Customer Reviews

As Time Goes By

5 star:		(69)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For anyone who loves the beautiful, expressive voice of Karen Carpenter, this collection of previously unreleased songs and medley versions of some of their greatest hits, is a terrific surprise. Hearing her sing the Beatles' "Nowhere Man" from the 1960s is an emotional moment, and "California Dreamin'" is another discovery from the vaults. "And When He Smiles" is a lovely, lilting melody and Karen's duets with veterans Perry Como and Ella Fitzgerald are quite memorable. The other songs from Carpenters televison specials are welcome too, and on two numbers Richard is spotlighted on the piano ("Dizzy Fingers") and with a full orchestra (on the "Star Wars"/"Close Encounters" medley). This CD is stuffed full of great music at a very good price if you buy the regular U.S. release from A&M/Universal Music. There are some wrong-headed, misinformed and misguided reviews/comments posted on Amazon about this album. It is a treat for all of us who miss Karen and want to hear more songs sung by this timeless talent. Richard contributed greatly to her career with the incredible songs they recorded and the artfully crafted arrangements and it is certainly fair that he be featured on a couple of tracks on this album. You will love this album if you love the Carpenters. No doubt about it.

I bought this CD today......and I absolutely love it! I don't understand the previous bad reviews. Any true Carpenters fan will love this album. There is lots of Karen here, and a bit of Richard as well. I have always enjoyed Richard's talent as well as Karen's and this CD has that balance that all of their older original albums have....they were a duo, after all, still are in my opinion and I am thankful for whatever recordings I can get. I enjoy Richard's arrangements and piano virtuosity. The movie score medley on this album will take your breath away; Rich does a splendid job here and will send chills down your spine. I have been buying Carpenters records since the 1970's; have all the single vinyl releases and LP's...(first strikes) and most of the CD's as well. I was honored to see them live in concert twice while I was still in high school. It has always been a tradition for me to wait for the next release and this one is a thrill. I had not heard most of these selections before today; the medley with Karen and Ella is haunting and made me cry. There is a lot of Karen on this album and serves to keep her memory alive and is sort of like she is still singing new songs. I love Carpenters dearly. K&R, you have a special place in my heart and thank you Richard for continuing to bring us exciting new cuts and arrangements. I don't know how this album slipped by me but I'm glad I found it today!

I just found this CD. Didn't realize it had been released. What a wonderful surprise!. Karen's voice can do no wrong and she always manages to touch my heart. Richard put a lot of hard work and obvious love in putting this CD together. Read the liner notes. It explains where each track originated from. Most are from their TV shows or other un-released demos, etc... Not 'rejects' as an earlier reviewer mentioned. As Richard says if you are new to the Carpenters, buy one of their other 'best of compilations. If you are a Carpenters fan buy this CD! Richard, if you're reading, keep the music coming. Thanks.

Richard Carpenter has arranged another superb album of Carpenter songs. Taking a variety of previously unreleased Carpenter renditions and original recordings, Richard Carpenter has given all Carpenter fans a the continued gift of their music, and especially one more chance to hear and appreciate the lovely voice of Karen Carpenter.

The songs in this album have been silent for almost 20 years and longer, as many of the tracks came from the Carpenter's last TV performance, "Music, Music, Music", in 1980. There are also several tracks that had served as "draft" vocals for the band to lay down their sound, but Karen's voice is so superb, the draft vocal was used as the main vocal with good results. Carpenter fans will be delighted to have this album in their collection. It is not another compilation of standards mixed together in a new way - this is music that will be new to most listeners. Fans of the Carpenters have long requested Richard Carpenter to put together all the previously unreleased and TV recordings of Karen Carpenter. This is Richard's answer, "As Time Goes By", and he states that after this album there are no more unreleased songs.

Highlights are many, but songs that especially charmed me were "The Rainbow Connection", "Without A Song","You're Just In Love","Nowhere Man", and the Karen-Ella Fitzgerald Medley. All are superb recordings and highlight the rich and talented voice of Karen Carpenter. I guarantee after listening to this album a few times, you'll catch yourself humming several of the melodies outloud. The album has over an hour of music on it and I beleive you will be very pleased with it.

I highly recommend this album! It will become one of your favorite Carpenter albums.

Jim Konedog Koenig

For any Carpenters fan who already has it all, this collection has several tracks from television specials and a few previously unreleased album outtakes. The best of the lot being "Leave Yesterday Behind" and "The Rainbow Connection". The famous medley of Karen Carpenter and Ella Fitzgerald alone is worth the purchase of this album. Also equally delightful is the short but entertaining "Dancing In The Street".

The songs in this album have been silent for almost 20 years and longer, as many of the tracks came from the Carpenter's last TV performance, "Music, Music, Music", in 1980. There are also several tracks that had served as "draft" vocals for the band to lay down their sound, but Karen's voice is so superb, the draft vocal was used as the main vocal with good results. Carpenter fans will be delighted to have this album in their collection. It is not another compilation of standards mixed together in a new way - this is music that will be new to most listeners.

Highlights are many, but songs that especially charmed me were "The Rainbow Connection", "Without A Song","You're Just In Love","Nowhere Man", and the Karen-Ella Fitzgerald Medley. All are superb recordings and highlight the rich and talented voice of Karen Carpenter. I guarantee after listening to this album a few times, you'll catch yourself humming several of the melodies outloud. The album has over an hour of music on it and I beleive you will be very pleased with it.

I highly recommend this album! It will become one of your favorite Carpenter albums.

Konedog

I ran across this CD on Amazon.com and could not order it fast enough especially after reading the reviews. While listening to Karen's voice again on the "new" songs, there were a couple of brief flashes that it truly was "yesterday once more"- that she hasn't left us at all, that Richard is still creating new songs and arrangements, and Karen is still singing them.

8 of the 15 songs were taken from various Carpenters' TV specials and television appearances. I assume some of the critical reviewers who feel these "TV tunes" don't work 100% for them probably didn't see the TV specials (which I can remember in my mind while listening to them). These songs and arrangements also had a visual intent to them as they were not created to be "studio songs." Example; "Dizzy Fingers," which I remember had Richard in tux bouncing from about 4 or 5 pianos to create this piece. It's a shame, especially since this past February was the 20th anniversary of Karen's passing, that ABC-TV didn't think to do a composite of the Carpenters TV specials for the long-time fans and newer fans to see and/or appreciate again.

My two preferred songs on the album are the two "demo" songs of two of the Carpenters' contemporaries, The Mammas & the Pappas ("California Dreamin' ") and The Beatles ("Nowhere Man"). Richard and Karen's slower ballad version of The Beatles' "Nowhere Man" alone makes the purchase of this CD worth it. Both of these songs were cut in Joe Osborn's studio garage with his record label "Magic Lamp." Even at her young age, Karen's voice was simply incredible and Richard's talent of arrangement (especially with the strings) in "Nowhere Man" is mesmorizing. I find myself playing this tune over and over again. "Nowhere Man" makes me think of the duo's ballad version of "Ticket To Ride." A wonderful Carpenter project would have been an album of Richard and Karen taking a selection of Beatles' songs and putting the "Carpenters brand" on them. I can only say it would been a creative and satisifying project.

If, as Richard states in the booklet, the rest of these 4-track tapes were destroyed in a fire in Joe Osborn's house in 1974, the fans have lost a lot more of Richard's incredible arrangements and Karen's one-of-a-kind voice. Thank you, Richard, at least for these "snipets." As a long-time Carpenters' fan of BOTH you and Karen, this CD truly again makes me wonder in awe and appreciation of the contribution the two of you made to music together.

This is a CD definitely worthy of the Carpenters' legacy. Carpenters fans- you will NOT be disappointed with this collection of songs!

This album is long awaited by ardent fans, unfortunately it can't be made available in the states due to copyright laws, thanks to Borders/Amazon, however, this cd is available as an import.

Unlike the other postumus albums produced by Richard, this one is sequenced chronologically, which leads me to believe Richard is moving on with the next phase of his career. The arrangements of the unfinished songs show the great work that went in the construction of this album, however the arrangements suggest the orchestral work was done in one day. There is an unusual samenesss in the arrangements complete with harmonica, the inclusion of that instrument reminds me of Richard's 1997 solo instrumental album.

There are repeats of songs, those repeats however are here in medley form recorded for television appearances, where the bulk of the material presented is from. "Without A Song" is not in it's original version, it's not the short one released on "Interpretations," it's a version recorded for the Carpenters private collection, Karen and Richard doing all the parts.

The most interesting and stunningly beautiful songs are the re-built Nowhere Man, Leave Yesterday Behind, California Dreamin', and The Rainbow Connection. Nowhere Man is incredible. Richard took a mono lead vocal, ran it through a 48 track recorder, and built a new arrangement around it so carefully not one word is lost from the lead. Karen's reading on this and the only surviving stereo take from Magic Lamp studio "California Dreamin' is for lack of a better term, breathtaking.

The two outtakes here recorded as work leads "Leave Yesterday behind" and "Rainbow Connection" could have been hits, "Leave Yesterday Behind is reminisent of "For All We Know" and "Rainbow Connection" has such a tender reading.

On all of the unfinished studio recordings exist the arrangements that have the aforementioned sameness. I believe the songs were arranged this way to give this collection a cohesiveness, to better segue the television produced soundtracks and instrumentals (there are a few here, Richard wouldn't be Richard without one.)

After all these years of not having such a glorious voice grace us with new songs, this collection reminds us of what we lost and how wonderful Richard is willing to share these unheard masterpieces.

..Oh well, it's not the price but the quality, and I'm proud to call myself an owner of this album. The selections are presented in chronological order instead of the usual Richard treatment of presenting the tunes by style. It is amazing to hear the reconstructed songs, especially the laborus arrangement for "Nowhere Man". Karens surprising young vocal sounds like the song was recorded in one complete session instead of a mono vocal track and orchestration to follow thirty years later. It seems to me Richard penned the remaining arrangements and recorded them pretty close together if not in the same day or sessions, the reason I say this is the songs that required finishing have the same harmonica and oboe presence. Fans hope there will be another release after this one and while we ardent fans know the titles of the unreleased tunes, I feel this is the final album for the Carpenters as we know them. Richards sequencing of the tracks by chronological order, the sameness of the arrangements for the unfinished tracks and the repetiveness of signature tunes in medley form lead me to believe this is it....

Initially released a few years back and until recently very hard to find, this CD contains songs previously unreleased, with the exception of a few that came out on the Gold Collection earlier this year. Most are from master tapes of their TV specials. A quick run down:
1. Without a Song: Complete! 4*
2. Medley: Superstar/Rainy Days and Mondays: "OK" 3*
3. Nowhere Man: Beautiful. Dates back to the sixties; similar in vain to their take on Ticket to ride 5*
4. I Got Rhythm: Not bad 4*
5. Dancing in the Street: "OK". Mercifully short 3*
6. Dizzy Fingers: For Richard fans 3*
7. You're Just in Love: Great classic Carpenters sound 5*
8. Karen/Ella Medley: Very good 4*
9. Medley: Close Encounters/Star Wars: Another for the Richard fans 2*
10. Leave Yesterday Behind Fantastic! 5*
11. Carpenters/Como Medley "OK" 3*
12. California Dreamin': The other song dating back to the sixties. Nice interpretation and again similar to the songs on the "Ticket to ride" CD 5*
13. Rainbow Connection, The: Fabulous 5*
14. Hits Medley '76: Unnecessary 3*
15. And When He Smiles: Now one of my favorite Carpenter's songs of all time! Would have fit right in on the "Carpenters" CD 1971 5*+!

Bottom line: There's enough "new" Carpenters songs (previously unavailable) for any even slightly Carpenters Fan.