🎄 Holidays! THE OFFICIAL REVIEW: [Album] "CHRISTMAS ONCE MORE" UICY-16256
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🎄 Holidays! THE OFFICIAL REVIEW: [Album] "CHRISTMAS ONCE MORE" UICY-16256
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
The biggest surprise is that there's been zero promotion on TV from Richard. I know it's not a huge blockbuster release, but TV appearances would have given it more coverage.
You have to wonder, how do they promote music these days? Nobody buys CDs much anymore. Outside of making popups on streaming apps, how does it get promoted? Since I listen to mostly "legacy" artists, I can testify that dozens of new albums by groups I really like have come out over the past 10 years or so but I never would have found out about them except by searching for the artist name.
BILLSJUKEBOX
Member
"how do they promote music these days?"
For Christmas Once More, all of the fans have probably been responsible for any success it has so far. But its like the Galileo 7 in Star Trek. It only had enough fuel to achieve orbit for 20 seconds before it burned up in the atmosphere. If this album doesn't get noticed soon it will disappear. Today its still 45 in the Billboard top 50 and its still in the Pop vortex 100. You wont find it on amazon unless you are looking for it. The fans cant hold it up forever.
I don't agree that people don't buy cd's anymore. There is a lot of talk on internet is saying they are making a comeback. They still have Christmas CD racks at Walmart and Target where people can at least see that the album exists. Sadly, I think Christmas Once More didn't make it to those stores and only appears on amazon. Its still getting air play on Radio an XM stations. We can only hope!
For Christmas Once More, all of the fans have probably been responsible for any success it has so far. But its like the Galileo 7 in Star Trek. It only had enough fuel to achieve orbit for 20 seconds before it burned up in the atmosphere. If this album doesn't get noticed soon it will disappear. Today its still 45 in the Billboard top 50 and its still in the Pop vortex 100. You wont find it on amazon unless you are looking for it. The fans cant hold it up forever.
I don't agree that people don't buy cd's anymore. There is a lot of talk on internet is saying they are making a comeback. They still have Christmas CD racks at Walmart and Target where people can at least see that the album exists. Sadly, I think Christmas Once More didn't make it to those stores and only appears on amazon. Its still getting air play on Radio an XM stations. We can only hope!
goodjeans
Well-Known Member
Christmas Once More - Album by Carpenters
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com › album
Christmas Once More. Carpenters. 202416 songs, 46 min 18 sec.
Could this mean 202416 streams not songs?
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
I’ve had a chance to listen to the new CD several times through and overall it’s a blessing to have this. It’s definitely a different listen for me and it’s more to do with trying to train my ears to hear these so familiar tracks…differently.
There are times when I think some of the tracks are a bit dry and wish there was a bit more reverb. I was always a fan of the choir on the Christmas albums, they always complimented Karen and Richard’s vocals and to me the reverb was perfect.
I can definitely hear different little parts that were added and I like it. In fact I believe hearing Karen so much closer in the mix and so clear that I’m actually hearing her phrase different words that I didn’t before and I love hearing this way.
I may not be able to ever un-train my ears but this is a sweet collection of tracks and a welcome addition to my Carpenters Christmas collection.
As a whole from beginning to end, I don’t think anything will ever surpass the greatness of the original Christmas Portait album.
I do wish that he had left off the RPO MCD and took the original MCD and gave it the treatment of more vocal up front in the mix to blend with all the other tracks. The RPO version does sound different than the other tracks on the album.
I will give the LP a listen this weekend.
I gave this 4 stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
There are times when I think some of the tracks are a bit dry and wish there was a bit more reverb. I was always a fan of the choir on the Christmas albums, they always complimented Karen and Richard’s vocals and to me the reverb was perfect.
I can definitely hear different little parts that were added and I like it. In fact I believe hearing Karen so much closer in the mix and so clear that I’m actually hearing her phrase different words that I didn’t before and I love hearing this way.
I may not be able to ever un-train my ears but this is a sweet collection of tracks and a welcome addition to my Carpenters Christmas collection.
As a whole from beginning to end, I don’t think anything will ever surpass the greatness of the original Christmas Portait album.
I do wish that he had left off the RPO MCD and took the original MCD and gave it the treatment of more vocal up front in the mix to blend with all the other tracks. The RPO version does sound different than the other tracks on the album.
I will give the LP a listen this weekend.
I gave this 4 stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
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Social media. Heavily. Which leaves out a lot of us who don't partake.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
The album is lovely to have, but it's a step too far in the pursuit of perfection. Whilst the remixed Christmas Portrait had reverb overkill, this compilation had removed pretty much all of it to the point of sterility. I'll stick with the original 1978 album, although I do have to say it's a treat to have a standalone version of 'Home For The Holidays'. Mixed in with the first 20 minutes or so of the original 1984 album, I never realised just how short it was!
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
One of the little things that grab my attention was the first few notes of the opening strings when Home for the Holidays start. I pulled up all my tracks of this song to compare and this new one sounds more robust.
It’s only a few seconds lol but when I first heard it I said oh wow. I went back and kept repeating it.
It’s only a few seconds lol but when I first heard it I said oh wow. I went back and kept repeating it.
newvillefan
I Know My First Name Is Stephen
Same here. When I heard those first few notes I rewound (was I playing a cassette? 😂) and played the track again at really high volume. I'd never heard that intro properly before. I still think the first five notes are newly recorded and mixed into the original track, they sound way too fresh. But that's probably just me.
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Yes, that’s why I had wished @ChrisMay would have gone over the album and explained the different pieces that were either added or was it there all along but with this new technology just enhanced from the original track? It does add a freshness to an old recording. Maybe he could do a write up and put it in the resource site for this album.
I’ll still never get use one spot on MCD from the RPO album (that’s on this one as well) at the very end after Karen sings I wish I were with you...right after the word you...your suppose to hear Karen sing the first of many Merry's but on the RPO the first Merry is sooo faint you can hardly hear it. Not like that on all the other versions I know.
Well I was being a little sarcastic, obviously I don't think that NOBODY buys them anymore. I guess I should have said "very few" people buy CDs anymore. At their peak, over 900 million CDs were sold in one year. In 2021, less than 50 million of them were sold -- it was a slight increase over 2020.
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Graeme
Well-Known Member
I've just got around to listening to the album on CD. Half glass full me loves the extra clarity of the instruments on most of the tracks which brings out some bits I'd not noticed before (as others have said, the guitar on The Christmas Song).
Half glass empty me finds Karen's vocals lacking their usual sparkle at times. Maybe it's the lack of reverb (from one extreme on Christmas Collection) to the other. I'm not all that keen on the effect used on Karen's vocals in one of my favourite tracks, The First Snowfall/Let It Snow, Let It Snow. When it comes to the "and it shows no sign of stoppin'" section and especially the first verse on 'Let It Snow' - they sound really over-processed and electronic to my ears. There's an odd distortion thing going on in Little Altar Boy too (around 1.46) - a similar thing that seemed to affect some of the RPO tracks at times (like Masquerade).
Hmm, I sound rather Scrooge-like. Overall though, I'm glad we've got the album and I appreciated the work that's gone into it. A good album cover too.
Half glass empty me finds Karen's vocals lacking their usual sparkle at times. Maybe it's the lack of reverb (from one extreme on Christmas Collection) to the other. I'm not all that keen on the effect used on Karen's vocals in one of my favourite tracks, The First Snowfall/Let It Snow, Let It Snow. When it comes to the "and it shows no sign of stoppin'" section and especially the first verse on 'Let It Snow' - they sound really over-processed and electronic to my ears. There's an odd distortion thing going on in Little Altar Boy too (around 1.46) - a similar thing that seemed to affect some of the RPO tracks at times (like Masquerade).
Hmm, I sound rather Scrooge-like. Overall though, I'm glad we've got the album and I appreciated the work that's gone into it. A good album cover too.
Actually, it's Karen's "double" on the master tape. If you're familiar with the original mix from '78, the doubled lead is present. Richard omitted the second unison from the 1990 remix, so this might be what's throwing you off if in fact that remix from Christmas Collection, disc one, is what your ears are most familiar with.
Graeme
Well-Known Member
Ah ha! I've never heard the 1978 mix. Now you mention it, it does sound doubled. Thank you!Actually, it's Karen's "double" on the master tape. If you're familiar with the original mix from '78, the doubled lead is present. Richard omitted the second unison from the 1990 remix, so this might be what's throwing you off if in fact that remix from Christmas Collection, disc one, is what your ears are most familiar with.
HA! So glad we could crack the code together LOL!
All kidding aside, engineer Ray Gerhardt recorded a lot of the tracks for Portrait, so some of the "sound" you're referring to above relates to what we documented in the Legacy book in terms of his hearing loss. Karen's vocals on a lot of the overdubs sound very midrange, and almost muffled in the EQ. Listen to “Jingle Bells” and the short version of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and you'll hear exactly what I'm talking about. The same is true with the two sets of doubles on ""The First Snowfall"/"Let it Snow."
Graeme
Well-Known Member
Thanks Chris. That's really interesting. I vaguely remember reading about Ray Gerhardt's hearing loss and how it affected recordings.... Just found it in the Carpenters Bible/Legacy Book - B'wana She No Home. I'll have to relisten to those two Christmas tracks you mention. Lately I've noticed I can't hear the high pitched dog whistle synthesiser bit at the end of Happy when it slides up to the higher register - it sort of just cuts out mid slide now!
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Can the midrange in Karen’s vocals be corrected on those tracks if Richard did a full remaster of the original CP album? Or it’s not possible?
Also how long did Richard spend on mixing all he did on this new album, several years? and where did he do all the work? At the original A&M studios?
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It probably can be to some extent, but a lot of it is already committed to the tape. In other words, it was recorded much the way it sounds vs. recorded clean, and then coerced in the mix to sound the way it does.
He started last year and worked sporadically since then, with the bulk of the remainder of the project mixed this year. He told me in April when I saw him that he was back working to finish it then. The production masters I have from Universal were time stamped August 06, so that's when everything was signed off and locked.
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
I don’t know how this stuff works but was this whole idea Richard’s and he pitched it to Universal? Or did Universal contact him and say we’d like you to put together a Christmas compilation for release?
I was kinda bummed he didn’t do a write up on the cd insert. I know he did a short one for Japan but it didn’t really go into how this all came about.
I was kinda bummed he didn’t do a write up on the cd insert. I know he did a short one for Japan but it didn’t really go into how this all came about.
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
Other than the interview he did years ago (which really wasn’t a broad public interview) of his desire to go back and work on CP and AOFC, the fans would really have no idea this was in the works and why it all came about after all this time.
I was still hoping it was going to be a whole new master of the entire original CP album and original AOFC album getting the RPO treatment of bringing Karen up in the mix and fixing and adding other parts (not the RPO orchestra)
Why did I think this?
I’m guessing now with this compilation that what I mentioned will probably never happen.
I was still hoping it was going to be a whole new master of the entire original CP album and original AOFC album getting the RPO treatment of bringing Karen up in the mix and fixing and adding other parts (not the RPO orchestra)
Why did I think this?
I’m guessing now with this compilation that what I mentioned will probably never happen.
Universal asked him back during the pandemic if he'd consider the project. Things got delayed due to scheduling issues.
As for the liner notes, he was asked to write it up and submitted something very short and sweet, but it wasn't what the label was hoping for. Richard then asked me to put him in touch with Tom Nolan, as he felt Tom might be up to the task. Universal called me just prior to, suggesting I might consider writing something if we couldn't get Tom to agree. Everything considered, it all worked out!
Rick-An Ordinary Fool
Well-Known Member
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