Customer Reviews
Pure classiness - By: Gala, 16 Sep 2002 
This collection of the Carpenters' love songs is excellent for anyone who loves any type of music. Possibly the only band who can count both Sonic Youth & members of Steps as their fans, their perfomances on every song are second to none. The more upbeat songs, such as "Close To You" & "Top Of The World" are pleasant enough, butin my opinion, it is on the more angst-ridden songs where they excell. Like it saysin "All You Get From Love Is A love Song", 'the best love songs are written with a broken heart'. "Rainy Days & Mondays", "Superstar" & "This Masquerade" are all perfect, & my personal favourite, "A Song For You", is the ultimate song that sums up all of the emotions which love encompasses. The Carpenters manage to do melancholy without the pretentiousness-trap that so many others fall into. Perhaps the main reason for this is Karen's amazing voice. All of the words I want to use to describe it have been used before, but quite simply, she had one of the most gorgeous voicesin the world, & she squeezed all of the emotion from every word she sang. Also, credit has to be given to Richard Carpenter, because he is a musical genius, whose skills for arrangement & piano playing are largely what makes their music what it is.
As someone bornin the same year that Karen Carpenter died, I am baffled as to why The Carpenters are not as idolised as much as the likes of The Beatles by people of my generation, or older than myself. The songs are classics, & do not sound dated at all. I would reccommend this album to anyone, especially those who are not familiar with the Carpenters, as it gives a perfect introduction to the talent that they posessed.
Excellent easy listening which fills you with warmth. - By: vickyreid30@hotmail.com, 14 Jul 2001 This CD is a must for every collection . THe lyrics breathe sincerity & speak from the heart. Anyone who has ever beenin love will find meaningin the songs & it is one of those CDs that you play to make you feel that you are not the only person who has ever felt how you feel. A song for you is a particular favourite & speaks volumes for love - I defy anyone to not feel moved by it. Absolutely excellent CD!!!!!
A CD THAT EVERYONE SHOULD OWN - By: , 19 Aug 2000 The quality of the Carpenters is renound throughout the music industry & this CD reflects the reasons why. With Karens perfect voice & Richards arrangements this CD should bein everyones collection as a benchmark against which all recordings can be measured.
30 years on the Carpenters music is stillin a class of it's own & this CD shows why.
The sweetest of music - By: , 15 Nov 1999 What an incredibly beautiful voice. You can't help but become totally engrossedin this album. Her voice is exquisite & carries you through the lyrics effortlessly. This album contains a great selection of tunes which work very well with The Carpenters. Their talent for mastering the slow, sentimental song is unrivalled, & this album displays this fact perfectly. "We've Only Just Begun" is excellent. My favourite has to be the classic "Close to You". Not only is this sung beautifully, but the tempo is fun & the words are endearing. Wonderful stuff.
