A One-Stop Retrospective of Karen and Richard's Careersby harperbruce

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December 25, 2008: I grew up in the age of the Beatles, but they were my sister's group. For me, the first singers I never failed to listen to as often as possible were Karen and Richard Carpenter. Their lush music, topped by Karen's soulful alto voice and Richard's compositions (with John Bettis) and multidubbed arrangements, were the anodyne to the turbulence of the late Sixties and early Seventies. Their hits did regular appearances on AM radio stations (yes, Virginia, there _was_ music on AM radio!) for years, until Karen's marriage, diagnosis with anorexia, and tragic death from a heart attack.

The complete catalogue of their material can be found only on vinyl today; the masters have never been brought out for complete reissue by A&M Records. But, if you want a goodly taste of what the Carpenters offered, this retrospective CD set gives you a fine taste. You'll find pieces on here from the rarely heard, little known "Ticket to Ride" and "Mr. Guder," to the classics such as "Superstar," "Rainy Days and Mondays" and "Goodbye to Love," down to the little appreciated gems such as "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft." A few oddities I've never heard before are also on here, such as a _wild_ version of "California Dreamin.'" (I can only suspect that this was either a studio tape that was never used, or perhaps from Karen's solo album that sank like a stone after its posthumous release.)

This collection does not include everything, obviously. Where is the lovely, fun-filled rendition of "Goofus," or Karen's version of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina"? Many lovely B-side and album-only gems are missing here, and can only be found if you go into the collectors' vinyl market -- unless A&M and Richard realize they're sitting on a gold mine with my generation! This set, though, isn't too bad, and will certainly give you the essentials.