Missing Compilations in Carpenters Resource Section

[Karen4ever]

I was browsing the resource section for the first time and noticed two major cd compilations are missing. I'd have posted photos but couldn't find a way to do it (I am fairly new to this forum and don't post frequently, so I must be missing something here). Anyway......

1. A Arte De Carpenters (A&M PolyGram 396934-2, 1987). This is the first of 2 major compilations from Brazil (the first being O Melhor de Carpenters in 1989). Unlike O Melhor, which has 14 tracks, A Arte has 20 tracks. However, the latter is not a superset of the former, containing as it does many different song selections.

The most notable feature of A Arte is the inclusion of You're Enough, a Carpenter/Bettis composition originally released in the Voice of the Heart album but hast not, to the best of my knowledge, made an appearance in any other compilation anywhere in the world (not even in the massive 6-disc Sweet Memory compilation). This feature alone makes A Arte a quite collectible item. The version of the song included here seems to be identical to the original album version.

2. Karen in My Memories (A&M Polydor DCI-3068, 1983). This was a Japanese 20-track compilation of original mixes of Carpenters song to commemorate the passing of Karen Carpenter. This cd was issued in very limited quantity (exact number unknown) and circulated among DJs and was never made available for public sale, making it the rarest and most sought-after Carpenters cd by collectors. The insert describes with pictures all 13 Carpenters albums issued in Japan at that time.

 

[Harry]

We had discussed KAREN IN MY MEMORIES somewhere around here. Since it's a rare promo-only disc, it's not likely that too many will be seeking it out, therefore it can hardly be considered a "major" compilation. I know there's been one on eBay forever, where the seller is looking for a fortune. Anyone out there who wishes to buy it for me is certainly welcome. I'll give it all the attention I can once it hits my doorstep!

Regarding A ARTE DE CARPENTERS, I've not encountered that one on CD. I knew of its existence as an LP, but not a CD. It would be an interesting one to explore as its release date is 1987, well into the "remix" period's beginnings. Thanks for the info and I'll keep an eye out for it. Again, if you know of one that's available, let me know - or buy it for me!

Harry

 

[Dean Lander]

Hi, just saw this on Discogs.com website

 

[Chris Mills]

Is this an official release? Nice find Dean Lander.

 

[Dean Lander]

Never seen or heard of this before:
KAREN IN MY MEMORIES
Carpenters Karen In My Memories Japanese Promo CD album (CDLP)
Tracklisting / Additional Info: 1. Ticket To Ride
2. [They Long To Be] Close To You
3. We've Only Just Begun
4. For All We Know
5. Rainy Days And Mondays
6. Superstar
7. Bless The Beasts And Children
8. Hurting Each Other
9. Top Of The World
10. Sing
11. Yesterday One More
12. Jambalaya [On The Bayou]
13. Please Mr. Postman
14. Only Yesterday
15. There's A Kind Of Hush
16. All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
17. Calling Occupants Of Interolanetary Craft [this is how it is printed on the sleeve & disc]
18. Those Good Old Dreams
19. Make Believe It's Your First Time
20. Honolulu City Light

 

[Dean Lander]

Is this an official release? Nice find Dean Lander.

Hello Chris, I'm not sure if it was an official release but looks like it. It has the A&M logo. I was going on the information that Karen4ever member posted. Cheers.

 

[Chris Mills]

Never seen or heard of this before:
KAREN IN MY MEMORIES
Carpenters Karen In My Memories Japanese Promo CD album (CDLP)
Tracklisting / Additional Info: 1. Ticket To Ride
2. [They Long To Be] Close To You
3. We've Only Just Begun
4. For All We Know
5. Rainy Days And Mondays
6. Superstar
7. Bless The Beasts And Children
8. Hurting Each Other
9. Top Of The World
10. Sing
11. Yesterday One More
12. Jambalaya [On The Bayou]
13. Please Mr. Postman
14. Only Yesterday
15. There's A Kind Of Hush
16. All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
17. Calling Occupants Of Interolanetary Craft [this is how it is printed on the sleeve & disc]
18. Those Good Old Dreams
19. Make Believe It's Your First Time
20. Honolulu City Light

All the songs are in chronicle order.

 

[newvillefan]

All the songs are in chronicle order.

Although not according to date recorded, Honolulu City Lights should have gone between Occupants and Those Good Old Dreams.

 

[Chris Mills]

Very nice compilation, 'Honolulu City Lights' is one of the few recordings that actually work well without the overdubbed harmonies.

 

[Harry]

And here's the CD picture of A ARTE DE CARPENTERS:

I found a few for sale on a Brazilian site, but don't understand the nuances of purchasing. I'm not sure they even ship to the States.

Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

^^So would these contain remixes?

It would have been cool if "Karen In My Memories" had been a compilation seller instead of just a limited promo run, there were not enough made to seriously add to one's collection unless you can afford to spend that kind of money. I love the title of that one and the cover art is one from her solo sessions.

 

[Harry]

I believe they probably would. A ARTE came out in 1987, well after the first bunch of remixes of some of the early songs. Whenever I find one, I'll detail it for the Resource.

 

[Karen4ever]

Another interesting compilation not listed in the resource section is a 20-track disc entitled Carpenters: The Collection released by A&M Universal in 2005 in the UK (MS 2025). The cover artwork has the same picture of Richard and Karen as that on the Essential Collection set. The chosen tracks, though unremarkable, are different from those found in other more common UK compilations such as Gold, Only Yesterday, Their Greatest Hits, etc.

One unique feature of this disc is that it was manufactured exclusively for Marks & Spencer (a well-known UK department store), marking the first (and I believe only) time a Carpenters compilation was branded by a commercial retail business. In theory, this disc shouldn't be rare at all. In practice, however, I conjecture its total number in actual circulation is very limited, as one would have to be in the UK and shopping at Marks & Spencer at the time to obtain a copy (which was how I got mine). This would explain why it has seldom appeared on ebay over the years.

 

[Chris May]

Very nice compilation, 'Honolulu City Lights' is one of the few recordings that actually work well without the overdubbed harmonies.

When I did that story for the Palm Springs news publication a few weeks back, I pulled out some of the tracks I had packed away and stumbled upon the unsweetened version of Honolulu City Lights - no strings, a work lead on Karen, and at the very end she says something like "That sounded pretty good..." or something to that effect. Definitely a nice song when finished to have been included in Lovelines.

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

When I did that story for the Palm Springs news publication a few weeks back, I pulled out some of the tracks I had packed away and stumbled upon the unsweetened version of Honolulu City Lights - no strings, a work lead on Karen, and at the very end she says something like "That sounded pretty good..." or something to that effect. Definitely a nice song when finished to have been included in Lovelines.

I agree, there is a whole CD of (unmixed) tracks floating around I'm not sure how or where they came from but there cool to hear for sure. There definitely not fan made but I believe were leaked before Richard mixed them. Most of these are what they sounded like just before Richard mixed them they mostly appeared later in mixed form on "From The Top" a few from "VOTH" and "ATGB". I believe that is also where the unmixed version of "You'll Never Know" came from, maybe this was a consideration on ATGY which I think would have made a great inclusion. I heard that it was a CD Richard gave to someone to listen to of unmixed recordings and they got leaked way later after the mixing and albums were released....not sure if that is true or not.

 

[newvillefan]

I believe that is also where the unmixed version of "You'll Never Know" came from

To me that track sounds mixed and completed, right down to the full string orchestra which has been added. Richard's finest lead vocal ever. A crime it wasn't included on ATGB, in place of the Space Encounters/Star Wars medley. The inclusion of the songs from Music Music Music added that extra touch of class to the album and this track, recut with Richard's lead, is the missing link.

 

[Harry]

...and then, after messing around with "Someday", I read this thread and decided to clean up "You'll Never Know." The copy I have has an imbalance in the EQ between the channels. The left is tinny with a lot of ugly highs, the right is better. So to preserve the stereo, I found an EQ setting to nuke some of the nasty highs in the left, so that it was more in line with the right channel's EQ.

There was still an imbalance in levels so I brought the right channel up a bit to match the left. At that point it was sounding pretty good, but the tape that this must have come from had some dropouts, so I spent a little time messing around with those. In some cases they were so short that they could simply be cut out imperceptibly. Others were longer and had to have a bit of volume leveling done at the dropout section.

The result is a pretty nice-sounding recording. (Thanks to the kind soul who provided me with the "Unmixed" songs.)

Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

I noticed that the "unmixed" version of Good Friends Are For Keeps is a mono version which I'm assuming was used as mono for the Ma Bell campaign. I imported it into Audacity and sure enough it's only on 1 channel. In the liner notes from Richard on The Essential Collection he says that it was remixed in stereo in 1990. That is something I didn't notice before that this song was actually a mono recording that Richard later mixed into a stereo recording for inclusion on From The Top which again appears on The Essential Collection. I guess I had always assumed it was a stereo recording. So is it safe to assume that Karen never actually heard this in stereo format? Since Richard didn't remix it into stereo until well after her passing.