You know you want this disc. Just admit it.
It's like the famous scene from the movie Tommy Boy. You know the one where Richard and Tommy are fighting over the radio---only to end up listening to the Carpenters? To paraphrase: "I can live with it if you can." It's funny because it's true! Everyone deep down inside secretly loves The Carpenters. Tommy does. Richard does. Heck, even I do. And it's nothing to be ashamed of. (Well... not too ashamed, anyway.) Besides, it's such a good value. A complete hits collection chock full of 21 songs in glorious high-resolution surround sound? I'm "On Top of the World".
Rationalize if you must, but either way just put getting this disc on your 'to do' list. Is it the best sounding disc ever? Well... Probably not. Nonetheless, it is still a very nice-sounding disc. Recording quality is pretty good. Vocals are spread out nicely across the front. And orchestral arrangements, which I feel work wonderfully on most surround mixes, are heard frequently in the surround channels. Also heard frequently in the surrounds are vocals---either backing vocals or doubled-up vocals from the mains. All in all it's a pleasant surround mix.
Some favorite songs on this hybrid disc are: "Superstar", "Yesterday Once More", and "We've Only Just Begun".
