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Post by Daturadaisy on Mar 13, 2004 23:10:49 GMT -5
I hope this thread hasn't already been done!!
So first off, I'll just say that I completely forgot that I liked the Carpenters until I stumbled upon 1969 - 1973 The Singles in my collection, just by chance as I was looking for something else. I put it in my CD player and now it seems to almost never come out. That was about a month ago. It's the only Carpenter's CD that I own.
So the other day I ran to Virgin Records here in San Fran thinking that I would buy some more CDs but as I perused the selection I realized that I didn't know what to buy!
There was one CD that seemed to have a ton of music crammed on it ... it must have been all of the Carpenter's in 2 CDs!!! ... but that doesn't necessarily always appeal to me. Some of the older CDs had stickers on them that said they were " digitally remastered" which made me think that I might be interested in those CDs. Nothing more annoying than buying a great CD with poor sound quality and some of the older recordings really show their age. They are quiet -- you have to turn the volume way up to get anything out of them --- argh!
So what would anyone suggest as the next CD I should buy? Has anyone here had any experience with the Digitally Remastered CDs ... do they sound good?
I hope that I am not repeating a topic that has already been done!
best wishes,
Melody
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Post by Moe on Mar 14, 2004 0:18:15 GMT -5
 Hi Melody and welcome to the site! You mentioned a 2 disk CD. Was it called Gold? It was just released last month and contains most of the hits and a good collection of album tracks that are worth a listen. I would recommend that one to start. The sound has been remixed and or re-recorded and sounds great. Other CD's to start with would in my personal favorite, "Horizon." Karen's lower register is used so effectively in this CD and the songs are classic! The next one I would check out would be the tan album called "Carpenters," followed by "A Song for You." If you are looking for another compliation of music, hits and album tracks, "Love Songs" from the late 90's is awesome. As for the remastered stickers that you found on some of the CD's, I can't help you there. I bought all of my Carpenters' CD when they came out in the 80's. I haven't tried any of the remastered ones, except for the later compliation CD's. I like the subtle differences in the new mixes verses the original. The older ones don't sound bad to me, but a real musician with a good ear might differ. I have read many reviews of the Carpenters' CD's on Amazon.com and a lot of those reviewers don't like the remixes. I would say that someone else in the forum would have to give you their take on the issue. I hope this helps a little. Welcome back to the Carpenters' music and enjoy what you are about to hear! My all time favorite Carpenters' tunes that you should look out for are "Where do I go from here," "You're the One," "One more time," " Desperado," "I just fall in love again," and "Strength of a Woman"...plus a lot of the hits you may already be familiar with. take care
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Post by Ming on Mar 14, 2004 1:06:38 GMT -5
I own many " digitally remastered" CDs. They have good qualities. You don't have to turn the volume way up to get sound out of them. They sounds good. You should buy all of them.
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 14, 2004 2:34:33 GMT -5
Hi Daturadaisy, "Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition" is an excellent compilation and is worthy of being part of your Carpenters Collection. Although of the studio album "Horizon" is a great place to start. A darker side of Karen is showcased here. Her reading of " Desperado" is outstanding, in my opinion it's the definitive recording of the song. "Only Yesterday" is one of pop music's finest musical arrangements. "Solitaire" possesses one of Karen's most intense vocals. Every song from beginning to end is a masterpiece.
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Post by Will on Mar 14, 2004 5:10:43 GMT -5
I have reintroduced myself to the Carpenters music in the last couple of years. Until then I'd heard them on the radio but never owned an album. Now that I'm buying their music I continue to ask the question, "What next?"
So, don't be concerned about repeating this thread -- it's one of those that needs revisiting every so often as listeners discover or rediscover the Carpenters.
I'm thinkin' that it's unlikely you need to be concerned about sound quality when it comes to an official Carpenter's CD like you might with some other CDs. Richard C appears to be a perfectionist of the first order and would never release anything without the best sound quality. I like everything I've bought in recent days.
There's so much Carpenters stuff out there (although never enough) and it often doesn't come cheap so my goal was to buy CDs that didn't repeat much of the material that I already owned. Here's what I've got so far:
Karen's solo album was first. Set aside your Carpenters expectations when listening to this one. This is Karen's album and not an attempt by Karen to make another Carpenters album. I like having this one for completeness and to better understand where Karen was at in the late 70s. I also like the songs -- they're just different.
The Essential Collection Box Set. Expensive but I wanted a quick fix of their sounds across the years. This accomplished that and I'm happy with this purchase.
The two Christmas albums. I knew I couldn't go wrong with these and I like their Christmas music year round. Just look at the photo I chose to represent me at the left!
Horizon. I think this is their best all around album. Whereas I get the feeling that some of their albums are just a collection of excellent but unrelated songs this album seems to me to have a cohesive theme that runs throughout and I like that. You cannot go wrong with this one. It may be best of show.
Live in Japan. I wanted to hear the C's outside of the studio. I wanted to hear what they sound like in concert. I wasn't disappointed. This is a 2 CD collection and can be expensive so shop around on the web for the best price. I like 50's tunes as did the C's and the second CD is almost entirely devoted to the 50's. My favorite song may be Karen's Japanese version of 'Sing.'
My most recent purchase is 'As Time Goes By.' I was disappointed on first listen. I was singing along by the second time around. A lot of this material came from their television specials.
So, back to your original question -- which to buy next.
Well, if my current collection were to disappear tomorrow I would probably start back with Horizon just because it's Carpenters music that I had never heard before and it is just so good!
Then I'd probably get Karen's solo album because it's so different and I like hearing what was on her musical mind at that time.
I know it's a tough decision. Hope this helps.
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Post by Daturadaisy on Mar 14, 2004 12:03:06 GMT -5
Hi Melody and welcome to the site!  You mentioned a 2 disk CD. Was it called Gold? It was just released last month and contains most of the hits and a good collection of album tracks that are worth a listen. I would recommend that one to start. The sound has been remixed and or re-recorded and sounds great. I think it was called Gold. The background of this forum! hee hee hee, well I guess my timing is good to rediscover the Carpenters. Other CD's to start with would in my personal favorite, "Horizon." Karen's lower register is used so effectively in this CD and the songs are classic!. Ooohhhh Awww that sounds good ... need to make another quick trip to Virgin records. That's just what I needed to know!  Oh my god. I just went to Amazon.com and could hear just a few seconds of Desperado through the preview clips ... wow wow wow wow. Horizon IS the next CD I'll buy. I love Desperado. I have a Tori version on my pc that I downloaded from hereinmyhead.com (free and legal) but I can't find the link at the moment ... I will come back later and post the actual link ... it might be fun for youall to compare!  EDIT: Here we go. found it. I guarantee Tori's voice isn't nearly as gorgeous as Karen's but this is a version worth listening to: hereinmyhead.oneway.com/desperado_oxygen.mp3 I am persnickity about this. For example, the Kate Bush CD The Whole Story is wonderful!! Lots of great music on it, but when I compare the original Cloudbusting song by Kate Bush to Charlotte Martin's recent cover of it, Char's is clearly louder, clearer, crisper, and more vibrant. (and she has the best voice I've heard in recent years.) (PS - I think you might have to right click save to hear it). Thank you everyone for the incredible help!!! Best, Melody |
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Post by Rick Henry on Mar 14, 2004 12:17:14 GMT -5
I am persnickity about this. For example, the Kate Bush CD The Whole Story is wonderful!! Lots of great music on it, but when I compare the original Cloudbusting song by Kate Bush to Charlotte Martin's recent cover of it, Char's is clearly louder, clearer, crisper, and more vibrant. (and she has the best voice I've heard in recent years.) (PS - I think you might have to right click save to hear it). Thank you everyone for the incredible help!!! Best, Melody I have to agree with you about the Kate Bush disc "The Whole Story", it's just not the best sound quality. But as Will states all official C's discs are of the highest quality. |
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ThomB
CERTIFIED GOLD MEMBER
Posts: 110
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Post by ThomB on Mar 14, 2004 14:14:04 GMT -5
Horizon is the next logical choice. You will love this album.
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