Customer Reviews

40/40

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've been listening to all sorts of music since around 1962, from bluegrass to death metal and much in between, and while there have been countless female singers in those years, not a single one of them had the voice of Karen Carpenter - only she possessed that one in a million voice. There was always something haunting about it, as if it were more real that reality. These have been remastered so they do sound cleaner than before, but fortunately, it doesn't appear as if they consciously tried to change the "mix" of the songs. Thank goodness for that. They were great to begin with. If you want to hear something that will find its way into your heart and live there with you the rest of your life, then pick up this compilation. You will be much the richer for it.

It was a wonderful surprise to find out that A & M recently released 40/40 on Oct. 20 to celebrate the 4Oth anniversary of the Carpenters -one of my ultimate favorite acts of all time. I grew up with their music and I have a collection of ALL their cds whether in original or remastered form. Up to now, I still keep my vinyl copies of their records (45 RPM and 33 RPM!) which I played over and over again in our phonograph as a kid growing up in the 70s. Even if I have all the songs in this compilation in their other albums, I still immediately pre-ordered a copy of 40/40. For some reason, I never get tired of their timeless music and each compilation released is an event for me and a must-own. When I played 40/40 on my cd player, it was like a new experience hearing these songs all over again. Although their songs were recorded in the late 60s to early 80s, their music still sounds fresh and current and never outdated because of the timeless quality. The songs in this compilation especially the ballads are testaments to the late, great Karen Carpenter's incomparable vocal prowess. Karen's voice was truly God's gift - beautiful, original and truly distinct - and she used this voice to touch the lives of millions of people through the songs we can hear in this compilation. No one by far has had that voice. Karen indeed possessed the gifts of a truly great singer - distinct voice, flawless delivery and raw emotion. In 2019, I would like to see 16 gorgeous Carpenters ballads in a 50/50 compilation which were unfortunately not included in 40/40. If 2019 is too far away, why not a collection of their best ballads or a Love Songs double cd?

The 16 ballads I would like to be included in 50/50 are:

1. I Can't Make Music - from Now and Then
2. Love Me For What I Am - from Horizon
3. (I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You - from Horizon
4. Desperado - from Horizon
5. I Can Dream Can't I - from Horizon
6. You - from A Kind of Hush
7. I Have You - from A Kind of Hush
8. Sometimes - from Carpenters
9. (A Place to) Hideaway - from Carpenters
10. One Love - from Carpenters
11. Two Sides - from Passage
12. I Just Fall in Love Again - from Passage
13. Make Believe It's Your First Time - from Voice of the Heart
14. Slow Dance - from Lovelines
15. Honolulu City Lights - from Lovelines
16. You're The One - from Lovelines

These 16 songs may have been album cuts only but they are some of very favorite Carpenters songs and certainly rank among their very best so I would like to see these songs in a future US 50/50 compilation in time for their golden anniversary in 2019 - has it been that long? Their music is classic pop and truly timeless! Long live the Carpenters!

Some things just get better with age, and the Carpenters music ranks up there with cheese and wine! Can you really go wrong here? All the classics and remastered to sound better than ever.

To preface this review, I must state that I own every original CD the Carpenters made. Karen Carpenter continues to be my favorite female voice of all-time. Her recordings are timeless and impeccable. She is the voice of "soft-rock" to me. I will never ever forget her, and she is dearly missed to this day.

As for 40/40, as a long-time Carpenter fan, I must ask the question: "How many times can Richard Carpenter present the Carpenter hits?" While I like every song on this 2-disc collection, I have the songs on multiple CD's already. This said, perhaps the album is targeted at those who are not familiar with the smooth, layered harmonies of the Carpenters. For the first-time buyer, this is a great introduction to Carpenter music. For fans of 40 years, like myself, it is a rehash of music I already own.

This is a great album for the newbie, but another ditto for the long-term fan.

konedog

p.s. For those interested in the life of Karen Carpenter, a new book by Randy Schmidt, tells her story, with all the painful details of her illness and tragic death. It is an honest retelling of the entire Carpenter story, without the usual editing by the Carpenter family. Karen and family are presented warts and all. I highly reecommend the book to fans of Karen and Richard's music. The story behind the music is as compelling as the music itself. Here is the link: Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter

Before this, the last two US releases from A&M Universal for Carpenters had been the SACD of SINGLES, a specialty release for audiophiles, and a repackaging of the 35th Anniversary 2-CD set called GOLD. That 2-CD set offered 40 tracks, the same as this one. 40/40 was the title given to this release when it came out in Japan earlier in 2009; it refers to 40 years (with A&M) and 40 songs. The Japanese release had an additional subtitle "The Best Selection" and it had one different track, "Leave Yesterday Behind" instead of "Touch Me When We're Dancing", and it was released as an SHM-CD, a manufacturing process over there where a polycarbonate coating on the disc supposedly makes it sound better. That's for the listener to decide - to me both releases sound just fine. But there are times when I'd swear that the SHM-CD from Japan just sounds a little smoother...

So what are the differences between GOLD and 40/40? Well, in spite of them both being hits compilations and both containing the same number of tracks, they each have 10 less-familiar tracks that are unique to their own set.

40/40's unique tracks are:
Love Is Surrender
Where Do I Go From Here?
One More Time
Those Good Old Dreams
Crystal Lullaby
Now
Ordinary Fool
When You've Got What It Takes
Baby It's You
When It's Gone

GOLD's unique tracks are:
Leave Yesterday Behind
The Rainbow Connection
There's A Kind Of Hush (All Over The World)
California Dreamin'
Merry Christmas Darling
Make Believe It's Your First Time
I Just Fall In Love Again
Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again
Mr. Guder
Karen's Theme (a Richard Carpenter instrumental)

If you compare the Japanese version to GOLD, then you'd have "Leave Yesterday Behind" on both, but "Touch Me When We're Dancing only on GOLD.

Bottom line is that both offer value for the money and each offers its own unique texturing of the Carpenters' material to suit the listeners' tastes. GOLD's claim to fame at its time of release was that it offered three new tracks to the US audience. These were tracks from AS TIME GOES BY which was subsequently released in the US after a multi-year delay. 40/40 offers new liners notes by Mike Ragogna, GOLD offers little annotated accounts by Richard on each track. Both sets feature most tracks in modern remixes.

A note about the cover for 40/40: Amazon's listing is currently showing a blue slipcase cover with an embossed logo. That may or may not be on your actual product. The one I purchased came in a plain 2-disc jewel case with a HORIZON-era photo of Karen and Richard on the booklet.

Finally, the perfect collection of my all favorite Carpenters songs. Karen's voice is one-of-a-kind, one of my all-time favorites. What a wonderful way to celebrate her legacy.

Karen & Richard Carpenter have been a huge musical influence on me. First performers that started me on my record collecting hobby back in the day. It is amazing to think this was 40 years ago, and Karen has been gone almost 27 years. Still, thanks to recordings of that gorgeous voice and the best arrangements and technical stuff done by a very talented Richard, it is preserved. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard once at the theater named for them at CALState Long Beach. I thanked him for all he's done and hoped to hear more from him in producing and performing (he had just done a song with Petula Clark at the time, and I was hoping he would have done a full album with Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick individually after their stunning performances on Richard's "Time" album in the mid 80s). I still hope he decides to produce and arrange again and work with Barbra Streisand and Linda Eder. I met Richard before I discovered Linda, or I would have mentioned her. It is also ironic that this Friday, Nov 6, 2009, I am seeing for the first time in concert Herb Alpert and his wife, Lani Hall, in their jazz concert. If there is a chance of meeting them, I am certain to thank Herb for signing Karen & Richard back in 1969.

For this particular collection, it is a great set, as it mixes remixed versions of favorites (hits & album tracks) with a few original releases. My surprise was "Let Me Be The One", one of my personal favorites, where Karen stopped on the vocal, and there is some patter at the end and Richard plays it out on the piano. Don't think I've heard this version before, so if this is a surprise rarity, you GOT me. As this is a nice overview and includes the remixes, if your not a collector but like The Carpenters, go with this one, as well as "The Ultimate Collection" from overseas. The latter includes an overview of songs in their original release non-remixed format. The German issue also has a 3rd CD of a few additions from Karen's and Richard's minimal solo work.

If you're like me, you are going to have all the albums & a few compilations. For those who want to keep it small, Ultimate and 40/40 are the way to go. Knowing it is 40 years later, and that I still sing with Karen while driving or walking, my voice is deeper now, and I can finally hit her low notes with clarity instead of force. Knowing this, it proves all good things mellow with age.

I am 48 years old and grew up with the Carpenters and their music. I purchased everything from the single CLOSE TO YOU. I can remember what was going on with my life with specific singles like SING, HURTING EACH OTHER and ONLY YESTERDAY. When the tragic passing of Karen happened so prematurely I was in shock for some time. It really scared me for I had seen them perform live countless times and had seen Karen's increasing loss of weight but did not expect the ultimate worst.

It is amazing that 40 years have passed since the release of the single CLOSE TO YOU. I love music, all types, and have to say that there are few performers as naturally gifted as Karen Carpenter. This new release 40/40 is a tribute to the legacy of the Carpenters and effortlessly shows the emotional range, artistry and pure angelic gift that was the voice of Karen carpenter. When a talent is so pure and true the craft becomes timeless and that is what we see here. None of this music is dated in any way. I have all the Carpenters collections that have been released over the years and find this one the best by far. It is a particularly special mix of hits and album tracks and a tale is told through the voice of Karen. Yes, some songs are not here but I own all the cds and have all the songs. I was truly touched by how the order of these tracks touched me. The first cd filled me with such joy. The second did make me get somewhat melancholy as there were many tracks from their later years as well as tracks released after her passing. But any emotion I want to feel or need help with dealing with can be found in the music of the Carpenters. The digital remastering here is perfection. Of course I have my favorite tracks but there are no misses here. I love REASON TO BELIEVE, CRYSTAL LULLABY, I BELIEVE YOU, ORDINARY FOOL, BABY, IT'S YOU and WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?. As I said above this collection is extra special for there are so many album cuts and not just hits. The magic of the Carpenters is often most heard on those rare album tracks not on many other collections.

There is an angel above and her name is Karen. She graced us with her beauty and passion. Her voice was a crystal clear instrument meant to speak the word of music. There is no voice as pure or simple with raw emotion as Karen Carpenter. May her place in heaven be bringing her the peace she deserves as the music she provided with her brother Richard continues to touch our hearts.

I wasn't around in their heyday but so many of their songs I know and love! Glad they are now all on one compilaton!!

I love the Carpenters, I own all of their original albums (many times the vinyl, 8 track, cassette and/or CD and in some cases both US and international releases). I'm giving this review 5 stars but not because of the originality of this set but because in my book the Carpenters will always deserve 5 stars. However, that said I must admit that I'm growing tired of the constant repackaging of their material. Since the early and tragic death of Karen their wonderful timeless recordings have been repackaged and released over and over and over. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the original recordings and, unlike many, I have no problem with them being remastered and released as originally intended but I find this constant shuffling of songs to make new compilations and collections somewhat disrespectful. There is nothing on the 40/40 2 disc set that hasn't appeared on at least a half dozen other albums. I know that there are many who totally disagree with my opinion and I respect that. But I think it would have been much more respectful of the artists and their work to have celebrated 40 years of wonderfully beautiful music by reissuing their entire catalog as originally recorded and packaged (exactly what happened in Japan). Will I buy the 40/40 set? Yep, I already have but what it did was cause me to get out some of the old albums and play them in their entirety - but heck, maybe that was the intended purpose. And I guess if you don't already own everything they've recorded it is as good a sampling as you'll find and it might introduce some "newbies" to the joy of listening to truly beautiful music.