Christmas Portrait: The Special Edition turns 30!

[davidgra]

Hi all.

I pulled out my original copy of Christmas Portrait: The Special Edition today. I realized that it was released 30 years ago -- some time in late 1984, although I don't know exactly when.

That original 1984 copy of the CD is still the only one I own of the Special Edition. While looking for the exact release date online today (does anyone know the actual date? I couldn't find it), I noticed that the current versions of the CD seem to have 21 tracks. (At least, the downloadable MP3 version on Amazon has 21 tracks.) My copy has 23 tracks -- the tracks "Winter Wonderland," "Silver Bells," and "White Christmas" are each given their own track number.

Making things more interesting is the fact that the tray card and the printing on the disc itself only list 21 tracks.

Can anyone confirm that there are CD versions that have only 21 tracks? Or are all copies like mine? Does anyone know when this was changed (if it was changed)? And does anyone know if the mastering of the two different versions is different? I'm curious about this, because I never realized there were different versions floating around out there.

 

[mr J.]

The Special Edition was released simultaneously with An Old Fashioned Christmas on October 26,1984.

A&M reissued The Special Edition in 1990 with a new catalog number.As far as I know,the mastering on the 1990 disc is the same as the 1984 disc.

 

[newvillefan]

The Special Edition was released simultaneously with An Old Fashioned Christmas on October 26,1984..

Why on earth did A&M do that? Pointless really. Why not just re-release the original Christmas Portrait alongside An Old Fashioned Christmas? I've always hated the Special Edition version.

 

[Harry]

That original 1984 copy of the CD is still the only one I own of the Special Edition. While looking for the exact release date online today (does anyone know the actual date? I couldn't find it), I noticed that the current versions of the CD seem to have 21 tracks. (At least, the downloadable MP3 version on Amazon has 21 tracks.) My copy has 23 tracks -- the tracks "Winter Wonderland," "Silver Bells," and "White Christmas" are each given their own track number.

Making things more interesting is the fact that the tray card and the printing on the disc itself only list 21 tracks.

Can anyone confirm that there are CD versions that have only 21 tracks? Or are all copies like mine? Does anyone know when this was changed (if it was changed)? And does anyone know if the mastering of the two different versions is different? I'm curious about this, because I never realized there were different versions floating around out there.

Color me puzzled, David. I bought my Special Edition copy virtually on release date. It lists 21 tracks on insert and disc and delivers 21 tracks. The medley you mentioned is NOT on separate tracks. My only other copy of the Special Edition is contained in the British box set from 1990, and it too, lists and delivers 21 tracks.

Why on earth did A&M do that? Pointless really. Why not just re-release the original Christmas Portrait alongside An Old Fashioned Christmas? I've always hated the Special Edition version.

It was a different world in 1984. CDs were still new things, and artists, producers, and record companies were all focused on LPs and cassettes as the major format for releases, so they were tailored for those formats. CDs were considered a niche, audiophile format.

When Richard compiled AN OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS, it was a new, unproven album, not something yet worthy of a special CD pressing all on its own. So, Richard, together with the engineers at A&M, set about making a special edition of an album the WAS proven in the marketplace, the old CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT. Unfortunately (for us), the timing was such that Richard was newly proud of his work with the new album, and made the new CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT more heavily focused on the new tracks than it should have been (especially the opening).

Since CDs could hold (at that time) 74 minutes, Richard thought that the combination of the two albums would work just fine to fill out a CD.

Harry

 

[GaryAlan]

I do have a question regarding Ave Maria, and, hopefully, this will make some sense .
I am hardly enamored of the Choir on this song, although a choir works quite well on Silent Night.
As per the Anthology Liner Notes (Japan, Red Version CD issue):
"This version is different from Christmas Portrait in that it is augmented by a 48-piece choir.
The choral parts were misplaced during the recording of that album and were discovered months later.
The Voices were recorded in 1984 during the making of An Old Fashioned Christmas."

My query:
If the 1978 choir parts were found-- why were those same recorded choir parts not utilized for subsequent releases?
Why not utilize the choir parts from 1978--did Richard Carpenter change the vocal arrangement from
that used in 1978 to a different arrangement in the 1984 choir?
(Hopefully, I am phrasing this question properly).

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I just checked and mine is also 21 tracks both disc and back cover and I also bought it when it was released. David, can you provide a photo of the cover and disc, is the catalog # the same or a different #?

I never liked that both albums were grouped together on 1 disc, I don't care about the logic of fitting them all on 1 disc, it's too much and listener fatigue will set in. I wonder how Richard feels about this Special Edition now....he always said CP should have been titled Karen's album and not Carpenters so why group them together?

 

[mr J.]

Why on earth did A&M do that? Pointless really. Why not just re-release the original Christmas Portrait alongside An Old Fashioned Christmas? I've always hated the Special Edition version.

The Special Edition is the best-selling Carpenters title(and has been for 20+ years)-A&M decided to leave it as it is.They didn't realize back in 1984 how well CD's were going to sell-and made the decision for one disc.

I remember talking to a senior A&M exec about this in 1996-and he mentioned that the Special Edition,because it was such a hot seller,would always remain in print.And,sure enough,18 years later it's still in print!

A&M was deciding at that time how to reissue the Christmas albums.If they put the two individual albums on CD,then they would've had to take the Special Edition out-of-print.But because it was selling so well,they decided against that idea.

They then came up with the idea of combining the two albums into one package and giving it a separate title.In that way,the Special Edition could stay on the market,and the new double-disc package would serve as an "expansion" of the Special Edition,for those that wanted the complete Christmas recordings.

Christmas Collection is currently the #2 best-selling Carpenters title.

 

[Mark-T]

And mr J, is The Singles 1969-1973 the best seller?

 

[mr J.]

And mr J, is The Singles 1969-1973 the best seller?

The Singles 1969-1973 is the all-time best selling Carpenters title.Christmas Portrait is the current best-selling title.

The Singles 1969-1973 has been out-of-print since early 2000.it sold 7 million+ copies-but most of those copies were sold in the 70's & early 80's.

 

[AM Matt]

The "Special Edition" runs 69:31 (69 minutes & 31 seconds). Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Mark-T]

Thanks, mr J.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Well, I guess it makes sense from a money making business, sell the customer more music for the same money, get in 70 mins of music on the special edition, maybe they should have called it the "budget edition." It's not the true "Christmas Portrait" as I know it.

Why are they touting "digital version? I guess they are not counting the German C.P.

 

[GaryAlan]

Amen to that, Chris !

 

[davidgra]

I've scanned the disc itself, as well as done a screen capture of iTunes when the disc is inserted. Here's the disc, which only lists 21 tracks:

And here's the screen shot of iTunes when the disc is inserted into the computer's disc drive:

 

[mr J.]

The disc above(catalog #3210) is the original 1984 disc.

The 1990 reissue is catalog #5173.

 

[Harry]

I contend that mine too is original, also pressed in Japan, yet very different:



You'll notice that my copy:

- has no logos of any kind. A mistake? A pressing plant error?
- has song 1-9 on the left side and 10-21 on the right.
- has CD 3210 and 1A1 on the hub (not the DIDX #)

This was made in the very early days of CD pressings, when there were only a few CD pressing plants in existence. The jewel case has smooth sides rather than the more familiar knurled edges.

Harry

 

[GaryAlan]

Harry, my copy is almost exactly the same as yours.
However, instead of 1A1 on the hub, mine has Lc3-6Y.

More information at this site:
http://www.keithhirsch.com/tis-the-...u-s-pressing-of-carpenters-christmas-portrait

 

[davidgra]

I think GaryAlan has uncovered the answer to the mystery. My CD looks just like the CD on the keithhirsch.com website that was manufactured by CBS/Sony in Japan, so I guess that's the reason for the differences. It's still a mystery why there are 23 tracks on that version...

 

[Guitarmutt]

What I don't get is, if an album is always gonna be in print, why does it have a reissue catalog number with exactly the same tracklisting. Was it out of print, or was it a new pressing? How does that work?

Btw, I much prefer the original version on the lp I bought at a side walk sale in '85 or '86. On the Special Edition, I just keep waiting and waiting for Karen.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Here is a great price on the rare German Pressing of C.P. being sold from the Netherlands for $69.00. I seem to recall that I got one of my German Pressing CD's from the Netherlands. (I own 2 of the German Pressing CD's)

www.ebay.com/itm/CD-Carpenters-Christmas-Portrait-1978-West-Germany-A-M-/161474592685?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item2598a2bfad

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Getting back to the Special Edition, so the Japan disc mentioned above made for the US is a first pressing.
So I guess Japan also pressed a Special Edition in 84 for Japan only as I see one on ebay going for $299.99 CAT. NO: 32XB-47
www.ebay.com/itm/CARPENTERS-CHRISTMAS-PORTRAIT-JAPAN-CD-OBI-3200yen-32XB-/380258193836?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item58892791ac

Here is another 1st press Japan going for $169.00, I didn't realize these went for so much.
www.ebay.com/itm/CARPENTERS-Christmas-Portrait-JAPAN-1st-Press-CD-1984-32XB-47-W-Obi-MEGA-RARE-/121398749995?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item1c43edeb2b

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

David, so your disc and back label of the CD do not show Winter Wonderland/Silver Bells/White Christmas split up but on iTunes they are showing separate track #'s......I'm wondering if it's possible that iTunes is only showing them split up because some user imported it that way manually by typing them separate and then sending that data to iTunes/gracenote. I only ask because there have been times when I imported a CD myself into iTunes and iTunes does not recognize the disc with those tracks and it will prompt me with a pop up that says would you like to send your track listings info to gracenote. Is it possible that way back then someone did this manually and gracenote couldn't find a match and asked that person to submit it and they did and this is they way it's always been recorded for that specific disc, so now every time someone pops in that specific disc it reads it like that.

It appears the Special Edition I own is the reissue CD 5183 DIDX 186 made in the USA, the full bar code is 7502-15173-2

 

[Harry]

What I don't get is, if an album is always gonna be in print, why does it have a reissue catalog number with exactly the same tracklisting.

I believe that a lot of catalog numbers were changed when PolyGram took over the company and reorganized some things.

My hub numbers in full are: CD 3310 1A1 5Y

Harry

 

[davidgra]

I'm wondering if it's possible that iTunes is only showing them split up because some user imported it that way manually by typing them separate and then sending that data to iTunes/gracenote.

Chris, I'm not sure I'm following your question -- iTunes isn't capable of splitting tracks on a CD. If you insert a disc that has 21 tracks, it's not possible to get it to show 23 tracks. You can't even renumber tracks until the disc has been imported into your computer, and, even then, you can't make 23 tracks out of 21 without using software specifically designed for audio editing. iTunes just doesn't have that capability.