Close To You

J'adore cet album, il me faut le vinyle, Close to You me donne toujours un peu envie de pleurer et ya plein d'autres bangers

Very soothing, but a little snoozy for my morning drive to work. The vocalist(s) were really talented, and a joy to listen to.

Karen Carpenter has a lovely voice. This is the softest album I've ever heard. This might be the first Easy Listening album. Their Reason to Believe is decent. I can only picture Rick Moranis singing Close to You in Parenthood or Marge getting the custom doorbell chime and screwing up the lyrics. This is like their greatest hits album. We've Only Just Begun, (They Long to Be) Close to You and I'll Never Fall In Love Again are the songs I most associate with them. Mr. Guder is the Easy Listening Mr. Dobalina. Come on Dick, Karen is the star here. Another Song is like the theme to knock off Bond 70s spy thriller. Ron Burgundy approves of the flute.

Not for me. I'm sure Alan Partridge is a fan though.

Didn’t expect to enjoy this, but it is quality pop. A perfect album all round. Karen Carpenter’s voice is extraordinarily fine. I wish she’d sung some folk music. I’d enjoy hearing her in a sort of Linda Thompson, or June Tabor setting. Nanci Griffith perhaps.

Gotta do 4 stars for my dad

She clearly had a great voice, but it's just not my cup of tea. Never really liked the easy listening genre very much. The album has some songs I have definitely heard before and they are good, but it would be something I would only have on in the background and not really something I would normally listen to.

Appreciate the album. I knew most of the songs. It is one that I would not go out of my way to listen to.

White music and the best kind

It's shmaltz. It's very well done shmaltz, but it's still shmaltz.

Whitest of musics

It's a very nice listen. But ranking it the same as some of the other 5 star albums just doesn't feel right. Karen carpenter has a beautiful voice and the silence followed by the drums coming in on close to you is something special. The non hits were also a nice listen, but I just can't justify 5 stars

5/10 - Luckily not too long, nice to have in the background but really not something to write home about

As a 17 year old boy getting into Prog music I hated this stuff. Even more so because my mum and dad liked it. But like so many other similar albums of that era and like this one, I’ve come around to seeing its worth. I must have because I recently bought a Carpenters greatest hits album. Came to the conclusion that any serious music lover should have least one Carpenters album in their collection if only to hear Karen Carpenters superb voice. Much prefer their own original songs for which they are best known rather than the covers of other songs. 3/5 26/10/26

Favorite track(s): We've Only Just Begun, Maybe It's You, (They Long to Be) Close to You, I'll Never Fall in Love Again, Crescent Noon, Another Song This album really shaped up in the back half. Karen is an iconic drummer/vocalist.

I literally found out about this duo because of an “after school special” we watched in some class. Then I came across the “tribute” album “If I Were a Carpenter,” which rocked! Particularly the Sonic Youth cover of Superstar. (Which I believe Richard particularly hated.) Hearing the album that started it all was… a bit surreal, honestly. It really is… light. I lean way more toward the Sonic Youth. 3 Boolean: True

un cover y más nada

Jeg fucker med The Carpenters.

Moillkoselig. Elsker åpningssporet.

Blei fort ganske kjedelig. Skuffa.

Didnt had time to listen properly maybe should listen again

I love Karen Carpenter so, so much. I wish she was the only one singing. What a talent gone too soon.

My 14-year-old listened to this with me. He said, “Dad, this is really good.” He’s not wrong wrong. And he has good taste.

Maximalist and so, so sincere. Textbook 1970s studio pop. Carpenters have a reputation for being cheesy, corny, et cetera, and while I guess I get it, I can’t deny the lush arrangements. I simply must respect the craft. Karen Carpenter is also one of the finest American vocalists to ever do it (and a great drummer!) - just a perfect, rich, evocative voice. I could listen to her sing anything. She could probably move me to tears singing the phone book.

Es isch iwie eif immer besser worde. (Vlt uf em Wäg richtig 5i?)

beatles cover isches eifach nd

It's pretty and cute but nah

Ngl I'm a sucker for this, will probably bump this up if I ever listen again

Overproduced and over orchestrated. It makes me wonder what would have happened if Karen Carpenter was still alive, would she have realized that she didn’t need a full musical accompaniment and a whole album could just her and her brother? Her voice was beautiful but, the material she was working with sucked.

No me gusta el pop asi tan chill

3/5

1. We've Only Just Begun - 5 It's okay. Instrumentally it's a bit overly-flowery but there are definitely some enjoyable parts to it. Lyrically it's pure cheese. I think the problem I have is that first off, I'm not a fan of pop and second off, this is absolute bubblegum music/lyrics. 2. Love Is Surrender - 2 Cheap bubblegum pop. 3. Maybe It's You - 3 Vocally strong, lyrically it's like "The Sound of Music" type of track. Lot of people love The Sound of Music. I am not one of those people. 4. Reason To Believe - 4 Lyrically it's a lot better but vocally it's not as strong as Maybe It's You. 5. Help - 5 Vocally it's in way too high an octave and is the worst of the five tracks so far. Instrumentally the outro is the strongest thing on the album so far. It's an absolutely incredible outro. 6. (They Long To Be) Close To You - 1 Absolute pure cheese. It's a cookie cutter love song. 7. Baby It's You - 3 Good sax on the track but generally lyrically a ball of fluff of a track. 8. I'll Never Fall In Love Again - 1 Complete bubblegum. It's just too happy-go-lucky sounding that it doesn't match the lyrics. Almost as if the entire song is performed in the wrong octave. 9. Crescent Noon - 5 One of the better tracks on the album. Lyrically nice, vocally strong, the somber mood and light piano really make this a decent track. 10. Mr. Guder - 7 Lyrically and instrumentally a lot of fun. The pacing and mood is absolutely superb and really helps to fit the theme of the track. 11. I Kept On Loving You - 3 Instrumentally it's alright and the bursts of brass on the track are enjoyable. Having said that, the track lyrically is nothing more than a cheesy love song. 12. Another Song - 7 Lyrically it's good but instrumentally the game on the second half of the track is superb and the start of the show. Brilliant tack to end the album on even if it starts a bit too slow for my liking. Average Rating: 3.83 Adjusted to 5-Point Scale: 1.92 Adjusted Up: 2 Stars

i have little against it. just unannoying music

Not too bad of pop rock. I already knew Close To You from the Simpsons Movie but I never knew who made it so pretty cool to find out. I also liked Love is Surrender. Very pretty vocals throughout and just very melodic for the most part.

Who is?

This is music that they would try to sell me on late night infomercials as a kid. Meh.

Carpenters were a favourite of my Dad’s, so grew up with this in the background. Initially I just found it too soft, but as I aged I came to realise it is a smooth work of genius and Karen’s voice remains one of the finest to ever be recorded. Solid 3

Slaps. Carpenters defined my childhood!

3.0

We’ve only just begun-perfect for a 60th birthday line! Beautiful lyrics and what a voice.

Perfect for a slow Sunday afternoon. Karen Carpenter had a beautiful voice, infusing these songs with calming melodies

Wonderful voice and a couple of absolute bangers. The rest doesn’t quite get it to 5*

The nostalgic sound of my early childhood. Beautifully arranged songs sung beautifully. The self-penned songs are the stand outs on this album, which is saying something given that the covers include songs by Bacharach and the Beatles. 4*

Este álbum un 3, pero la influencia musical de Carpenters un 4

The carpenters are very aggressively not my thing.

alt .. und tönt auch so.

A bit too commercial for my tastes. There's no doubting how much of a special talent Karen Carpenter was however. Taken far too early, way before her time. Such a sad way to go.

Lovely harmonies, but too sad. Remembering Karen and her illness.

Every song on this album sounds like the intro or outro to a 80s or 90s family sitcom. And then that one song started playing. The one that I am sure I have heard in many movies and series before, just to prove my thoughts correct. That being said, it isn't bad music. Its very beautiful playing and singing. Its just slow and not something I would pick to listen to very often.

This is #day788 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... until today I've known The Carpenters through Sonic Youth's rendition of "Superstar," and it's not even The Carpenters' song, right? However, The Carpenters' version of the song is particularly special. My first association with this record is: if Sweden has ABBA, America has The Carpenters. Excellent '70s pop/soft rock with harmonies, singing, and all that jazz. Beautiful. "Crescent Moon" is my personal highlight. This is a 4 out of 5. Looking forward to #day789.

7/10… baroque pop / soft rock / *1970

I need the whitest album you have. No, that's too white.

Lekker ouwe muziek. Klinkt goed. Heeft ook enkele bekende nummers.

All you expect from a very 1970s album.

Two thoughts. One - a lot of this music on this list survives due to being embedded in other cultural artifacts. I know Carpenters songs, I’ve realized, typically from movie or TV appearances. When they show up, it’s a specific vibe. Two - I’m always amazed that there was a time when the corny, derided pop music was still so musically sophisticated. The chord progressions, melodies and harmonies on this thing are excellent, and stacked. Yet it all goes down smooth and sweet. Good shit. ML416

My heart sank a little when this album popped up. The Carpenters are exactly the sort of music that gave me PTSD about turning on Radio 2 for years. It’s the music my mum listened to. The music Jimmy Young played. Though I think even then I knew that, sickly sweet as it was, these were good songs. And even the ones on this album that I didn’t know fit the brief perfectly. What isn’t in doubt is Karen Carpenter’s voice, especially when it isn’t drowned in harmonies. It’s like a velvet wank. I’ve mellowed in my 60s. I even found myself singing along in places. But then I’m listening in an empty house. I wouldn’t want anyone to know.

Insipid. I really dont get why The Carpenters ste so lauded. The majority of their output is just bland, both in terms of the music and vocals. ‘Love is Surrender’ is just bad especially Richard’s random “huh” part way through the song. Aside from the organ, their cover of ‘Help’ put me in mind of those groups who just churn out crap covers of 60s hits for motorway services. ‘Close to Me’ is an unarguable classic. Just a shame it is surrounded by so much guff. I also struggle not to picture Rick Moranis singing it to a classroom in ‘Parenthood’ When i spotted Burt Bacharach’s classic’I’ll never fall in love again’ my hopes were raised, but after a promising start it quickly falls into the same issue as ‘Help’ earlier in the album. ‘Crescent Noon’ is just a thoroughly depressing dirge. By the time I reached ‘Mr Guder’ I genuinely felt like they’d given up and assumed no one would listen this far. It did randomly make me think of the ‘Oompah loompah’ song in one bit though. Finally the last track ‘Another Song’ can obviously be said in a number of ways depending on the emphasis. I very much pronounce this as a negative thing, with added expletive. And that is more than confirmed by the extended wig out that closes the song and (thank god) the album

Karen Carpenter had a beautiful voice, but that is about the only complimentary thing I can say about this album. It invokes imagery of the elderly and, even as a general non-fan of The Beatles, that version of “Help” should be considered a war crime.

Another artist that my parent(s) liked. This one firmly in my Mum's wheelhouse. It's all very twee, and while I have a huge tolerance for silly or whimsical, twee is not my kinda thing. And what the absolute fuck is that cover of Help? The Bananarama/French and Saunders' version, recorded for Comic Relief in the 80s was far superior, and honestly that seems like it shouldn't be possible. It frequently reminded me of the Bugsy Malone soundtrack, if all the songs had suddenly become awful (Bugsy Malone soundtrack 5⭐ by the way). Reason to Believe gave me an amazing misheard lyric though: "while I crap wipe". This was going to get a 2, because I've heard worse, but as I thought Close To You was finally over only for it to start up again, it's annoyed me too much for that. 1/5

Absolute meh

Mediocre dosent describe this. The version of Help is bad beyond words. Her voice annoys from the start.

Karen Carpenter 🥁🤘🏻

Have greatest hits so will not download

Look. I think we all know the Carpenters and Karen Carpenter in particular have a special place in music. But this album is profoundly cheesy and a little hard to listen to.

Sad

Strong album with songs I didn't know were by them

Karen Carpenter has a very soothing voice, and some of the melodies were very pretty Favourite tracks: Help, They Long to Be Close to You

Awesome!

Good

Album etereo, mistico, la voce è angelica e close to you è un pezzo famosissimo

Karen is a perfect soul. So much pain in her soul. This albums have fantastic songs.

Harmonies are absolutely on point, but this is twee and syrupy as fuck. "Top of the World" is a certified banger, but there's none of that here.

So I think the woman had a wonderful voice. This album definitely sounded dated, but it wasn't really all that bad. I think there was some interesting sounds throughout, but I did find myself constantly zoning out from what I was listening to. I'd give this a 3.5 if possible, but I don't feel good with a 4.

No thanks, I now some of these were hits at the time but they are just too boring.

I ended up enjoying this more than I thought. Good mix of love songs, sad songs, a Beatles cover, good harmonies, etc. I’d probably opt for a greatest hits rather than this one though.

Sunday, 20 September, 2026 I liked it more than I thought I would. It’s pretty saccharine for a lot of it, but Karen’s voice is amazing. And there are some legendary songwriters on here.

Absolutely beautiful

Will always associate We’ve Only Just Begun with John Cusack trapped in a haunted hotel room. ALSO searching Carpenters close to you is not helpful unless you need home renovations.

Holy mother of pop albums -- I feel like I'm listening to some 60s TV soap opera theme song right off the bat. She has a nice voice, but I'm not sure this has stood the test of time, feels overproduced and saccharine as hell. 2*

Listened

Loved it

Oh … Carpenters. Yes, I know, their music is no "big" music, often laughed at, not taken serious. But I have to admit that I loved them in the 80s and listened a lot to them. And probably their special style of music is the reason for being here on this list. But it doesn't really matter. For me it was nice to listen to the band again after many, many years. And no, I am no fan today. But still the album is a 5 for me :-)

It’s fine. The singles more or less hold up. Not mad.

I am so upset. I did not like this album hardly at all. Have my tastes changed that much? Hopefully this is not their only album on the list. Two stars

Nothing too exciting here. Sounds like the 70s if you want mellow pop.

The sound of my childhood radio. The harmonies are sweet, everything else is saccharine, but I can't not like it. I'll Never Fall in Love Again hits unexpectedly hard.

A capa já me cativou, não sei porque. Simples porém é cativante ao mesmo tempo, e as músicas são muito gostosas de se ouvir, bem calmas, bons arranjos harmônicos, e tem a cover Help! dos Beatles. Curti.

3/5

Beautiful voice, tragic story, schmaltz for the masses. I, too, am a sucker for the title track.

Karen Carpenter would likely have had a Taylor Swift superstardom if she had built her music career now instead of then.

Pretty good. The second half gets (relatively) strange and adventurous.

2/5

it's really cool to shit on the carpenters, they're super white and boring.  but it's 1970 and they're making pop music.  we've got two bacharach songs (close to you and I'll never fall in love again) and that should be a clear indication of what we're going for here.  it's not soul or r&b or rock, it's overly produced pop that is really only memorable because of karen carpenter's outstanding voice.  skip the one song that richard got to sing (i kept on loving you) and the misguidedly slow beatles cover (help) but do not miss crescent noon, a beautiful song i hadn't heard before but instantly added to my music library.  i also added we've only just begun and close to you.  4/5 because there are certainly skips but people are horrible snobs 

This album is amazing. Not sure how much is covers or originals, but the production, the songs, the harmonies and even some weirdness in there made for a really engaging listen.

Мне нравится!

Eh. Fine.

This was like really good The vocal work through this album is just incredible and unlike anything I’m used to hearing The covers of reason to believe and help were fantastic and I loved their new takes on them. This album starts to fall off in the 2nd half which sucks but the first half is incredible 4/5 Favorites: love is surrender, help, baby it’s you, we’ve only just begun

A new album for me. This is perfectly pleasant 70s pop.

Unarguably talented, the Carpenters defined 70's easy-listening pop (sometimes country-ish). Karen's voice is nearly perfect and very smooth. However, this isn't terribly interesting. This is easy listening background music. The definition of "Grocery store music" of the 70's - 90's. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: Top 500 Albums #175 (2003 edition. Not on the 2020/2023 versions) Best Songs We've Only Just Begun (They Long To Be) Close To You I'll Never Fall In Love Again

Frekar boring bara.