Will Richard Release a 50th Anniversary Collection

Does anyone know for sure - the last song recorded by Karen? I have always read and heard that she recorded several songs that April session, but nowhere did I see documented 100% by Richard - that 'Now' was the last song recorded.

I always wondered if there wasn't one more song that he was saving for a final tribute album (perhaps a 50th) that highlighted the "last song" Karen ever recorded. Possibly a nugget he wanted to save for himself a while longer...?

Just a thought...
 
BarryT60, this may be what you seek,
Richard Carpenter on the Official Carpenter site,says:
"...two songs from what turned out to be our last recording sessions, Now and You're Enough (April 1982)."
(The same on Treasures Japan and The Essential Collection, Liner Notes...."Karen's last recording session.")
 
Does anyone know for sure - the last song recorded by Karen? I have always read and heard that she recorded several songs that April session, but nowhere did I see documented 100% by Richard - that 'Now' was the last song recorded.

Karen recorded four tracks that April-and "Now" is absolutely the last track she recorded. Richard has acknowledged that fact many times.
I always wondered if there wasn't one more song that he was saving for a final tribute album (perhaps a 50th) that highlighted the "last song" Karen ever recorded. Possibly a nugget he wanted to save for himself a while longer...?
There's still two tracks left from that April session,but Richard's not "saving" them for anything. They are just outtakes that He doesn't like.
 
It is easy to see how Richard Carpenter would be dismayed,
--as witness:
Perusal of the statistics gives an interesting look into the present state of music industry:
2013 Top Music Markets
(Global Market Share Total: USA 30%, Japan 20%, Germany and UK each 9%)
Physical Units:
Japan: 31%
USA: 10%
Germany: 13%
France: 8%
UK: GS 7%
Digital Units:
USA: 45%
UK:10%
Japan:8%
Germany:5%
"The distribution of illegal music files... has yet to be reduced and is inflicting heavy damage on the music industry."
2014 by Value: Albums account for 19%, Singles 47%
Ringtones 12% Music Videos 2% Other 21%. (sic.,the RIAJ pie-chart adds up to 101% !)
Source:
ww.riaj.or.jp/e/issue/pdf/RIAJ2015E.pdf
 
Interestingly enough, as I peruse the various box sets and special vinyl releases,
it strikes me that every Limited Edition Carpenters' merchandise has always 'sold out'.
I tried to pre-order the Singles Box Set--at the time--and it was sold out at every venue !
Even the Japan SHM-Cd's appear to be limited editions (as: Passage says 'your copy#1140,
and Close To You says 'your copy #1119'....).
Which brings me to an inconsequential observation(s):
The Japanese Market was blessed with 30th, 35th and 40th Anniversary Box Sets.
In America Interpretations seems to mark the 25th and Lovelines the 20th Anniversary.
Carpenters' Tenth Year saw The Decade Book for Fan Club Members,
plus a three vinyl Collection in Japan entitled Carpenters First Ten Years (AMP-3001-3).
From a purely 'business' perspective, the Limited Edition products seem to 'sell-out', thus
presumably all made money. Anyone's guess as to how much money was garnered, the point
being none of the Limited Edition products lost money. They were astute business decisions.
50....that's a "big one", Gold, as they say. Incomprehensible to me that from a purely
business perspective--not emotional, not psychological--there would not be something --a Limited Edition--
to mark the Wonderful Occasion.
(Gee, even the Physicists are marking 2015 as "the 100th anniversary" of Einstein's General Relativity--
and, from a purely scientific perspective, the theory was ignored for its first fifty years of existence.)
I truly do not want Carpenters' to be ignored at 50, the world is in dire need of that kind of beauty.
Perhaps a Carpenters Conference can be planned: invite people to speak-- John Bettis, Itchie Ramone,
and many others ( Juice Newton, Steve Eaton, Paul Williams.....).
 
A few years back, Capitol Records released all the Beatles American issued albums on CD, in their stereo and mono formats.
All the albums were packaged as the original vinyl albums, right down to the original sleeves and the record label printed on the disc.
This was a fabulous addition to my collection, for the American releases of the Beatles albums were what was in my home when I was growing up.
I had always thought that this would be a great idea for a Carpenters 50th Anniversary. To release all the albums in their original formats,
original covers and inserts, original record labels...but in a compact disc format.
P.S. The Alan Parsons Project also did this a couple years back, releasing all their albums (plus one previously unreleased album) in a box set was a great success,
so I'm certain a Carpenters set would also be a great success.
 
I had always thought that this would be a great idea for a Carpenters 50th Anniversary. To release all the albums in their original formats,
original covers and inserts, original record labels...but in a compact disc format.
It's been done - by the Japanese in their 30th and 35th anniversary box sets - mini LPs on CD with accurate label and jacket designs.

Harry
 
I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some sort of 50th anniversary album---even as just a digital download, featuring outtakes and other stuff that, yeah, Richard probably would not want out there, but due to what's occurred in Europe over the past few years with copyrights, especially related to archival stuff that is kept in the vaults. As we 've seen with the Beach Boys 2013 and 2014 releases of The Big Beat 1963 and Live In Sacremento 1964, those were albums of outtakes, but had Capitol not released the stuff, the copyrights would've expired in the EU. So I wouldn't be surprised if for the 50th in 2019, Universal makes Richard create some sort of album or series of albums (even if they are only released through iTunes) featuring Carpenters out takes so that they can, at least, hold onto the copyrights on those unpublished tracks.

But for a 50th anniversary album, it would also be nice if Richard would go into the recording studio and record maybe 1 or 2 NEW tracks that he has never recorded before, and even do them in the style of the "TIME" album (maybe not in terms of the 80's synth, but record a few upbeat, uptempo tracks with vocals---none of that instrumental stuff that made up his second album). It would also be nice if Richard finised up his long rumoured solo Christmas album.
 
There's not much left to be put out. Those were Richard's words at one point.

I wouldn't mind hearing something "new".
But, if it didn't work for them then, and wasn't up to standard then what are we missing?

If it's unfinished/outtakes... by now it's nowhere near consideration for release.
After all the posthumous albums I'm guessing there wouldn't be too much else.
Perhaps there is a few, but we have no idea what kind of shape they're in.
 
While you might see some repackaging going on, I highly doubt that there will be anything new -- considering Richard has said several times that he's "done," everything is out there, etc.

P.S. The Alan Parsons Project also did this a couple years back, releasing all their albums (plus one previously unreleased album) in a box set was a great success,

It was nice to have all the albums together in one box, but the packaging on that set was the absolute worst box set I've ever seen. The album covers were approximations of their former selves, not good reproductions -- the covers all had white borders around them, making them look like old snapshots. The paper quality was just so-so. They had a great opportunity to recreate the Stereotomy cover with the red/blue sleeve but didn't do that. There was no booklet with the box, no "trivia," no innersleeves, no inserts reproduced, no rare photos or anything else like you usually get with a box set. And the "bonus unreleased album" was a piece of junk -- no lyrics, no production to speak of. It's an album Alan Parsons once swore would never get released and it should have stayed that way. I would have been OK with a lot of these issues if the covers had been correct. They should have looked at the recent Warner Bros. box sets of the Doobie Brothers and America -- those really got it right, with a couple of small nitpicks. And (to get back on track) the Carpenters Japanese albums box set was amazing -- I don't own it myself but I've seen Harry's copy. They really did a great job on that one. The Japanese Sergio Mendes mini-LPs were outstanding too.
 
And (to get back on track) the Carpenters Japanese albums box set was amazing -- I don't own it myself but I've seen Harry's copy. They really did a great job on that one. The Japanese Sergio Mendes mini-LPs were outstanding too.

By FAR one of the very best replica sets I've ever seen and own!
 
Chris May: Do you think Richard may, on account of fan interest, authorize something special for the 50th? Anything up his sleeve? I don't know if he currently knows how many people would still love to see something released. Old fans and new ones.
 
Chris May: Do you think Richard may, on account of fan interest, authorize something special for the 50th? Anything up his sleeve? I don't know if he currently knows how many people would still love to see something released. Old fans and new ones.

Honestly I really don't know. I've been in recent contact and aside from any cooperation with PBS and Jim Pearson for the latest box set, Richard is not granting ANY interviews or other requests at all. Now who knows what Universal will do for the 50th - they do have some say because they still own the masters - not the songs themselves, but the masters.
 
While you might see some repackaging going on, I highly doubt that there will be anything new -- considering Richard has said several times that he's "done," everything is out there, etc.



It was nice to have all the albums together in one box, but the packaging on that set was the absolute worst box set I've ever seen. The album covers were approximations of their former selves, not good reproductions -- the covers all had white borders around them, making them look like old snapshots. The paper quality was just so-so. They had a great opportunity to recreate the Stereotomy cover with the red/blue sleeve but didn't do that. There was no booklet with the box, no "trivia," no innersleeves, no inserts reproduced, no rare photos or anything else like you usually get with a box set. And the "bonus unreleased album" was a piece of junk -- no lyrics, no production to speak of. It's an album Alan Parsons once swore would never get released and it should have stayed that way. I would have been OK with a lot of these issues if the covers had been correct. They should have looked at the recent Warner Bros. box sets of the Doobie Brothers and America -- those really got it right, with a couple of small nitpicks. And (to get back on track) the Carpenters Japanese albums box set was amazing -- I don't own it myself but I've seen Harry's copy. They really did a great job on that one. The Japanese Sergio Mendes mini-LPs were outstanding too.
Yes, I agree the APP box could have and should have been better. It was just the idea that it was done, and a Carpenters set (for American release) would be far more superior, especially if Richard has everything to do with it.
 
Honestly I really don't know. I've been in recent contact and aside from any cooperation with PBS and Jim Pearson for the latest box set, Richard is not granting ANY interviews or other requests at all.

Chris, when you say "cooperation with PBS and Jim Pearson", does this mean Richard is in the studio with them working on the remastering himself, or do they simply send him what they've done on completion for him to approve/reject/request changes? How many times now over the years have the songs been remastered and why does it need doing more than once?
 
why does it need doing more than once?
I could think of a few reasons for Richard wanting to remaster something more than once:

1. He has a new idea he wants to implement
2. Some recording technique has improved since the last go-round so he wants to "up" the quality of the record
3. There's something about the recording that bugs him and he wants to change it
4. Maybe there's some tiny little "error" he wants to take out, like a slurred word and he found a better "take"

Bottom line, Richard is a tweaker - and I know the feeling, when I get working on a project I can tweak it for a long time and still find things I want to fix on it.
 
I could think of a few reasons for Richard wanting to remaster something more than once:

1. He has a new idea he wants to implement
2. Some recording technique has improved since the last go-round so he wants to "up" the quality of the record
3. There's something about the recording that bugs him and he wants to change it
4. Maybe there's some tiny little "error" he wants to take out, like a slurred word and he found a better "take"

Bottom line, Richard is a tweaker - and I know the feeling, when I get working on a project I can tweak it for a long time and still find things I want to fix on it.

Wouldn't most of those qualify as a remix rather than a remaster?
 
Chris, when you say "cooperation with PBS and Jim Pearson", does this mean Richard is in the studio with them working on the remastering himself, or do they simply send him what they've done on completion for him to approve/reject/request changes? How many times now over the years have the songs been remastered and why does it need doing more than once?

Because what happens is, anytime you put together an entire new compilation of songs together on one project, remember - regardless of whether or not it's a million of the same songs we've already heard. But what mastering accomplishes is a balance, additional EQing and polishing (which nowadays makes more sense because the technology is getting so much better), so RE-remastering is almost essential, and then process of normalization has to take place. What this means is, every track has to be balanced in terms of volume from song to song, so one doesn't play at one sonic level, then all of a sudden you've got something that just JUMPS out at you. Every project is its own, regardless of the songs.

Richard I believe still holds a piece of his contract as producer, so he most certainly has say in what does goes where. Now the trick is to make a seamless, top-to-bottom playback that is comfortable and natural on the ears from song to song. Mastering is also the process where all of the 2-channel master playback recordings are gathered into one place and each song is put in proper order, and the delays and timing between the end of one song going into the start of another - be it a cross-fade, or cold end, cold open is accomplished. Then a master disc is created, including what's called a "ref" or "reference" disc for monitoring, where Richard can go back and listen down to the finished product before he signs off.
 
Now the trick is to make a seamless, top-to-bottom playback that is comfortable and natural on the ears from song to song.
Hmm, then why does he always want to put Christmas songs in the middle of compilations? :wink: (I know why, but it sure screws up the playback experience for me at least)

Wouldn't most of those qualify as a remix rather than a remaster?
True, but a lot of producers use a remaster process to tweak the mix too. Fleetwood Mac music comes to mind -- several of their songs sounded quite different after being "remastered" even though they didn't say "remixed" on the label anywhere.
 
It might be interesting if Richard created a kind of "Carpenters Symphony"; similar to the quality of his own CD, "Composer, Producer, Arranger...". It would weave together hits and lesser known titles from their entire catalog; with Karen's voice emerging from the instrumental sections, similar to the Beatles' LOVE project. Like an hour long medley, of sorts, that would give Richard another chance to display his composing/arranging talents.
 
Back
Top Bottom