Wasn't there supposed to be a new Carpenters comp CD that contained the original mixes? Since I have had no real interest in picking up all the individual titles, I have begun downloading the original mixes from iTunes. But, I am wasting my time and money if there is a new comp on the way. Has anyone heard about it?
An earlier post here listed a 35th Anniversary compilation due in January. http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=24461 Knowing of Richard's penchant for remixes, I wouldn't count on original mixes, but hey, you never know.
Yea, Richard is nuts. He went and re-recorded the drums on a bunch of the Carpenters stuff. The original drum tracks was some of hal Blaines best work, with the really melodic tom tom runs like in "Superstar". Not only stupid, but harmful to the legacy of the Carpenters Music.
I think it's more that the newer remixes are stored right there for the librarian to fetch. Most people have the tendency to go for the newest, or best looking tape. The single mixes on the album reels are harder to get to and a hassle, so why not just pull that shiny new box that says "Superstar", Cat.# xxxxx-x. Perhaps those remixes have the same cat number as the singles, thus why the remixes are always getting used. I don't work in a tape library, but that's how it could work... I don't think Richard is controlling what gets mastered to CD, because the original mixes are there on the tape reels of the albums, and they were used in the CD reissues of the album titles. Richard Carpenter, if there is any chance you may be reading this, get a clue: we do not want your remixes and re-recordings! We want what was! We want the actual sounds that made you, your sister, and those songs famous! The remixes? Yes, they sound nice. Good work. But we want the originals, warts and all! Thank you.
...And we were given them in the form of the original album mixes on the Remastered Classics series - it's all there, the hiss, the hum, and the dropouts. I know, these aren't always the 'single' mixes, but they're awfully close. And in some cases, like "Top Of The World" and "I Won't Last A Day Without You", both mixes HAVE been issued on various comps.
Does the original 4 CD box set (in the 12 x 12 LP sized box) have original mixes, or are they the Richard remixes? What about the older 2 CD set A&M Masters Purple covered CDs?
In both cases, it's a mixed bag of remixes and originals. The more recent ESSENTIAL COLLECTION box set actually has more in the way of original mixes, though that too has some songs remixed.
I think the problem is that really, there was NO real reason to do any remixing and re-recording. The originals were all BIG HITS. Why in the world would he mess with them?
Because Richard is a perfectionist, and perfectionists are never really satisfied with anything. He's probably also very bored.
This website is a great source of information on what mix is on which albums and compilations: http://www.grantguerrero.com/carpenters/carindex.html As others have pointed out, "remix" is not a totally accurate term, since in many cases Richard not only remixed, but also completely re-recorded instrumental parts of songs. In many cases there is more than one redo of a given song too. He keeps going back and re-re-doing them. I don't know if it's fair to say Richard is crazy, but he's certainly misguided. He's the George Lucas of popular music.
I told e-mailed someone that the best way to get Solitaire (one of his favorite Carpenters recordings that rarely makes it onto comps) is to either get the original "Horizon" album or the Singles 1974-78 import collection.
The original albums are the ones I prefer myself. I think the original CD of A Song For You had the single mix, since it has the added/changed guitar and pedal steel part in the introduction; the original album had a more stripped down version that I prefer. It was remixed when they decided to release the song as a single since, IIRC, they never considered it worthy of being anything other than an album track. If you like the original albums though, I'd definitely suggest getting them now. The "Remastered Classics" series is all the original album mixes. No telling if/when another version of the albums will come along, which will most likely be remixes again. (I'm all for SACD of the original albums, but I don't see that happening.)
Admittedly, Most of what is being released on comps are remixes. For a really complete discography, including notations on remixed versions of Carpenters releases, see the link below: http://www.grantguerrero.com/carpenters/carindex.html
Actually, the "Top Of The World" single mix is the more common one, showing up on most compilations. The story goes like this: "Top Of The World" was never intended to BE a single, thus was released on the A SONG FOR YOU album as an album track. Public demand, and other countries playing it anyway, forced A&M and Carpenters to consider its release as a single. It was then that they went back into the studio and spruced it up for single release. And it is THAT version that we get most often on compilations - with some additional tweaking as well.
Thus, the best place for the original mix, is the Remastered Classics version of A SONG FOR YOU. (Or of course, the original vinyl!)
I have a single mix of "Top Of The World" that has some low male vocals during the "bridge" near the end of the song. I have never heard this mix on CD, but the mix is from vinyl.
