Carpenters Gold: Greatest Hits [Gold CD] [Original recording remastered]

They recorded plenty of original songs but some of their biggest hits were covers. Close to you is a Bacharach-David song, originally recorded by Dionne Warwick, but her version was not released as a single. Please Mr Postman was a huge American success for the Marvelettes (and was covered by the Beatles on one of their early albums). Jambalaya is an old Hank Williams song, while Ticket to ride is a Beatles classic.

Of the original songs, Top of the world was never originally intended to be a single. However, Lynn Anderson covered the song and had a major country hit with it. She might have had a pop hit, too, but the Carpenters wisely decided to release their own version.

The strangest song here is Calling occupants of interplanetary craft. Whether you like it or not, it demonstrates that Richard and Karen were always trying to do something different.

There are so many classics here including For all we know, We've only just begun, Rainy days and Mondays, Goodbye to love, Only yesterday, Yesterday once more and I won't last a day without you. You can't get all the great Carpenters songs on a single CD but the songs here are all excellent. Among the omissions are Hurting each other, Sweet sweet smile and All you get from love is a love song, but if those were included, others would have to be left out.

If you only want a single CD of Carpenters music, this is a good one to choose.

'Lovely' is the word that really sums up the Carpenters' music. Karen possessed one of the most uniquely haunting voices there will ever be, and it is destined to live forever. For me the most wonderful moments here are 'Superstar', with its irresistible sing-along chorus, and 'Rainy Days and Mondays', which sums up the experience of depression better than any song I've heard. And as for 'Calling Occupants', well what better greeting could we give to extra-terrestrials than the sound of Karen Carpenter? Sheer magic. Buy it.

So there were too squeeky clean for some people's tastes, but not mine! Their music came at a good time - between the Beatles and the beginnings of punk. Although there was a lot of other good music around, they shone like a bright beacon.

So after the positioning of their music, how can this review do justice to their music?

Well, these are the songs which made them famous, which demonstrate why they were seen as perfectionists in what they did and what they expected from the backing band - all brilliant musicians. The 20 tracks are wonderfully arranged and sung with such clarity and beauty that knowing that Karen appears to been a troubled person no only makes them all the more wonderful, but also poignant. They seem to fit Karen personality perfectly and she sounds as if she is living the words of a lot of the songs.

Another reviewer has suggested that the track order could have been different, and I agree with that a chronological order would have been my preference, but that does not detract from what is a wonderful collection of music.

I would also like to congratulate those involved in the production of the booklet. The accounts written by John Tobler are right on the money and gives a full account of the Carpenters careers and there is a lot of good information about each track.

All carpenters fans will have their favourites, but "Close To You" is the best debut song I have ever heard and is not bettered here, but I can't choose between all 20, as I love them all.

So, in conclusion, a wonderful collection of Carpenters music and a bonus in the well put-together booklet. Value for money was never this valuable.