Carpenters Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition

Karen's voice and her brothers genius make this one solid Gold. My kids say don't bother him now, he's listening to the Karen LOL. This is a total collection of all the hits and some obscure beauties. Be hard pressed to find anyone who can sing this well. Karen had range, tone, emotion and a sense of fun and beauty that may forever be one of a kind. The only bad thing about this collection is its all you will ever need,40 songs. I might have been better off buying all the original albums. When I look at one now I say oh well I already have the 3-4 best songs. Since the Carpenters have been gone a long time I'll recommend some great female vocalists; Margo Timmins (cowboy junkies), Alison Krauss, Ruthie Foster and of course Mary Chapin Carpenter (no relation). None are KC but all are terrific.

An excellent gathering of all their greatest hits and some lesser-known titles. Karen Carpenter's voice is rich, expressive, timeless.

I grew up listening to the Carpenters, and this album brought back so many wonderful memories! There were many old favorites, and some I had not heard before. Liner notes by Richard Carpenter were very interesting. I recommend this album to anyone who enjoyed the Carpenters.

For some the Carpenters music is too polished and the multiple vocal tracks can sound corny. Karen's voice is the savior though. Her deep alto voice is always a pleasure to listen to. They experimented with jazz and rock, especially the guitar solo in Goodby to Love. At that time they had backlash and some people thought it was a slap to their music. Like all good musicians they tired new things even though their fans weren't always appreciative. The songs are as memorable as Beatle tunes as they have a strong melody.

I have been a Carpenters fan from their beginning. I still greatly miss Karen's one of a kind voice and style!