Disco de Carpenters: “Singles 1969-1981 [A&M Chronicles/SACD]”

The music is well known to us, but the icing in the cake is the excellent job done on this remastering. The surround sound is balanced, crystal clear and sonically impressive. This body of work certainly led itself to this beautiful treatment. If you have multichannel SACD, you will NOT be dissapointed.

Karen Carpenter possessed one of the most beautiful voices in popular music, but playback technology being what it was when these songs were first committed to tape, we never got to hear the true magnificence of her pipes. Never, that is, until now. Thanks to the Super Audo CD, and the loving remix by Richard himself, we can finally hear and appreciate what a wonderful singer she was. This SACD includes all of my personal favorites by The Carpenters. "Top of the World" never sounded so good; in fact, I was on top of the world as I listened to it. I was thrilled that they reduced the reverb in her voice that was present on the stereo (and quadraphonic) recordings, and the clarity of the instrumental backup made it clear that listening only in two-channel doesn't allow all of what was recorded to be heard. I was also blown away by "Only Yesterday". Heck, my socks were knocked off by every track on this disc! And the sound... well, if you haven't experienced music in full 5.1 discrete surround sound, you're in for a treat. And if you don't own a player for SACD, word is this disc will be soon available on DVD-Audio. All I can say is run, don't walk, to your computer (Oh, you're aleady there!) and ORDER THIS DISC!!!

I'm afraid I can't be as thoroughly enthusiastic about this title as other reviewers seem to be. I was hoping for a revelatory listening experience, but was disappointed. Yes, spreading the arrangements out over 5.1 channels DOES help you hear all of the instruments and voices more effectively. Yes, taken on its own, this SACD is pretty impressive. BUT, it's IN COMPARISON that it doesn't stand up very well.

There are two major problems with this release, in my opinion.

The first is the remixes that were done a couple of years ago by Richard Carpenter. He does, of course, have the right to remix his own work. Absolutely. BUT, if you are going to call the disc "SINGLES" then I don't think it's unreasonable to expect to hear a mix very similar to what we heard when the record was first released all those years ago. Case in point: SUPERSTAR. One of the most memorable parts of the instrumentation for me has always been the cymbal at the beginning - that "chick-chick-chick" sound. Well, it's so far down in the mix that you can barely hear it. Also, the bass is punched up a lot, to the point that the chorus of the song is "thumpy." These types of modifications have been made to most of the songs on the disc, to varying degrees. If you're going to change the mix that much, call the Disc "REMIXES."

The second problem is a quality issue. If you go back and listen to one of the pre-remix cd releases of these songs, there is some noticeable hiss in the vocal track. For the SACD and CD releases of "Singles", it sounds as though they applied some noise reduction to try and eliminate the hiss. They DID eliminate it, but took enough of the high end away in the process that the vocals sound ever so slightly, well, dull. Not as natural or lifelike. "Rainy Days and Mondays" is a prime example.

I should mention that I previously purchased the CD version of this title. The problems are there as well. I had hoped that the SACD surround mix would be better, but I was disappointed again.

My advice - if you have fond memories of these songs, look for one of the older collections. Steer clear of "Singles" and "Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition"

Karen and Richard Carpenter were very good at a certain style of music. Every song I have heard Karen Carpenter sing has been enhanced by her beautiful, mellow, clear voice. This CD collects most of the Carpenters' most popular music from their 13 years of creating their music, which was seminal in the definition of current adult contemporary music.

What is amazing about this music is that is sounds as contemporary today as it did when it was originally released. While many people may attempt to apply "timeless" to the music of various artists, thus far the Carpenters' music is timeless, and I think it will continue to be timeless in the adult contemporary genre for some time to come.

While Karen and Richard's music was mellow and mainstream, the art, technology and effort put into the music pushed their music to several limits. Karen tried very hard to create the most perfect music possible. When you listen to many female vocalists you hear when they take a breath. Karen did her best to turn her head from the microphone when she took a breath so you did not hear the breath. Karen and Richard pushed multi-track vocals to the limit of technology, recording track after track of Karen's voice, and then combining those tracks to create the gorgeous harmonies that are typical of the Carpenter's music.

The focus on perfection and technique could easily become the focus of the music, allowing the musical art to become lost. The Carpenters' always kept art as an important part of their music. Karen had an incredible vocal talent to sing as though she was singing to each and every listener. Her voice was able to communicate emotion in a way that few other vocalists have been able to achieve.

This CD is perfect for both casual and serious fans of the Carpenters, for anyone who appreciates mellow music, and for those who consider adult contemporary to be their favorite type of music. If you have an SACD capable stereo you will discover that this CD is capable of phenomenal sound. This version is an improvement over the previous version of this CD, though the music is remixed from earlier releases and is different from the released singles. Fans have varied in their reactions to the remixes, so you will have to judge for yourself the mixes you prefer. I personally prefer the remixes.

I warn the focused listener that this music can become an emotional experience. Turn up the stereo on "Superstar," turn out the lights, lay back in a comfortable overstuffed chair, and feel the emotions evoked by the song; Karen Carpenter sang to strum the chords of your soul.

Just finally got a SACD player, so I was anxious to hear 5.1 surround sound and thought this would be a great start. Love the way Karen's vocie comes out of the mix and becomes very front and center. You have, for the 1st time an opportunity to really hear her voice as a seperate component as opposed to being a part of all that is held within the stereo mix. Interesting aslo to hear harmonies and other instruments coming in from different sides of the room.

Old, great songs sounding new and even better. Great CD!