On November 17, it will be yesterday once more with A&M Records and UMe's release of a new vinyl box set dedicated to the remarkable legacy of the Carpenters. Encompassing 20 Billboard Top 40 hits, including three No. 1s and five No. 2s, as well as fifteen Adult Contemporary No. 1s, the music of the beloved, three-time Grammy-winning brother-sister duo became a cornerstone of American popular song. Karen's beautifully soulful voice, with a tinge of melancholy and incapable of a dishonest note, melded with Richard's immaculate productions and arrangements to create music that's every bit as rich today as it was decades ago.
The Vinyl Collection contains, on 12 LPs, every non-holiday Carpenters studio album, from 1969's Ticket to Ride (originally titled Offering, but renamed after their commercial breakthrough for their very first single) to 1989's Lovelines, released six years after the tragic passing of Karen Carpenter. The set also includes The Singles 1969-1973, the hugely successful compilation album which became a 7x platinum smash and No. 1 seller in the United States alone upon its release in 1973.
Songs in this lavish box include two Grammy Hall of Fame inductees, Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and Paul Williams and Roger Nichols' "We've Only Just Begun," as well as other favorites such as "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Superstar," "A Song for You," "I Won't Last a Day Without You," "Yesterday Once More," "Sing," "Touch Me When We're Dancing," "Top of the World," and "Please Mr. Postman." The Carpenters' albums embraced pop and soft rock, of course, but also touched on country, jazz, dance, musical theatre, classical, and folk styles.
Every album in this slipcased collection has been newly remastered for vinyl by Ron McMaster at Hollywood's Capitol Studios and pressed on black 180-gram vinyl. All original artwork from each album has been painstakingly replicated.
The Vinyl Collection from the Carpenters is due in stores on November 17. Pre-order links can be found below!
Carpenters, The Vinyl Collection (A&M/UMe, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD)
Albums include:
- Ticket to Ride (Offering) (1969)
- Close to You (1970)
- Carpenters (1971)
- A Song for You (1972)
- Now & Then (1973)
- Horizon (1975)
- A Kind of Hush (1976)
- Passage (1977)
- Made in America (1981)
- Voice of the Heart (1983)
- Lovelines (1989)
- The Singles 1969-1973 (1973)
Shelby says
I've loved the Carpenter's forever. They made me smile every time I heard them. Good music.
Zubb says
At 165.75 at Amazon, that is under $14 per album which is a great price considering what new vinyl goes for these days.
Rokin Robin of Locksley says
Joe, are these the original album versions/mixes, or Richard Carpenter's later re-tweakings, where he changed things, recorded new parts, and remixed stuff? Thanks much...
Joe Marchese says
Hi Robin, the press release didn't make any mention - one way or another - but we will be sure to report back as soon as we obtain a definitive answer.
David Erickson says
Hi Joe,
What about the two Christmas albums? Why not include them as well for their complete album collection?