📣 News Carpenters: "The Vinyl Collection"

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May I ask where you found old Vinyl of the Carpenters? Was it in an old resale record store, or on eBay, or...?
If I may jump on this question, I got most of mine off of eBay. Although I have found them in local record stores -- gotta ask if you don't see them. :wink:
Flea markets can also be good places to look, if you know what you're looking for...
 
Hmmm this may be starting a new thread, if it doesn't already exist: Best ways to find/How I found Carpenters Albums & Memorabilia.
 
I'd be very happy to see a vinyl box set released for fans who don't have the originals or weren't a bit OC about album care like I was (you get gooey fingerprints on my records, you die...) Just sayin' that for me to shell out more $ for music I already own in a format I already have, better be some good bonuses. Maybe:

1) A CD with "ABBA Undeleted"-type medley of any snatches from unreleased material that Richard deems good enough to release (my imagination can do wonders with only 30 seconds of inspiration);
2) An LP or EP approximating what the 1979 album might have sounded like (here's the opportunity to bring out "Thank You for the Music" and the full-length "Dancing in the Streets" if it ever existed);
3) Bonus booklets for each LP that detail all tracks that were originally recorded for it, including those that didn't make the cut...any anecdotes Richard can recall from the sessions...outtakes from the photo sessions...maybe some "what would I have done differently in hindsight" reflections; a few Carpenters appreciation essays by music figures that we don't usually hear from on the subject.

Now, what I actually expect from a box set, based on how the catalog has been treated in the past: Only the LPs from "Offering" through "Made in America" included; fairly simply approximations of the original LP jackets but no frills -- no envelope flaps, no embossing, no nice inserts, no gatefolds or trifolds; relatively few, if any, notes that haven't already appeared with CD compilations; etc. What I've just described I don't need.

BUT if they did it right -- definitely interested.
 
May I ask where you found old Vinyl of the Carpenters? Was it in an old resale record store, or on eBay, or...?
sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Yes I got mine from old junk shops, charity shops, old record shops, online and some kind Carpenters fan friends.
 
I did some looking around for some other artists box sets. some didn't look very good but they were not very well known. However, I found one by Queen, a huge band. Their box set has:
-original artwork
-in a box with another slide over piece of cardboard with logo on
-a thick booklet the same size as the vinyls
-coloured records (instead of all being black) red, blue, white, green, e.c.t.

this is a recent set released in the last couple of years I think. The Carpenters are one of the all time greats like queen so I hope we get a Carpenters one just like that one !
 
I'm saving for these already. Best news I've had all year!

I managed to get all the vinyl albums from Ticket to Lovelines, including the Singles 69-73 and both Christmas albums sealed and unplayed. Unfortunately, these still played with skips and pops. I believe these problems are due to poor quality vinyl used due to a vinyl shortage in the '70's so I'd love modern, high quality 180g vinyl versions. Hopefully they'll be great quality and include something special like a vinyl sized hard-covered book with loads of photos and information that is/was often included on the various Japanese box sets/collections but not in English.
 
1) A CD with "ABBA Undeleted"-type medley of any snatches from unreleased material that Richard deems good enough to release (my imagination can do wonders with only 30 seconds of inspiration).

That medley only made me want to hear the full versions of every song featured. Just A Notion almost made it as a complete bonus track on disc 4 until Benny and Bjorn got cold feet. Don't even get me started about Just Like That.
 
UPDATE

I just got an Email from Richard Carpenter.
He said "I don't have a release date on the vinyl set at the present time, but I believe it will be fairly soon"

*This is a section of the Email and is not edited
 
That medley only made me want to hear the full versions of every song featured. Just A Notion almost made it as a complete bonus track on disc 4 until Benny and Bjorn got cold feet. Don't even get me started about Just Like That.

:)

I didn't know they'd considered "Just a Notion" as a bonus track. That and "Just Like That" (and "I Am the City") are so good...pity ABBA couldn't have hung in there for one more album.
 
I commented on these vinyl releases a few months ago and my thoughts still stand. I'm quite active in the vinyl reissue side of the market, and there could be many deal breakers in this set, as I mentioned before.

1. Which versions of the albums? No remixes wanted here.

2. Who is mastering this? Some of the "Back to Black" series from several years ago sounded horrible--very dull, lifeless, certainly a far cry from the original stock copies. Grundman Mastering would be perfect (Bernie mastered much of A&M's product back in the day), but who knows if that is in the budget.

3. Who is pressing the vinyl? If they do the typical "send out the vinyl to the lowest bidder," forget it. Charge us a few more dollars per disc and get a competent pressing plant to do this. RTI, QRP, Pallas...plenty of good pressing plants could handle this properly.

4. Box set? Let's see individual releases instead. I am not buying a set where I will only listen to maybe a third of the records at the most. And to be honest, I'd only be buying to get clean copies of anything I don't already own, since most used copies are thrashed to death anymore.

Let's hope I'm proven wrong! This has the potential to be an excellent set, or a complete trainwreck...
 
Who is mastering this?
I think it will probably be Richard; I think he is being a big part of it. He has spoken to me about in September last year and a few days ago.

I hope like you said above that it is a good, high quality set. I'm guessing considering this is the first vinyl release of the carpenters for decades that Richard will want to do it well.
 
I agree it will be Richard. If he's talking about the project himself, that should indicate he'll be involved with its production. Why wouldn't he be?

Richard is very involved in all major Carpenters releases. The only U.S. release that seemed to surface without his attention to detail was the inferior 'Singles' LP on vinyl, which was all wrong. But that seemed to be released by the Universal people and not Richard.

A full set of ALL their original albums would most certainly need Richard's attention to detail and expertise.
 
Richard is very involved in all major Carpenters releases. The only U.S. release that seemed to surface without his attention to detail was the inferior 'Singles' LP on vinyl, which was all wrong.
Which Singles LP are you referring to? From what I've read There were only two Singles albums released in the US: the 1969-1973 album that went to #1, and then the 1969-1981 CD that also seemed to do well. The 1974-1978 LP was only released to the UK and Canada, but even to this day can be imported into the US.
 
hang on.. Remember Richard (in 2016) said he was working on some arrangements (in the booklet for the cd "The Nations Favorite Carpenters Songs") then Joe Osbourne was pictured with a caption "working on a Richard Carpenter album". What if Richard is going to be releasing some new material with this set, is that how he'd release it - in a vinyl box set of studio albums?
 
What if Richard is going to be releasing some new material with this set, is that how he'd release it - in a vinyl box set of studio albums?

If he is, let's hope he was sprucing up some incomplete backing tracks with KC vocals and is planning on including them. Many of the songs they released posthumously have ironically become some of my favourites. I personally wouldn't want any more elevator-type instrumental music like he put out on PACC.

If I'm not mistaken the last previously unreleased tracks we got were 17 years ago, on As Time Goes By. Has it really been that long?!
 
I have read/heard that Richard has said firmly that anything left in the "vault" is either personal to him or, as he sees it, unfit for release. I'm sure he sees it as protecting the legacy, and I understand that.

Having said that, I hope he relents :)
 
I've heard that too. But, remember he said lovelines was going to be the last Carpenters album. That was in the 80's then in the early 2000's there was not just a new song but an entire new album full of unheard songs. "I can dream can't I?"
fingers crossed!
 
When you think about it, most likely, before any others passing, the fan base is larger now than in the forseeable future. So, it makes sense that one more tidbit of unreleased material will have most everyone at the "sales counter". So, I am hoping that money talks. Plus, a most loyal fan base will be most appreciative!

Craig
 
If he is, let's hope he was sprucing up some incomplete backing tracks with KC vocals and is planning on including them. Many of the songs they released posthumously have ironically become some of my favourites. I personally wouldn't want any more elevator-type instrumental music like he put out on PACC.

If I'm not mistaken the last previously unreleased tracks we got were 17 years ago, on As Time Goes By. Has it really been that long?!

We just got "Make Me Laugh" (which I consider non-seasonal) and "Christmas Alphabet" with Christy McNichol on the DVD "Christmas Memories".
 
I love Make Me Laugh! I enjoy hearing Karen singing harmony and lead vocal! Plus, I enjoy the mix with Richard, and I usually don't care for his lead, but as they mix it up here, it just fits!
 
I am surprised to learn about the back to back singles. it was my understanding when jerry Weintraub negotiated a new contract,, that Richard was given complete control of any release of carpenters material.

having said that, I hated, from first listen, the rainy days, superstar, goodbye to love meld.
 
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