CARPENTERS WITH RPO - old vs. new

ullalume

Well-Known Member
I have no clue how to set up an official poll but I thought it might be interesting for us all to say which of the RPO tracks we prefer to the originals, which we feel are inferior, and which we feel are about the same.

When I say "original" I mean pretty much any mix of the song previously released since none are as unique as the RPO versions.

Here's mine, and if someone would like to set up a survey, that'd be great.

1) YOM - original
2)Hurting - original
3)INTBIL - RPO
4)For All We know - original
5)Touch Me - RPO
6)I Believe You -RPO
7)Fall in love Again RPO
8)Christmas- RPO
9)Baby - RPO
10)CTY -original
11)Superstar - either
12)Rainy Days - either
13)Masquerade - original
14)Ticket - RPO
15)Goodbye - original
16)TOTW - original
17)Begun - original

Over to you guys.
 
Nice idea !

1. YOM - RPO
2. HEO - RPO
3. INTBIL - original
4. FAWK - RPO
5. TMWWD - RPO
6. IBY - original
7. IJFILA - RPO
8. MCD - RPO
9. BIY - RPO
10. CTY - original
11. Superstar - original
12. RDAM - RPO
13. TM - original
14. TTR - RPO
15. GTL - RPO
16. TOTW - original
17. WOJB - RPO
18. PMP - original


It's not that I don't like the originals in the place where I put RPO and vice versa but some I prefer the added strings others I prefer the rawness of the originals
 
I thought it might be interesting for us all to say which of the RPO tracks we prefer to the originals, which we feel are inferior, and which we feel are about the same.
When I say "original" I mean pretty much any mix of the song previously released since none are as unique as the RPO versions.

1) YOM - original
2) Hurting - RPO
3) INTBIL - either
4) For All We know - RPO
5) Touch Me - either
6) I Believe You -RPO
7) Fall in love Again - RPO
8) Christmas - either
9) Baby - RPO
10) CTY -original
11) Superstar - either
12) Rainy Days - either
13) Masquerade - either
14) Ticket - RPO
15) Goodbye - RPO
16) TOTW - either
17) Begun - RPO
18) Postman - RPO

I think the RPO project was a great listening success! I wish the RPO could of been used a bit "more" to highlight (some) the original arrangements. So for me, 16/18 of the tracks meet or exceed my expectations. Sometimes less is more (as in the reverb) and that alone makes Karen's voice sound more incredible, if that's even possible.......
 
I prefer the RPO versions of Hurting Each Other, I Just Fall In Love Again, For All We Know and Baby It’s You. I’ll take the originals (or later remixes) of the rest.
 
I prefer the R.P.O album all day long, not because their better than the originals, but because the music is so much sharper and cleaner, especially Karen` voice and the fact that the orchestra just adds that extra something.
The only song I wasn't blown away by, was `Please Mr Postman`, I didn't feel there was enough of a difference to warrant buying the Target cd or Japanese cd, though I probably will at some point, just to add to the collection.
The song that still gets me every-time, is `SuperStar`, that guitar just blows that song out the water!
 
^^Interesting !
Please Mr. Postman is--to my ears--almost the most creative of the entirety...
I love it.
I have listened to the RPO album perhaps twenty times (or more), now.
Mush as I like it, nothing on it surpasses the feeling I get from the originals.
 
Please Mr. Postman is--to my ears--almost the most creative of the entirety...I love it.

I prefer the RPO versions of Hurting Each Other, I Just Fall In Love Again, For All We Know and Baby It’s You.

I prefer the R.P.O album all day long, not because their better than the originals, but because the music is so much sharper and cleaner, especially Karen's voice.

It's amazing how we all hear things differently. I agree with the above quotes from other forum members. I really haven't said much about the RPO album thus far. As far as compilations go, I'd say, song choices, listening pleasure and sound quality, it ranks up there with some of Richard's best work. I'm sure he learned a lot from this experience. I hope for a second volume to go with this theme.
 
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It's amazing how we all hear things differently.

I guess that`s what makes us so special as individuals :)
The clarity of the music is what I like about this album and the same reason I was blown away so much by the 180g vinyl`, because up and till I bought the 12 album collection, I`d never heard a 180g vinyl in my life, much less owned one, so if anyone hasn't heard one yet, I cannot recommend them enough, though I suspect most here have :)
I for one certainly do hope he does do another one!
 
Here's mine, and if someone would like to set up a survey, that'd be great.
I could set up a poll, but given the number of poll responses needed, I would have to split this up into two separate threads. I'm thinking two choices for each track, with tracks 1-9 in the first thread, and 10-17 in the second. Each track would be grouped, like

Track 1 -- Original
Track 1 -- RPO
Track 2 -- Original
Track 2 -- RPO

...and so on, so the direct comparison of each track would be next to each other.

If this will work, reply back here and let me know. I can use this thread for the first set of tracks (it's easy to add a poll onto it), and create a new one for the rest.
 
I received one of the bad vinyl box sets. I know they were replacing bad copies, but I can’t destroy the ones I have now. I just doesn’t seem right, would be painful. Not sure... As for the RPO cd I liked it a lot from the start, sans the choir. When Superstar came on I teared up. Absolutely amazing. GDB2LV being my favorite Carpenters song made me smile and tear up again when the horns came in on the ahhhs. PMP is fun for the novel break in the music, and I love the dead “Stop” ending to Hurting Each Other” I can’t wait for a second volume .
 
I received one of the bad vinyl box sets. I know they were replacing bad copies, but I can’t destroy the ones I have now. I just doesn’t seem right, would be painful. Not sure... As for the RPO cd I liked it a lot from the start, sans the choir. When Superstar came on I teared up. Absolutely amazing. GDB2LV being my favorite Carpenters song made me smile and tear up again when the horns came in on the ahhhs. PMP is fun for the novel break in the music, and I love the dead “Stop” ending to Hurting Each Other” I can’t wait for a second volume .
Ha I couldn’t figure out your license plate and now that you said it above I get it ha sometimes it takes me a little while to get stuff :laugh: that’s a cool plate.
 
I got the personalized plates for my car after Karen passed. I never put the second one on the front which is illegal in California. Only stopped once about it. No ticket. I wanted a clean copy as a keepsake. I kept the plates until the end of 1998. I got many many crazy comments and puzzled looks from them. My 2 favorites were Goodbye To Las Vegas and Good Boy 2 Love. Close......and thank you.
 
I received one of the bad vinyl box sets. I know they were replacing bad copies, but I can’t destroy the ones I have now. I just doesn’t seem right, would be painful. Not sure... As for the RPO cd I liked it a lot from the start, sans the choir. When Superstar came on I teared up. Absolutely amazing. GDB2LV being my favorite Carpenters song made me smile and tear up again when the horns came in on the ahhhs. PMP is fun for the novel break in the music, and I love the dead “Stop” ending to Hurting Each Other” I can’t wait for a second volume .
I also meant to say sorry you got a bad vinyl box set...I know how you feel as I went through this and posted about my ordeal here...it was truly a mess and something I never want to go through again...I don’t want to say too much or I might jinx myself on the RPO vinyl set coming up. :laugh:
 
Right? I would rather send them back to Universal and let them handle the destruction. It would be really painful to destroy them myself. I was a die hard fan from 1971 until today. Karen was and always will be my favorite singer/ star/personality. It was hard to be a fan before she passed. I took a lot of grief from people and customers at the music stores I worked in from 1975-2003. Now I get stopped all the time by random people when I’m at the mall or a store and they say “Carpenters “ or Karen Carpenter and point at me. Nice to be remembered that way though, I guess.
 
GDB2LV being my favorite Carpenters song made me smile and tear up again when the horns came in on the ahhhs. PMP is fun for the novel break in the music, and I love the dead “Stop” ending to Hurting Each Other” I can’t wait for a second volume .

Me too! :)
 
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