Carpenters Ultimate Collection (32 bit Remastered)

[SakuraSYayoi]

It's official, here is the latest from Amazon, does that look like a scratch on the cover pic? Or is that a flap?

"Dutch only 32-Bit remastered, three-disc collection from Universal. Includes 41 tracks while the third disc features their solo work respectively. Packaged in a beautiful tri-fold digipack with an 11-page bookelt. 2006."

I saw the scratch on Amazon UK site & Japanese site. UK site doesn't say import and Japanese site says 'From UK'.

Album Description
32bit Digitally Remastered Anthology from the 70's Superstar Brother and Sister Duo who Ruled the Top of the Pop Charts for the First Half of the Decade. With Karen's Angelic Voice Up Front and Richard's Melodic Harmony, their Vocal Blend was Simply Irresistable and Created a Long String of Chart Hits that Includes "Close to You", "we've Only Just Begun", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Top of the World", "Sing", "Yesterday Once More", "Only Yesterday" and Many More. Those Hits also Brought Acclaim to the Composers as Well Like Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Paul Williams and Leon Russell. As Fans of their More Rocking Contemporaries, They Incorporated the Obscure with Klaatu's "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" Into their Repertoire. This Collection's Third Disc features a Special Selection of Tracks from Richard and Karen's Solo Albums.

Probably the same note on CD Universe site.

I have waited for another artist's DVD. Release date was March 28, but I received it this evening. And Amazon JP says 'Usually ships within 6 to 8 days' now.
Hope this Ultimate Collection was already shipped to you who ordered at Amazon.
Or we must talk about scratch until we can get the set.

Sakura

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I see it now. I first viewed the image on my home monitor and the "scratch" or whatever didn't show up at all. Now I'm at work with a much better monitor and there it is.

 

[newvillefan]

Is it just me or does the logo on the cover of that collection look compressed? It's almost as if it's been squashed together so it's taller and not as wide. It definitely doesn't look right to me.

Stephen

 

[Mike Blakesley]

If the package is a "digipak" then the image itself (not the logo) has been squashed. It should be 1/2" wider than it is tall, and on here it's actually taller than it is wide. So I think the beloved logo will survive unsquashed in real life.

 

[Harry]

It's squashed. Music sellers' websites allocate squarish space for their pictures, so this one, being a digipak is squeezed horizontally. Sort of like watching an anamorphic movie squeezed to fit in a 4:3 television.

Here's the same picture squeezed about 10% vertically that's probably closer to what the digipak will look like:

Harry

 

[newvillefan]

Thanks Harry, that makes sense now and looks much better! Shame they didn't use a better picture for such a prestigious release. Karen's hair looks like she just took the rollers out .

Apparently it's already on its way being shipped to one person I know

 

[henryjg]

FYI, this Ultimate Collection is part of a series of similar collections from the Netherlands. All are in tri-fold digipaks. Others in the series that I can think of are Swing Out Sister, Kool & the Gang, Robert Palmer and Donna Summer. The sound is pretty good on them but the liner notes are pretty minimal.

 

[Harry]

Thanks Henry. Wow, I love Swing Out Sister, too. I may have to look for that one.

Harry

 

[CarpentersToYou]

I just got a message from Amazon saying that they shipped my THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION CD today! I can't wait to get it. I wonder when the actual release date was.

 

[Karenannefan]

I got a message from Amazon.com also today to say the cd's have been shipped out to me.

I'm looking forward to hearing / seeing this new collection.

Laura

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Mine shipped, can't wait.

 

[Harry]

My set arrived today, and naturally the first thing you do is open it, look at the package contents and plop in the first disc.

So I did that - and to my surprise I heard the 1969 mix of "Ticket To Ride", making this, I believe one of the few, if any, compilations to use that version of the song.

Next up was "Close To You" - and again, it's the original mix from the original CLOSE TO YOU album. A pattern?

"We've Only Just Begun" - original album mix
"For All We Know" - original album mix

I was pretty certain at this point that surely a remix would show up for the "Rainy Days"/"Superstar" duo. Well, I was wrong - these are all original album mixes, taken from the Remastered Classics discs.

Right down to the (and this is the unfortunate part) revving of engines at the conclusion of "Yesterday Once More". The version of the song is as it appears on the Remastered Classic NOW AND THEN disc, and just as it first appeared on NOW AND THEN vinyl all those years ago. It's the semi-unfinished mix that was later tweaked for the single.

The mastering credits go to QS Sound Lab - the uncredited liner notes tell the basic story of kids from Connecticut growing up and becoming famous. There is a "thank you" to Richard Carpenter for his help in creating the collection, so apparently this all has Richard's blessing. I guess we kind of surmised that since it was promoted on the official site.

I'm actually rather pleased with the set overall, the engine-revving gaff notwithstanding. Here, for the first time, is a collection of Carpenters hit songs in their original mixes - quite a change from the usual remix-laden packages we've become used to.

The trifold is actually a quad-fold. There are four "pages" when you unfold it all. The first holds the booklet, then there are two clear-plastic digipak pages holding the main two CDs, and finally another pocket on page four to hold the bonus disc with the solo tracks. The inner two pages have littel pictures of all of the album covers on a black background, and these same pictures appear inside the booklet in the track listing.

The discs themselves resemble the GOLD type of color-scheme with a black background, gold Carpenters logo, and silver printing elsewhere. There is no sign of any A&M logos - these are branded with the Universal logo.

I'd recommend this set to anyone who doesn't like the remixes, but wants a comprehensive set of Carpenters material as originally presented.

Harry

 

[newvillefan]

Harry

Amazing! One question: are the solo Karen tracks the original mixes or remixes?

Stephen

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

This sounds like a great collection indeed Harry. I am for the original mixes, I am blown away that the 69 ver of TTR is included on this in fact I'm suprised that most of these are the original mixes. Some of us will have to get back to basics, come full circle...our ears are so use to the remixes being bombarded with remixes for years and years now. It's a nice change and welcome by me.

One question, how is the sound quality of the discs?

..still waiting for my set to arrive.

 

[Harry]

One question: are the solo Karen tracks the original mixes or remixes?

I skimmed them rather quickly, but I'm pretty sure they're the original solo album tracks and not the LOVELINES versions.

A couple of further notes:

[ignore this next section]
Since VOICE OF THE HEART had no real "hits", it's not pictured in the booklet's tracklisting, nor is LOVELINES. (VOICE's picture appears on the fold-out pages.)

The booklet has a few familiar pictures: a small black & white pitcure of Karen & Rich at studio console, a color shot or Rich and Karen with her in her fur-lined coat, and the back of the booklet has the favored HORIZON photo framed in black.

Harry

 

[Harry]

I think I might be losing it...

I'm sitting here listening to the new ULTIMATE COLLECTION. On comes "Superstar" and I was going to swear it was a remix. So I get up, grab the Remastered Classics disc, put it on the other CD player, and almost convinced myself that the new ULTIMATE COLLECTION used a remix. (remember the word "almost")

Then I got to "Hurting Each Other", and again wondered if I was listening to a remix. I dug out the A SONG FOR YOU Remastered Classic, and again was almost positive that the new disc was a remix. (again, remember the word "almost")

As I was just about to issue a "Stop The Presses" post (both here and at Steve Hoffman's forums), I decided to do an A/B comparison of these tracks, just to be sure.

When I synched them up and compared them, I was now sure that I'd imagined all of it. These ARE the original mixes! Definitely! Positively! (or am I hearing things...?)

People - please do me a favor. Listen to these carefully when you get them. Assure me that I've not lost it, and that these are the original album mixes.

Sometimes I think that after the initial years of "brain-training" with the original mixes on LP played over and over again, and then years and years of hearing new remixes upon new remixes and "brain-training" with those that I'm now losing the ability to tell them apart!



Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Thanks for the heads up, I forgot about that forum. I always love to read posts from others about the Carpenters.

Here is the link Harry mentioned:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=77385

I hope it's ok to post here.

...hoping I get my set for the weekend...[/url]

 

[scottb]

Harry,

So in your opinion does this new set sound better than the sound quality of the same tracks on the Remastered Classics?

Thanks

Scott B

 

[CarpentersToYou]

I finally got my set ! The mail man woke my up this morning, I ripped open the package and spent all afternoon listening to it till now (without shaving and showering).

I am pleased with the set. I really am.

As Harry said, yes, this CD includes ALL THE ORIGINAL REMASTERED CLASSICS versions. Nothing particularly special, but this is a unique set for that fact alone. It is a bit dissapointing that they kept the reving of engines after YESTERDAY ONCE MORE, that would leave new fans wondering "what the heck?".

The best sounding songs on this compilation is "Superstar" (funny Harry said that about the remix, I thought so immediatly, too) and "Rainy Days and Mondays." Not until you reach the "Made In America" tracks do you get crystal-clear sound in my opinion. I listened to the set with headphones on just so I wouldn't miss a thing. THE SOUNDS ARE VERY, VERY SIMILAR TO THE REMASTERED CLASSICS...NOTHING WAS EXTRAORDINARY ABOUT THEM.


It's odd that Harry's doesn't give VOICE OF THE HEART billing on the inside, it is shown on the inside of mine (on page ten, maybe you missed it? If not that's strange!).

When you open the CD you see on the right side the albums for disc 1 and the list of albums for disc 2 as well (including the 3 solo albums). There's like a little paths through the albums through the years.

If there's any questions I'd be happy to answer.

And about the scratch, it's not on mine!

 

[Harry]

It's odd that Harry's doesn't give VOICE OF THE HEART billing on the inside, it is shown on the inside of mine (on page ten, maybe you missed it? If not that's strange!).

You're correct - the VOICE OF THE HEART picture is there, right where it's supposed to be. I can't imagine what I was thinking when I wrote that. Perhaps I meant to say that OFFERING's picture was among the missing - I don't know. In any case, thanks for correcting the record (no pun intended).

Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Finally have been able to listen to all 3 discs. When I first opened the 3 CD set, I was really impressed with the packaging. I have several other digipack's the fold out like this.

At first glance of this, I inspected the cover to make sure all was well. Yup, no scratches and the picture is not altered like the pic listed on Amazon. I really like the black background and how it plays against the cover pic of K & R.

I won't go into detail since it's been posted already and grants site is pretty detail about this new set. I will say that I am very happy I bought this, I always liked the original album mixes myself. I've grown to dislike all that reverb Richard tends to impart into the remixes. I was completely suprised to hear that the album version of TTR was the first song to appear. I am actually quite suprised Richard allowed it to be included on a compilation but I'm glad. Still I think the rev-ing of engines should have been clipped off from this particular collection, would it have been that hard?

I still am on the fence about Bless the Beasts & Children, something sounds different to me but I just can't seem to put my finger on it. It just seem to sound different to me, does anyone else think this?

Seems so weird to listen to Back in my Life again cut off at the end like that, I'm soooo use to hearing it back to back with When You got What it Takes.

All in all I am very pleased with the sound, packaging and quality of the disc. My only gripes are: I wish there was a forward or something written from Richard about the set, hopefully when and if he puts out a true singles collection soon, he will list notes for each track. My 2nd gripe is the bonus disc, although I love the concept of this and although the material is not knew to me, I still was hungry for more. I mean 3 songs from Karen? Why only 3 and Richard gets 4? (me answering myself) Yeah, not fair!! Why couldn't they include Karen's version of Make Believe It's Your First Time? or even All Because of You. I think there should have been even tracks for Richard as well as Karen but more importantly there should have been at least 5 or 6 from each of them to make 10 or 12 tracks as the bonus, it still would have left alot of tracks not covered.

But I still love this collection and highly recomend it.

 

[Harry]

This set is now available through Collectors Choice Music. I just happened to notice it on the back of their current mailing. Their description mentions that this unique Netherlands release had the blessing of Richard Carpenter. I suppose we already knew that since he mentioned it on his website months ago.

http://www.ccmusic.com/item.cfm?itemid=SMG358452

Harry

 

[Jeff]

Hey Gang!

I've missed ya recently. My 32 bit dealy bob came yesterday and I must say that the song choice and orig mix thing worked fer me.

Lovely and somewhat gracefully understated this set holds true to Karen's original deliveries.

tenderly,

Jeff

 

[Harry]

Rumors are floating around that the Netherlands set may be nearing the end of its availability already. Checking around at amazon and CD Universe and other common sites, you'll find it either listed as available used or not at all. However, I also noticed that the Collectors Choice link that I posted just above in this thread is still active and apparently available. But I have to issue a note that the CC website isn't the world's best by any stretch of the imagination, and it may be old information that hasn't yet been deleted. No way of telling without ordering, I suppose.

Bottom line, this Netherlands set looks like it's rather limited, so if you're thinking about it at all, grab it now. It could turn out to be quite a collectors item in the future.

Harry

 

[Calvin R Murty]

Hi Everyone,

A Singapore Edition was just released here - it is a double disc, and the cover is the same as Lovelines - that sepia toned photo, but a smaller version.

Also, there will be a Carpenters concert by one of our local singers here, on Feb 5 next year. Entitled 'Songs of the Carpenters'...more info at
http://www.sistic.com.sg/cms/events/index.html?content=668

Glad to note that Carpenters 'fever' is alive and well in my country!


Calvin
Singapore