The Carpenters - Japanese Single Box

2006 Japanese exclusive strictly limited edition box set with 33 singles (67 songs) originally released in Japan on 7" format. Each 3" CD-single is housed in a replica of the original Japanese 7" picture sleeve. The 33 CD-singles are housed in a gold embossed white textured individually numbered picture box with wrap-around OBI-strip displaying sleeve images and Japanese content information. The box set has been carefully conceived by Universal Japan with much detail. A great Carpenters release, but disappointing that 4 tracks are vinyl transfers, especially because 3 of these 4 tracks are not available elsewhere on CD format. It took Universal Japan a lot of time finding the original single masters, and sadly not all of them were traceable. Finally, the 3 tracks from the 28th single (no. 55-56-57) are not the original 1978 Christmas Portrait versions, but the 1996 remixed versions.


Disc 1:

"Ticket to Ride" -- original 1969 stereo album version, not the mono edit used for the U.S. single
"All I Can Do" -- album version

Disc 2::
"(They Long to Be) Close to You" -- single edit, nearly a minute shorter than album version (this is the version of the song found on most compilation albums)
"I Kept on Loving You" -- single version, with clean opening (unlike album version, which segues from previous song)

Disc 3:
"We've Only Just Begun" -- album version
"I'll Never Fall In Love Again" -- album version

Disc 4:
"For All We Know" -- album version
"Baby It's You" -- album version

Disc 5:
"Rainy Days and Mondays" -- album version
"Saturday" -- album version

Disc 6:
"Superstar" -- album version
"Merry Christmas, Darling" -- original 1970 single version

Disc 7:
"Bless the Beasts and Children" -- version from the movie soundtrack album, NOT the version from A Song for You. Has vibes at the beginning of the song, instead of the English horn.
"Help" -- album version

Disc 8:
"Hurting Each Other" -- album version
"Maybe It's You" -- has a clean open, not faded in

Disc 9:
"It's Going to Take Some Time" -- album version
"Flat Baroque" -- album version

Disc 10:
"Goodbye to Love" -- album version
"Crystal Lullaby" -- album version, fades at end (before segue to "Road Ode" on album)

Disc 11:
"Top of the World" -- original 1972 album version (NOT U.S. single version)
"Druscilla Penny" -- album version

Disc 12:
"Sing" -- album version
"I Won't Last a Day Without You" -- album version

Disc 13:
"Yesterday Once More" -- U.S. single version (this is the version of the song that appeared everywhere except on the original album release)
"Road Ode" -- album version, fades in at the beginning and fades out at the end

Disc 14:
"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" -- album version
"Heather" -- album version

Disc 15:
"Top of the World" -- 1973 version (U.S. single)
"Druscilla Penny" -- album version

Disc 16:
"I Won't Last a Day Without You" -- single version
"One Love" -- album version

Disc 17:
"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" -- original 1974 single version
"Merry Christmas, Darling" -- original single version

Disc 18:
"Please Mr. Postman" -- original single mix, only released on CD on UK version of Yesterday Once More otherwise unavailable on CD
"This Masquerade" -- album version

Disc 19:
"Only Yesterday" -- single edit, fade starts just after key change, about 23 seconds shorter than album version
"Happy" -- album version

Disc 20:
"Solitaire" -- single mix, previously only available on CD on GOLD (U.S. version)
"Love Me for What I Am" -- album version

Disc 21:
"There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" -- album version
"(I'm Caught Between) Goodbye and I Love You" -- album version

Disc 22:
"I Need to Be In Love" -- single edit, missing solo piano at intro
"Sandy" -- album version

Disc 23:
"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" -- album version
"I Have You" -- album version

Disc 24:
"All You Get from Love is a Love Song" -- album version
"Eve" -- album version

Disc 25:
"Sweet, Sweet Smile" -- album version
"Can't Smile Without You" -- single version

Disc 26:
"The Christmas Song" -- single version, clean start (unlike album version, which segues from "Santa Claus")
"Merry Christmas, Darling" -- original 1970 single version

Disc 27:
"Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" -- single edit, significantly shortened from album version
"Mr. Guder" -- album version

Disc 28:
"Silent Night" -- album version
"Jingle Bells" -- album version
"Ave Maria" -- album version from the Christmas Portrait: Special Edition, 1984 remix with choir

Disc 29:
"I Believe You" -- album version
"B'wana She No Home" -- album version

Disc 30:
"Beechwood 4-5789" -- album version
"Because We Are In Love (The Wedding Song)" -- album version

Disc 31:
"Those Good Old Dreams" -- single version (the synthesizer riff at the end is very much buried in the mix, as on the U.S. single and subsequent CD versions of the album)
"I Just Fall In Love Again" -- album version

Disc 32:
"Make Believe It's Your First Time" -- single mix (no spoken part during intro)
"Look to Your Dreams" -- album version

Disc 33:
"Honolulu City Lights" -- album version
"When You've Got What It Takes" -- clean opening (no segue from previous song as on album)