📣 News Carpenters: "The Vinyl Collection"

[Rudy]

Early reviews here seemed somewhat positive, but I'm reading a negative review over on another forum where a member came HERE for confirmation of what he was hearing, only to conclude that the other albums he bought were going back.

I'd take it with a grain of salt...too much expectation bias, plus a tendency toward lemming behavior (one dislikes it, then others pile on and hate it without even listening themselves).

Richard's a stickler for product quality. If he has compared the new LPs to his test pressings of the originals, there really is no better authority on what these new 180 gram LPs should sound like than RC himself. I take his opinion over any random Internet troll with an agenda. And that saves more copies for people who actually love music.

I was on the fence, but given what the individual LPs sell for, I am going to hold out for a really good sale (under $150...Black Friday is coming), and get the box. The only "new" copies of anything are Passage and Made In America (which I never play), so anything else is either a trashed copy I grew up with, or a couple of used copies in sad condition. Good, clean used vinyl is nearly impossible to find anymore--I can buy new 180g pressings for less than three or four used copies where I end up having to get rid of all but one of them. 180 gram vinyl (if well pressed) will play back with less noise than the standard issue. I am anxious to hear them.

 

[jaredjohnfisher]

Does the sunset sky image on the spine remind anyone else of A Kind Of Hush?

 

[Harry]

to own it and not later regret buying it at much higher prices like I've done with certain CD sets in the past.

^This.

This is what goes through my head - those inflated "values" later on after it goes out-of-print.

But I also consider: I bought all of the original albums and still have them, some in multiple copies. So when the first A&M CDs came out, why did I buy them? Easy. They were on a new digital format with "perfect sound forever." They had their failings, mostly a few single versions of songs instead of the album tracks.

Then the many compilations and box sets came out on CD, and these offered new remixes of songs along the way, plus the occasional new song like "Trying To Get The Feeling Again". Those were natural purchases. There were a few here and there that didn't offer anything new, but before the Internet's popularity, there was no way of knowing. And in truth, almost every compilation had something new and unique about.

In 1998, the Remastered Classics series hit the store shelves. I could have ignored several of those, but I thought that a complete set would be better, so I sought out the harder-to-find ones like INTERPRETATIONS and LOVELINES. These CDs were true to the original album sounds without remixes or single versions and so represented the first time in the digital age that the old albums were authentically released on CD. That was important to me.

Next came the 35th Anniversary box set in Japan, and it represented the same exact CDs that came in the Remastered Classics, but packaged in authentic mini-album packaging, all neatly tucked inside a box. Again, this was something I had to have.

Five years later, a 40th anniversary set came and went, and I passed on that. I was getting ready to retire from my job and didn't feel that there was enough of an impetus to get me to buy that set. There were no mini-LP CDs, just book-type packaging. The masters used were still the same. The only really extra in that set was possibly some liner notes and the commentary track on the DVD. That wasn't enough for me to spend so much to buy it.

The Public Broadcasting Singles Set (and the earlier Japanese Single Box) were opportunities to get all of the single recordings in order and largely in their proper versions on CD. We know now that both have their problems, but they serve their purpose.

Now here we are with album reissues on vinyl. It feels like back to square one for me. I still have my vinyl. It didn't go anywhere. And I still refer to it once in awhile, like on the "B'wana..." controversy. But mostly, I listen to digitized versions on my computer or phone or mp3 player, or still on CDs in the car. If I don't have this new box set, will I regret it? Is there some sonic treasure awaiting me on it? Or is it just a packaging treasure?

It's still too early to tell. If I miss out on it, so be it. I'm still retired and don't have scads of cash to spare on such things. Future value? I can't see me selling ANY of this. Ever. I'll die first and then won't care where it goes.

I want more reviews from some that I trust.

 

[Rudy]

I want more reviews from some that I trust.

That's it right there. And sad thing is, most reviewers I do trust will not be sent a copy of this set.

 

[GaryAlan]

Universal Music points out--in their press release for this collection--
that Carpenters sales are at 150 Million.....
So, I hope Richard Carpenter (and Karen's estate)
is getting every cent from royalties that is due !

 

[Song4uman]

I wonder how many of this box set will be sold

 

[Mark-T]

Honestly, I'd love the set. I just don't have the money. It's ok I guess. My originals are in pretty good shape.

 

[KEN MARTONE]

Hi,
I wrote to Richard in September. One thing I asked was are there any plans for the 50th. He replied to me a few weeks later. He said "At the moment there are no plans for the 50th but I'm certain that there will be in the next couple of years"
and here's the exciting part..
"A Vinyl box set containing all of our Studio Albums will be released in the near future"

this is huge news and very exciting. I have been waiting for 6 months now and still haven't heard any news. Does anyone have any news? Will "As Time Goes By" or the Solo albums be included"

*the quote is a section of the letter and is copied and not edited

Glad to see this finally released !

 

[Gustavo]

Looking forward to someone posting some pics of the artwork...

 

[jaredjohnfisher]

Looking forward to someone posting some pics of the artwork...

I've at least opened the box so far. The reproductions are remarkable (save for a few small shortcomings; like the slightly grainy Horizon cover photo already mentioned by others here.) Anyone who has studied the original covers over the years will be able to detect the slightest variances in the size and or style of the fonts, as closely accurate as they may be. For example, to my eyes, the fonts appear to be a bit larger and bolder on the back of the tan album and also the back of A Kind Of Hush and possibly Horizon. Another unavoidable difference (correct me if I'm wrong); I don't think Ticket To Ride ever was printed on card stock (it was paper glued to cardboard in the old days). In other words, holding these wonderfully pristine reproductions certainly brings back the sensation of what it was like to see the original LPs (shrink-wrapped in a store, but sans the hyper-stickers) for the first time.

 

[tomswift2002]

My “Ticket To Ride” (which I bought from Legend Records in 99; A&M Records is credited with manufacture/distribution) is on card stock. The only sign of glue is on the back where the joined the two sides together after folding.

But with any audio anomalies, I wonder if modern pre-amps could be causing some issues. It would be interesting to hear the comparisons of the Records on older equipment that was connected by the phono horse-shoe jack with no pre-amp, vs modern setups of the last 30 years where you need a pre-amp to convert the record players signal into one that travels on RCA plugs. Could modern digital pre-amps be causing an issue?

 

[jaredjohnfisher]

My “Ticket To Ride” (which I bought from Legend Records in 99; A&M Records is credited with manufacture/distribution) is on card stock. The only sign of glue is on the back where the joined the two sides together after folding.

But with any audio anomalies, I wonder if modern pre-amps could be causing some issues. It would be interesting to hear the comparisons of the Records on older equipment that was connected by the phono horse-shoe jack with no pre-amp, vs modern setups of the last 30 years where you need a pre-amp to convert the record players signal into one that travels on RCA plugs. Could modern digital pre-amps be causing an issue?

Interesting. I’ve yet to play these new records (I will clean them first) on my basic Onkyo 2-channel receiver. All of my other (vintage, cleaned) records play quite nicely.

 

[Jamesj75]

Universal Music points out--in their press release for this collection--
that Carpenters sales are at 150 Million.....
So, I hope Richard Carpenter (and Karen's estate)
is getting every cent from royalties that is due !

Thanks for the information, @GaryAlan! And thanks for highlighting the "150 Million" total. I find it objectionable when Carpenters are not given their due, including record sales.

I have recently noticed an online feature on the "untold" story of the Carpenters. I was planning to post the link here, but I decided against it because it is one of those annoying slideshow pieces that forces the reader to click "Next" (always hard to find) over and over again to read slivers of repetitive trivia. I even gave up after several pages, as there was nothing "untold" and the information they did have was fraught with error, including the mistaken statistic of the Carpenters selling "100 million" records. No doubt, that is an impressive total. But please... They passed that milestone many years ago.

 

[BarryT60]

It's confirmed that each album features the restored original packaging and related artwork. Also it was mastered for vinyl by Ron McMaster at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. More info to come...

who didn't love the fact that the logo was red on Now & Then? I forgot about that little detail...

 

[Rudy]

But with any audio anomalies, I wonder if modern pre-amps could be causing some issues.

That is probably not an issue. Separate phono stages often outperform built-in preamps in other components. If anything, phono stages are far more flexible--on mine, I can change loading and gain on any cartridge I connect to it. In the simplest of terms, this allows me to match the electronics to the cartridge properly, which would ensure optimum results. In some cases it can turn an overly bright cartridge into something listenable, or put the life back into a dull cartridge.

On the other hand, cartridges do sound wildly different. The cheapest are poor trackers and distort everything played through them. (Don't even get me started on the likes of those Crosley record shredders.) Some stylus profiles track better than others, and improper setup (alignment) can also cause issues.

 

[BarryT60]

It is. "A Song for You" has the same textured surface as the original jacket design. I wasn't really expecting that.

remember when it mentioned that they used recycled paper on that album? How "ahead" of it's time!

 

[Rudy]

I guess another reason I bought this was not so much to have it out shine or be better sounding than the originals (though that would be nice) but to own it and not later regret buying it at much higher prices like I've done with certain CD sets in the past.

It would depend on how well the sets sell and more importantly, if they sell out and no more are produced. That is when the sellers start jacking the price way up. A&M still has a crap ton of the Styx vinyl box sets, and it is not uncommon to see them marked way down even now. Carpenters have a lot of fans here, and I know there are others out there who would like this set, but I don't think this is one of those things (like the Beatles or Rolling Stones boxes) that sell out quickly and/or have that insane demand.

I have all the original vinyl releases like you so why am I buying the same thing again on the same format because it's newer?

I ask myself that when I buy 180 gram pressings. Although I justify it, in that the new purchase is supposed to be an upgrade in quality from what I already own. Heck, I already had a 180 gram RSD pressing (pink vinyl, limited edition) of the Pink Panther soundtrack that Sony/Legacy released, so why did I go for the Analogue Productions 45RPM set of the same title? Because I bought the Peter Gunn soundtrack a few months prior and it sounded fantastic, and the improved Pink Panther 45RPM mastering just took it to a whole higher level for me. And I only bought the Peter Gunn since I caved and bought the 3-LP 45RPM Elvis 24 Karat Hits set and it completely surprised me at how clean and clear those old RCA masters sound, even five or six decades later.

A set like this Carpenters box is a little different for me, though, as I only have two clean LPs of theirs, both purchased sealed. Our family had the LPs but those were used on a variety of equipment and have not weathered the years all that well. So for me, the "upgrade" here is getting the titles I want on new, clean vinyl. And I'm anxious to read listener comments on how they sound, once this all sinks in. It seems like they should surpass the Remastered Classics CDs. A good sign, I would think!

 

[Gustavo]

While waiting for the boxset release on December 8, I can’t wait for a merciful soul to come up with an unboxing video of the collection

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I'm getting really excited about this set, mine is to arrive by this Wed however with Thanksgiving upon us I can't see that I will have any time to open, clean or play these until maybe the weekend. I keep telling myself this has to sound better than the Collected attempt and I look forward to comparing this vinyl collection against the original pressings.

 

[Rudy]

... and I look forward to comparing this vinyl collection against the original pressings.

I am as well. I figure I might decide to get the set if I happen to see a really, really low price during Black Friday. And if so, I will post the deals here in the thread, for those who haven't jumped on it yet. There are so many places to check now, and track, that it takes a while to find the lowest (especially considering shipping/taxes).

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I am as well. I figure I might decide to get the set if I happen to see a really, really low price during Black Friday. And if so, I will post the deals here in the thread, for those who haven't jumped on it yet. There are so many places to check now, and track, that it takes a while to find the lowest (especially considering shipping/taxes).

Yes the free shipping and no taxes is huge win!!! Thanks for posting those earlier links. I don't feel so bad now since I'm seeing it for about $170.00 and $180.00 and with Amazon there going to charge you taxes on top that. I'm curious what kind of BF deals will be offered on this set.

 

[Rudy]

@Rick-An Ordinary Fool You lucked out, since Music Direct raised the price the day after you ordered it.

The Styx box has been under $100 a few times, and apparently as low as $70, and that is a 9-LP set (Caught In The Act was a double-LP). Once this Carpenters box has been out a while, I would expect similar price fluctuations.

 

[Chris May]

Honestly Rick I think he just realizes that the later generations have a lack of appreciation, insight or even ability to recognize the difference...sad as that may be. I'm going to sound like my father here, but unfortunately technology has made everything easy and convenient. In the old days you had to work harder, but the end result was worth it (i.e. taking an LP out of its sleeve, cleaning, playing on a player that is maintained etc). Nowadays you pull something up on your phone and verbally tell it to play something that has been digitized and compressed. The rest is all done for you.

Easy and convenient doesn't always equal better however!

An interesting article yesterday in the New York Times:

Opinion | Our Love Affair With Digital Is Over

 

[Rudy]

An interesting article yesterday in the New York Times:

Opinion | Our Love Affair With Digital Is Over

Nice opinion there, and I pretty much agree with it. Yet the boom isn't just among the younger set--many who gave up vinyl in the 80s and 90s are going back to it. I see this on audiophile forums all the time. Even with some of the "beater" records in their collections, music lovers are rediscovering how much they enjoyed the physical process of playing the records. They may start out with modest equipment the second time around to see if they like it, but often they will look at upgrading. The vinyl haters like to say it's the hipsters driving the sales yet in reality, it's all of the music lovers, new and returning, driving sales of vinyl to new levels each year now for the past several years. It's years beyond being a fad.

Ironically about digital...in the realm of audiophile manufacturers, they have spent the past 35 years trying to get digital to sound--wait for it--more analog-like. Now we have digital resellers with high-resolution digital files, either high sampling- and bit-rate PCM, or DSD. And even many millenials who grew up on MP3s are discovering that they just don't sound right. Once they are exposed to analog, or even high res digital, it is hard to go back to listening to compromised digital files. Vinyl (and cassette, to a lesser extent) is a cost-effective way to get back to a better sound, and physically they are more involving, more tactile. Listeners feel more involved with the music when it is hands-on.

Yeah, I love streaming from my server into a nice streamer/DAC in my system, never needing to handle a disc, but then I also miss that simple act of watching the label spin around on the turntable...

 

[Simon KC1950]

I agree ! I'm now 17, I started of only collecting Carpenters on vinyl last year but now I collect other artists I like such as ABBA, Nancy Sinatra, Perry Como ect. However I do not buy them from music shops that sell them new like HMV because these cost anywhere from £20-£30+. Why would I pay that when I can go to charity shops and get them for £1? They usually sound better too.