40th Anniversary Box

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Well, my 40th box set is en route. Should get it next week.
Yes, Chris, the cost seemed awfully cheap when I ordered the set, but I decided to chance it.
This retail outlet in Chicago has gotten rave reviews, so I will keep my fingers crossed.
If not legit, I should be able to get a refund. We'll see!
Excited about getting this, though.
Especially, after the RC interview, I figured to try and complete my Carpenters collection.
 
Be sure to look for the spelling of Made in America on the spine and also that the DVD is there...just we have seen some bootlegs in the past on this set. If all is correct and present then you got a steal of a price. :)
 
Received my 40th Box Set this morning.
I have not opened it yet, I am looking it over, at every detail.
So far, all spelling is accurate and everything appears to be in order.
It certainly appears legit.

P.S. There is one presently on ebay that is obviously fake.
 
WWWWWoWWWWW Gary!!! That appears legit from this end. What a steal and congrats. You paid a fraction of what this lord's child did. Amazon has this set up for hundreds. Great set, packaging and fun format as well. Lemme check my edition #...be right back...ok I have no. 1226. A splurge true. Better me buried with Karen's output than a wad-0-cash. Much more comforting, satisfying and an ultimate gift to me.

Jeff

P.S. request review
 
Well, I have been thumbing through the box set (no listening, yet).
First impressions: Much loving care by Richard went into this 40th Anniversary Set.
Each hard copy Album book is beautifully constructed. The photos are a treasure (Note the one with all the Song For You Balloons!).
Richard's commentary in each book is delightful to read.(I wish he would write a Carpenters Music Memorabilia book).
All in all, so far (and, I'm not too far in) this is a lovely addition to my personal collection.
It may be of some interest to note that until the RC interview this year, I had no intention to purchase this set (I have the fantastic 30th Set (2x)).
But, given the prospect of no 45th Commemoration,and maybe no 50th, I decided to look around for it....Glad I did!
 
Looks great Gary what a deal!!!....it's a heavy one, huh?..talk about a bread box..it's nice to see some new photos as well...I kinda wish it had some type of cover to prevent the books from sliding/falling out, like a clear cover shield. I just checked mine and I got #000721, I wonder how many were produced? 100 thou? We got 35, 40th and what a crying shame we will not get a 45th...Singles 69-73 will be soon be my new best friend.
 
One thing that strikes me as I read Richard's notes pertaining to the albums, he seems to have even more regrets, as time goes on.
Wanting to Re-do the Bacharach Medley properly, releasing an album in 1974, not arranging Superstar well enough (uh?),
not releasing Old Fashioned Christmas, not cutting Argentina, very dissatisfied with Hush LP, ditto Voice of The Heart.
I find the reading rather sad, at times.

I recall a quote, maybe from Albert Einstein , ".. you don't judge a scientist by their worst work, you judge them by their best work..."
And here I would say, judge Carpenters by their best musical output, not their worst.
Richard and Karen have left a marvelous legacy of great work.
 
Started listening to the commentary on the DVD of this box set:
Interesting that the video of Those Good Old Dreams was taped/shot June 1981, and it is even upsetting for RC to watch, as he states.
Also, President of Capitol Records did not think Superstar or Rainy Days and Mondays, was 'single' worthy.
Already an eye-opener.
Hard to imagine all the emotions that these things stir up in Richard.
 
Again,some observations with Richard's commentary on the DVD, and for those familiar with it, forgive me:

Richard "loathes" the video for I Need To Be In Love (I think we all knew this)
He does not now believe All You Get From Love should have been released as a single,
Herb & Jerry were not behind Calling Occupants as a single, and others convinced RC to edit the song for single release.
RC does not like the Beechwood video (at all),
and mentions lack of promotion by A&M generally regarding video promos for Carpenters songs.

Fascinating to get Richard's insights on these songs, I wonder what he could say about everything else they recorded?
 
After "Goofus", A&M seemed to give little promotion to AYGFLIALS. I found it in the local Warehouse Records quite by accident one Tuesday afternoon (in Pico Rivera, for you Los Angelinos!) I was shocked. Then I had to wait all day to get it home and hear it. Only heard it once or twice on the radio when it was released. I love it then, and I love it now. With a bigger push, it should have gone Top Ten.
 
I went out and bought "All You Get From Love Is A Love Song" the moment I heard it on the radio. It was one of those styrene plastic records that would wear out after one playing, so I set up my reel-to-reel tape recorder and dubbed the song on its first play through, and then filed away the single, only playing the tape.

It didn't get a lot of airplay - it was actually considered too "harsh" for the soft A/C station I was working for - but it did play on the powerhouse AM station in town at the time.

Harry
 
GaryAlan said:
One thing that strikes me as I read Richard's notes pertaining to the albums, he seems to have even more regrets, as time goes on.
Wanting to Re-do the Bacharach Medley properly, releasing an album in 1974, not arranging Superstar well enough (uh?),
not releasing Old Fashioned Christmas, not cutting Argentina, very dissatisfied with Hush LP, ditto Voice of The Heart.
I find the reading rather sad, at times.

I recall a quote, maybe from Albert Einstein , ".. you don't judge a scientist by their worst work, you judge them by their best work..."
And here I would say, judge Carpenters by their best musical output, not their worst.
Richard and Karen have left a marvelous legacy of great work.
Click to expand...
Would be interesting to hear more of these revealing liner notes-maybe you could post excerpts from each album on a daily basis.

Can't figure out Richard's about-face with "Argentina"-he always considered it one of the finest Carpenters recordings.

Same goes for An Old Fashioned Christmas-it turned out to be one of the finest Carpenters albums(and one of the current bestsellers-as part of the Christmas Collection).Seriously,what's the problem?
 
Richard feels that there were not enough "low" notes for Karen in Argentina, alongside too many higher notes.

Also, in regards to An Old Fashioned Christmas, too few Karen vocals, no inner sleeve/liner, plus the cover art he dislikes,
and A&M did no promotion for the Album. Had he realized it would be a "mid-line" (low budget?) release, apparently he never would have
completed that album.
 
I have been re-reading Richard's liner notes for each album in this 40th set.
A few observations ( mine in parenthesis) in case anyone cares to indulge in my notes,
perhaps there is nothing new here for the cognoscente:

Richard writes:
of the album Offering, "not too shabby" (I believe he has understated its strengths)
Help was slated to be the second single (I really had forgotten that)
Another Song is "still a thrill to listen to" (So true!)
A Song For You, "arguably our finest album" (I would argue for Horizon, but it is an awfully close call!)
Jambalaya was recorded (tracked) in 1972 ( I could not infer if that implied the vocals or the instrumentation)
Not pleased with Goofus or Breaking Up Is Hard to Do ( I still love Goofus , regardless)
Started recording LP Horizon in late 1974 (which month?) , he writes that it charted to #14 (I thought it reached #13--but,who's counting)
"fond of most every song" on Passage....singling out "Argentina" and "Occupants" (conflicts (?) with dvd commentary re-Argentina)
Only mentions that Made in America is "another favorite"
 
looks like the notes for 40th are the same as 35th, almost.

Re- Jambalaya, the instrumentation was defo laid down in '72 (hence Blaine on drums and not Karen). Think the vocals were done in '73. Also, in the 35th Booklet, at the back is a copy of the chart for I Can't Make Music dated '72. I'm presuming nothing was actually recorded until '73 (since Karen is on drums), but it really highlights how little time they had in '73 for that album, and how the Oldies were a massive get out of jail free card for them.
 
Thanks for the clarification re: Jambalaya.
The 30th box booklet has a chart of Jambalaya (I did not see a date) and it appears as though line 10 on the chart
listed the term "lead vc" --of course I have no idea what that means.

On a related note--in the Coleman biography (page 100-101) June 1971 is apparently when Richard told Karen to get out from behind the drums,
and it was Karen who requested to "get out in front" for important ballads and do double duty (drum and sing) on upbeat songs.
The author mentions Jambalaya and Mr. Guder for double-duty. (the author in this section is detailing the 'events' of 1971)
When, in concert, did Karen drum on Jambalaya?
 
looking at my 35th Booklet and trying to find the Can't make Music reference. Found it. It appears on the Oct '71 Track List for AS4U album but unlike the others has no tracks filled out, is scribbled out, and. . .perhaps funnier, it's written as I Can't Make MUZAK. . .nice to see they had a sense of humour about themselves (I'm presuming its Richard's writing). . . kind of links in with their MOR Sound equipment company they founded in '74.
 
Another question for those who aren't tired of my questions!
On the Sweet Sixteen disc, the liner notes say that Postman is the 1991 remix.
Now, my query: this is the 1974 single version with additional mixing done in 1991, correct ?
Also, in listening to the drum-work on Let Me Be The One, could that be Karen drumming?
Sure seems as if I am hearing many new fresh sounds on this disc.
Am I imagining this?
 
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