The Carpenters are getting the royal treatment. Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is set for release by UMC. Featuring timeless hits and favourites, the album pairs Carpenters’ original vocal and instrumental tracks with new orchestral arrangements from Richard Carpenter, conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) at Abbey Road Studios. It is available now for preorder in CD and 180-gram 2LP vinyl LP formats The vinyl set will be released 8 February. With their 1970 chart breakthroughs of “(They Long To Be) Close to You” and “We’ve Only Just Begun,” Richard and Karen Carpenter set a new standard for melodic pop that has never been surpassed. With over 100 million in sales, Carpenters are among the all-time most successful artists in recording history. The long hit list also includes “Rainy Days And Mondays,” “Top of the World,” “Yesterday Once More” and “Superstar.” On the heels of RPO successes with Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Roy Orbison and The Beach Boys, Carpenters With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra marks the first time the series has the actual artist playing key roles in the recording process. Richard Carpenter served as the album’s producer, arranger and conductor.