Carpenters: Gold: Greatest Hits

Music

Carpenters
Karen Carpenter

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