Richard Carpenter conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Richard Carpenter and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are melding their talents to create a new album in the Carpenters canon. Richard recorded the orchestra over in Abbey Road studios and has undertaken the task of melding those recordings with the original Carpenters tracks to create an exciting new product. Join our forum discussion as we await this album, rumored to be a December release.
Back in the mid-80s, a group of A&M “best-of” albums in a series called “A ARTE DE…” came out in Brazil. Carpenters’ entry in the LP series called A ARTE DE CARPENTERS was contained on two records, and when issued on CD, the set was combined onto one compact disc.
There are some surprising versions here, some original mixes, some 1985 remixes, and many with reversed stereo. There’s even a song not anthologized anywhere else, “You’re Enough”.
The Resource has been updated with the mix information, so since this is so hard to find, check out the listings. We’ll also be talking about it in our forums.
Thanks to Forum member A&M Retro, we’ve finally been able to confirm that “Da-Doo-Ron-Ron” had a slightly longer fade-out on the 8-track version. As can be heard here, the song on the 8-track omits the DJ (Tony Peluso) and then fades just a little longer.
Universal Music has released a Carpenters Vinyl Collection box. Included are remastered 180 gram versions all of the regular studio albums plus SINGLES 1969-1973. Visit our forum to learn more and see some reviews and reaction.
UPDATE: Universal Music has responded to early reports of defective vinyl.
We have some excellent news to share with those who were disappointed with the quality of the pressings in the recently released Carpenters LPs.
Customers who received defective LPs, either individually or in the box set, may contact UMe directly for a replacement! Please have your proof of purchase handy. Send your proof of purchase to UMGCustomerSupport@umusic.comalong with your message. UMe prefers email, but those who prefer phone contact may call Customer Support at 1-800-288-5942.
We are very pleased that UMe is handling this directly, and want to thank them publicly for the feedback.
The massive 6-CD Carpenters set that was first issued as a mail-order set in Japan in the mid-90s has gotten another pressing in Japan. Now titled BEST SONGS, the set features new colorful-but-plain artwork rather than the watercolor images used on SWEET MEMORY. It is currently assumed to be using the same mixes as the older set, and we’ll find out soon enough as members weigh in with their experiences. Follow our discussions on the A&M Corner Forum.
Member Misael Castillo Lopez has tipped us off to an official compilation that was released in Brazil in 1994. It’s a 14-track disc called THE BEST OF CARPENTERS (Brazil) that has proven to be a bit difficult to find, but searches have finally turned on up for evaluation.
The song mixes and track listings in the Resource have all been updated. Check out the album in our discography. And be sure to check out our original discussion that led to the search here.