Product Description

Few pop song catalogues have been as underappreciated as that of the Carpenters. Though many of their best songs ("Rainy Days and Mondays", "We've Only Just Begun") were penned byequally underrated songwriter Paul Williams, pianist Richard Carpenter got his compositional licks in too, and it was his vocalist/drummer sister Karen whose sweet but unaffected vocal style cemented these tunes' popularity and helped place them in the '70s pop canon for all time.
This collection, though essentially a functional "best of", focuses, as the title makes plain, on LOVE SONGS. Of course, it doesn't hurt that such tunes happened to be the duo's stock in trade. From the achingly evanescent "Close To You" to the uplifting, jubilant "Top Of The World", these songs celebrates the ups and downs of romance. Lend an ear and be reminded of the grace and beauty that existed in the musical world of Richardand Karen Carpenter.

Track Listing

1. I Need To Be In Love
2. Solitaire
3. We've Only Just Begun
4. This Masquerade
5. You're The One
6. Superstar
7. Rainy Days And Mondays
8. Top Of The World
9. Make Believe It's Your First Time
10. I Just Fall In Love Again
11. (They Long To Be) Close To You
12. For All We Know
13. Where Do I Go From Here
14. Only Yesterday
15. All You Get From Love Is A Love Song
16. When I Fall In Love
17. Hurting Each Other
18. I Won't Last A Day Without You
19. A Song For You
20. Goodbye To Love

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4218 in Music
• Released on: 1998-06-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 76 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
There was a time, before Karen Carpenter was born, when most American female popular singers, even the black ones, sounded a lot like the way she would one day sound. The music of singer-drummer Carpenter and her piano-playing brother Richard came to be called soft rock, but it's really just good, straight American pop. This CD, released in March 1998, is a collection of greatest hits, with a special emphasis on romance. Paul Williams, Burt Bacharach, Sam Lewis, and Victor Young provide lovely melodies, and Carpenter's expressive voice makes each song genuinely affecting. --Stanley Booth

Customer Reviews

Pure classiness
This collection of the Carpenters' love songs is excellent for anyone who loves any type of music. Possibly the only band who can count both Sonic Youth and members of Steps as their fans, their perfomances on every song are second to none. The more upbeat songs, such as "Close To You" and "Top Of The World" are pleasant enough, but in my opinion, it is on the more angst-ridden songs where they excell. Like it says in "All You Get From Love Is A love Song", 'the best love songs are written with a broken heart'. "Rainy Days and Mondays", "Superstar" and "This Masquerade" are all perfect, and my personal favourite, "A Song For You", is the ultimate song that sums up all of the emotions which love encompasses. The Carpenters manage to do melancholy without the pretentiousness-trap that so many others fall into. Perhaps the main reason for this is Karen's amazing voice. All of the words I want to use to describe it have been used before, but quite simply, she had one of the most gorgeous voices in the world, and she squeezed all of the emotion from every word she sang. Also, credit has to be given to Richard Carpenter, because he is a musical genius, whose skills for arrangement and piano playing are largely what makes their music what it is.

As someone born in the same year that Karen Carpenter died, I am baffled as to why The Carpenters are not as idolised as much as the likes of The Beatles by people of my generation, or older than myself. The songs are classics, and do not sound dated at all. I would reccommend this album to anyone, especially those who are not familiar with the Carpenters, as it gives a perfect introduction to the talent that they posessed.

Excellent easy listening which fills you with warmth.
This CD is a must for every collection . THe lyrics breathe sincerity and speak from the heart. Anyone who has ever been in love will find meaning in the songs and it is one of those CDs that you play to make you feel that you are not the only person who has ever felt how you feel. A song for you is a particular favourite and speaks volumes for love - I defy anyone to not feel moved by it. Absolutely excellent CD!!!!!

A CD THAT EVERYONE SHOULD OWN
The quality of the Carpenters is renound throughout the music industry and this CD reflects the reasons why. With Karens perfect voice and Richards arrangements this CD should be in everyones collection as a benchmark against which all recordings can be measured.

30 years on the Carpenters music is still in a class of it's own and this CD shows why.