Have they emptied the release barrel?.

Wayne Crozier

Well-Known Member
I am amazed that there seems to be nothing new for us fans to get excited about coming up to the lucrative festive period?, does anyone else agree with me that there should be re issues of cd box sets or super deluxe editions to keep Our favourite duo from once again moving out of the limelight?. I am amazed that the highly prized anniversary box sets haven’t been re released in some way.. it seems to me that those in high places don’t seem to consider Carpenters releases worthy of re evaluation or repackaging.
The Karen solo album for me would have been a prime candidate for vinyl and no doubt would have sold well pre Christmas, I would also buy a re issue of any of the anniversary box sets as I don’t personally own either of this sets in my collection. A double vinyl release of greatest hits 1 and 2 with a booklet in the centre would also be great.
 
Last edited:
In fairness, there have been numerous compilations released in the last few years - to the extent that I think that the market is almost completely saturated. We only had the RPO album last year and things like the coloured vinyl of the Collected compilation and the disastrous (and I'd say superfluous) vinyl box set the year before, so it's not as if things have been quiet recently.

The problem with more box sets/super deluxe editions is that both to compile them and to market them, they'd need to contain some unreleased material (and I'd say more than just one or two tracks). I'm not sure a) how much is really left in the vaults to fill these up and b) whether Richard would even consent to allowing anything else unreleased to be put out now. They'd also need to be financially viable, which is not a given.

I too would like to see Karen's solo album appear on vinyl, if only to see it and listen to it in the format that it was originally meant to have appeared on, but for obvious reasons I suspect that's never going to happen.
 
Could it be possible that some are ready but tied up in copyrights? With a lot of key players already passed, I would be surprised over something new. It would have to take the form or interest of a new third party with Richard’s permission for anything newly released. I wish that something could be repackaged. Maybe something on the order of stories on the history of the glory years, behind the album and focus more on the luxury and distinctiveness of Karen's voice.
 
Next year is the 50th anniversary of Close to You. Maybe something will come up. Here's hoping!
 
The problem with more box sets/super deluxe editions is that both to compile them and to market them, they'd need to contain some unreleased material (and I'd say more than just one or two tracks). I'm not sure a) how much is really left in the vaults to fill these up and b) whether Richard would even consent to allowing anything else unreleased to be put out now. They'd also need to be financially viable, which is not a given.

I too would like to see Karen's solo album appear on vinyl, if only to see it and listen to it in the format that it was originally meant to have appeared on, but for obvious reasons I suspect that's never going to happen.
There’s Christmas Alphabet & Make Me Laugh which have never had a CD release. Plus Richard could always put out via (via license) It’s Beginning To Look Like Christmas from the Perry Como Show, Perry & Karen’s duet on Sleep Well, Little Children. There’s also Richard’s Toyland/Home For The Holidays, the Carpenters/McNichol’s Brothers and Sisters, O Come All Ye Faithful with Gene Kelley.

There’s still enough in the vault for a third Christmas album, plus throw in a few new Richard Christmas tracks, like Christmas Morn Turned Blue/Together At Christmas Again.
 
There’s Christmas Alphabet & Make Me Laugh which have never had a CD release. Plus Richard could always put out via (via license) It’s Beginning To Look Like Christmas from the Perry Como Show, Perry & Karen’s duet on Sleep Well, Little Children. There’s also Richard’s Toyland/Home For The Holidays, the Carpenters/McNichol’s Brothers and Sisters, O Come All Ye Faithful with Gene Kelley.

There’s still enough in the vault for a third Christmas album, plus throw in a few new Richard Christmas tracks, like Christmas Morn Turned Blue/Together At Christmas Again.
What Karen tracks are still in the vault for Christmas? I thought those would have been on an Old Fashioned Christmas? Are you talking of the medleys with others?
 
What Karen tracks are still in the vault for Christmas? I thought those would have been on an Old Fashioned Christmas? Are you talking of the medleys with others?
There are the medleys, but at the same time, since the Carpenters owned their own specials, Richard could step in if he could not clear the rights for the guest and record the lines himself and we could have another Christmas album.
 
How about a massive 3-CD Christmas set for next year containing:

Disk 1: The original mix of Christmas Portrait
Disk 2: The original mix of An Old Fashioned Christmas
Disk 3: Richard's long-awaited, often-discussed, new Christmas album

Maybe bonus tracks could be "live" Christmas songs (if any were recorded).
 
How about a massive 3-CD Christmas set for next year containing:

Disk 1: The original mix of Christmas Portrait
Disk 2: The original mix of An Old Fashioned Christmas
Disk 3: Richard's long-awaited, often-discussed, new Christmas album

Maybe bonus tracks could be "live" Christmas songs (if any were recorded).
Would that be a rerelease of the German CD plus a new one with Richard?
 
What Karen tracks are still in the vault for Christmas? I thought those would have been on an Old Fashioned Christmas? Are you talking of the medleys with others?

There is purportedly the Bach version of ‘Ave Maria’ with Karen’s leads plus a rumored version of ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. I’m sure it’s just wishful thinking that they’d ever see the light of day, but you never know.
 
There is purportedly the Bach version of ‘Ave Maria’ with Karen’s leads plus a rumored version of ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. I’m sure it’s just wishful thinking that they’d ever see the light of day, but you never know.
You mean the Schubert version? I think I remember once reading the same. It would be nice....
 
I have to say, this decade has been more fruitful than I had ever imagined. The Christmas DVD itself was a huge out of left field release. And before that the American singles release. Wow. Two epic...though not widely released treasure troves.
 
It's the Schubert version that remains unreleased.

Is there any categorical proof the alternate version even exists i.e. has Richard ever confirmed there is a vocal? Not to my knowledge. He said they considered both but not that they recorded both. I think it’s become a bit of an urban myth that this exists.
 
Is there any categorical proof the alternate version even exists i.e. has Richard ever confirmed there is a vocal? Not to my knowledge. He said they considered both but not that they recorded both. I think it’s become a bit of an urban myth that this exists.

Karen says in the Q-100 interview for ‘Christmas Portrait’ that they cut both versions, but they went with the Bach-Gounod version because it was ‘just a touch classier’.
 
Last edited:
Karen says in the Q-100 interview for ‘Christmas Portrait’ that they cut both versions, but they went with the Bach-Gounod version because it was ‘just a touch classier’.
Richard confirmed it in an interview too, the same one where he mentioned “won’t you play a simple melody”, but I can’t remember where.
 
I am highly doubtful we will get any more unreleased tracks, as Richard seems to have made his position clear on the vaults being empty, but who knows.

I also agree that the Carpenters lack of representation on new vinyl is ludicrous. Vinyl is a huge market now for superstar artists and there is an obvious nostalgia factor in the idea of playing remastered Carpenters on a gleaming coloured vinyl with extended artwork. Maybe Universal has their reasons, or Richard is not interested in overseeing such a big project, but it seems odd.

Though probably the wisest move Richard could make at this stage is to hugely consolidate their official, online video catalogue via YouTube/Vevo etc. Most big artists and labels are currently investing alot of time and energy into this recently as it looks to be central to an artists legacy and growth - but again, maybe this is something Richard has little interest in.
 
I was just thinking, with Brothers and Sisters if Richard ever did release it, but couldn’t get clearance for the McNichol’s, it would be interesting to hear two of his own kids maybe singing the McNichols lines.
 
Though probably the wisest move Richard could make at this stage is to hugely consolidate their official, online video catalogue via YouTube/Vevo etc. Most big artists and labels are currently investing alot of time and energy into this recently as it looks to be central to an artists legacy and growth - but again, maybe this is something Richard has little interest in.

Richard doesn’t even own a mobile phone, so I’d highly doubt he’s into anything online such as YouTube (or forums such as this one). I’m sure his children have made him aware of their presence but he seems quite set in his ways. I’d love to know what he thinks of the digital recording techniques and ProTools-type software that’s now so readily used in recording studios.
 
Richard doesn’t even own a mobile phone, so I’d highly doubt he’s into anything online such as YouTube (or forums such as this one). I’m sure his children have made him aware of their presence but he seems quite set in his ways. I’d love to know what he thinks of the digital recording techniques and ProTools-type software that’s now so readily used in recording studios.

At youtube search...richard carpenter channel......and enjoy 🥁+🎹
 
Thank you for saying so-I appreciate it. A Carpenter run youtube channel with comments disabled would be great. The more live music the better.
 
Back
Top Bottom