Some "New" Carpenters-related products
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Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
I received my copy of Transmissions today. STOP READING NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED YOUR COPY YET OTHERWISE SPOILERS BELOW:
As I mentioned before I have a CDR I made of the Live at Budakon 1974 concert that I dubbed from the original source that was given to me. I did a side by side comparo between the 2 and I can confirm without a doubt that Transmissions is an exact lift from the Live at Budakon 1974 concert.
Here are some observations on Transmissions. First off, this release tells it like it is...the back cover says in small print, This CD and Book set is unauthorized and not associated or approved by the Carpenters or by his past or present management. Why could they not include that on the order write up, they dup the buyer by placing it in small writing on the back of the CD so that it won't be all over the internet or websites for sale. The only weird part about the tracklistings is that Track 7 which contains YOM ends as usual and instead of it going right into the Oldies Medley for track 8, part of the begining of the Oldies Medley (Little Honda and End of the World) are tagged on the end of the song YOM. So when track 8 does show up it starts with Da Doo Run Run. No biggie, cause it's all there just not spliced correctly on track listings.
The packaging is something I have never seen in a Carpenters release probably why this is a bootleg. It is hardbook that opens like a hardcover book, the size of a CD case and starts with the 74 pages by John Tobler, than the CD is in the back inside of book. The CD itself is a picture CD, so the cover of the book is the same pic of the CD. As mentioned the logo is wrong everywhere.
There is an unsual use of photos used in the book. They range from all kinds of years. There is 1 photo I have never seen presented the way it was, although I have seen other photos of Karen in this same outfit, this particular photo used of Karen holding the mic I have not seen. Stephen could help but I can't remember the performance that photo came from, Karen is dressed in a very light colored purple jacket holding tubular mic on stage. It appears from 1981 cause Karen looks pretty thin. She has permed hair so I know it's from 1981.
The sound from the Cd is good, I played it in my car which has a high end sound system and it was decent sounding. However my CDR dub I made from Live at Budakon sounds better to me.
Regarding the videos included, nothing great here, it's only viewable from your PC (must have quicktime installed) they are lifted from Live at Budakon, of course Karen dressed in her jean pants. When you view them on your PC it;s a small screen, you cannot enlarge for viewing so it's about 4 or 5 inches of viewing, the picture quality is not so great.
So, would I recomend it? My personal opinion is, if I knew what I knew now before I bought it, I wouldn't have bought it. I don't mind spending money on Carpenters and even though it's a bootleg, you just never know what you might get but there is nothing special here. If you never heard a live concert before and have never seen them live in concert before and you got this, it "could be special" to you. Had this been marketed from 1974 Live at Budakon I wouldn't have bought it, but it was marketed as 1972 with no mention of Live at Budakon so I thought before I placed my order that it was possibly something I never heard before. Deceitful Marketing is what I would call it. The cover pic is not what is on the inside, totally diff years, totally diff concerts. I have not read though the book yet.
As I mentioned before I have a CDR I made of the Live at Budakon 1974 concert that I dubbed from the original source that was given to me. I did a side by side comparo between the 2 and I can confirm without a doubt that Transmissions is an exact lift from the Live at Budakon 1974 concert.
Here are some observations on Transmissions. First off, this release tells it like it is...the back cover says in small print, This CD and Book set is unauthorized and not associated or approved by the Carpenters or by his past or present management. Why could they not include that on the order write up, they dup the buyer by placing it in small writing on the back of the CD so that it won't be all over the internet or websites for sale. The only weird part about the tracklistings is that Track 7 which contains YOM ends as usual and instead of it going right into the Oldies Medley for track 8, part of the begining of the Oldies Medley (Little Honda and End of the World) are tagged on the end of the song YOM. So when track 8 does show up it starts with Da Doo Run Run. No biggie, cause it's all there just not spliced correctly on track listings.
The packaging is something I have never seen in a Carpenters release probably why this is a bootleg. It is hardbook that opens like a hardcover book, the size of a CD case and starts with the 74 pages by John Tobler, than the CD is in the back inside of book. The CD itself is a picture CD, so the cover of the book is the same pic of the CD. As mentioned the logo is wrong everywhere.
There is an unsual use of photos used in the book. They range from all kinds of years. There is 1 photo I have never seen presented the way it was, although I have seen other photos of Karen in this same outfit, this particular photo used of Karen holding the mic I have not seen. Stephen could help but I can't remember the performance that photo came from, Karen is dressed in a very light colored purple jacket holding tubular mic on stage. It appears from 1981 cause Karen looks pretty thin. She has permed hair so I know it's from 1981.
The sound from the Cd is good, I played it in my car which has a high end sound system and it was decent sounding. However my CDR dub I made from Live at Budakon sounds better to me.
Regarding the videos included, nothing great here, it's only viewable from your PC (must have quicktime installed) they are lifted from Live at Budakon, of course Karen dressed in her jean pants. When you view them on your PC it;s a small screen, you cannot enlarge for viewing so it's about 4 or 5 inches of viewing, the picture quality is not so great.
So, would I recomend it? My personal opinion is, if I knew what I knew now before I bought it, I wouldn't have bought it. I don't mind spending money on Carpenters and even though it's a bootleg, you just never know what you might get but there is nothing special here. If you never heard a live concert before and have never seen them live in concert before and you got this, it "could be special" to you. Had this been marketed from 1974 Live at Budakon I wouldn't have bought it, but it was marketed as 1972 with no mention of Live at Budakon so I thought before I placed my order that it was possibly something I never heard before. Deceitful Marketing is what I would call it. The cover pic is not what is on the inside, totally diff years, totally diff concerts. I have not read though the book yet.
Calvin R Murty
Member
Thanks, Chris. I was about to write to say that the sound quality was good but nothing great...you saved me the trouble!
Speaking of bootlegs, I once had this Carpenter's Live CD with a rather nice cover. It was made in Australia, I think, and it had selections from Live In Japan and (I think) Live at the Palladium. But the main draw for me was that it had many songs from their early TV show (Make Your Own Kind of Music?) like A House is not a Home, Trains, Boats, Planes etc...and the sound quality was actually not too bad. But I can't for the life of me trace it - it has been missing for years...Sob.
I also had another rather nice bootleg CD of ABBA entitled We Owed You One...which had a lot of rare live versions and outtakes...sound quality varied from track to track. But I guess I should not be talking about ABBA on a Carps site
Speaking of bootlegs, I once had this Carpenter's Live CD with a rather nice cover. It was made in Australia, I think, and it had selections from Live In Japan and (I think) Live at the Palladium. But the main draw for me was that it had many songs from their early TV show (Make Your Own Kind of Music?) like A House is not a Home, Trains, Boats, Planes etc...and the sound quality was actually not too bad. But I can't for the life of me trace it - it has been missing for years...Sob.
I also had another rather nice bootleg CD of ABBA entitled We Owed You One...which had a lot of rare live versions and outtakes...sound quality varied from track to track. But I guess I should not be talking about ABBA on a Carps site
davidgra
Active Member
Howdy.
Both the TRANSMISSIONS CD and BEHIND THE MUSIC DVD arrived today. After reading the reports on here, I knew what to expect from TRANSMISSIONS, but BEHIND THE MUSIC was a bit of a surprise.
I didn't realize that BEHIND THE MUSIC was a "companion" to TRANSMISSIONS. It has the same fake logo on the cover, and it has the same book inside, although with different photos and in a different size.
I guess I was expecting this to be a presentation of one of the cable documentaries made in the U.S. a few years back, but it's a British documentary that I haven't seen before. The only video of Karen and Richard is taken from televised concerts -- mainly their BBC appearances in 1971 and 1976, as well as appearances on the Ed Sullivan show.
Most performances are not shown in full; the people who are being interviewed for the show speak over much of the music and a lot of the time the video is shown in a split-screen format, with Karen and Richard in concert on one side of the screen and the person being interviewed on the other side of the screen.
This is also much more about the music of Karen and Richard than about their personal lives, which is actually sort of refreshing.
While it's be no means a well-made or informative documentary, it's an interesting addition to my Carpenters collection.
I'm conflicted about adding these releases to my online discography -- I've never listed bootlegs before, and these are obviously unauthorized (it says so on the back of both items). So they'll probably remain separate from the "official" discography...
David
Both the TRANSMISSIONS CD and BEHIND THE MUSIC DVD arrived today. After reading the reports on here, I knew what to expect from TRANSMISSIONS, but BEHIND THE MUSIC was a bit of a surprise.
I didn't realize that BEHIND THE MUSIC was a "companion" to TRANSMISSIONS. It has the same fake logo on the cover, and it has the same book inside, although with different photos and in a different size.
I guess I was expecting this to be a presentation of one of the cable documentaries made in the U.S. a few years back, but it's a British documentary that I haven't seen before. The only video of Karen and Richard is taken from televised concerts -- mainly their BBC appearances in 1971 and 1976, as well as appearances on the Ed Sullivan show.
Most performances are not shown in full; the people who are being interviewed for the show speak over much of the music and a lot of the time the video is shown in a split-screen format, with Karen and Richard in concert on one side of the screen and the person being interviewed on the other side of the screen.
This is also much more about the music of Karen and Richard than about their personal lives, which is actually sort of refreshing.
While it's be no means a well-made or informative documentary, it's an interesting addition to my Carpenters collection.
I'm conflicted about adding these releases to my online discography -- I've never listed bootlegs before, and these are obviously unauthorized (it says so on the back of both items). So they'll probably remain separate from the "official" discography...
David
davidgra said:
Hi David,
Well, you DO list RADIO YEARS in your discography, and I'm reasonably certain that's a bootleg, as you state as much in your review. And you also have that VIDEO BIOGRAPHY listed. I think we're all in agreement that THAT one wasn't quite legit, either.
I would think that there'd be no problem with your listing of those two or these new two on your site, since they're at least commonly available through mainstream sources. If nothing else, your site can be used to educate fans on what is and is not legit, so that they know what they're getting into.
Harry
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Harry said:
I'm with Harry, it would be nice to have a separate tab on your site with "Unauthorized Items" and of course your review. I think your site is one of the best out there David and it's an asset to the web.
Having a few more days w/ Transmissions has made me realize I really don't need this CD, I have already requested a refund and received it.
davidgra
Active Member
Hi again.
Harry, you do have a point -- I don't often think about RADIO YEARS, since the material isn't "rare," but it is indeed unauthorized.
I guess my conflict lies in that I've left out most of the bootleg material in my collection up until now. There are a whole bunch of "unauthorized" releases on my shelf. I suppose, for informational purposes, I should update the web site with every bit of information I can to help people understand what's out there....
David
Harry, you do have a point -- I don't often think about RADIO YEARS, since the material isn't "rare," but it is indeed unauthorized.
I guess my conflict lies in that I've left out most of the bootleg material in my collection up until now. There are a whole bunch of "unauthorized" releases on my shelf. I suppose, for informational purposes, I should update the web site with every bit of information I can to help people understand what's out there....
David
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
I'm reading all of this and just wondering whether Richard has caught wind of it. Would he go so far as to intervene to stop the release? He's meticulous when it comes to their releases (e.g. the wrong German Christmas Portrait being put out). But there are many, many varieties of the 'Horizon' album out there on budget (i.e. non-A&M labels) and the sound quality is drastic.
Stephen
Stephen
SakuraSYayoi
Active Member
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Bruno
Member
Got my copy of BEHIND THE MUSIC yesterday.
There is nothing really new, neither in the book nor on the DVD. The book is written by John Tobler, and it is mostly a critical review of every Carpenters album, very detailed, but nothing new. amazon.de said, this book would reveal backgrounds of both Karen's and Richard's health problems - well, that was a lie. Nothing new.
The DVD is interesting. It features several music critics, mostly from the UK, and they praise the Carpenters so much, it is hard to believe, but good to hear.
The DVD features some snippets from CARPENTERS LIVE AT THE BBC, which I had never seen before, and from some other shows. The picture and sound quality is not good, but well, it's just a documentary, not a music video.
The one video I found very interesting was Carpenters performing HELP.
To sum it up:
The book is not interesting.
The DVD is interesting to watch one or two times.
I just wish, Richard would release one or two of their live performances on DVD!
Bruno
There is nothing really new, neither in the book nor on the DVD. The book is written by John Tobler, and it is mostly a critical review of every Carpenters album, very detailed, but nothing new. amazon.de said, this book would reveal backgrounds of both Karen's and Richard's health problems - well, that was a lie. Nothing new.
The DVD is interesting. It features several music critics, mostly from the UK, and they praise the Carpenters so much, it is hard to believe, but good to hear.
The DVD features some snippets from CARPENTERS LIVE AT THE BBC, which I had never seen before, and from some other shows. The picture and sound quality is not good, but well, it's just a documentary, not a music video.
The one video I found very interesting was Carpenters performing HELP.
To sum it up:
The book is not interesting.
The DVD is interesting to watch one or two times.
I just wish, Richard would release one or two of their live performances on DVD!
Bruno
Calvin R Murty
Member
Hi again,
A friend just sent me this - Reader's Digest is offering the Essential Collection.
In the advert, there is a picture of the box set, with the CDs and the booklet 'lying' around it.
------advert starts here-----------------
What's New This Month
The Perfect Music For Rainy Days, Mondays . . . and Every Day!
The timeless tunes from The Carpenters never fail to move the soul and stir emotions. Their well-loved songs still have that freshness and vibrancy on each and every listen.
Now you can enjoy the popular hits from the super duo whenever you wish with this cornerstone release from Reader's Digest! You'll feel fond memories rushing back with cherished classics like Sing, There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World) and We've Only Just Begun. You'll also have the chance to fall in love with new favourites, as our music editors let you listen to rare home recordings, demos and jingles that you may never have heard before.
If you're a true music lover, this is one classic compilation you must have in your collection!
Price: SGD $99.00
-------------------advert ends-----------------------
Also, I was recently at a local (vinyl) record store which interestingly, had 3 Japanese print (brand new) Carpenters LPs:
1. A Kind Of Hush -as per normal but with the "OBI" strip
2. Live In Japan - as above
3. Gems of Carpenters - as above but I never saw this before. It was a double album of hits and tracks from 1969 to 73. The cover (track list was in Japanese) was not familiar to me - it was a photo of them in concert, with Karen on drums and Richard at the keyboards, circa 71 to 73. It had the usual hits plus album cuts like 'Eve'.
A friend just sent me this - Reader's Digest is offering the Essential Collection.
In the advert, there is a picture of the box set, with the CDs and the booklet 'lying' around it.
------advert starts here-----------------
What's New This Month
The Perfect Music For Rainy Days, Mondays . . . and Every Day!
The timeless tunes from The Carpenters never fail to move the soul and stir emotions. Their well-loved songs still have that freshness and vibrancy on each and every listen.
Now you can enjoy the popular hits from the super duo whenever you wish with this cornerstone release from Reader's Digest! You'll feel fond memories rushing back with cherished classics like Sing, There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World) and We've Only Just Begun. You'll also have the chance to fall in love with new favourites, as our music editors let you listen to rare home recordings, demos and jingles that you may never have heard before.
If you're a true music lover, this is one classic compilation you must have in your collection!
Price: SGD $99.00
-------------------advert ends-----------------------
Also, I was recently at a local (vinyl) record store which interestingly, had 3 Japanese print (brand new) Carpenters LPs:
1. A Kind Of Hush -as per normal but with the "OBI" strip
2. Live In Japan - as above
3. Gems of Carpenters - as above but I never saw this before. It was a double album of hits and tracks from 1969 to 73. The cover (track list was in Japanese) was not familiar to me - it was a photo of them in concert, with Karen on drums and Richard at the keyboards, circa 71 to 73. It had the usual hits plus album cuts like 'Eve'.
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