In 1969, Karen and Richard Carpenter signed to A&M Records and released their debut album. Forty years later, the Carpenters are recognized not only as the most successful brother-sister act in music history and one o... more »f the best-selling acts of all-time but also as a pop culture phenomenon that continues to resonate today. Celebrating that legacy, the two-CD 40/40 (A&M/UMe), released October 20, 2009, produced by Richard Carpenter, brings together 40 of the duo's greatest hits and best-loved recordings, each digitally remastered. 40/40 includes all of the Carpenters' dozen Top 10 Pop hits, 19 of their 20 Top 40s and 23 of their 28 Top 75 Pop singles, from 1969's cover of the Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" to 1981's "Those Good Old Dreams." Among the 17 other tracks are covers of Leon Russell's classic "This Masquerade," Hank Williams' "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)" and Tim Hardin's "Reason To Believe," and a pair of recordings originally released in 1983, following Karen's passing earlier that year, "Now" and "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore."« less
In 1969, Karen and Richard Carpenter signed to A&M Records and released their debut album. Forty years later, the Carpenters are recognized not only as the most successful brother-sister act in music history and one of the best-selling acts of all-time but also as a pop culture phenomenon that continues to resonate today. Celebrating that legacy, the two-CD 40/40 (A&M/UMe), released October 20, 2009, produced by Richard Carpenter, brings together 40 of the duo's greatest hits and best-loved recordings, each digitally remastered. 40/40 includes all of the Carpenters' dozen Top 10 Pop hits, 19 of their 20 Top 40s and 23 of their 28 Top 75 Pop singles, from 1969's cover of the Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" to 1981's "Those Good Old Dreams." Among the 17 other tracks are covers of Leon Russell's classic "This Masquerade," Hank Williams' "Jambalaya (On The Bayou)" and Tim Hardin's "Reason To Believe," and a pair of recordings originally released in 1983, following Karen's passing earlier that year, "Now" and "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore."
CD Reviews
No one else with that voice
R. Warren | Statesville, NC United States | 10/21/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been listening to all sorts of music since around 1962, from bluegrass to death metal and much in between, and while there have been countless female singers in those years, not a single one of them had the voice of Karen Carpenter - only she possessed that one in a million voice. There was always something haunting about it, as if it were more real that reality. These have been remastered so they do sound cleaner than before, but fortunately, it doesn't appear as if they consciously tried to change the "mix" of the songs. Thank goodness for that. They were great to begin with. If you want to hear something that will find its way into your heart and live there with you the rest of your life, then pick up this compilation. You will be much the richer for it."
40/40 - Worth a deuce!
Chauncey Gardner | Los Angeles | 10/20/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Some things just get better with age, and the Carpenters music ranks up there with cheese and wine! Can you really go wrong here? All the classics and remastered to sound better than ever."
40/40 IS THE PERFECT WAY TO CELEBRATE 40 YRS! MY ADDITIONAL
"It was a wonderful surprise to find out that A & M recently released 40/40 on Oct. 20 to celebrate the 4Oth anniversary of the Carpenters -one of my ultimate favorite acts of all time. I grew up with their music and I have a collection of ALL their cds whether in original or remastered form. Up to now, I still keep my vinyl copies of their records (45 RPM and 33 RPM!) which I played over and over again in our phonograph as a kid growing up in the 70s. Even if I have all the songs in this compilation in their other albums, I still immediately pre-ordered a copy of 40/40. For some reason, I never get tired of their timeless music and each compilation released is an event for me and a must-own. When I played 40/40 on my cd player, it was like a new experience hearing these songs all over again. Although their songs were recorded in the late 60s to early 80s, their music still sounds fresh and current and never outdated because of the timeless quality. The songs in this compilation especially the ballads are testaments to the late, great Karen Carpenter's incomparable vocal prowess. Karen's voice was truly God's gift - beautiful, original and truly distinct - and she used this voice to touch the lives of millions of people through the songs we can hear in this compilation. No one by far has had that voice. Karen indeed possessed the gifts of a truly great singer - distinct voice, flawless delivery and raw emotion. In 2019, I would like to see 16 gorgeous Carpenters ballads in a 50/50 compilation which were unfortunately not included in 40/40. If 2019 is too far away, why not a collection of their best ballads or a Love Songs double cd?
The 16 ballads I would like to be included in 50/50 are:
1. I Can't Make Music - from Now and Then
2. Love Me For What I Am - from Horizon
3. (I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You - from Horizon
4. Desperado - from Horizon
5. I Can Dream Can't I - from Horizon
6. You - from A Kind of Hush
7. I Have You - from A Kind of Hush
8. Sometimes - from Carpenters
9. (A Place to) Hideaway - from Carpenters
10. One Love - from Carpenters
11. Two Sides - from Passage
12. I Just Fall in Love Again - from Passage
13. Make Believe It's Your First Time - from Voice of the Heart
14. Slow Dance - from Lovelines
15. Honolulu City Lights - from Lovelines
16. You're The One - from Lovelines
These 16 songs may have been album cuts only but they are some of very favorite Carpenters songs and certainly rank among their very best so I would like to see these songs in a future US 50/50 compilation in time for their golden anniversary in 2019 - has it been that long? Their music is classic pop and truly timeless! Long live the Carpenters!
"
The perfect collection of hits!
Harvie fan | los angeles, CA | 10/20/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Finally, the perfect collection of my all favorite Carpenters songs. Karen's voice is one-of-a-kind, one of my all-time favorites. What a wonderful way to celebrate her legacy."
HAS IT REALLY BEEN 40 YEARS? SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY
W. Budris | Rosedale, NY | 11/05/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Karen & Richard Carpenter have been a huge musical influence on me. First performers that started me on my record collecting hobby back in the day. It is amazing to think this was 40 years ago, and Karen has been gone almost 27 years. Still, thanks to recordings of that gorgeous voice and the best arrangements and technical stuff done by a very talented Richard, it is preserved. I had the pleasure of meeting Richard once at the theater named for them at CALState Long Beach. I thanked him for all he's done and hoped to hear more from him in producing and performing (he had just done a song with Petula Clark at the time, and I was hoping he would have done a full album with Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick individually after their stunning performances on Richard's "Time" album in the mid 80s). I still hope he decides to produce and arrange again and work with Barbra Streisand and Linda Eder. I met Richard before I discovered Linda, or I would have mentioned her. It is also ironic that this Friday, Nov 6, 2009, I am seeing for the first time in concert Herb Alpert and his wife, Lani Hall, in their jazz concert. If there is a chance of meeting them, I am certain to thank Herb for signing Karen & Richard back in 1969.
For this particular collection, it is a great set, as it mixes remixed versions of favorites (hits & album tracks) with a few original releases. My surprise was "Let Me Be The One", one of my personal favorites, where Karen stopped on the vocal, and there is some patter at the end and Richard plays it out on the piano. Don't think I've heard this version before, so if this is a surprise rarity, you GOT me. As this is a nice overview and includes the remixes, if your not a collector but like The Carpenters, go with this one, as well as "The Ultimate Collection" from overseas. The latter includes an overview of songs in their original release non-remixed format. The German issue also has a 3rd CD of a few additions from Karen's and Richard's minimal solo work.
If you're like me, you are going to have all the albums & a few compilations. For those who want to keep it small, Ultimate and 40/40 are the way to go. Knowing it is 40 years later, and that I still sing with Karen while driving or walking, my voice is deeper now, and I can finally hit her low notes with clarity instead of force. Knowing this, it proves all good things mellow with age."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1