From The Top vs. The Essential Collection

[Simon KC1950]

I remember the day I got "The Essential Collection 1965-1997" last March. I was 15 and had been a fan for only a few months. I already had almost all the studio albums and decided to buy it from amazon for about £60, I sat for hours listening to it and the happiness of hearing all of those old recordings from the pre-Carpenters era was the best. I now have From The Top too. What are all your thoughts on both sets?

 

[Eyewire]

I have both the original release and the reissue of FROM THE TOP, as well as THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION.

Although the latter is more comprehensive and has slightly better sound quality, I personally give the edge to FROM THE TOP because it has several remixes of songs that don't appear anywhere else on CD.

But it's nice to have both.

 

[K.C. Jr]

I first heard the Essential Collection (library copy), and wanted to purchase it. So I hopped on over to buy it, found it, made the purchase, and then the site says it's on backorder.

I waited for 3 months and gave up. Yeah, to this day they still don't have it available new

Eventually, I think probably a year after that, I bought the From The Top set, which has most of the same material but leaves out a couple of tracks. It also had a few, like "Canta" and "Goodnight", that were new, so a plus there. All in all, I'd like to have the Essential Collection, but I can be satisfied by my From The Top.

 

[Bobberman]

I voted for "from the top" i have had that since the late 90s and i preferred it because i pretty much have all the rest of the regular albums on CD but i think its very definitive

 

[GaryAlan]

I love both Sets.
But, nothing can erase that first memory of buying--at a record store !--
From The Top,
when it first appeared.
Not only was it pricey--at the time--but, I was taken completely by surprise
when my eyes first fell upon the large-CD Box in the store, with its ever so large Carpenters' Logo.
Thrilled hardly describes the emotion...and, then racing home to listen (remember, this is 1991).
So, while I do love The Essential Collection,
From The Top has a more special place in my heart.

 

[Jamesj75]

One other thing about From the Top: When I bought the boxed set upon release, the original packaging was album size (12 in. x 12 in. box). As GaryAlan mentions, the
CARPENTERS' logo was huge.
Further, the liner-notes booklet is also impressive, and this release introduced most of us to music recorded in the mid-1960s, among other oddities (commercials, a Spanish "Sing").

 

[GaryAlan]

Interestingly enough, I am glad that Mr.Guder and It's Going To Take Some Time
were left off of From The Top---only to reappear later on The Essential Collection !
Strangely enough, the first set has Superstar followed by Rainy Days and Mondays,
that sequence is reversed on the Later Set.
As James points out, From The Top gives us Canta....absent on the later set, replaced there by the English-named version Sing.
I am glad that the later set found time to include Trying To Get The Feeling Again and the Chocolate Commercial.
The inclusion of the (other two, besides If I Had You) Karen Carpenter solo songs (My Body and Still Crazy)
on From The Top really blew my socks off--at that time (well, they still do !).

The extensive remixing did not--at that time--give me any pause to the negative.
Only later did I realize that (at least from an historical perspective)
I really prefer (overall) the original mixes.

 

[Toolman]

I'm not sure "Essential Collection" has any reason for being other than coming in that more easily marketable packaging footprint. I remember waiting a LONG time for "From the Top" after seeing one release date in Billboard but ultimately having to wait a year for it to finally be available. It was the first Carpenters retrospective box set and there aren't enough differences between it and "Essential" for me to ever have considered paying $ again for the latter. Maybe if I didn't have all the "Essential" additions on other releases, I'd feel differently.

 

[tomswift2002]

I remember buying "From The Top" on a family trip to Winnipeg in 2000. It was in one of those new & used CD shops, and it was in the used section. So I bought it there (it was the reissued book version) and I remember having to wait about a week, till I was back in Ontario (as I didn't have a portable CD player with me and we had travelled by bus).

And then I remember getting "The Essential Collection" in 2003 and finding that it was more of a repackaging of "From The Top", rather than an all-new collection, although in 2003 it was the first official North American release of the Karen/Ella Medley. In 2003, "As Time Goes By" was only available in Japan, due to copyright issues that were holding up its North American release. It was like the 1998 "Yesterday Once More" CD was a repackaging of the 1985 "Yesterday Once More", just with a few songs rearranged and a song added.

But with both collections, probably my most favorite discs are Discs 1 & 4. Disc 1 with the Carpenters first ever single, "Looking For Love/I'll Be Yours", and "The Parting Of Our Ways", and Disc 4 with the dance-remix version of "My Body Keeps Changing My Mind".

 

[BarryT60]

One other thing about From the Top: When I bought the boxed set upon release, the original packaging was album size (12 in. x 12 in. box). As GaryAlan mentions, the
CARPENTERS' logo was huge.
Further, the liner-notes booklet is also impressive, and this release introduced most of us to music recorded in the mid-1960s, among other oddities (commercials, a Spanish "Sing").

well said, James.... ....and - for me - it was the first time I heard the medley including the longer version of Make It Easy on Yourself. (Nashville didn't air the last TV special) It was sensational to have the headphones on and hear that melody delivered with the panache that only our duo could deliver... Superb memory.

 

[CraigGA]

I once felt like many of you, but the sound quality wins out for me, especially the TV tunes. They both have their place but both are essential!

Craig

 

[Rumbahbah]

Both sets have their positives and negatives - From the Top is too short and missing a number of key hits (there's space for many more songs on all the CDs, hence why The Essential Collection was able to squeeze far more material on to 4 CDs), but The Essential Collection's bizarre omission of some of the rarities on From the Top ('Goodnight', 'Canta') means it can't completely eclipse the earlier box set.

Objectively, The Essential Collection's the more comprehensive set overall for a newcomer, but I remember the joy of getting From the Top in 1991 in its superior original 12"x12" box back at Christmas 1991 and hearing all those rare early tracks, plus Karen's Magic Lamp single tracks and the two then-unreleased Phil Ramone songs. Nothing on The Essential Collection was as revelatory as that (I'd already got the import of As Time Goes By by then, so already had the Ella Medley) - it could really have done with some more unreleased songs rather than just a couple of jingles.

So, From the Top wins the day!

 

[Tony]

it was the first time I heard the medley including the longer version of Make It Easy on Yourself. (Nashville didn't air the last TV special)

Barry, "Music, Music, Music" definitely aired in Nashville. I remember well watching it in my parents' den and being mesmerized by the Karen/Ella duet and taking in the closing medley. I wonder how you missed it?!!

 

[BarryT60]

Barry, "Music, Music, Music" definitely aired in Nashville. I remember well watching it in my parents' den and being mesmerized by the Karen/Ella duet and taking in the closing medley. I wonder how you missed it?!!

I remember when that special was coming, as I was a part of the fan club etc..... Plus we were TV Guide people...
But the original night of airing, (according to the TV Guide), WKRN had some local thing on in it's place... I might not have had the wherewithal to investigate, but I imagine, as can sometimes happen, they may have aired it at an alternate time...???
My brother in Houston was supposed to tape it for me. When I traveled down there on vacation, I discovered my sister in law had taped over it. I was NOT a happy camper.

 

[newvillefan]

Seeing From The Top in a record store window in 1991 made me stop in my tracks. This LP sized box with the illustrious huge logo on the front...what could it be? I went into the store to enquire about it, expecting to find a vinyl LP box set. When the store assistant opened it and I saw 4 CD jewel cases neatly nestled in a green sponge inner layer, I was mesmerised. Add to that the LP sized booklet and the magical list of tracks, many of which I'd never heard of, made this a spur of the moment buy for me. I cradled my purchase all the way home on the train, willing the train driver to get to my stop quicker as it meant hearing the songs sooner

I got home, placed the first disc in the stereo CD tray, put on my headphones and lay down and closed my eyes. Although I had one eye firmly on disc 4 and its mysterious new solo tracks (a giveaway due to the "1979" date), I patiently listened from disc 1 all the way through in chronological order, savouring the Carpenters' musical evolution. Pure heaven. While I listened, I surveyed the embossed cover and realised the set title was made up of words picked out from three songs:

All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
Let Me Be The One
Top Of The World

What I also spotted was a song called "As Time Goes By", but alas, no song on the tracklist by that name. What I learned later is that the Karen/Ella Medley was slated for inclusion but deleted due to disagreement with Ella's estate over it's inclusion.

I never did buy the Essential Collection, mainly because I had all the rarities I wanted on From The Top or via other collections. The biggest crime on From The Top was how short discs 3 and 4 were and the biggest crime on the Essential Collection was that it missed off My Body Keeps Changing My Mind and Still Crazy After All These Years. After the sheer hunger I felt for more solo tracks after hearing Lovelines, I bought the 1991 box set literally for those two tracks alone.

 

[Nick]

I love From The Top. I couldn't wait to get it home and play all the new gems and unreleased songs.

But, something that has bugged me since is the number of tracks that would have perfectly fitted into the set but were not included.

This is how my ideal FTT would look, mostly wishful thinking, maybe released as From The Top Again for the 50th (if only!) but this is how I wish FTT looked. I have bolded what was missing that I know of and tried to slot it in in the correct place and it would probably have to spread over 5 discs;

Disc One (1965-1970)

1. Caravan
2. The Parting of Our Ways
3. Looking for Love
4. I'll Be Yours
5. Iced Tea
6. The Girl From Ipanema
7. You'll Love Me
8. All I Can Do (demo)
9. Don't Be Afraid (demo)
10. Invocation (demo)
11. Your Wonderful Parade (demo)
12. Goodnight
13. And When I Die (Karen and Wanda Freeman CSULB)
14. All of My Life
15. Eve
16. Ticket to Ride
17. Get Together (Your Navy Presents)
18. Interview (Your Navy Presents)
19. Can't Buy Me Love (Your Navy Presents)
20. Cinderella Rockafella (Your Navy Presents)
21. I Fell In Love (Your Navy Presents)
22. Maybe It's You
23. (They Long to Be) Close to You
24. We've Only Just Begun
25. Merry Christmas Darling (1970 version)
26. For All We Know
27. And When He Smiles

Disc Two (1971-1973)

1. Superstar
2. Rainy Days and Mondays
3. Let Me Be the One
4. Bless the Beasts and Children
5. Hurting Each Other
6. Top of the World
7. Goodbye to Love
8. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
9. This Masquerade
10. Canta (Spanish version of "Sing")
11. Yesterday Once More
12. Fun Fun Fun
13. The End of the World
14. Da Doo Ron Ron
15. Deadman's Curve
16. Johnny Angel
17. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
18. Our Day Will Come
19. One Fine Day
20. Yesterday Once More (reprise)
21. Radio Contest Outtakes

Disc Three (1974-1978)

1. Morinaga Hi-Crown Commercial
2. Please Mr. Postman
3. Try And Win A Friend
4. Only Yesterday
5. Trying To Get The Feeling Again
6. Solitaire
7. Good Friends are For Keeps
8. Morton's Potato Jingle
9. Ordinary Fool
10. I Need to Be In Love
11. From This Moment On (Live)
12. Good Vibrations/Comin' Through The Rye (with John Denver)
13. Suntory Pop Jingle #1
14. Suntory Pop Jingle #2
15. All You Get from Love is a Love Song
16. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft
17. Christ is Born
18. White Christmas
19. Little Altar Boy
20. Ave Maria
21. Ave Maria (Schubert version)

Disc Four (1978-1982)

1. Where Do I Go From Here?
2. Little Girl Blue
3. Won't You Play A Simple Melody
4. Thank You For The Music
5. If I Had You
6. My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
7. Still Crazy After All These Years
8. Don't Try To Win Me Back
9. I Do It For Your Love
10. Keep The Love Light Burning
11. Midnight
12. Something's Missin'
13. Medley:
a. Sing
b. Knowing When to Leave
c. Make It Easy On Yourself
d. Someday
e. We've Only Just Begun
14. Touch Me When We're Dancing
15. The Moon's A Harsh Mistress
16. All My Life
17. When It's Gone
18. Because We Are In Love
19. Now
20. You'll Never Know RC
21. Medley of partial/incomplete KC tracks
22. Outtakes from Time RC tracks

 

[Jeff]

Current listen Essential Collection and I'm refreshed by including the album version of Close to You. Rarely if ever have I noted a hits package. I was seven and have always been slighted when radio plays single edit. Album version my favorite. The fade and return with drums and a great big overdub. Bliss.

 

[Jeff]

I love From The Top. I couldn't wait to get it home and play all the new gems and unreleased songs.

But, something that has bugged me since is the number of tracks that would have perfectly fitted into the set but were not included.

This is how my ideal FTT would look, mostly wishful thinking, maybe released as From The Top Again for the 50th (if only!) but this is how I wish FTT looked. I have bolded what was missing that I know of and tried to slot it in in the correct place and it would probably have to spread over 5 discs;

Disc One (1965-1970)

1. Caravan
2. The Parting of Our Ways
3. Looking for Love
4. I'll Be Yours
5. Iced Tea
6. The Girl From Ipanema
7. You'll Love Me
8. All I Can Do (demo)
9. Don't Be Afraid (demo)
10. Invocation (demo)
11. Your Wonderful Parade (demo)
12. Goodnight
13. And When I Die (Karen and Wanda Freeman CSULB)
14. All of My Life
15. Eve
16. Ticket to Ride
17. Get Together (Your Navy Presents)
18. Interview (Your Navy Presents)
19. Can't Buy Me Love (Your Navy Presents)
20. Cinderella Rockafella (Your Navy Presents)
21. I Fell In Love (Your Navy Presents)
22. Maybe It's You
23. (They Long to Be) Close to You
24. We've Only Just Begun
25. Merry Christmas Darling (1970 version)
26. For All We Know
27. And When He Smiles

Disc Two (1971-1973)

1. Superstar
2. Rainy Days and Mondays
3. Let Me Be the One
4. Bless the Beasts and Children
5. Hurting Each Other
6. Top of the World
7. Goodbye to Love
8. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
9. This Masquerade
10. Canta (Spanish version of "Sing")
11. Yesterday Once More
12. Fun Fun Fun
13. The End of the World
14. Da Doo Ron Ron
15. Deadman's Curve
16. Johnny Angel
17. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
18. Our Day Will Come
19. One Fine Day
20. Yesterday Once More (reprise)
21. Radio Contest Outtakes

Disc Three (1974-1978)

1. Morinaga Hi-Crown Commercial
2. Please Mr. Postman
3. Try And Win A Friend
4. Only Yesterday
5. Trying To Get The Feeling Again
6. Solitaire
7. Good Friends are For Keeps
8. Morton's Potato Jingle
9. Ordinary Fool
10. I Need to Be In Love
11. From This Moment On (Live)
12. Good Vibrations/Comin' Through The Rye (with John Denver)
13. Suntory Pop Jingle #1
14. Suntory Pop Jingle #2
15. All You Get from Love is a Love Song
16. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft
17. Christ is Born
18. White Christmas
19. Little Altar Boy
20. Ave Maria
21. Ave Maria (Schubert version)

Disc Four (1978-1982)

1. Where Do I Go From Here?
2. Little Girl Blue
3. Won't You Play A Simple Melody
4. Thank You For The Music
5. If I Had You
6. My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
7. Still Crazy After All These Years
8. Don't Try To Win Me Back
9. I Do It For Your Love
10. Keep The Love Light Burning
11. Midnight
12. Something's Missin'
13. Medley:
a. Sing
b. Knowing When to Leave
c. Make It Easy On Yourself
d. Someday
e. We've Only Just Begun
14. Touch Me When We're Dancing
15. The Moon's A Harsh Mistress
16. All My Life
17. When It's Gone
18. Because We Are In Love
19. Now
20. You'll Never Know RC
21. Medley of partial/incomplete KC tracks
22. Outtakes from Time RC tracks

If only. I wish I may I wish I might. Over and over. I'm not giving up as long as I can hear. .

 

[arthowson]

Since I was a megafan since the KC Story, i can remember where and when I bought From the Top on the Tuesday it came out. It was so amazing to hear. I was barely in my 20s, the world ahead of me.

 

[GaryAlan]

My favorites, by Disc Number:
One....All of the early material (pre-Close To You),
Two....Let Me Be The One & Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,
Three...Good Friends Are For Keeps,Two Jingles,
Four...My Body Keeps Changing My Mind,Still Crazy After All These Years, 1980 Medley.
While not generally a Medley Fan, I do greatly enjoy this 1980 Medley !


From The Top is still Tops with me !

 

[Another Son]

. This is how my ideal FTT would look. Disc One (1965-1970)
1. Caravan
2. The Parting of Our Ways
3. Looking for Love
4. I'll Be Yours
5. Iced Tea
6. The Girl From Ipanema
7. You'll Love Me
8. All I Can Do (demo)
9. Don't Be Afraid (demo)
10. Invocation (demo)
11. Your Wonderful Parade (demo)
12. Goodnight
13. And When I Die (Karen and Wanda Freeman CSULB)
14. All of My Life
15. Eve
16. Ticket to Ride
17. Get Together (Your Navy Presents)
18. Interview (Your Navy Presents)
19. Can't Buy Me Love (Your Navy Presents)
20. Cinderella Rockafella (Your Navy Presents)
21. I Fell In Love (Your Navy Presents)
22. Maybe It's You
23. (They Long to Be) Close to You
24. We've Only Just Begun
25. Merry Christmas Darling (1970 version)
26. For All We Know
27. And When He Smiles

Disc Two (1971-1973)

1. Superstar
2. Rainy Days and Mondays
3. Let Me Be the One
4. Bless the Beasts and Children
5. Hurting Each Other
6. Top of the World
7. Goodbye to Love
8. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
9. This Masquerade
10. Canta (Spanish version of "Sing")
11. Yesterday Once More
12. Fun Fun Fun
13. The End of the World
14. Da Doo Ron Ron
15. Deadman's Curve
16. Johnny Angel
17. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
18. Our Day Will Come
19. One Fine Day
20. Yesterday Once More (reprise)
21. Radio Contest Outtakes

Disc Three (1974-1978)

1. Morinaga Hi-Crown Commercial
2. Please Mr. Postman
3. Try And Win A Friend
4. Only Yesterday
5. Trying To Get The Feeling Again
6. Solitaire
7. Good Friends are For Keeps
8. Morton's Potato Jingle
9. Ordinary Fool
10. I Need to Be In Love
11. From This Moment On (Live)
12. Good Vibrations/Comin' Through The Rye (with John Denver)
13. Suntory Pop Jingle #1
14. Suntory Pop Jingle #2
15. All You Get from Love is a Love Song
16. Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft
17. Christ is Born
18. White Christmas
19. Little Altar Boy
20. Ave Maria
21. Ave Maria (Schubert version)

Disc Four (1978-1982)

1. Where Do I Go From Here?
2. Little Girl Blue
3. Won't You Play A Simple Melody
4. Thank You For The Music
5. If I Had You
6. My Body Keeps Changing My Mind
7. Still Crazy After All These Years
8. Don't Try To Win Me Back
9. I Do It For Your Love
10. Keep The Love Light Burning
11. Midnight
12. Something's Missin'
13. Medley:
a. Sing
b. Knowing When to Leave
c. Make It Easy On Yourself
d. Someday
e. We've Only Just Begun
14. Touch Me When We're Dancing
15. The Moon's A Harsh Mistress
16. All My Life
17. When It's Gone
18. Because We Are In Love
19. Now
20. You'll Never Know RC
21. Medley of partial/incomplete KC tracks
22. Outtakes from Time RC tracks

I notice that you have included some of the unreleased songs from Karen's solo album, Nick. Good choice. I prefer some of the unreleased songs over most of the recordings on the album. I especially like 'I Do It For your Love', 'Midnight' and 'Something's Missing'. The spot where Karen forgets the words on 'Midnight' could easily have been patched up with a section from the other chorus, if there's not a second take. Maybe there's another take of 'Something's Missing' from which the parts where Karen over-sings or hits bum notes could be substituted. I'd include a couple of other unreleased songs, too. There's one that stands out, and that is 'It's Really You'. Karen doesn't quite nail the chorus, which is in the higher ranges, but the rest of the recording is great. I think that this is a stand-out song amongst the solo material. I approve of your other solo choices, too. I'm not a big fan of most of the recordings that were released on 'Karen Carpenter'.

I was listening to 'Your Navy Presents' last night and really enjoyed it, (again). I would also include more songs from that.

I would definitely include the CAL-state era version of 'Crescent Noon'. There's not much of Karen on it, but when she does appear, she sounds AMAZING.

A great (imaginary) track list, Nick!