"Superstar" - Carpenters

For those of you that have the original 45, listen to the piano at 1:38-1:39. To my ears, there is a different piano used on the cd A&M 828393502. Let's have some other opinions?

More than 10 years ago, I purchased that Carpenters self-titled CD. "Superstar" happens to be a personal favorite, and I know the song note-for-note. I bought it 100% for that ONE tune. And I totally agree with Pat - I have NEVER heard the original mix of "Superstar" on any issue of that CD (a friend of mine bought a later-made pressing of the same CD, and it is also incorrect.) Richard Carpenter has long gone to EXTRAORDINARY lengths to make sure his "embellished, with extra instrumentation added" versions were the ONLY ones released by A&M on CD, claiming the originals were "too hissy for that format", as I recall reading. However, I just received my new Collector's Choice catalog, and they now offer a just-released import that supposedly, and FINALLY, both addresses this issue and has seemingly gone to the effort to, at long last, restore the original mixes. This has allegedly occurred with Richard Carpenter's blessing (but why I can still sense his teeth gritting over this?) I have just ordered it tonight. If this set delivers what it promises, it will be my year's BEST purchase. And I will pass my findings along on the Board, be it good or bad.

Edited by jimct

I stand corrected, Pat - I specifically hear no PIANO at all on "Superstar." In the spirit of 100% accuracy, Richard plays KEYBOARDS on this track, and does the same thing with THAT instrument that he normally does with the piano - embellished. In addition to the hi-hit that you and David correctly cite, just :09 seconds in on Superstar, from "The "Carpenters" CD, I hear several loud keyboard/bells notes that were not present on the 45. I just played the song through, and I hear him add the same thing in during at least 2 other points during the song. To me, numerous other, more subtle, extraneous keyboard sounds are also heard throughout the song. On the 45, relatively speaking, it is VERY musically sparse, compared to this much "busier" version, IMHO. My apologies, Pat - in this instance, it is NOT a piano - I just always stop my CD in disgust as soon as I hear that :09 bogus audio, hence the mis-identification of the keyboard as piano. David asked me to shoot out a 45 dub to him to compare with; I will now do so, to get his feedback.

Hmm... This guy, who has quite an extensive Carpenters discography on the Net, says the Time-Life CD does not use all the original mixes, including Superstar...

http://www.grantguerrero.com/carpenters/collection.html



Edited by Brian W.

This case has me intrigued. The "remastered classics" have always been touted as containing the original LP versions, with none of the infamous remixing and re-records that plague most of the Carpenters catalog on CD.

I just listened to "Superstar" on both my original Carpenters LP and the remastered classics CD version. It sure sounds like the same mix to me. The light tapping on the high hat from :14 to :20 is present on both the LP and the CD. The keyboard flourishes at :09 are also on both the LP and CD.

However, I don't have the 45. Perhaps the original 45 and LP mixes differed, and it's this 45 mix that has never made it to CD. If that is the case, it wouldn't be the first time (the original 45 mixes of Please Mr. Postman and Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft are also MIA on CD).