⭐ 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
If you just listen in stereo the changes are not as noticeable as in Dolby surround. It’s not just tinkering. It almost like a new song. Close To You now sounds perfect. In fact, they all do. The only one I still prefer is Top Of The World in its 1973 version. Even though it has changed too, I’ll check in a few weeks to see if the chorus gets tinkered.
 
If you just listen in stereo the changes are not as noticeable as in Dolby surround. It’s not just tinkering. It almost like a new song. Close To You now sounds perfect. In fact, they all do. The only one I still prefer is Top Of The World in its 1973 version. Even though it has changed too, I’ll check in a few weeks to see if the chorus gets tinkered.

To me (and I have not used headphones......yet) Top of the World and This Masquerade sounds the least tinkered with. What do other forum members think? "Do You Hear What I Hear?" lol
 
John E. can probably clarify it, but I doubt any more sessions were done after the album was first completed. What may be happening is, Richard is substituting different "takes" of the existing sessions.

He’s already done at least one additional session at Capitol Records back in Hollywood, but maybe you’re right and the additions are from material recorded in London and omitted...until now.
 
Your also right that the interlude before IJFILA is slowed down and listening to the original now I can fully understand why Richard slowed this down and I love the slowed down version better. The original now sounds like the interlude was rushing to get to the song which is already a slower tempo song, so this change makes perfect sense.

If he’d made just one change I wish it had been that this interlude was lightly segued with the actual song, more along the lines of the overture and Yesterday Once More. The cold ending and gap before I Just Fall In Love Again turns the interlude into a separate track and therefore leaves it completely detached from the song it belongs with.
 
That's almost £40.00 they've got off me now. A CD for myself and one for a friend. The original digital download and because I bought off Amazon yesterday I just spent another £9.00.

I really like the slight improvements. . .it all melds together just that touch better. To my ears some haven't been touched at all and then other changes are so subtle I can't quite tell, for instance is it my imagination or are the choir mixed that touch softer. They're still there unfortunately, but less is more as they say.

As John stated earlier, originally that piccolo on GBTL was only supposed to come in on the second set of "ahhhs" and I wish to God he'd reverted to his original plan. We need just they're voices to begin with. With just the second set accompanied by the piccolo it may have worked but as is it really doesn't sound good in my opinion.

Still, little things. This made a very good album very gooder!!!

Neil
 
Could anyone tell me whether the Amazon U.K. down load has the most upto date tinkering?
 
Could anyone tell me whether the Amazon U.K. down load has the most upto date tinkering?
Did it yesterday and it has all the newest stuff. . . I have noticed that they call this updated version Carpenters & the RPO as opposed to the earlier Carpenters with the RPO
 
If I could make my own "tinkering wish list," I would have one item on it: Make "Merry Christmas Darling" a standalone track so a person could take it off the playlist without ruining the continuity. (Or my ultimate wish would be to take it out altogether and put "Please Mr. Postman" in, which I'm not a huge fan of that song but I like the RPO version much better than the original.)

I'm curious how "with" got changed to "&" in the artwork. I wonder if Richard requested that change, or was it supposed to be that way from the start and they missed it, or did something else happen?
 
my deepest apologies if this has been discussed, but I just noticed the clarinet intro on Begun, the (2nd 6 note we've only....) is a different clarinet!!!! WTH is going on??? Why tinker with legend??? Am I hearing things?
 
I think it would be great if people on the forum buy this newest updated version and notice any differences if they could list the name of the track, what the difference is and the time it happens during the song. Then we can compile some sort of list that has the changes.I noticed that on 'I Just Fall In Love Again' that the intro is about 13-14 seconds longer. That would explain why the song is longer now.
 
Interesting that throughout all of the adjustments so far, the buzzing is still present in the "Overture" at around 1:00.
 
I think it would be great if people on the forum buy this newest updated version and notice any differences if they could list the name of the track, what the difference is and the time it happens during the song. Then we can compile some sort of list that has the changes.I noticed that on 'I Just Fall In Love Again' that the intro is about 13-14 seconds longer. That would explain why the song is longer now.

Personally I’ve lost all interest. I was never the biggest fan of how underused the RPO was in the first place and all the unnecessary tweaking and changes are, at this stage, pointless and add nothing. He should have left well alone.
 
is there page where I can give my assessment and evaluation of what is going through Richard's mind psychologically with this? I'm kidding sort of, but fascinated. if in fact that clarinet was messed with on begun, I might have to have an actual opinion somewhere. :)
 
Personally I’ve lost all interest. I was never the biggest fan of how underused the RPO was in the first place and all the unnecessary tweaking and changes are, at this stage, pointless and add nothing. He should have left well alone.

I think the combination of Richard being a perfectionist and one who loves to tinker around with remixes adding or removing parts of a song and then through in that he has so much free time on his hands so this keeps him somewhat busy.
 
Imagine if this tech was around in the '70's....how long would it take to get an album out of Richard :wink: Close to You, released in 1979...

I do agree with another who said that Richard is a tinkerer and at his age, he is probably having a blast indulging his every whim - personally, I don't begrudge him that, although it does create all the problems everyone here is mentioning.

Do I have this right - that the most recent versions are always on iTunes?
 
What's weird to me is how they keep releasing these tweaked-up things. I can see him wanting to tinker and then do an updated version, but why keep releasing it? Just hang onto it and then let it go when he's really, really, really done. You would think at some point Universal would say "Enough already!" because it's gotta cost them big bucks to keep remastering it (or whatever they do these days).
 
Imagine if this tech was around in the '70's....how long would it take to get an album out of Richard :wink: Do I have this right - that the most recent versions are always on iTunes?

It seems that way. Unless you put it on a "playlist" in iTunes, which is basically you've downloaded a copy into your computer, the changes will keep updating on iTunes. And you can create a new playlist with the most recent version, then compare.
 
I'd rather him spend the same amount of time "tinkering" with more tracks!!! maybe he wouldn't be able to record with the philharmonic, but he could clean up other stuff and bring her vocals forward and remix things on other tracks so we can hear the cleanest versions we can of as many songs as possible before time goes by too fast.
 
I'd rather him spend the same amount of time "tinkering" with more tracks!!! maybe he wouldn't be able to record with the philharmonic, but he could clean up other stuff and bring her vocals forward and remix things on other tracks so we can hear the cleanest versions we can of as many songs as possible before time goes by too fast.

Agreed. He has other songs we haven't even heard. He can tinker with those if he must.

Ed
 
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