The Now series is known for crossing the boundaries of record labels in its attempt to provide definitive collections of hits -- usually from contemporary hits, but also of different eras and styles from the past (at least in its U.K. incarnation). Thankfully, the double-disc, 36-track collection Now That's What I Call Christmas! lives up to the ...
This double-CD set was probably too much of the Carpenters for the average fan, but just the same, it touches bases that The Singles misses, and it is rewarding. The 1998 remastering (catalog number 31454 1000-2) is doubly attractive, as a mid-priced item with 24-bit remastered sound and new notes by Paul Grein. The 28 songs, totaling more than ...
As Time Goes By is a collection of songs taken from demos, live shows, and television performances recorded by the Carpenters between 1967 and 1980. In his liner notes, Richard Carpenter says this is a record for hardcore Carpenters fans only and he is right. The songs from the various TV specials the duo recorded are cute, mostly versions of ...
Singles (1969-1981) expands the popular Singles (1969-1973) album with more of the group's later hits, such as "Please Mr. Postman," "Only Yesterday," "Touch Me When We're Dancing," and "I Won't Last a Day Without You." "(They Long to Be) Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun," "Superstar," and other '70s hits are still here, making this a ...
From 2000 to 2006 there were no less than fifteen greatest hits compilations issued for the Carpenters in various permutations. This "ultimate" collection, however, does a reasonable job living up to the idea that this is the ultimate greatest hits compilation available for the duo. Staple songs such as "Superstar," "We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy ...
An essential album for your fireside Christmas, it sold a million in 1978 and contains the classics "Merry Christmas, Darling" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." ~ David A. Milberg, All Music Guide
Hurriedly put together in the wake of the success of the title song, and containing the follow-up hit "We've Only Just Begun," Close to You is a surprisingly strong album, and not just for those hits. Richard Carpenter's originals "Maybe It's You" and "Crescent Noon" are superb showcases for Karen Carpenter's developing talent, the latter a ...
There's a certain inherent sadness listening to this concise 12-song collection of the Carpenters' early hits, especially as it opens with "We've Only Just Begun," with its hopeful, dreamy lyrics -- for it was never supposed to be definitive, just the first of at least two such collections. But changes in the public's taste and a slackening ...
The duo's best album, and the place to start beyond the hits compilations. Up to the release of A Song for You, the Carpenters' success had seemed an awesome if somewhat fluky phenomenon, built on prodigious talent, some beautifully crafted pop sensibilities, and a very fortunate choice of singles -- their albums Close to You and Carpenters, ...
There may be too many Carpenters compilations on the market -- there are certainly enough to confuse the average neophyte -- but Love Songs is a welcome addition to the clutter, since it offers 20 of the duo's very best love songs, including "We've Only Just Begun" and "Top of the World." Anyone looking for a collection of the duo's romantic songs ...
In 1998, A&M released the original Carpenters' albums for the first time on CD. Along with the reissues, the label released Christmas Collection, a double-disc that combines Christmas Portrait and An Old Fashioned Christmas on one set. Neither album offers any surprises -- they sound exactly like you'd imagine a Carpenters Christmas album would ...
Usually the name Gold: Greatest Hits means "avoid this album." Many times small labels will buy the rights to some obscure songs by a big-name artist and then release it under that very title. But despite the name, this collection keeps the crap in the middle of the album, buried between the good stuff. In fact, this is a really good retrospective ...
Lovelines commemorated the duo's 20-year association with A&M Records, though Karen had passed away six years before. Ten of the 12 tracks were recorded for other albums but were not included for various reasons; two are remixes of previously released material. Richard penned the liner notes, which give some insight into the history of the pieces. ...
Volume two of Collectables' Ultimate Christmas Album gathers more classic pop and rock holiday tunes, including the Beach Boys' "Little Saint Nick," Gene Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus," and Diana Ross & the Supremes' "White Christmas." Most of this volume's best-known tracks are by traditional pop crooners, such as Dean Martin's "Let It Snow! ...
The Carpenters' final album, Made in America, released after their two-year break from work, a period in which Karen Carpenter attempted a solo album and when Richard was incapacitated due to a drug problem, is very much a comeback effort, with a fair amount of energy on most of it, newly radiant arrangements ("The Wedding Song," etc.), one cute ...
It probably is not an oversight that the Carpenters entry in Universal Music Group's discount-priced compilation series 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection, unlike all the others, does not begin its title with the words "The Best of...." There have been plenty of Carpenters hits compilations, some of them still in print, and Richard ...
Their second Christmas album, with more of the soft sounds of the season, is made for mistletoe and someone you love. ~ David A. Milberg, All Music Guide
Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration collects all of the covers (those not written by Richard Carpenter) from soft rock heroes the Carpenters, remasters them, and tosses in three previously unreleased cuts ("When I Fall in Love," "From This Moment On," and "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again"). The result is a highly listenable (come on, ...
The formula behind the Carpenters' albums was starting to get fairly routine -- a hit single and an oldie or two (which sometimes was the single) surrounded by some well-produced soft pop/rock, driven by electric piano, strings, and a guitar solo or two cropping up. "There's a Kind of a Hush" and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" are the two most ...
Those who listened to the Carpenters during their heyday without paying attention to those names that appear in parenthesis after song titles might not be aware of a musical development that took place during the group's career. As time went on, Richard Carpenter became a more significant source of the Carpenters' songs as a writer. Richard was ...
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