⭐ Official Review Carpenters Royal Philharmonic Review and Comments Thread

How would you rate Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra?

  • ⁕⁕⁕⁕⁕ (Best)

    Votes: 38 36.5%
  • ⁕⁕⁕⁕

    Votes: 47 45.2%
  • ⁕⁕⁕ (Average)

    Votes: 16 15.4%
  • ⁕⁕

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • ⁕ (Worst)

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • Did not listen to this album yet

    Votes: 1 1.0%

  • Total voters
    104
Please Mr. Postman is playful and its best playful part is on the section in the promo. The Target exclusive CD finally arrived. Tomorrow, I listen to the entire CD. Today, I've spent each spin with digital downloads. I even made Please Mr. Postman part of the iTunes playlist.
 
I heard the bonus track Please Mr Postman today, courtesy of a kind fellow forum member. Not what I expected and whilst there was one very unexpected twist in the arrangement, I’m glad it wasn’t on the album. I don’t think it would have fit.
 
I heard the bonus track Please Mr Postman today, courtesy of a kind fellow forum member. Not what I expected and whilst there was one very unexpected twist in the arrangement, I’m glad it wasn’t on the album. I don’t think it would have fit.
What makes Please Mr Postman is the play on the background vocals, which this package as a symphonic focus is without some of stacked vocal features as the focus. But the symphonic twist in the center is quite creative! So, as I agree with your assessment, as we all have mentioned, each track has its plus, and I feel even Postman. I guess it goes to show that we need another CD of symphonic goodies where Postman can have a better fit! By the way, I need your connections. I've been going nuts all day trying to find. I'm glad that UPS finally arrived.
 
Man...I’m just getting started. More later but I have to say I never really liked “Baby, its you” but now I am totally in love with it. The new mix and recording brings it to life for me. All in all Karen’s voice is really right out there on every track of this album. You really can hear the emotion.
 
I Just Fall in Love Again is about 4 minutes long minus the introduction. I still think it would make a great radio single. This version is worthy of many future repeats!!!!!!

It’s my absolute favourite on the entire album and I’ll be playing it for any family and friends willing to listen. The fact it’s not a well known single is all the more in its favour. The single best thing Richard improved was to strip back the cumbersome choir in the final, uplifting chorus. It improves the track 1000%.
 
Man...I’m just getting started. More later but I have to say I never really liked “Baby, its you” but now I am totally in love with it.

Me too! I can't decide which is my favorite, "Baby It's You" or "I Just Fall in Love Again". The prelude on the former is just stunning and I keep playing it over and over again. And Karen's voice is beyond words. "Baby It's You" was the song that I suspected would really get the Royal treatment, and did it ever. Spectacular!
 
Me too! I can't decide which is my favorite, "Baby It's You" or "I Just Fall in Love Again". The prelude on the former is just stunning and I keep playing it over and over again. And Karen's voice is beyond words. "Baby It's You" was the song that I suspected would really get the Royal treatment, and did it ever. Spectacular!
The space from the end of Merry Christmas Darling to the intro of Baby Its You is so creative and genius and pleasant all at the same time I'm all pleasantly twisted inside by the time Karen begins singing. What a beautiful segue. The two songs blend beautifully. It's kinda like the beautiful sad guitar that Harry pointed out in Superstar.
 
Good News - just listened to the whole album
Bad News - listened in the car to a CD I made with the download tracks. We no longer have a CD player in the house...so I may listen through the computer using my headphones.

I LOVE the entire album. It feels like a production. The Overture draws you in and song after song keeps you drawn in....listening to what might be different or added from the originals. I mentioned earlier about this doing for THEIR music what Portrait did for Christmas music in general. It is wonderful. I can't wait to actually get the hard copy of the CD in my hands and then the vinyls.

My wife and daughter were in the car with me. They loved it also and mentioned things that they heard that were different. I talked to them about Karen being brought more forward and my daughter said "It sounds like she is live on stage with the orchestra surrounding her". The BOTH really loved the trumpet on Goodbye to Love. I like it also. So very happy right now....like a kid in a candy store and not sure what to sample first. Love it!!!!
Jonathan
 
So there are no pics of the orchestra? Interesting as the other albums all have the RPO on the cover with the artist. I wonder what pics will be in the inside of the jacket on the vinyl??????
 
So there are no pics of the orchestra? Interesting as the other albums all have the RPO on the cover with the artist. I wonder what pics will be in the inside of the jacket on the vinyl??????
There are a few pictures of Richard conducting the orchestra. But I am disappointment with the choice of the picture of Karen and Richard .
 
I think having three songs drip fed as singles, out of context and with cold endings that made little sense made me think the entire project would be RPO-light. When you listen to the finished product, nothing could be further from the truth. It’s stunning and to me verges on the status of concept album, with all the interludes and modulation which segues one track that’s in one key into the next. Listening to Yesterday Once More in its proper sequence now makes so much more sense than hearing it on its own.
My feelings exactly Stephen! I was disappointed by the three teaser tracks, in their initial form, and didn't have high hopes for the album as a result. Now that I've heard the complete, finished work, I admit that I got upset for nothing. I should have trusted that Richard would put out a quality product, as always. :bow: Fortunately, I'm not too proud to eat humble pie now and then... hmm, pie! :pie::drool: :laugh:
 
I don’t mind admitting that I had tears in my eyes hearing this track as well. As much as I love many of their other songs more, something about this song just touches me and always has. This version - and the way it evolves from an unexpected Spanish guitar intro into a majestically transformed orchestral version - just got me. I can’t even explain why.
Strange -- but I also teared up when the music shifted into the beginning of I Need to Be in Love. It is powerful, and her voice in that opening line feels so 'present' in the room.
 
Man...I’m just getting started. More later but I have to say I never really liked “Baby, its you” but now I am totally in love with it. The new mix and recording brings it to life for me. All in all Karen’s voice is really right out there on every track of this album. You really can hear the emotion.
Same here. I couldn't believe the intimacy of her vocal on the first verse of Baby It's You. I was floored.
 
Strange -- but I also teared up when the music shifted into the beginning of I Need to Be in Love. It is powerful, and her voice in that opening line feels so 'present' in the room.
The second verse did it for me. Between the instruments and Karen's voice, I was floored!
 
I really enjoyed the album (under studio-reference closed-cup headphones)! It plays like an "evening symphonic (holiday) concert program" (with choir, of course)! My only technical complaint is Karen's voice in the verses of Superstar. It sounds like some kind of "phaser effect" was employed. It stood out to me as sounding a bit distorted and mechanical (then it mostly rights itself in the choruses). Did anyone else notice this?
Recently I commented about the "Goodbye To Love" coda having always reminded me of "Hey Jude". Therefore the trumpet part made me smile because it was so british-sounding. The guitar solo that follows seems even more prominent than ever. It was a real chill factor moment in the program for me.
 
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I don’t mind admitting that I had tears in my eyes hearing this track as well. As much as I love many of their other songs more, something about this song just touches me and always has. This version - and the way it evolves from an unexpected Spanish guitar intro into a majestically transformed orchestral version - just got me. I can’t even explain why.

I'm wondering if he added the Spanish guitar as a tip of the hat to Jose Feliciano.
 
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