One Of The Best Compilations

Through the years, there have been many hits compilations of the Carpenters and this one is, so far, the best. Conceived in 1995, before "Love Songs" and the remasters, this cd takes not only the finest Carpenters recordings, but also the finest remixes of their recordings and places them all on one single disc. The total playing time for this beauty is a whopping 78 minutes and the sonic enhancement is breath-taking. The album is a pleasure to listen to, the music is presented by style rather than or instead of chronological placement, which keeps the music fresh. The cd opens up with Karen's soul wrenching, and what I believe is the finest Carpenters song ever recorded, "I Need To Be In Love," and closes with "Yesterday Once More." In-between these two tunes are twenty more performances that will take you for an emotional roller coaster ride, and you'll love every sonic second. Crank up the volume on this, the drumming is more powerful than you remember, the vocals warmer and the piano fuller. This album is worth the import price and it'll make you wonder why Richard just didn't release this masterpiece domestically and delete the early hits packages.