times, maybe if I ever find this elusive "Remastered Classics" version this may have been rectified.

 

According to Grant Guerrero's excellent Carpenters discography, the mix of "Yesterday Once More" on the remastered classics cd was originally issued on the German 45rpm of this song but not the U.S. 45 or the original U.S. vinyl lp. According to him, the electric guitar is replaced by a piano. (Even though I love this song, I guess it isn't one that I have as much of an attachment to because I never even noticed the difference.) I'm not at home as I write this -- does anyone know whether any of the various Carpenters cd's contains the original mix of YOM with the guitar instead of piano?

 

Now you mention it, the bass drum on "YOM" is very "eighties" - thought it was odd!

 

I love Grant Guerrero's site! Very informative and detailed. Yes, the remastered Classics version of Singles 1969-73 does sound nicer than the original but YOM is wrong everywhere! One quick way to tell the remix is in the piano chords on the lyrics, "it made me smile". If anybody finds the right version on CD, please let us all know.
Bob.

 

I just heard the YOM differences b/w the 2 CD's. Great now I have to keep both copies...

 

Perhaps a historical timeline will help out here with the various versions of "Yesterday Once More", the song.


(1). The original album mix
The album NOW AND THEN was released with "Sing" as the first single. That vinyl album (also on various tape formats) contained what we'll call the 'album mix' of "Yesterday Once More," destined to be the next single. That album mix is the most sparse version of the song, missing some familiar elements like the lower-pitched 'answering' oboe part. Being from the NOW AND THEN album, it segues into the oldies medley with the roar of engines. Found only on early pressings of NOW AND THEN.

(2). The original single mix
Once it was decided to release "Yesterday Once More" as a single later the same year, Richard spruced up the track, adding the answering oboe and a guitar figure toward the end of the track. This single mix appeared on the 45 and on subsequent NOW AND THEN vinyl pressings. (I'm not sure how or if the tape formats changed since I never owned any of them.)

(3). The 1985 remix
Altered for its namesake album in 1985, "Yesterday Once More" was one of the first tracks ever remixed. Easily identified by the now stereo piano recording and Karen's reverbed vocals, this mix remained a staple on compilations for years.

The song would again be remixed a couple of more times since then, notable 1991 and 2004 for the SACD release, but the question seems to be about where the above can be found.

(1) is available on the original vinyl first pressings of NOW AND THEN, and on CD on the REmastered Classics series version of NOW AND THEN.

(2) shows up on later vinyl pressings of NOW AND THEN as well as the SINGLES 1969-1973 compilation (both the '80s edition and the Remastered Classics edition).

(3) show up on virtually every compilation from 1985 through 1995.

All references here are US editions. Other releases in other countries can and do vary, particularly Canada, the UK, and Japan.

 

Now we have two contradicting statements: Bob and chevvies say that "The Singles 1969-1973" CD has the 1985 remix of YOM, while HGN2001 says it has the original single mix. Am I misunderstanding something?

(I was always convinced that my CD of "The Singles 1969-1973", which has a 1991 copyright, had the original single mix, but now I am not sure if I have ever heard the original single mix.)

 

See posts number 16 and 17 where both bob and chevvies claim that they have Canadian versions of the CD. My post was specifically related to both the original '80s issue US CD and the 1998 Remastered Classics US CD.

For the record, I never owned a 1991-issued version, so I can't help you there. But it seems clear that multiple versions abound.

 

Thank you. I will check out the remastered classics version for comparison.