Horizon the most cloned in CD history?

[Karen4ever]

For some unfathomable reason, Horizon--my favorite Carpenters studio album--has been cloned uncountable times. This CD has to be the most cloned CD since the dawn of the CD format, bar none.

By cloning I do not mean ma & pa type bootleg operations. The cloned Horizon CDs are commercially packaged and distributed (with covers different from the original) and with unique UPC codes. I have more than a dozen of these clones in my collection. All have professional (not great) level of sound quality.

So, the obvious question is why? What is it about Horizon that makes cloning it over and over profitable for the cloners? I've been researching into this for years but never been able to find a satisfactory answer. In the meantime, whenever I come across a Horizon clone, I would feel the uncontrollable urge to add it to my collection.

 

[Harry]

We believe there was some loophole in the international copyright of HORIZON that allows labels in other countries to reproduce the sound onto their own releases. They always have different titles and most often have different track order. The artwork was probably copyrighted properly as well as the title, but somehow the sound recordings slipped into this international public domain.

The discs produced are always copies of copies - never from the master tapes - and almost always have degraded sound. So while you might not consider them bootlegs, we can at least state that they are not official releases. I've never personally felt the need to spend a dime on these unauthorized releases, but to each his own. I think one could make a hobby out of collecting just HORIZON knock-offs.

Harry

 

[Eyewire]

I ordered some Carpenters remastered CDs from Amazon last week and they all have clear spines where you can see the words "Remastered Classics". The only one was "Horizon", which has a clear spine but is missing the words "Remastered Classics". Otherwise it appears to have the correct UPC code and catalogue number. So I can be confident this is not a knockoff, correct? BTW, the Carpenters Complete Recording Resource here is extremely valuable. Thanks for all the amazing hard work!

 

[Harry]

I would guess that that CD is genuine, with perhaps a printing error on the inside of the tray insert. It the disc itsef looks genuine, with black background, silver printing and red Carpenters logo, it's pretty well assured that it's genuine.

Welcome to the forums.

Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

Long before the days of ordering online, I got this catalog brochure in the mail from some company who sold artists CD's they were located in Canada, they had a section of the Carpenters and all there CD's for sale, I came across Radio Years which I didn't recognize and it didn't have any tracks so I ordered it, here is what came in the mail. It's a bootleg but I kept it, sounds terrible. If you look at the rim of the CD it says, "All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. I guess the keyword here is "re-produced"

 

[Eyewire]

I finally had the chance to open the Horizon CD. It is indeed black with silver printing and red logo. I'm happy.

I would guess that that CD is genuine, with perhaps a printing error on the inside of the tray insert. It the disc itsef looks genuine, with black background, silver printing and red Carpenters logo, it's pretty well assured that it's genuine.

Welcome to the forums.

Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

That looks legit to me, that is strange that the tray insert is missing for the Remastered Classics brand. Here is a photo I quickly took of my Remastered Classic CD for The Singles 69-73 (I paid a pretty penny for it) The only 2 of these that I collected individually were this pictured and Close to You. However I already own the Japan box sets 35th and 40th so there was no need for me to continue collecting them all individually.

 

[Murray]

I would guess that that CD is genuine, with perhaps a printing error on the inside of the tray insert.

That looks legit to me, that is strange that the tray insert is missing for the Remastered Classics brand.

Horizon is one of the few Carpenters CDs that is still in print in the US. The copy that Eyewire has is from the current production. Maybe the "Remastered Classics" tray insert was replaced with plain white, because Universal doesn't want to show all the deleted (on CD) titles?

 

[Harry]

Good theory, Murray. I hadn't thought of that angle.

Harry

 

[70sFan]

I finally had the chance to open the Horizon CD. It is indeed black with silver printing and red logo. I'm happy.

I finally had the chance to open the Horizon CD. It is indeed black with silver printing and red logo. I'm happy.

Welcome Eyewire!
I have the same Horizon disc you do. I was told the spine and tray graphics vary depending on the country of origin. I was told that Great Britain has the spine verbiage of Digitally Remastered instead of Remastered Classics. The tray graphics are identical. My CDs of A Kind Of Hush, Passage, MIA and VOTH have no spine verbiage and tray graphics which includes Gold and A Christmas Portrait. I am very late in replacing my 80's versions with the 1998 remastered versions and share your confusion. I believe that we both have the versions we wanted. (Except for Ticket To Ride) Ticket To Ride is still at large for me. I did see a Remastered Classics for $ 99.00 on e-bay but my wife said it was not in my budget right now. I might just buy the Japanese SHM version.

 

[Eyewire]

That makes sense, 70sFan. Thanks! I'm in Canada and I ordered through Amazon.ca, so that might explain the slight variation in packaging. Murray's theory seems plausible as well.

Chris-An Ordinary Fool, I tried finding The Singles 1969-1973 Remastered Classics but had no success so I ended up ordering the Platinum SHM-CD version of this title from Japan.

Welcome Eyewire!
I have the same Horizon disc you do. I was told the spine and tray graphics vary depending on the country of origin. I was told that Great Britain has the spine verbiage of Digitally Remastered instead of Remastered Classics. The tray graphics are identical. My CDs of A Kind Of Hush, Passage, MIA and VOTH have no spine verbiage and tray graphics which includes Gold and A Christmas Portrait. I am very late in replacing my 80's versions with the 1998 remastered versions and share your confusion. I believe that we both have the versions we wanted. (Except for Ticket To Ride) Ticket To Ride is still at large for me. I did see a Remastered Classics for $ 99.00 on e-bay but my wife said it was not in my budget right now. I might just buy the Japanese SHM version.