Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

by Carpenters, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Overview

The worry with reworking the classic Carpenters recordings of the '60s and '70s is simply one of ruining a good thing. Why mess with songs that are largely considered to be perfect just as they are? This, especially in light of Karen Carpenter's tragic death in 1983. Thankfully, all of these worries are put to rest on 2018's lovingly constructed Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Produced and recorded by Richard Carpenter at London's famed Abbey Road Studios, the album features many of the pop duo's biggest hits reworked with added arrangements by the illustrious British orchestral institution. As one would hope, Carpenter oversaw all of the album's production process from the arrangements to the recording, and yes, even to some very subtle and well-done pro-tools work to address minor inconsistencies in the original tracks that always irked him. Thankfully, none of this work mars any of the magic of original tracks, or gets in the way of his sister's crystal clear vocals, or their trademark multi-tracked harmonies. Part of the beauty of this project is that the Carpenters were always an orchestral-minded band, and songs like "Yesterday Once More," "Rainy Days and Mondays," and "I Need to Be in Love," already featured lush arrangements. Here, as on "Hurting Each Other" and "We've Only Just Begun," Richard expands the arrangements, adding extended orchestral introductions that reframe the original song with a welcome pomp and wistful gravitas. Of course, none of this would matter if weren't for Karen's voice, which remains the grounding focus of the Carpenters' sound. To some degree, her vocals have a cleaner, more immediate sound here, which works nicely with the added orchestral sheen. The Royal Philharmonic versions simply offer a way for Richard to present these songs in a fresh way that honors his sister, without losing any of the AM pop studio aesthetic that made them so compelling the first time around. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	12/07/2018
Label:	A&M
UPC:	0602577014253

Tracks

1. Overture
2. Yesterday Once More
3. Hurting Each Other
4. I Need to Be in Love
5. For All We Know
6. Touch Me When We¿¿¿re Dancing
7. I Believe You
8. I Just Fall in Love Again
9. Merry Christmas, Darling
10. Baby It¿¿¿s You
11. (They Long to Be) Close to You
12. Superstar
13. Rainy Days and Mondays
14. This Masquerade
15. Ticket to Ride
16. Goodbye to Love
17. Top of the World
18. We¿¿¿ve Only Just Begun

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Carpenters   Primary Artist
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Mike Shapiro   Drums
Hal Blaine   Drums
Joe Osborn   Bass
Gregg Bissonette   Drums
Jim Gordon   Drums
Karen Carpenter   Drums,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tom Scott   Sax (Tenor)
Carolyn Dennis   Vocals (Background)
O.K. Chorale   Vocals (Background)
David Shostac   Flute
Tim May   Guitar
Earle Dumler   Horn,Oboe
David Duke   Horn
The M.O.R. Chorale   Vocals (Background)
Tony Peluso   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Tommy Morgan   Harmonica
Simon Rhodes   Overture
Chuck Findley   Trumpet
Bob Messenger   Flute,Sax (Tenor)
Larrie Londin   Drums
Wayne Bergeron   Piccolo Trumpet
Ron Tutt   Drums
Richard Carpenter   Conductor,Keyboards,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Nick Patrick   Associate Producer,Digital Editing
Gloria Sklerov   Composer
Burt Bacharach   Composer
Gary Geld   Composer
Paul Riser   Arranger
Terry Skinner   Composer
Paul Williams   Composer
Steve Genewick   Engineer
Hal David   Composer
Ken Bell   Composer
Fred Karlin   Composer
John Bettis   Composer
Leon Russell   Composer
Robb Wilson   Composer
Karen Carpenter   Producer,Associate Producer
Tom Bejgrowicz   Design
Al Schmitt   Mixing
Albert Hammond   Composer
Frank Pooler   Composer
Roger Nichols   Composer
Beth Stempel   Production Manager
Richard Sidwell   Music Librarian
John Eidsvoog   Orchestration
Chandler Harrod   Engineer
Haydn Bendall   Editing,Engineer
J.L. Wallace   Composer
Marco Migliari   Digital Restoration
Harry Lloyd   Composer
Peter Schwier   Pro-Tools,Digital Editing
Eric Boulanger   Mastering
Norman Seeff   Cover Photo
Xilonen Oreshnick   Photo Coordination
Eric Heintz   Cover Design
Peter Knight   Composer,Orchestration
Susan Lavoie   Art Direction
Arthur James   Composer
Julie Eidsvoog   Music Preparation
Ian Maclay   Orchestra Manager
Andy Engel   Cover Design
Matt D'Amico   A&R,Project Manager
Carsten Windhorst   Booklet
Stephano Civetta   Pro-Tools
Kristen Reynolds   Product Manager
Kristina Waters   Product Manager
Steve Dorff   Composer
Paul McCartney   Composer
Simon Rhodes   Mixing
Bonnie Bramlett   Composer
Jack Daugherty   Producer
Larry Herbstritt   Composer
Barney Williams   Composer
Don Addrisi   Composer
Mack David   Composer
John Lennon   Composer
Dick Addrisi   Composer
Peter Udell   Composer
Richard Carpenter   Arranger,Composer,Producer,Vocal Arrangement