The Carpenters fever just keeps spreading...I just bought the whole catalog

Man this forum kills me. All the Carpenters talk made me get the Singles 69-73, then I went further and bought Singles 74-78.
That wasn't enough so I found Karen Carpenters' solo CD used. That didn't fulfill the hunger enough so I bought the whole damn catalog. I have all the Remasters Classics, Singles 69-81 SACD, KC solo album, Singles 69-73 remastered and unremastered and I just bought the Essential Collection box set and I can't wait to get the DVD's!

My lord!

I guess this will be my "gotta get everything by that artist" of this year.

 

You only do one a year?

 

Now I do. With over 2,000 CD's there's not much left to do!
2003- Joni Mitchell
2004- Rickie Lee Jones
2005- Carpenters

Can't remember any before that!

 

...you made a wonderful investment...I'm lucky, my wife can sing EXACTLY like Karen!...she sings to me everday.

 

Tell her to send a tape to Richard!!

 

Nah, he'll just want to remix it and use a different guitarist in place of Michael.

 

...that's fine.

 

...fortunately there is not a SMILIE for my response...

 

Yes, I need to find Richards address...

 

I know the feeling. I just did the same thing with the Kinks and Velvet Underground. All the threads and talk about these two bands...well...I had to find out myself!

Although, the Kinks I had earlier, let's just say I re-discovered the Kinks. Anyway, it's great to stumble on to an artist or band, and then what everything. Especially if the band, and/or artists have been around for a few decades.

 

Break down and post at Rooody's A&M Corner in the duo's forum. You never know what you might get back, and many important people check it out.....

 

I'm on my way to doing the same thing, Except I worked my Way Backwards, starting with DVDs, to the Essential Box Set now up to their 7th Studio album remastered classics, only a few left to go

 

Up until a few months ago, the only Carpenters CD I owned was The Singles 1969-1973. Since then I've bought:

The Carpenters
Close To You
Now and Then
A Song For You
Horizon
Passage
As Time Goes By
Yesterday Once More

Last year, I bought whole catalogs of Queen, Steely Dan, and Elton John. This year, I'm on my way to doing the same with The Moody Blues and Yes.

 

Btw, Our local PBS ran a Carpenters show last night but I only caught the very end, where they had Richard on talking about the wonderful giveaways if you sign up as a member.

 

Wait until the fever drives you to get MULTIPLE copies of everything!

I had all of the '80s CDs that were issued and continued buying up compilations as I found them. Once the Internet thing blossomed, I discovered all of the great foreign releases I missed, like the Karaoke version of their songs mixed by Richard to exclude Karen's lead vocals.

Then along came the Remasters. I swore I wasn't going to buy any, but once I heard that they were the original album mixes I had to spring for them.

Last year, I spent a small fortune getting the 35th Anniversary Japanese box set of the remasters. These were just a "collector" thingy - housed in a box with each CD in a mini-LP reproduction of the original LPs, even down to the innersleeves being reproduced as inserts. Even the labels matched the way the LPs looked, and the first album reverted to the OFFERING cover. I don't regret the purchase at all - it's great for us A&M geeks.

 

I haven't done it in a while, but buying an artist's entire (or near entire catalog) is lots of fun.

In 1981, it was the Beatles, but I didn't spent a cent on records. I just taped a radio show that went through the band's history and played all the songs. I didn't listen to anything else all year!
In 1982, it was the Who, on LP of course. Many of them (Who by Numbers, Who Are You, Odds and Sods) were only $5.99, but the half-speed master of Who's Next was nearly $10. Horrors!
From 1987 on, it was James Brown, but I had to travel a bit to amass some 100 LPs. Never got the Christmas albums, though. That search was a bit more frustrating, as I bought some beat-up pressings.
As for the Carpenters, my brother bought all the CDs. And I haven't seen the SACD up here yet!

 

Glad i'm not a completest. My vise has been trying to get the better sounding versions of what I do go after. For some artists my catalog splits between CD's, SACD's, DVD-A's, vinyl and missing a piece of a catalog hasn't bothered me yet.

My dream would be to borrow that Delorean time machine and go back with the knowledge I have now to grab the goodies.

 

One of the best female voice I have ever heard, next to Ella. Saw a old TV clip where both Karen and Ella where singing together....real magic.

sean

 

That would be, of course, the 1980 Music, Music, Music special, which has a killer medley by Karen of hits, album tracks and Bacharach compositions.

 

Karen is THE BEST

There is no doubt in my mind that there was no finer singer than Karen out there......she had a huge Octive range and breathed very well when singing.....no huffing and buffing to annoy the sound......She was gifted, to bad she listened to the critic's that called her fat, who cares what someone weights, ie; Mama Cass.....but Karen took it to heart and left to soon, but at least we have some of the music for now, she is singing like a bird no doubt in heaven....can't wait to get up there to hear her concerts that she does daily.

 

Karen also had quite a natural flair for light comedy. I watched a DVD of all five of the Carpenters TV specials. While elements are quite hokey (hello, John Davidson), Karen shines every time with her unpretentious and infectious personality. Richard might cringe at some of these specials today (especially the 1977 Space Encounters special) but they should be officially released.

 

Some (if not all) of the Ella and Karen duets were released on As Time Goes By. I just bought this from BMG Music Club but haven't had a chance to hear it all yet. Btw, I think I read in the liner notes to As Time Goes By that Ella recorded her vocal after Karen's had already been recorded. I don't have it with me so I can't verify.

 

My favorite song is "Goodbye to Love".....nicely done......I feel the emotion when she sings it...