The Carpenters - Gold: Greatest Hits

Starring:Carpenters, Karen Carpenter
Studio: A&M
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

It's a measure of the ongoing popularity of Karen and Richard Carpenter that the 2002 release of this video collection in DVD format comes nearly 20 years after Karen's death. The duo's heyday mostly preceded the MTV age, so this 15-song, 55-minute anthology is a bit of a visual hodgepodge, composed of still photos, footage from TV shows and concerts, promo clips, fleeting attempts at conceptual videos, and other weirdness (film of Carpenters albums being pressed on the assembly line? Hey, whatever). You'll see an array of bad haircuts and outfits and a whole lot of lip-syncing, but in the end, it's the music that counts. And the Carpenters' signature sound, with its brilliant arrangements, its lush harmonies, and Karen's exquisite alto voice, was easy-listening pop at its finest. If nothing else, Carpenters: Gold offers another chance to hear that music in all its glory. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

The Greatest ..........2007-05-28

The beautiful singing voice of Karen can enjoy itself to the all-songs last, also mixing a precious picture. It is covered by the hit song from the beginning to the last, probably song selection is also substantial, and it could be said also as a best album. Although there are [ an image ] oldness and indistinctness for a while, considering an age, since camera work is very good, it is beautiful.
Various scenes, such as a figure in Karen which sings "Please Mr.Postman" happily in Disneyland, and the stage in "There's A Kind Of Hush", are also seen.
The figure sung so that Richard may have the outstanding talent and it may look at Karen with love is wonderful. Just by there being older brother Richard with the outstanding talent, I hope that Karen could also be lively and was able to be sung.
I recommend to the direction referred to as liking to regard as their songs and the image like a material especially.

First VHS Movie I Ever Bought.......2007-02-20

A little more than five years after I first got into the Carpenters (January 2, 1985), we finally got a VCR. My first move was to go down to the same store where I bought my first Carpenters tape (Camelot Music, now FYE) and buy this video.

Excellent.

Admittedly, a 'dated' product. It was released on February 28, 1985, and features 13 of the Carpenters songs set to music video. Now you have to remember that MTV hit the air in August 1981 and Karen Carpenter died about 18 months later (to the day, in fact). So the Carpenters, who were by now a lounge act, did not have a lot of the old songs set to video. What they did do, however, was get a bunch of their old TV appearances and put them together. It opens with "We've Only Just Begun," a 1973 version from a Bob Hope special. It passes through "Those Good Old Dreams," a retrospective with childhood pictures of Karen and Rich. I don't remember the order beyond that, but I do recall a few facts about the videos.

"Top of the World" is from their 1976 TV special with John Denver. "Beechwood 4-5789" is a sophomoric video set to a decent version of an avant-garde song. "Ticket To Ride" was filmed on Karen's 20th birthday (March 2, 1970) in Squaw Valley, California. "Please Mr. Postman" is from Disneyland while "Only Yesterday" has Richard and Karen at Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. "There's A Kind of Hush" is from their 1976 Japanese tour. And "Close To You" is from their 1971 summer series, "Make Your Own Kind of Music."

If you are a Carpenters fan, you will enjoy the music, but some of the videos are incredibly cheap because videos just weren't done back then for the most part.

The Carpenters - Gold: Greatest Hits.......2006-06-26

My name is Borovikov Alexandr
Hello from Arkhangelsk! (Russia)
I the professional musician.
To me 51 years also I know sense in good music!
Tune, clearness of performance(fulfillment) of group, sweetness of a voice Karen
And as with taste selected hits, good sound and good quality video
This disk, have forced to adhere to a sofa not only me, but also my friends
For want of survey of this command. I for a long time wanted to acquire the Carpenters, on video, but as it was not possible, and presently it is possible to see and to hear practically all!
The boys! - purchase this disk - not will regret(pity)!

"Gold" is Vintage Carpenters.......2005-07-31

Released in 2002, Carpenters "Gold" DVD is an exact replica of the 1985 Carpenter VHS release "Yesterday Once More". For those of you (like me) who already own the VHS version, I am sorry to say that "Gold" offers nothing new, no new tracks, no new visuals, no interviews, etc. Obviously, the DVD format is not utilized to it's full potential and with little creative imagination. Had there been a full menu on the DVD, plus some additional music videos, this would easily be a 5-star production. However, for those who have never seen the Carpenters perform, "Gold" will be a good introduction to the duo, and serves as an technology upgrade for those who previously bought "Yesterday Once More".

"Gold" comprises 15 "music videos" of some of the Carpenters' more popular hits. Please be aware that the term "music video" has taken on a whole different meaning (due to MTV), compared to when the Carpenters performed their songs. Instead of creative visual pictures and themes, the "Gold" visuals of the Carpenters is mostly standard fare, with Karen out front singing before the Carpenter band. A few songs are filmed on location; such as "Please Mister Postman" at Disneyworld, and "Ticket To Ride" in the snowy mountains of Aspen. The songs span the entire breadth of the careers of Karen and Richard Capenter, from "We've Only Just Begun" featuring a very youthful Karen Carpenter, to "Those Good Old Dreams", with a much more mature Richard and a painfully thin Karen.

The sound quality of the songs is excellent, as these songs are taken directly from their albums, with Karen and Richard lip-synching to the recording. The lip-synching is done so well that in most cases one would swear they are actually singing live. Karen's characteristic rich lovely voice is flawless.

I give the production 3-stars only because it could have been so much more. All the same, if you are a Carpenters fan like I am, you will want to own this DVD.

Jim Konedog Koenig

Fantastic - Full Length & All Music - This Is The One To Own.......2005-06-26

Great childhood pictures of Karen and her brother. This video is non-stop music combined with photos and videos from the past. Especially for those who heard the Carpenters on the radio day after day, this video is a real treat.

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