CARPENTERS SINGLES 1969-'73 RARE ORIG '73 A&M QUADRAPHONIC AUDIOPHILE LP w/BOOK

$

38

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

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·       THE CARPENTERS - THE SINGLES 1969-1973 - ORIGINAL 1975 A&M RECORDS QUADRAPHONIC LP  QU-53601

·       THIS ALBUM CONTAINS ORIGINAL 1975 QUAD MIXES OF THESE CLASSIC SONGS – NOT THE MULTICHANNEL REMIXES DONE IN 2004 BY RICHARD CARPENTER WHICH CAN BE FOUND ON THE RECENT SASD RELEASE

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       ORIGINAL , CUSTOM BLUE AND BROWN A&M QUADRAPHONIC LABEL

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       INCLUDES ORIGINAL BOOKLET / BROCHURE

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

·       ORIGINAL, THIN CARDBOARD COVER (EUROPEAN STYLE)

·       ORIGINAL GATEFOLD COVER

·       ORIGINAL "TEXTURED" (RAISED LETTERS) COVER.

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       FAIRLY THICK VINYL PRESSING On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least thick, and  10 being the thickest), we assess the thickness of the vinyl as 7.

(►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

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There's a certain inherent sadness listening to this concise 12-song collection of the Carpenters' early hits, especially as it opens with "We've Only Just Begun," with its hopeful, dreamy lyrics -- for it was never supposed to be definitive, just the first of at least two such collections. But changes in the public's taste and a slackening (though never a disappearance) of hits for the duo, and Karen Carpenter's death in 1983, made this the first and only real mass choice for a Carpenters collection. Ten of the duo's dozen Top Ten hits are present, from "Close to You" to "Top of the World," with their gorgeous and original slow ballad interpretation of "Ticket to Ride" and their cover of Carole King's "It's Going to Take Some Time" thrown in to offer a slightly wider perspective. Listening to this material, it's easy to accuse the Carpenters of being hopelessly retro even in their own time -- bear in mind that "We've Only Just Begun" and "Superstar" being contemporaneous with the Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East and Eat a Peach and you get the idea. But the lush melodies brought out in Richard Carpenter's arrangements and Karen's singing are justification in themselves.

(REVIEW REPRINTED COURTESY OF BRUCE EDER, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

Despite being dismissed as being lightweight and poppy, the music of Richard and Karen Carpenter aged with infinite grace and (at one point in early-to-mid seventies) even outsold the Beatles. Karen's untimely death in 1983 changed all this; people started realizing that Carpenters created one of the more lasting bodies of work; songs that were incredibly well crafted, composed, arranged and executed; songs performed with uncanny sense of "economy of sound". General public started longing for Karen Carpenter's wonderful, one-of-a-kind, bell-like voice which will NEVER be replicated and duplicated; Richard's songwriting and arranging skills are also being seen in a new, more friendly light these days. Lately, Carpenters have been enjoying a well-deserved renewal in popularity and interest - and even somewhat of a cult status - and are more likely to be seen as one of three or four  (along with Bee Gees, Abba and Fleetwood Mac) decade-defining acts of the 70's. This, their first "Greatest Hits" package, was released in 1975 to enormous critical and popular acclaim, and remains one of the top-20 best selling albums of all time. And, why not: virtually every song that we now associate with the Carpenters sound, and with the mellow 1970's is here.

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And finally, a trivia question: did you know that the Carpenters were the BEST-SELLING act of the first half of the 1970s? Nobody outsold the brother & sister duo: NOBODY!  Not Elton John, not the Rolling Stones, not ABBA, not Led Zeppelin, not Rod Stewart. With no less than 12 (count 'em!) chart-topping Billboard hit singles released between 1970 and 1975, the siblings reigned supreme and without any significant competition!

Quadraphonic recordings of the early 70's died a slow and agonizing death because of their hopeless incompatibility with the existing stereo and mono equipment (they can be played on stereo equipment, but not to the full effect), but they live on in the hearts of the collectors, and for good reason: some of the finest audiophile recordings ever made - whether rock, soul or classical, were released on some of these, little known and poorly advertised, albums. And, what a gorgeous presentation these recordings are: with rich audio-textures and stunning multi-channel separation which is truly a jaw-dropping, head-spinning experience.

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ►  CLICK HERE

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·       CONDITION:

·       THE RECORD:

(IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

(a)          WE GRADE THE VINYL AS STRONG VG++, JUST A NOTCH BELOW NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions (probably just sleeve scuffs inflicted in storage over the years) ARE VISIBLE, but they appear fairly  insignificant relative to the overall condition of the vinyl, and are only moderately visually distracting. For most part, the vinyl looks impeccable, without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The record comes in the original (quad specific) stock inner sleeve.

(c)           The record is pressed on a fairly thick, relatively inflexible vinyl.

(d)          The album includes original brochure / booklet

(e)           Quad pressing of this title is much rarer, and by far more  preferable to its stereo counterpart. The mix is more natural, humane, "organic" and in some instances (we cannot guarantee) the mixes may be somewhat different than on the stereo version. We estimate that stereo copies of this album outnumber quad by a ratio of at least 30:1.

(f)            Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·                               THE COVER:

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD++ (VG++).

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        Cover has a few wrinkles along the seams

-        Cover has a visible "wrinkle"(crease)  in one of the corners.

-         Minor shelf wear noted on the seams (nothing significant)

-         Cover has all four corners slightly worn

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

We offer THREE postage rates for both Domestic and International Mail: Media Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail for domestic, and First Class, Priority International Mail, and Express International Mail for international orders. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from country to country. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage rates ►click here. While you can be rest assured that ►our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note that damage, loss or theft in transit is always possible, and in the case of some countries even PROBABLE. To discuss this potential problem and ensure flawless delivery, please contact us thru eBay BEFORE placing a bid.

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OUR REFUND POLICY :

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED (THE BUYER PAYS FOR THE RETURN POSTAGE); Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►Click here  for the full text of our policy

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