Probably the best available single disc compilation you will find.

Jan 5, 2009

by drifter51
posted in Music Matters

Rating:

For the four year period from 1970-1973 The Carpenters were for all intents and purposes a fixture in the Billboard Top Ten. During that time, The Carpenters racked up 3 number one songs, reached number two five more times and amassed a remarkable total of 10 Top Ten hits!!! "Carpenters: Singles 1969-1981", released back in 2000, continues to be the most complete single disc collection of their work assembled to date. All of the big hits are here including their debut single "Close To You", "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Yesterday Once More" and the #1 hit "Top of the World" from the autumn of 1973. You will also find such memorable pop favorites as "Superstar", "We've Only Just Begun" and the huge 1972 hit "Hurting Each Other" in this impressive collection. These are all the original A & M recordings you would remember from the radio.
"Carpenters: Singles 1969-1981" also spotlights some of the duo's lesser known but equally impressive recordings. Enjoy once again Karen Carpenters haunting vocal performances on tunes like "Goodbye To Love" and "I Need To Be In Love". These songs still send chills up my spine each time I hear them! Trust me--there really isn't a bad song in this collection! "Carpenters: Singles 1969-1981" comes with a spendid 12 page booklet featuring information on each song as well as a brief history of this beloved act. My only problem with this disc is that I found that a few of the tunes seem to have lost something in the remastering. But overall, the price is right and compared to other discs currently on the market, this is the one you want if you are looking for their "Greatest Hits". Recommended.

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About the reviewer

Paul Tognetti (drifter51)

I guess I would qualify as a frustrated writer. My work requires very little writing and so since 1999 I have been writing reviews on non-fiction books and anthology CD's on amazon.com. I never could … more

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About this song

Wiki

Although the Carpenters were once derided by critics for their tuneful-but- funkless songs, this hit-happy collection of '70s chart-toppers provides ample proof that the duo's work was more pop than corn. Their secret? Richard Carpenter recognized the value of top songwriters and industrial-strength melodies. He also took care to highlight the squeaky-clean vocals of his sister, Karen, using dramatic arrangements to sharpen the hooks on low-key lounge classics, (Bacharach-David's "Close To You,") and to beef up the choruses on more upbeat numbers. Viewed with 20/20 hindsight, some of the late Ms. Carpenter's songs now seem more poignant than when she recorded them -- especially "Superstar," with its tale of spurned love, and "Hurting Each Other." Thanks to arrangements that bounce like a Superball, the sunny "Top of the World" and "Sing" still sound fresh; their charming sing-along melodies boost lyrics that might have sounded trite in the hands of lesser talent. Seth Kaufman, Barnes & Noble