Christmas Portrait

Japanese only SHM paper sleeve pressing. The SHM-CD [Super High Material CD] format features enhanced audio quality through the use of a special polycarbonate plastic. Using a process developed by JVC and Universal Music Japan discovered through the joint companies' research into LCD display manufacturing SHM-CDs feature improved transparency on the data side of the disc allowing for more accurate reading of CD data by the CD player laser head. SHM-CD format CDs are fully compatible with standard CD players. 2009.

Hipper now than they ever were in their day, Karen and Richard Carpenter achieved a rare feat: They saw one of their songs become a holiday classic. "Merry Christmas, Darling" sold like mad in the late 1970s and cemented the identity of the song with the band. In the wake of Karen's death, the lyrics became even more poignant, but isn't a good tug on the heartstrings what a lot of holiday songs are all about? The Carpenters' tender cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is equally touching, their lush vocals layered like warm blankets on a cold December night. Though Christmas Portrait is harshly abbreviated, this version--the Special Edition--features almost 40 songs, including goose-bump giving versions of "Ave Maria" and "O Holy Night" and is definitely the better disc of the two. --Steve Gdula