📣 News Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

[Simon KC1950]

for the past three years, there has been a late-in-the-year release. I do hope there will be something to specifically honor the 50th. either way, CARPENTERS are still in the marketplace.

I'll second that... Of course, I'm absolutely thrilled about this album; I never thought we'd get Richard working like this again especially on a project of this nature but I obviously wouldn't say, no thank you to any other new things !

They're definitely still in the market especially here in the UK and Japan. I'm certain that all of the marketing and promotion will be focused on the UK which is where this album is pretty much guaranteed to hit the charts and be a big seller.

 

[Simon KC1950]

I just remembered something... Go grab your copy of "The Nations Favourite Carpenters Songs"... Got it yet?... Ok, turn over 3 pages in the booklet to the interview with Richard... See it?... He's asked "What are you currently working on?"

He replies "I am currently finishing some new arrangements and will be recording them soon"

Interviewer: "And finally, is there anything else you would like to mention to your UK fans?"

Richard: "I thank our UK fans from the bottom of my heart for their years of support. Through the years I have discovered that they don't seem to forget pop artists, even when said artists are going through a dry period or are no longer with us. This is much appreciated by me."

Is this related to this RPO project? It was in 2016, with the way it was announced by Richard and how swiftly the main recording was done it feels like a pretty quick thing that just came up out of nowhere, surly this was a while in the making with all the preparation, ect that must have gone into it.

 

[newvillefan]

What saddens me the most is that there doesn’t seem to have been any kind of film footage taken to capture the making of this album, particularly the Abbey Road sessions. It would have been the perfect opportunity to invite the cameras in and include the making of the album as part of a 50th Anniversary retrospective documentary on their career.

 

[Simon KC1950]

What saddens me the most is that there doesn’t seem to have been any kind of film footage taken to capture the making of this album, particularly the Abbey Road sessions. It would have been the perfect opportunity to invite the cameras in and include the making of the album as part of a 50th Anniversary retrospective documentary on their career.

With the exception of the video Colin filmed it doesn't look like it, but that doesn't mean to say there was non at all.

Another thing we haven't given much thought to is the Overture. When we look at the two overtures RC did for the Christmas albums they both featured vocals, I've just had a thought... What if he has used some in this "Carpenters Overture"... Maybe songs like "Only Yesterday" and "I Won't Last A Day" will be included after all, ableit not the full versions but could he have incorporated parts of Karen's vocals into the overture or even just overdubbs?

 

[John Adam]

They're definitely still in the market especially here in the UK and Japan. I'm certain that all of the marketing and promotion will be focused on the UK which is where this album is pretty much guaranteed to hit the charts and be a big seller.

And don't forget, even though there may not be mass frenzy, there are a few of us in the "States" and other awesome countries who are fans of the Carpenters! That said, I hope this set gets it's own release in North America, and not years down the road!!!

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

It's going to be very interesting to hear how these songs are going to flow into each other...Will these be like orchestral interludes between each track or will there be 3 second pauses after each songs? Will the interludes be counted as part of that tracks song or stand out on it's own? I'm thinking they won't really be interludes but additional movements added to the beginning or ending of particular track, lengthening the time of the original track.

 

[newvillefan]

I'm thinking they won't really be interludes but additional movements added to the beginning or ending of particular track, lengthening the time of the original track.

If the other RPO albums are anything to go by, this is what the tracks will end up like, with new longer orchestral intros or outros as well as new orchestrations throughout the songs themselves.

 

[Harry]

I also doubt there’ll be another box set. That’s been done...twice already.

Twice? I suppose you're referring to FROM THE TOP and ESSENTIAL COLLECTION as the main box sets, but of course worldwide (heavily UK and Japan), there have been a bunch more.

I would count any set of three or more discs as being a box set, so everything from Readers Digest up to the past year's update of SWEET MEMORY (THE BEST SONGS) would count. And then there's the full-album sets from the UK and Japan that have come out over the years.

So yes, box sets have been done before - more than twice!

 

[Simon KC1950]

Twice? I suppose you're referring to FROM THE TOP and ESSENTIAL COLLECTION as the main box sets, but of course worldwide (heavily UK and Japan), there have been a bunch more.

I would count any set of three or more discs as being a box set, so everything from Readers Digest up to the past year's update of SWEET MEMORY (THE BEST SONGS) would count. And then there's the full-album sets from the UK and Japan that have come out over the years.

So yes, box sets have been done before - more than twice!

Instead of box sets which are just the original album collected together, I'd love a box set similar to the Essential collection... All the best tracks from each album with new unheard stuff like pre-Carpenters recordings, outtakes, jingles ect.

You know a live collection would be nice too, I think Richard had almost every concert recorded and still has them... He could either make a compilation of the best performances on one disc from a variety of concerts or do a huge live box set with all the best concerts in full, or one concert from each country... Or even a year-per-disc thing where the box set contains a concert from each year !

 

[Harry]

You know a live collection would be nice too, I think Richard had almost every concert recorded and still has them... He could either make a compilation of the best performances on one disc from a variety of concerts or do a huge live box set with all the best concerts in full, or one concert from each country... Or even a year-per-disc thing where the box set contains a concert from each year !

Well, I for one would hope that doesn't happen. I'd buy it of course, but I really wouldn't enjoy it. I really don't like live albums. The performances to me are never as good as a studio recording, and in Carpenters case, that's a particular reality. They were always forced to use their backing band to beef up the vocals, and try as they might, Mssrs. Messenger, Strawn, et al, just don't cut it when it comes to trying to sound like Rich and Karen.

I can understand younger fans who never had a chance to see a Carpenters concert in person wanting something like this, but I personally wouldn't crave it at all. There are already two live concert albums out there, plus numerous bootlegs and videos for fans to get a feel for their live stage shows.

 

[Simon KC1950]

Well, I for one would hope that doesn't happen. I'd buy it of course, but I really wouldn't enjoy it. I really don't like live albums. The performances to me are never as good as a studio recording, and in Carpenters case, that's a particular reality. They were always forced to use their backing band to beef up the vocals, and try as they might, Mssrs. Messenger, Strawn, et al, just don't cut it when it comes to trying to sound like Rich and Karen.

I can understand younger fans who never had a chance to see a Carpenters concert in person wanting something like this, but I personally wouldn't crave it at all. There are already two live concert albums out there, plus numerous bootlegs and videos for fans to get a feel for their live stage shows.

Good points, they were studio animals after all.. But I'd take any thing I can get lol ! The greedy part in me is hoping that this RPO album is just the first of many things we're going to be treated to this coming year

 

[GaryAlan]

While I greatly enjoy the concert performances, it seems as if those songs were
performed "faster" than their studio counterparts. As a later example, the concert
performance of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," is beautiful, but too fast, in parts!
Also, there seems to be far fewer "live" concert performances in the later years.
Thus, for a "career" retrospective, the concentration would lean to the 1970-1975 era.
Then, again, the issue of Medleys. I (for one) do not care to have another one.
It is intriguing to wonder what Richard has--of concerts-- that we have not yet heard !

 

[no1kandrfan]

Well, I for one would hope that doesn't happen. I'd buy it of course, but I really wouldn't enjoy it. I really don't like live albums. The performances to me are never as good as a studio recording, and in Carpenters case, that's a particular reality. They were always forced to use their backing band to beef up the vocals, and try as they might, Mssrs. Messenger, Strawn, et al, just don't cut it when it comes to trying to sound like Rich and Karen

I couldn't agree more. The guys singing background was always a big turnoff.

 

[newvillefan]

Twice? I suppose you're referring to FROM THE TOP and ESSENTIAL COLLECTION as the main box sets, but of course worldwide (heavily UK and Japan), there have been a bunch more.

Yeah when I said twice I was referring to those two - box sets which included previously unreleased material. But as you say, there must be dozens more from around the world over the years that are compilations of existing material. Those two, especially From The Top, are really special releases for me.

 

[Kyle Thomas]

While I greatly enjoy the concert performances, it seems as if those songs were
performed "faster" than their studio counterparts. As a later example, the concert
performance of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," is beautiful, but too fast, in parts!
Also, there seems to be far fewer "live" concert performances in the later years.
Thus, for a "career" retrospective, the concentration would lean to the 1970-1975 era.
Then, again, the issue of Medleys. I (for one) do not care to have another one.
It is intriguing to wonder what Richard has--of concerts-- that we have not yet heard !

I've never come across the concert performance of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina." Is it available to hear anywhere online? A quick search on YouTube only brought up the studio version.

 

[Rumbahbah]

Well, I for one would hope that doesn't happen. I'd buy it of course, but I really wouldn't enjoy it. I really don't like live albums. The performances to me are never as good as a studio recording, and in Carpenters case, that's a particular reality. They were always forced to use their backing band to beef up the vocals, and try as they might, Mssrs. Messenger, Strawn, et al, just don't cut it when it comes to trying to sound like Rich and Karen.

I can understand younger fans who never had a chance to see a Carpenters concert in person wanting something like this, but I personally wouldn't crave it at all. There are already two live concert albums out there, plus numerous bootlegs and videos for fans to get a feel for their live stage shows.

I think it depends on the artist as to whether live performances are of interest or not. I can think of many artists whose live performances/albums are terrific, because they do something different with the song's arrangement/tempo live that gives it a new flavour, or they just sing it slightly differently.

The problem with the Carpenters is that by and large, they stuck rigidly to following the studio versions when performing live, so there isn't that difference, and as you say, they couldn't replicate the overdubbing style all that successfully live.

That said, I can think of a few live performances, like 'I Need to Be in Love' and 'There's a Kind of Hush', that are far superior to the recorded versions, chiefly because the 'live' setting strips away some of the problematic production on the album. And the BBC 1971 concert featured some terrific live readings of the hits.

 

[Harry]

I'm not typical in that respect. Live performances just sound like poor efforts compared to the perfected studio recordings - and that goes for just about all artists as far as I'm concerned. Those times when a singer varies the length of a held note, or inserts one that shouldn't be there, or skips one that used to be there - just sounds wrong to me.

It's not that I don't enjoy live concerts, I do. But to have THOSE notes, performances, frozen in time, they just don't repeat well with me.

I can think of one live album that I've heard that blew me away, but only because the performance sounded just like a studio recording. It's another A&M act, Burt Bacharach and orchestra playing live in Japan. I never knew the album existed for much of its life, but when I finally got it and heard it, I was really impressed. But Burt, like Richard and Karen, is quite the perfectionist. The difference there is that when an orchestra member reads the music and plays it as written and under strict guidance by Mr. Bacharach, the sounds come out pretty much the same.

With Carpenters, they could just never get that studio sound perfect enough in a live setting, at least as far as I was concerned. Like I said, if something live comes out, I'll certainly support the release, and maybe even enjoy it - once. The repeat factor - not so much.

 

[motownboy]

It is also possible that the RPO album could be released in the UK for the Holidays and in the US, Canada, Japan, etc. in 2019 for the 50th. We will certainly know more once the album appears on Amazon UK and US.

 

[CARPENTERS-COLLECTOR]

It is also possible that the RPO album could be released in the UK for the Holidays and in the US, Canada, Japan, etc. in 2019 for the 50th. We will certainly know more once the album appears on Amazon UK and US.

that was my thought on this.
wasn't there something mentioned that universal were talking about releasing another box-set for the 50th, after they stuffed up the quality of the vinyl collection?

 

[David A]

Even though I never saw the Carpenters perform, a live collection wouldn't appeal to me. For one, I agree to an extent with Harry that live albums tend to be inferior musically; but I would have gone to their concert(s) because of the magic of seeing them in person. Certain bands sound good live to me; for example Journey. But then, Steve Perry was so good he sounded just like the recorded versions, and backing vocals were limited.

Someone mentioned that the Carpenters were "studio animals". Somewhat ironic that they toured endlessly, then, in those first 3 or 4 years.

 

[CraigGA]

While I greatly enjoy the concert performances, it seems as if those songs were
performed "faster" than their studio counterparts. As a later example, the concert
performance of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina," is beautiful, but too fast, in parts!
Also, there seems to be far fewer "live" concert performances in the later years.
Thus, for a "career" retrospective, the concentration would lean to the 1970-1975 era.
Then, again, the issue of Medleys. I (for one) do not care to have another one.
It is intriguing to wonder what Richard has--of concerts-- that we have not yet heard !

I’ve never heard the concert version of Don’t Cry for me Argentina. I will search for it tonight on YouTube.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Somewhat ironic that they toured endlessly, then, in those first 3 or 4 years.

That was and still is pretty much a requirement then. You had to tour to sell your album, because it was the best way to reach out to fans, unlike today. The difference between then and now is, back then the album sales were where the money was; today, touring (and "merch sales") is what pays the bills.

In those days, and in most cases, you could only stop touring if you acquired extreme clout (as in, The Beatles).

 

[Song4uman]

I wonder if @Chris May could she’d any new light on the subject

Jonathan

 

[Simon KC1950]

Yeah, it has dried up a bit, it's 8 days till November then it's a month count down... I thought the info would increase

 

[Chris May]

I wonder if @Chris May could she’d any new light on the subject

Jonathan

All I can say is that Carpenters fans are in for a “royal” treat! You will be hearing our favorite duo for the very first time all over again and it will be more than worth the wait!