ICON (New CD Release)

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Looking at the list of previous releases, they all seem to be pretty unadventurous, safe compilations with around 10 well-known singles per artist. There's very little in the way of surprises or bonus tracks (although I did notice Sheryl Crow's is a more adventurous 2-CD set).

http://www.universalmusicenterprises.com/icons/
 
...Yes, with generally unadventurous cover art as well. Let's have fun and design what we think it will look like. Here's mine:

CarpIconGuess.jpg

This uses their profile logo (or "icon" if you will), but also doesn't use their name logo, in keeping with the other entries in the series. I picked a reddish color to harken back to the very red A SONG FOR YOU album, also somewhat "iconic".

Care to give us your guess?

Harry
 
From the site posted by Stephen above, I now see that bands that have logos did get them used in the ICON artwork, so I can guess that they'll use the familiar CarpenterS logo instead of the bland stencil font.

Harry
 
Any release is cause for celebration.
Not so much because the series is necessarily presenting anything 'new',
but, the entire reason for the ICON line of cd's begs for inclusion of Carpenters.
I note that the latest ITunes world charts (of July 30) has only 7 entries for Carpenters.
It is time for UMG to create a push for new generations to discover their music.
Longtime fans probably need nothing more along a greatest hits package, but
new ears are ready for some beautifully crafted music.
The Carpenters are ICONS, and the world deserves to be reminded of that fact.
 
Good List Harry, however I would remove Maybe It's You and I Just Fall In Love Again and replace them with Rainy Days & Mondays (gotta have that one) and Close To You or We've Only Just Begun. The last 2 are trademarks.

I have Olivia's icon and they used the same font and block lettering as the ICON so it's possible your photoshop will appear. The odd thing about Olivia's icon CD is they used a never before seen photo for the cover (at least I had never seen that exact pic) and then they used another photo for the back that is hardly ever used. I believe the front was around her Totally Hot 78' era and the back is clearly from the Don't Stop Believin' 76' photoshoot. The really odd part about the back photo is they reversed the image, it should really be flipped. argh!! It was nice however to see good selection of her older hits like Mellow and I Honesty L U and then 2 Xanadu tracks, some Physical tracks and no sign of any Grease track (can you believe that?) I know...never happens.

Also inside the Olivia Icon CD insert is bare bones, however it was mastered by Gabriel Wallach at Universal Mastering Studios. So Carpenters may get mastered by someone at Universal and not Richard...will this be a first? Carpenters songs being mastered by someone else???

...who already pre-ordered Carpenters ICON.....
 
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Great idea to have some fun! Here's my guess on the tracklist:

  1. Yesterday Once More
  2. Top Of The World
  3. Sing
  4. Hurting Each Other
  5. Please Mr Postman
  6. We've Only Just Begun
  7. Superstar
  8. Rainy Days And Mondays
  9. For All We Know
  10. Goodbye To Love
  11. (They Long To Be) Close To You
 
Olivia's Icon CD inside says:
The front cover source is Jim Britt/Shooting Star (probably why I had not seen this one before)
The back cover source is Universal Music Archives
 
Doesn't this ICON release feel a little like the 20th Century Masters thing? Many of the artists on ICON have seen the 20th incarnation. Well, we shall see. I'll wait for the member reviews or at least more info before I strike. I'll bite alright. It's futile to fight it.
 
The reason I picked the track list I did is simply because the track list for ABBA ICON is identical to the 20th Century Masters track list. So going on that pattern, I'm guessing this will be an exact port over from the 20th Cenury Masters disc.

I agree with GaryAlan, that having this out there is a good thing, even if it's a ho-hum for the super fans. It keeps the duo out in the public eye.

Harry
 
Doesn't this ICON release feel a little like the 20th Century Masters thing? Many of the artists on ICON have seen the 20th incarnation. Well, we shall see. I'll wait for the member reviews or at least more info before I strike. I'll bite alright. It's futile to fight it.

Universal's marketing department probably took a look at the 20th Century Masters title and decided it was "too last-century", thus creating ICON to replace it. The series serves the same function, and I'm sure that many artists' discs have just been ported over to the new series.

Harry
 
I wouldn't be surprised if they include a track from MIA, most likely "Touch Me When Were Dancing"
It's probably not much for die hard fans to get excited about but like posted above, it's a gotta have thing. The price of these alone is worth a peek yet again Carpenters music is worth more to me than $8.00 for 11 or 12 tracks.
 
Just think....if we could get the young-in's to forgo 2 lattes at Starbucks it could pay for this CD and if so....this CD might just break a new top 10 in albums. :D I can see it now, Carpenters back on the charts!!! :phones:
 
The twenty something Starbuck's patron asking the 20 something Starbuck's server...whose this? Are they a new retro cover band? Karen who? Are they married? Server stares ahead clueless. So my experience is that when Starbuck's features a record is that it's looped. So lets hope if it does debut there Superstar and R Days is on the menu. That'll be a hook, line and singer!

Jeff
 
Might be the kind of disc SOLD at Starbucks...


Or let a copy of it lay around to listen to, while you at least enjoy your one, or two cups... (That's how I recall seeing a copy of Sergio Mendes Timeless, at my local Starbucks when it came out...)



-- Dave
 
Exciting news!! A new Carpenters release!
Really looking forward to it..... Apart from seeing what the track list will be, its interesting to see the new artwork and any liner notes etc.
It takes me back to when I worked in a record store in 1984/85 and i played the UK yesterday once more vinyl double album on the public system at least once a day. I took great pride when a customer brought it up to the counter buy it!
However, the manager of the store in the end insisted that we have a break for a while. He detested the full 'Argentina' prelude, I said i can skip that track if you like... but to no avail, he was the manager after all....... what did he know?????? hehe.
I was trying to think of a track that hasn't been in a compilation before......... Took me a while but how about for the first time - PRIME TIME LOVE? Or THE UNINVITED GUEST? Even YOU'RE ENOUGH?
What never or very rarely anthologised track would you like to be included as the 'wild card' inclusion?
Bob
 
I would LOVE if they included a lesser known track (that the public doesn't know) to showcase Karen's amazing vocal ability, warmth, closeness, tenderness, intimacy....my goodness I could go on and on....I'm thinking "You're The One"
 
There are people on the ICON website that I either haven't heard of or don't think of as an ICON... Wish Carpenters would receive an ICON2 for a double disc.
 
We had speculated about this on a thread a few months back so my only surprise is that it took as long as it did for it to be announced.

A few of the Icon releases have just been straight reissues of previous greatest hits collections with the ICON branding added to the cover like Bob Seger's Greatest Hits, Bon Jovi's Crossroads, Little River Band's Greatest Hits and Red Hot Chili Peppers' What Hits!? It would be interesting (although highly doubtful) if they made the original Singles: 1969 - 1973 album the Carpenters' entry in the ICON series.

The logo being featured is pretty much a sure thing. The volumes for bands with distinct and iconic (no pun intended) logos like ABBA, Aerosmith, KISS, Parliament, Styx, and War all featured them on the cover. I really like Harry's idea of using the medallion graphic for the cover as well. Or maybe something resembling the Yesterday Once More cover just in a different color scheme.

Tracklist-wise, I think it will closer to the one newvillefan posted, if not exactly. I totally get your logic, Harry, but they couldn't really improve upon the tracklist for ABBA. Going strictly by chart position, those were their eleven biggest US hits so copying the 20th Century Masters tracklist makes perfect sense. (Personally, I would have swapped out "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" in favor of either "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! or "One of Us" but neither of those charted as US singles.) However, the track list for the Carpenters' edition of 20th Century Masters was absolutely bizarre and made no sense given the concept of the series. A "hits" compilation without "Close to You" or "We've Only Just Begun?" Not to mention no "Superstar" and "Rainy Days and Mondays." What were they thinking? I can't imagine they would repeat that tracklist again.

My guess is:

1. (They Long To Be) Close To You
2. We've Only Just Begun
3. For All We Know
4. Rainy Days and Mondays
5. Superstar
6. Hurting Each Other
7. Sing
8. Yesterday Once More
9. Top Of The World
10. Please Mr. Postman
11. Only Yesterday

If they make it an even dozen tracks, add "Goodbye To Love."

There is always the possibility of a unique or rare mix being used, so that could be cool.
 
Good List Harry, however I would remove Maybe It's You and I Just Fall In Love Again and replace them with Rainy Days & Mondays (gotta have that one) and Close To You or We've Only Just Begun. The last 2 are trademarks.

I have Olivia's icon and they used the same font and block lettering as the ICON so it's possible your photoshop will appear. The odd thing about Olivia's icon CD is they used a never before seen photo for the cover (at least I had never seen that exact pic) and then they used another photo for the back that is hardly ever used. I believe the front was around her Totally Hot 78' era and the back is clearly from the Don't Stop Believin' 76' photoshoot. The really odd part about the back photo is they reversed the image, it should really be flipped. argh!! It was nice however to see good selection of her older hits like Mellow and I Honesty L U and then 2 Xanadu tracks, some Physical tracks and no sign of any Grease track (can you believe that?) I know...never happens.

Also inside the Olivia Icon CD insert is bare bones, however it was mastered by Gabriel Wallach at Universal Mastering Studios. So Carpenters may get mastered by someone at Universal and not Richard...will this be a first? Carpenters songs being mastered by someone else???

...who already pre-ordered Carpenters ICON.....
Richard doesn't handle the mastering-that is done by a mastering engineer,usually Bernie Grundman.

Richard assisted Bernie with the remastering on the 30th Anniversary Remasters.
 
The Moody Blues also have two entries - both a single disc and a double disc.

Harry
 
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