Carpenters "The Nation's Favourites" compilation coming in the UK

If it's following the X Factor on Saturday then viewers should stay tuned for a lesson in true talent. Looks like it will be good from the preview.
 
If it's following the X Factor on Saturday then viewers should stay tuned for a lesson in true talent. Looks like it will be good from the preview.

ITV have pulled a masterstroke including the likes of Nicole Scherzinger (X Factor judge UK) on this show. If they're previewing this clip ahead of Saturday night I'd say lots of people will stay tuned. I'm amazed this broadcast hasn't been tucked away on a Wednesday evening 11pm slot as is usually the case and it makes a nice change that it hasn't been. Its high profile slot can only do good for the spin-off album's ratings.
 
Radio Times write up...

As a rule, TV retrospectives don't add to the Carpenters' mystique. Watching Karen perform on cheesy 70s television specials isn't how you want to visualise songs described here as "musical Faberge eggs". But it's still enjoyable to see a countdown of what (according to one eccentric poll) are their best-loved hits.

Several contributors recall Richard's magpie gift for spotting tracks he could adapt, and when you hear the awkward originals of Close to You (sung by actor Richard Chamberlain), Sing (from Sesame Street) and We've Only Just Begun (from a bank advert), you see what they mean.

Richard, as always in these docs, sits at his piano surrounded by gold discs and recalls the carpentry that went into the classics. But it's Karen whose voice runs through this like a trail of smoke. DAVID BUTCHER

I'd add a photo but I can't figure out how to do it!
 
As a rule, TV retrospectives don't add to the Carpenters' mystique. Watching Karen perform on cheesy 70s television specials isn't how you want to visualise songs described here as "musical Faberge eggs".

That's very true. I know people (including family) who love her voice but openly laugh at or criticise their dress sense and basin haircuts when they see them actually on screen in some of the promo clips. Their amazing sound is incongruent with their terrible image.

But it's Karen whose voice runs through this like a trail of smoke.

That's a great description and so fitting, it reminds me of a quote by Dionne Warwick:

"Karen's voice always reminded me of smoking wood. Some woods smell so wonderful, and that's what her voice reminds me of."
 
It turns out there's quite a promotional push by Universal Records to go with this programme. Check out this press release and the below links...

It's the summer that marks the 40th Anniversary of the release of "A Kind of Hush", and the year that Richard Carpenter turns 70!

So Universal Music has announced a series of celebrations for one of music's most recognisable and iconic duos, the Carpenters, including a new compilation album and a television special.


A Kind Of Hush won gold certification in both the US and UK, where it reached No. 3 and stayed on the charts from June 1976 all the way into the new year. Learn more about their seventh studio album, 'A Kind Of Hush' and those incredible Richard & Karen harmonies here.

To coincide with ITV's upcoming program celebrating The Nation's Favourite Carpenters Songs, this is a 20 track collection of the UK's favourite Carpenters songs.

Including the timeless classics 'Yesterday Once More', '(They Long To Be) Close To You', 'Please Mr Postman', 'Calling Occupants' and many more. Sleeve notes include a full interview with Richard Carpenter!

Richard Carpenter, at the piano, leads us through this 90 minute documentary special, celebrating the best-loved songs of the biggest-selling sister and brother act in music history.

It's a story which charts the extraordinary journey of the band - from the highs of multi-million-selling number one singles to devastating personal lows culminating with the tragic loss of Karen Carpenter, aged just 32.

The programme also reveals the results of an exclusive ITV poll to find out which song from Richard and Karen Carpenter's 13 year chart reign has been voted the Nation's Favourite.

Alongside Richard, the programme also hears from those who knew the Carpenters best, from friends and collaborators such as Burt Bacharach and Petula Clark, to famous fans including Nicole Scherzinger, The Corrs and Myleene Klass.


Untitled Document »

reDiscover 'A Kind Of Hush' - uDiscover »
 
If they made a promotional poster of the album cover with just the (correct) logo and big gold record I'd scoop up like twenty :whistle:
I can't get enough of it for some reason, perhaps it channels the classy "Singles 69-73" package. :laugh:
 
Is there anyone hear who has the photoshop skills to remove all the words from the green page and just leave the logo with the shadow? If so, I'd love a copy of it! I tried and just can't get it. (Love to use it for a CD cover for one of my own compilations.)
 
That's a great description and so fitting, it reminds me of a quote by Dionne Warwick:

"Karen's voice always reminded me of smoking wood. Some woods smell so wonderful, and that's what her voice reminds me of."

Right, Dionne. Smoking "wood." That's what you meant. LOL!! :laugh:

I LOVE the gold logo on the green background!

Yes! That does look great! That color combination would look fantastic on a t-shirt.

It's kind of cool that they are highlighting the 40th anniversary of A Kind Of Hush. It's an interesting reminder of how radically different their album chart success was in the UK compared to America. The early albums (Close to You, Carpenters, A Song for You) all charted much higher in the US. Most of the later albums (Horizon, A Kind of Hush, Passage, Made In America, even Voice of the Heart) all charted way higher in the UK.
 
14225359_10207187275822566_8838988679849500136_n.jpg
 
my copy arrived today from amazon, but I haven't and won`t be opening it, given the songs are on other cds!
at least it adds to the collection :tiphat:
looking forward to the documentary now!
 
Right, Dionne. Smoking "wood." That's what you meant. LOL!! :laugh:



Yes! That does look great! That color combination would look fantastic on a t-shirt.

It's kind of cool that they are highlighting the 40th anniversary of A Kind Of Hush. It's an interesting reminder of how radically different their album chart success was in the UK compared to America. The early albums (Close to You, Carpenters, A Song for You) all charted much higher in the US. Most of the later albums (Horizon, A Kind of Hush, Passage, Made In America, even Voice of the Heart) all charted way higher in the UK.
Hi
Yes from 1973 Carpenters really had great success in the Uk through to about 1978 as all their Albums charted in Uk top 20 and received Gold disc status.Even made in america reached no 12 in 1982 and Voice of the heart no 6 in 1983/Gold disc award.I hop this new compilation heads for a no 1 position.
 
The album is on iTunes in the UK and there's previews of every track. A few interesting observations going off time lengths and hearing the previews:

Close to You - full length album version
Top of the World - original album version
I Won't Last a Day Without You - extended version found on Singles 1969-1981

I think Hurting Each Other is a remix, would need to listen to the full track. Could someone from the UK confirm the versions?

Really excited for the show tomorrow night, anything Carpenters related on the TV is music to my ears.
 
my copy arrived today from amazon, but I haven't and won`t be opening it, given the songs are on other cds!
at least it adds to the collection :tiphat:
looking forward to the documentary now!
That's will power! I'd want to see what information was provided in the booklet in case there were some new or rarely seen photographs or some new nuggets of information I'd not read before. A voice would be nagging me to "open it, just in case, open it just in case..." Can't you hear that voice nagging you to open it just in case?!!:whistle:
 
The album is on iTunes in the UK and there's previews of every track. A few interesting observations going off time lengths and hearing the previews:

Close to You - full length album version
Top of the World - original album version
I Won't Last a Day Without You - extended version found on Singles 1969-1981

I think Hurting Each Other is a remix, would need to listen to the full track. Could someone from the UK confirm the versions?

Really excited for the show tomorrow night, anything Carpenters related on the TV is music to my ears.
Close To You is showing 4:31 on iTunes
 
The album is on iTunes in the UK and there's previews of every track. A few interesting observations going off time lengths and hearing the previews:

Close to You - full length album version
Top of the World - original album version
I Won't Last a Day Without You - extended version found on Singles 1969-1981

I think Hurting Each Other is a remix, would need to listen to the full track. Could someone from the UK confirm the versions?

Really excited for the show tomorrow night, anything Carpenters related on the TV is music to my ears.

Nice find! It appears the correct logo is used in the iTunes version. And it's got the "Mastered for iTunes" label as well, for what it's worth.

itunes.png
 
The album is on iTunes in the UK and there's previews of every track. A few interesting observations going off time lengths and hearing the previews:

Close to You - full length album version
Top of the World - original album version
I Won't Last a Day Without You - extended version found on Singles 1969-1981

I think Hurting Each Other is a remix, would need to listen to the full track. Could someone from the UK confirm the versions?

Really excited for the show tomorrow night, anything Carpenters related on the TV is music to my ears.
I Won't Last A Day Without You coming in at 4:30 on iTunes
 
That's will power! I'd want to see what information was provided in the booklet in case there were some new or rarely seen photographs or some new nuggets of information I'd not read before. A voice would be nagging me to "open it, just in case, open it just in case..." Can't you hear that voice nagging you to open it just in case?!!:whistle:

I must resist
I must resist
I must resist
I must resist

o darn it, you just had to say it didn't you, the voices are there and they won`t stop :yikes:
actually, I wasn't aware there was a booklet, so I`ll open it and just buy another one for the collection ........ YES.:dancing:
 
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