Carpenters Album: “From the Top”

This Box set is great.It starts from 1965 to 1982.It goes year to year.The first CD is the begining of the Carpenters. At first they didn't even know that Karen could sing,and they were winning awards for just playing Drums,Piano and Base. All of the Carpenters hits are in here,and we get to hear three of Karen's songs from her solo album. "If I had you" is so much better on this CD then Karen's album.Richard remixed the sound so much clearer,and kept the fantastic ending as it should have been. Also,we get the great Oldies but Goodies medly from the "Now and Then" album,and a taste of the Carpenters Christmas Mega Hit,including the beutifull,"Little altar Boy." My favorite is from the 1980's Carpenters special,"Music,Music,Music." The medley is a masterpiece.The last song will tear you heart apart. Its the last song Karen ever recorded in April of 1982 called "Now." This isn't even the way the song was ment to be,just a lead vocal to help the musicians with the record. This Box set is a must for anyone who loves great music,and anyone who is a Carpenters fan like I am.

If you're an obsessive fan (like me) you've GOT to have this collection because of all the rare, previously unreleased tracks, the great remixes, and alternate versions of familiar hits like For All We know, for example.

If you are just a casual fan looking for a really good 3- to 4-CD collection, the best you can get are "Anthology" (a Japanese 4-CD import, which is kind of pricey), or "Their Greatest Hits and Finest Performances," a 3-CD set which is available at the Readers Digest website. In my opinion, the Readers Digest set is the better of the two (I play it very frequently), and it's more affordable.

Jim Meadows

I didn't believe this album when I heard it. From that American critic, I would have thought of this set as a real dud. WRONG! This is one of the finer collections of songs! Sure, I beleive there are a few songs that are left off that certainly should not have been. But besides that, I was really impressed. I have all the main studio albums and will soon be getting "Live in Japan", "Live at the Palladium", and the "Anthology". Even if I got those titles, I don't think I would have been satisfied without the terrific compilation of songs in "From the Top".

Superb!!! I had been a Carpenters fan ever since my cousion intoduced me to them. She wanted me to see the "Karen Carpenter Story". I was amazed what they went through. In front of the spotlight they were viewed as goody goody, but behind the spotlight a more darker "leagues" haunted the two. After seeing the KCS, I was on a mission to collect all that albums and them some. To this day, I have heard most everything they released at least once. I remember hearing part of "I'll Be Yours". A song that I never heard the full version until I got this collection. I think that everything that Richard touches, musically, turns to gold. Then Karen would make it sound 10,000 times better! In the KCS, A referall is made to Karen's voice in the fact that she has a 1 in a million voice. I think it is 1 in a trillion. She is my altime favorate female singer of all time. Geting back to the collection. One review, on Vol 2 mentioned that the song "My Boddy Keeps Changing My Mind", was not included in that set. Well, back in the day when Richard went to rehab, Karen went "solo". Richard told Karen not to do disco. As it turned out, I would think Karen wanted to try her hand at the music type. I agree that there are to many Christmas tracks. Merry Christmas, Darling is a Carpenters staple. After its appeal to Christmas songs, I am glad it was added to the Christmas canon. It seemed the song was written for Karen and Karen alone. I have heard other versions of "Darling" and it does not have that same sparkle. Speaking of Christmas songs I think "Do You Hear What I hear?" is very much a treasure that seems to be very much ignored. This collection can be for beginner Carpenter Fan. However, an avid loyal fan would get much more benifit out of hearing the remixes, and the different changes made by Richard. Thus making those songs like hearing them for the first time. I have read on a web site, that there are some out-takes, and uncompleated songs in the A/M valts that needs to be released. If anything make it sound like the 4th disc on the "ABBA Thank You For The Music" 4 disc special realease. Where the Swedish four were in the studio and just playing around with songs and having a good time. The track lasted 11 minuts. Just a side note for all you ABBA fans. Of course they are talking Swidish but all the same good fun!! Back to "ToP" Seeing TV specials make it to DVD, would be a real treat!! Richard if you are reading this, I would buy all of them!

Back to this collection, the liner notes are superb, and the tracks are very crisp and clear. It would very much be a must to add to your music collection.

The criticisms of this set mystifies me. Just hearing Karen's early efforts make it worthwhile. But there's also the original versions of songs redone for their first A & M album and much else, and nearly all their great recordings. MY copy sounds great. I believe we get more unreleased music later this year.