simple as that.

Did you know that the Carpenters are one of my all time favorites like ever

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

i did not...so you chould have the perfect answer....recommend the album that shows why they are who the are to the world

I'd recommend "Close to You", which came out in 1970. It has "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and "Close to You", 2 of my fave songs from them.

kenlacam said:

thats the one my boss recommended

kenlacam said:

SirPsycho said:

I only have the best of double disc And while I can imagine I'd find other songs I'd love on the proper albums I'd actually have to invest in the entire catalogue which freaks me out no matter which artist it is! that's why I have 3 Madonna CDs and 2 Bowie, even though I love them both

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

thats so the exact opposite of me...i loathe best of albums, cuz i feel like it perverts the "thought period" in which a particular song i like was concieved...(granted some artists wrote their hits when they were 14 and released them at 24)...but still...i need to know what the people heard 'longside the song i desire....but then again i'm a music nerd





and to be fair i may have a best of sade somwhere

and a best of jim croce cuz his albums are hard to find

SirPsycho said:

Listen sister, don't even be challenging my music nerd membership

Yes, I pretty much feel the same way but I become so paralyzed where I want to buy it all but don't have the money and then don't have the patience to do it all one at a time and I just compromise

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[Edited 9/18/08 13:18pm]

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

there are other ways ya know

someone got me the carpenters box set for christmas years ago so i feel like i don't need anything else. i'm sure there's something cheaper and still as essential, as all the lovely posts above this comment must surely attest.

I only have one of their greatest hits albums. It's one that I only listen to in private.

Their Christmas album is great



I love her voice

vainandy said:

i never thought i'd say this ..about you of all people vainandy...but thats gay.

SirPsycho said:

It's the anal intercourse of gay!

Other than their christmas albums, I've only heard the greatest hits. It was a staple of my mom's collection.

Interestingly, that's a collection that actually flows fairly well. I personally don't feel the need to go beyond that, though it is full of strong songs.

I just realized that I still have "Close to You" on vinyl.

carlcranshaw said:

I actually have this one in an 8-track.....
and I still have that 8-track player to play it on

mynameisnotsusan said:

The Carpenters are a favorite of mine, and I don't have this one..
it's on my list this week..thanks.

the "if i were a carpenter" tribute album is also surprisingly good. it's one of my favorite tribute albums ever, if only for sonic youth's version of "superstar"...it's a time capsule of 90s bands covering 70s songs, so it covers several bases of retro goodness.

I love The Carpenters but I don't have any of their albums.I only have a really good compilation by them.

carlcranshaw said:

Yep, always start with a best of collection if there is one.

Some of you are purists. I respect that.

But, seriously, compilations are a great way to:

a) Cover artists who aren’t really great album artists or even necessarily great artists, but who are responsible for many great songs.
b) Fill-in the gaps. Who wants to buy an entire album to get 1 or 2 great songs?
c) Experience a portion -- perhaps even a major portion -- of a library without having to read every last sentence.
d) Expand your horizons without major investments in time and money.

You don’t have to suffer for your art.

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[Edited 9/20/08 2:21am]

Brendan said:

I have this one. I love this one. Get this one.

All things Carpenter breaks my heart and always makes me want to weep. Her music already did that to me, but to have a physical illustration of the tragedy in the form of her death makes this music resonate so much more to me.

I am not going to do this justice but I once heard Ira Glass on This American Life talking about her and he said that she was the original goth. A subversive, almost anarchist of sorts. Cloaking these hideously tragic and sad songs in the guise of these unbelievably happy musical melodies. A sneak attack if ever there was one and able to pass any checkpoint along the way, nobody ever realizing exactly what these songs are until it's too late and you've been affected.

If you listen among most of her music, it's full of pain, full of loss, full of sadness, full of longing. I can't help but think that many of these songs mirrored her troubled soul and how could anyone be surprised if they did as it is an artists mission and destiny to memorialize their souls in song.

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[Edited 9/23/08 13:18pm]