The Carpenters: Karen Carpenter, Richard Carpenter.

Additional personnel: Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como, John Davidson.

The trademark sound that made the Carpenters one of the highest charting and most beloved pop acts of the 1970s is in full effect on this collection of outtakes, demos, and live performances. The quirky compilation is threaded together by infectious melodic hooks, Karen Carpenter's evocative alto, and her brother Richard's clean, lush arrangements, all of which sound as crisp and appealing as they did in their heyday.

Excerpts from the Carpenters television specials are a key inclusion here. A medley of the CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and STAR WARS movie themes, covers of "I Got Rhythm" and "You're Just in Love," and a stylized version of the 1929 standard "Without a Song" are just a few of the rarities. AS TIME GOES BY also features other pop and rock covers ("Nowhere Man," "Dancing in the Street") that are placed alongside technical experiments (a double-tracked duet between Ella Fitzgerald and Karen Carpenter). For good measure, this disc includes medleys of the Carpenters' own hits (one blends slow versions of "Superstar" and "Rainy Days and Mondays"). Even on these truncated renditions, Karen's voice pushes all the right vocal buttons and pulls the heartstrings. AS TIME GOES BY will please fans of the band's sound, and is an especially welcome treat for the world's Carpenterphiles.