Close To You

Blind album, know the artist. Exactly what I expect from the Carpenters. But never was a fan personally.

Husker ikke om jeg hørte på den midt på 3

Soft rock. Un poco rollo. Ni fu ni fa.

First hit album from the duo. All that people used to say (now they are totally forgotten) is absolutely true... but they are also great pop hitmakers. Best guilty pleasure ever...?

Richard's arrangements are genius. Karen's voice is angelic. Most of the album is meh. But Close to You is transcendent.

This being my first time consciously listening to the Carpenters, it was pretty fun hearing something I recognised every few tracks (best of all was discovering the Glass Animals sample on Mr. Guder). Generally I found it to be a pleasant, wholesome listen, but given that two thirds of it is covers, including the biggest hits, I couldn't really score this any higher even if I wanted to.

The two colossal hits are amazing but the rest of the album doesn't come close to hitting the same mark.

The album loves me

Every one of these songs sounds like it could be the theme song of a 70s sitcom.

2-3

It's not my style of music, but the last song on the album has a lot of potential. I felt like I should have been singing this at church mass.

Is it a bit too gentle and nice? Maybe. Will I revisit it again? No. Is it a perfectly lovely time in general? More or less.

Easy listening

It's pretty cheesy, but not as cheesy as I thought it might be. Pleasant easy listening. The beatles cover was a surprise

Honestly, kinda liked it

I don’t hate it. Obviously that one song close to you is really good. the rest wasn’t horrible. The beatles cover stunk tho

Karen Carpenter has a great voice and it is on full display on the two big hits, We've Only Just Begun and Close To You. But some of the songs were kind of lame (cheesy instrumentals) and didn't get the best out of her vocals; Love is Surrender, Reason to Believe (Rod Stewart did it better), Mr. Guder. Help wasn't bad (no Beatles, but decent). It's better when Richard Carpenter is playing simple piano pieces with Karen belting out across her various vocal ranges (Maybe It's You, Baby It's You - hmmm, very similar). His sole lead vocal performance (I Kept on Loving You) was okay. There are more good songs than lame songs but I don't feel like this is more than 3.5

The Carpenters have that 70s soft pop/rock with an almost choral sound down to a T. It definitely won't be something on my regular rotation of music, but I can appreciate what they have done with this record. It was kind of a shame to hear that their parents still held a lot of control over their musical careers. Best: Crescent Noon Worst: Another Song 2.5 Stars

A couple classic radio hits in an album that doesn’t really take any chances. Sugary soft pop from the 70s…2.8/5

I love the Carpenters but I didn't love this album. Maybe I'll feel different on a re-listen

Oh I love the Carpenters, at least I thought I loved the Carpenters. I mean I love her voice and the songs and the sound but a whole album of it is a challenge. It's beautiful and it's shallow.

Me gustó.

Tiene altos muy altos y bajos muy bajos.

Highlights: Love Is Surrender, (They Long To Be) Close To You Leave Em's: Another Song Overall Thoughts: This album was more enjoyable then I anticipated. This duo is very talented and her voice is really amazing. It's not really my style of music but I can acknowledge how quality the product is. It sounds much different then the rest of the music that I have heard from the 1970's. Their music feels very PG which is fine, but for it to maintain much longevity in my book I would prefer music that takes more risks and sounds less like a Disney soundtrack. Score Breakdown: 3.175 & 3 -> 3.088

okay, not my favorite, but good

Gossamer thin threads of songs, delicate as lead crystal glasses. Feel like they will float away given a gentle breeze. Not my thing, at all, but I can appreciate the craft.

Twee

HL: title track (S tier), “Crescent Moon”, “We’ve Only Just Begun” 3.5 Unobjectionable, pleasant AM tunes

Surprised by how many songs I knew. However, I don’t think I’d go back to it.

3.5

I mean... for the most part, this sounds like the Carpenters. But there's some absolute '70s classics on here, plus a banging cover of "Help", and a really haunting track called "Crescent Noon" that I listened to again. It lifted my score to a 3. I would probably give it a 3.5 if I could.

Karen Carpenter really could sing this well *while playing the drums?!* However, that raises the question of why they would let her brother sing on this when you have such a talent as KC. She’s up there with Joni and Adele for voices that have blown me away. Outside of the title track, though, I was unimpressed with the arrangements and instrumentation. Bonus points for her voice and Close to You being Homer and Marge Simpson’s wedding song.

Nice easy listening album that’s enhanced for me by the fact that it’s the Carpenters. I think the arrangements of the Beatles songs are particularly interesting but I don’t see myself returning to this as a whole work much.

Very pleasant listen. Karen truly did have one of the great voices. Can get a bit too soft and 'cute.'

2.5 stars. Brother sister folk duo. Somewhat generic album with two big hits, the better of which is "We've Only Just Begun." Pretty female vocals is the strength of the record.

Blatant Weyes Blood influences Open Season 3 forever ruined Close to You (don't like that song either way)

Was alright

Worse than I thought it'd be. Very boring musically, but very recognizable songs

The albums is alright and I liked the emphasis on the artist’s voice. The instruments are good support for the artist.

A classic album of songs that are often revered as some soft rock classics from the early 70s. The carpenters combine a soft melodic voice with instrumentals that are simple yet distinctively impressive. Some of the songs are quite popular from over the years in pop culture. I enjoy the carpenters and find the soft pop style enjoyable and distinct to a mood. 6.7/10

3.3 - Somewhere around the early-70’s, it seems like this type of muzak-y easy listening music gathered up into a hurricane, laying waste to the radio waves. Listening to this record, I feel like I’m exploring the eye of that storm and except instead of feeling a purifying violence from those winds, I feel an unsettling sense of well-being. As if I’m pushing a cart through K-Mart under a heavy dose of Percocet.

She has a great voice, and this is good songwriting. But it's just so slow and depressing.

I listened to this on a run in Kent and what a soundtrack! Some of them I felt were a bit too much like Disney songs for my living, but overall I thought it was a lovely album. Karen has such a beautiful and nostalgic voice of the 70s and it all seems quite innocent and pure doesn't it. Not sure about the one where she says she'll love her cheating boyfs anyway. Overall pleasant tuneful and uplifting

Well I guess it's pretty lovely stuff, a bit too sickly sweet but it's nice eh?

Me gusta el vibe baladezco y tranquilo para un domingo a la tarde, conocia ya algún que otro tema, no me llamo tanto la atención pero podría escucharlo de nuevo tranquilamente

My mother is a huge Carpenters fan, so this takes me back to my childhood. Most of the songs are familiar to me. The Carpenters brand of pop is so sickly sweet that I feel like it will give me cavities. Yet there is still something soothing and beautiful about it. I attribute that to Karen's wonderful voice. Her voice is like a warm hug. This album isn't amazing, but it is comfortable.

So much sugar you can go into a diabetic coma just listening to this. However, you can't fault the soft pop stylings of the Carpenters and their interpetations of Bacharach and David tunes - maybe the masters of it. They know what they're doing and they do it very very well. Best Tracks: We've Only Just Begun; (They Long To Be) Close To You; I'll Never Fall In Love Again

Few good songs but so sweet it made my teeth ache.

Highlight: (They Long To Be) Close to you Lowlight: Help Somewhere in between: the rest ⭐⭐⭐

All the hits (well, some of them) but, in truth, not a great deal more. It's The Carpenters, so even the weaker tracks are pleasant enough, but are shown up by the hit singles.

Probably won’t listen to again

Actually, pretty good.

I've never listened to Carpenters before, there are a good number of tracks I've definitely heard before. It's naively wholesome and definitely very cheesy. But something about the music itself is engaging enough to keep it from being utterly stupid: string flourishes, harpsichord solos, and solid melodies come together decently.

Brave to start with not only the best song they would ever make, but also a really clear album closer. When someone says dark brown voice, I think Karen Carpenter. Help is good. The Bacharach songs are good, obviously. I'll never fall in love again is way worse than Dionne's version, or Bobby Gentry's though. I'm never really going to listen to any of this except We've Only Just Begun. Oh, but Crescent Noon is actually gorgeous.

For me, Carpenters are a band for whom the greatest hits compilation format was created. "Close to You" is a perfect example of why. GOOD At their best Carpenters fuse Karen Carpenter's glowing vocals with sensitive songwriting, country/folk-inspired harmonies and pop sensibilities to create indisputable classics. BAD At worst they waste all of their virtues to create tracks as forgettable as the Wrigley's Double Mint Gum commercials they seem a natural fit for. IN BETWEEN Fortunately they fill plenty of this album with pop/rock covers with mixed results. Sometimes it leads to an interesting interpretation that reveals new depths of well-known tracks. Oftentimes it takes to feeling right out of them. So, grab the Carpenters Greatest Hits, and throw it on for some lazy Sunday morning.s

Very good, polished, pop record. Likely would be better appreciated and would have had better sales if it came out five years later. Karen Carpenter is a great drummer.

I have a deep sentimental attachment to the Carpenters going back to childhood (asking my dad to order their cd after seeing a commercial on tv, becoming obsessed with their songs and performing them to whoever would listen, writing to Richard and actually receiving a signed picture back… and so on) which certainly colors my listening experience of this album. But despite this sentimental attachment, I don’t actually find this album particularly interesting, and it is a bit sugary sweet. But I did enjoy a few of the songs and Karen’s voice is gorgeous as always and the harmonies are lovely. For that, and for sentimentality, it’s a 3/5.

Mid. Not in a bad way, just didn’t hit for me, but it was melodic and enjoyable!

Obviously there's two big songs on here. Some of the others have decent tunes as well, and I appreciate the attempt to do something different on the last song ("Another Song"). And of course, Karen's voice is beautiful. This album makes it clear how much production and genre matter. The easy-listening and harmony style has not aged well. Give these songs to a different producer, and you might wind up with a very different album, one that aged better and that would warrant more repeat listens. I would love to see what Rick Rubin could do with this material.

Some great tunes but not my cup of tea

Fine, basically the mamas and papas again

I probably could not have pointed out a Carpenters song by name prior to this, but now of course I realize that I knew a handful of these tunes already. I don't want to listen to this on repeat, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it overall. It may be the softest of soft rock, but I really like her voice. "Another Song" was a pretty great closer. Also, you gotta love that there's a song called "Maybe It's You" and another one called "Baby It's You." Lolz.

3.5/5

If plain white toast was made music.

Первая моя ассоциация - "это же ABBA в школьные годы". Мне показалось, прям оч похоже. Но в целом про альбом конечно мало что можно сказать. Группа классная, из брата и сестры. Играют хорошо, сведено нормально, аранжировки тоже ок. Ну, базовое всё какой-то... Тексты тоже особо не выделяются. Как и прошлая пластинка, классный альбом для какой-нибудь поездки по сельским дорожкам: никакой спешки, размеренный темп, синты и рояль. Но чего-то не хватает.

Ну енто нейтральное, женский вокал на тройку вытянул, но хз

Sound and production was good, but something just hit me weird about it. Little too hippy I think

p199. 1970. 3 stars. Yes, it's middle of the road. Yes, it's the background music to a thousand 70s cheese and wine parties. Yes, you can practically smell the prawn cocktail starters and black forest gateaux. Yes, it can be bland and frequently strays into Broadway show tune styling. And yet, and yet... it's one of THE great voices mostly set against arrangements that allow it to shine. There are at least two modern standards here (We've Only Just Begun, Close To You) which is more than most bands manage in a career. When it's good, its very good indeed.

It’s hard not to love the voice of Karen Carpenter. So sweet. The album is just too much…. Its like eating a chocolate cake, topped with snickers bars, toped with extra chocolate syrup, candy sprinkles and topped that with another whole entire chocolate cake. Too much sweet. Stop already. I’ll stick to the greatest hits album. Good Songs: Close to You, We've Only Just Begun Bad Songs: Help, Reason To Believe, I'll Never Fall In Love Again, Baby It's You

Best Song: Help. Perhaps not fair, as much of the heavy lifting is being done by the Beatles' songwriting, but the female vocals really elevate the song. Worst Song: Crescent Noon. Far too slow and plodding given the vocal talent that's on display here. Overall: Pleasant music that is equal parts hippie free-love and cult indoctrination.

I was intrigued by the lyrics- they were sort of goofy but fun. “Mr. Guder” was funny. Her voice to be honest wasn’t spectacular- I understand she has a beautiful one but she didn’t show it. It was a good album but mediocre.

I'm not sure if there will be any other album that in less than 20 seconds will as-quickly and shockingly transport me to being a preschooler in the back of the family station wagon. Boom. 1975. Nothing like handfuls of major 7th chords to make one think of bellbottoms, airbrushed pictures, and Big Wheels. So ... sigh. I'm finding there's a balance here - even though it's an aural blast of nostalgia which is almost always a good/fun thing.... I do remember even as a kid not really *liking* The Carpenters. I do love me some smooth easy listening 70s music - damn you if you say you don't. But I do recall being slightly annoyed by - dammit i'm sorry - Karen Carpenter's voice. It is absolutely lovely by any measure - full stop. But maybe just too lovely and perfect for my personal tastes. I'm sure it was my age/the time but I think I conflated a lot of this music with some of the softer and more sweet extended pieces on Sesame Street. Come on - couldn't you soundtrack mid70s Sesame Street to this album? That's all I'm thinking of as I'm going through this again; a grainy film about some little kid having to picnic by him/herself in a different neighbourhood... not fitting in with the new city elementary school...it's sad for a little time but then someone comes over and shares a PB&J sandwich ("Reason To Believe" - someone like youuuuu.... makes it easy to give...never thinking of myself...") I'll drop the cynicism. I've no doubt that without growing up with these songs - maybe coming of age in the cynical 90s or exclusively with punk - this album will come across as a treacly vat of maple syrup. Which isn't wrong. But this is a very nice/pleasant record and absolutely beautiful *sounding* record, with some undeniably all-time standards and very talented songwriting ("ladies and gentlemen...mister Burt Bacharach!") - and what's wrong with that? 7/10 3 stars.

Soft rock. Un poco rollo. Ni fu ni fa.

Correctos.

There are songs on here that make you want to let go of cynicism, but then there are war crimes (like the cover of Help!) that remind you why that cynicism is there. Best track: (They Long to Be) Close to You

3.5, was going to round to 4 but there's a lot of covers on here as well. Interestingly, I really liked it when they played more of their experimental stuff (as opposed to the covers).

We’ve only just begun- And its the album opener!👍 Love is surrender-Seems a bit of a drastic line to take Maybe its you- This is a catchy little ditty👍 Reason to believe- another sweet little track👍 Help- This is brought down by the Beatles being much better Close to you- a classic, so cute👍 Baby its you- I guess this is a cover staple, but this song is just too simple for me I’ll never fall in love again- This is cute if a bit on the nose Crescent Moon- I wish Richard wrote more songs on this, they’re really good👍 Mr Guder- This is just kids being little shits tbh. Its catchy and got some nice piano work I kept on loving you- I don’t believe this guy for a second Another song-Interesting closing track with an almost experimental instrumental section This is wholesome almost to the point of being infuriating, but just as Marge says ‘I just think its neat’ 3/5

the singles are bittersweet perfection, almost too much, but it’s not all the same quality

Agréablement surpris par cet album. La production est vraiment bonne. Pas mon genre habituel, mais je crois que c’est l’album du groupe à connaître. Si je l’obtenais dans un lot de vinyles, je le conserverais.

Bellissima la voce femminile. '(They Long to Be) Close to You' è sempre bella, anche in questa versione (l'ho sentita poco fa live, in versione Jazz in una serata dedicata a Burt Bacarach) Ben 3 canzoni sono di Burt Bacarach

A very melodramatic and overproduced album, but in a great way. 3 stars

we’ve only just begun - 4 love is surrender - 4 maybe it’s you - 3 reason to believe - 3 help - 5 (they long to be) close to you - 8 baby it’s you - 4 i’ll never fall in love again - 7 crescent noon - 4 mr gurder - 7 i kept on loving you - 7 another song - 6

Couple of excellent songs, a few fillers.

Un album qui rapporte beaucoup de beaux et doux souvenirs

Taitaa olla Wu-Tang Clanin vastakohta. Ylitti mun odotukset ehottomasti. Helppoo ja kivaa kuunneltavaa muttei ny mitään tajunnan räjäyttävää kumminkaan.

Jazz odyssey! Really the last track Another Song (one short of the album guys, let's do Another Song right here) resembles nothing less than Derek Smalls' finest moment in Spinal Tap. Apart from that its expert studio musicianship in the classic Burt Bacharach sixties style topped off with creamy Carpenter vocals. Two huge hits, a cabaret-style Beatles cover and lots of BB songs. Not my thing in the remotest, and so square daddi-o you can hurt yourself on those corners. Four stars for the two singles, two for some of the album filler but that last track eh?

Top 3 Songs: 1 - (They Long To Be) Close To You (6) 2 - We've Only Just Begun (1) 3 - I'll Never Fall In Love Again (8)

The album title is “close to you” Not my album

The Carpenters have a couple of great albums, but this is not one of them.

I knew some of these songs. Some I knew their version, others are covers. Great voice, but not really my style, though the couple of big hits I enjoy for nostalgic reasons I guess.

As beautiful as the harmonies and the melodies are here, too much sugar can be bad for you and so it proves - a whole album is just too much. Better to dip into the occasional classic - Close to You, We’ve Only Just Begun - like a chocolate from the selection box.

Its all about the voice. So smooth and enticing. But is it just disposable MOR? A lot of filler. I could listen to a greatest hits but there is some mush on here. And the Beatles cover is not helpful. 3

Nice

Не так плохо, как мне думалось. Сразу же забылось, к тому же...

Too boring to give it more than three stars.

Really dug the “Reason to Believe” and “Help” covers.

Definitely not my pref style of music. Singer/Songwriter balad pop/rock mix. I think typing that out it sounds likes I might listen to it LOL. The first track is a popular one but I would pass it, so that goes to show how I will feel about the album. That being said, there are a few I really liked, so that is always worth it.

Karen Carpenter was the last good Karen

Musically good, but still just not my favorite

Carpenters, slow and melodic. Definitely a relic of the 70s. Easy listening, but can also be a form of torture if played long enough.

oh so very lovely

There’s a definite pop genius to this, and it gets surprisingly weird at times, but it’s just too soft for my tastes.

Inoffensive, but makes James Taylor comparatively sound like punk rock.

Levyn tunnelma sopi hyvin aurinkoiseen aamuun etäkonttorilla. Kaunis tekele ja sopivan lyhyt ettei päädy siirappiosastolle.

Loved we've only just begun and close to you. The Beatles cover and several others really let it down.

C'est bon mais sans plus. Trop de reprises moins bonnes que l'originale à mon goût

Nothing too complex but some nice harmonies. Not my cup of tea but enjoyable nonetheless

I always think of Kermit the Frog when I hear close to you. This album is pleasant enough.

Добротный альбом. Красивый голос, лёгкая и приятная музыка. Кавер на Биттлз тоже к месту;)

There are a lot of recognizable songs on this album. Some of the songs are good. Others not so good. The music is close to folk music but isn't necessarily folk music. Light rock or something similar. The album is saved by the recognizable songs otherwise it would be a solid 2.

I’ve herd of the name and like one song but other than that nothing… The album starts with we’ve only just begun a definite cover but I don’t know who it’s by. Its alright I really like the layered vocals but it just feels a bit poppy for how I’ve herd the song. Next is the song love is surrender it’s okay. Just really short filler to be honest. 3rd is maybe it’s you it works really well off love is surrender, just a nice slow pop song that doesn’t do too much but still works probably my favourite out of the first three songs. Reason to believe is nice very poppy and nor my favourite still okay. Well help is one of my favourite Beatles songs and this. Eh.. I don’t think it really works with the carpenters style. Also the intro bit’s probably one of my favourite bits so to just take it out is a stupid decision. Out of the Beatles songs they’ve apparently tried before I think nowhere man or ticket to ride would’ve been better. Then is ( they long to be) close to you, it’s a very good middle of the road pop song that I think everyone would at least know the chorus, yeah it’s probably the best so far. Then is the second to last cover on the album the first song off side two baby it’s you, the song feels a bit too slow to start off a new side, but it does work better with cd’s and streaming as it does work well off the last one. Overall decent! Now is the last direct cover I’ll never fall in love again, it’s alright just a normal pop song in my opinion would be better starting off side two. Crescent noon is so slow, I don’t know how the album ends yet, but this sounds like the kinda song you would want to close off your project but still good. Mr Guder is probably the most interesting, instrumentally but the lyrics aren’t the best still up as one of the best. Then has this odd ending.Great! I kept on loving you Is a lovely pop song probably not a revisit for me but it’s still nice. Another song is really cool to be fair, I think crescent noon would’ve worked better as an outro to the album but it’s still nice. I don’t know though over the course of this I’ve just felt that especially the older artists put the most interesting songs last without actually bringing the albums to a satisfying stop. It’s nice enough ( but a bit cover heavy) middle of the road pop. My biggest issue is the sequencing of side 2 should really be: I’ll never fall in love again -> mr guder -> baby it’s you-> I kept on loving you-> another song-> crescent noon Still okay though.

I only like this because well it's dashboard music, meaning the first time I heard I couldn't see over my parents dashboard. I mean it's 70's AM pop it's not bad in small amounts but a whole album. Although the last song Another Song get's kinda jammy.

'Close to You' is overall pretty corny, but there is no denying that it is well-crafted and relaxing. I was really only familiar with the Carpenters through Todd in the Shadows' video on 'Passage', an experimental album from later on in their career. It was clear that they were attempting to break away from their style on that album so it was interesting to go back to one of the earlier releases in their discography to see what made them famous. It was pretty much what I expected, but it did have some pleasant surprises throughout that kept me engaged. First off, I just want to say that Karen Carpenter's voice is excellent and soothing. It fits this genre perfectly, and while it is not necessarily the most unique voice out there, it is overall great and hard not to like. I also found the instrumentals and production pretty much spot on for the calm atmosphere they were going for (although 'Another Song' had an ending that went harder than I would have expected it to based on the rest of the album). I thought that the title track very enjoyable and really appreciated the unique takes on both Beatles songs they covered here (the 'Help!' cover was especially good considering most Beatles covers are pretty bad). Some of the songs did start to blend into one another at certain points, but it was overall pretty good and had lots of aspects I enjoyed. 3.5/5.

Muy melódico. Suena bien, pero no es mi gusto

So many of these songs I know- maybe from early 80s AM radio? Probably from movies, shows, etc. anyway Karen has a lovely voice but dang those strings get old song after song. Pure schmaltz.

Un peu trop mou pour moi mais ça paaaaasse ça vaaaaa Prefs: Love Is Surrender, Reason To Believe, Help!, Baby It's You, Mr. Guder Moins pref: Another Song

If I want to hear Burt Bacharach songs, I’d rather hear Dionne Warwick sing them. Karen Carpenter has the voice of an angel, and the arrangements are lush, but it’s such a 70’s AM sound that it just doesn’t stand the test of time. That said, We’ve Only Just Begun will always be a sentimental favorite.

I was looking forward to this blast from the past but it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I enjoyed most of the tracks and she did have a beautiful voice. High 3*

Another album that was hard to rate due to having heard most songs before in different contexts (adverts etc). I guess it was OK but no more. A low 3.

The opening track is one I've never really been a fan of, but many of these are just catchy as fuck. Reason to Believe has a great opening Rhodes riff and the rolling country feel after that is hard not to bop along to...until the violins at least. Their cover of Help makes me like this Beatles tune even less than I already did. I like the zaniness (jazz flute!) on the final track Another Song. All in all not too bad; not really my cup of tea, but I enjoyed much of the album.

Very sweet sounding soft rock. Some good harmonies and songwriting but also doesn't really resonate much with me emotionally. It's fine. The "Help" cover is pretty great though and really transforms the song into their own.

I know that there has been recent rehabilitation for the Carpenters, and I want to give them their fair shake. I distinctly remember one quote Todd in the Shadows shared in his Trainwreckord video of their alien album. It came from an interview with the band right after their decline in popularity, and Karen basically said “okay, you don’t want our old stuff anymore, but you also don’t want our new stuff. What do you want?” That stuck with me, and made me feel bad about them. But no, I’m sorry, I can’t get into their music. Light, tempoless rock tends to be useless to me unless you’re kings of harmony, which imo they’re not. Karen is a nice singer and drummer, and there are solid hooks and production here, but I could live without it. D

3.5

Not as white-dove-flying-through-pristine-forest as I thought it would be, but still not really for me. A bit saccharine and samey. Some individual great songs though.

Most of this LP is what one would expect from the Carpenters, but there are a few curveballs in here that eschew the long ballad structure for more exciting uptempo jaunts. A decent (if not entirely memorable) listening experience

Not my thing BUT I can appreciate the instrumentals.

Impressive variety of instruments, definitely different music, nothing super memorable though 3/5

Karen Carpenters voice is divine but in the end the album just doesnt soar.

Heilt ok

Saccharine and syrupy, but also, in like, kind of a nice way?

An easy listen. I knew a lot of the song (or covers of the songs). It's not going into heavy rotation.

Close To You will always remind me of that Simpsons episode with the doorbell. It's so over the top that I just have to love it? I recognised no other songs on this album, except of course the Beatles covers (which I was not impressed with). There's no doubt that Karen's voice is great, but overall this album is too sweet for me.

I'm not convinced this is a great album - some of the songs are great, but with The Carpenters I think their greatest hits compilations are enough.

I love Karen Carpenter and some of the Carpenters greatest songs are on this album but also some of their worst. Overall it is an average album not helped by the worst cover version of a Beatles song of all time.

Everyone needs some kind of 80's flashback songs some days during the year. Ok, this album is just it.

A few well-known songs, decent enough.

6/10

Not bad. Good vocals and some good songs. Help cover was awful. Nothing too groundbreaking or interesting

Low key and pretty enjoyable. Very casual and inoffensive. At the same time, I didn't find a lot that drew me in.

A lot of covers and that birds appearing song all in good production and good voices, it’s not all that relevant but what’s not to like?

This is average. Kinda bland and boring, but also good.

My listening journey arrives at a lake of early 70's treacle. As many have commented here, it's a sickly sweet listen... but who cares? The commitment is sublime. After listening a few times, I found Karen Carpenter's pure, warm velvet vocals- and the skill behind the harmonies and arrangements- were enough to sell the most trite of material that would sink other artists. The maudlin love songs are the most dated on offer here, and "We've Only Just Begun" is the worst of all, with lyrics saccharine enough to induce diabetes. But even here, the harmonies are lush, controlled, even enchanting. ​"Reason to Believe" is an upbeat highlight from the first side, and it's fun hearing their take on Beatles classic "Help." Then, the run of Bacharach tracks started to stretch my patience- "Close to You" feels parodic, cloying, irritating through all the over-exposure the years have given it. But then came Mr Guder. One of the most intriguing songs on offer both harmonically and lyrically, it also has an incredible a-capella section that completely caught me off-guard and knocked me out. From there I was completely sold to go and listen again. It's a shame we don't hear much more original material across the album- potentially because it's early days for the Carpenters and covering standards ensured more commercial appeal. Although "Crescent Noon" is a bit shapeless, the other originals on offer- "Maybe It's You" and closer "Another Song" with its extended instrumental- show great promise. It's by no means perfect and the songs themselves are often questionable, but it's all very well packaged there's certainly much worse out there. Critics of this record have been out too long in the cold- they need to grow into this woolly jumper of an album, spend more time by its fireside glow, and feel the warmth.

fleetwood mac vibes

Just relaxing, easy listening vibe. Music to build furniture to.

Simple, I liked it.

I've heard OF these guys but couldn't name any songs off the top of my head. Looking at the cover I'm going with folk rock, maybe a bit poppier. Chick will be the singer. Ok a bit off the mark - mostly pop, almost disco in a way. I can see why it's here on the list, it has that 70s charm to it, couldn't place it in any other time. It makes easy listening sound like heavy metal, but it's pretty relaxed and everyone plays/sings well. Naturally, none of it was written by the band themselves beyond one or two secondary credits for the brother. But that seems to be the norm for bands until like the mid 70s. My main criticism is that it's beyond inoffensive, almost indescribably sickly sweet. In that sense it's aged far more than music 20 years older than it. And for better or worse, it could never survive in the pop music world today - there's no sexual overtones, not an innuendo in sight. It's family variety show fodder, but we don't have variety shows anymore (at least not in Australia). But swipes at how squeaky clean it is aside, this was an enjoyable listen. Maybe a bit frustratingly, the last minute or so of the last song was the most exciting bit haha. Still, 3/5.

This album started out okay. We've Only Just Begun is a more interesting song than I remember it being. I was surprised by how many of these songs I knew, though I didn't care enough to look up how many of the songs are covers. After a while, though, it just starts to feel very samey and very very saccharine. The cover of The Beatles's Help is insipid. It's not bad, and I understand why people like this album so much, but I found it cloying. A little bit of human misery would have gone a long way toward improving this album 3/5

reminds me of the jetsons Did they make a song for Willy Wonka? They did the "shalalala" thing from Hercules in Baby It's You

3.5/5 A lovely collection of lovely love songs. Standout Tracks: Love Is Surrender, (They Long To Be) Close To You, Crescent Noon,

WHY DO BIRDS?! Glad to hear where this song came from.

Very chill. Enjoyed their Help cover.

Not my cup of tea

Not my cup of tea. Some covers, some family-friendly songs, but nothing special in my view.

Pretty nostalgic, liked most of the songs

Lots of love-themed ballads and two harmonized vocalists. Like what they would play on the Partridge Family or something. Bonus point for Burt Bacharach showing up.

In terms of a pop album, I enjoyed this a lot more than the kinks. Good use of percussion and great vocal harmonies. Especially loved the atmosphere of the last song.

I’ve always had a thing for The Carpenters, so I’m disappointed when their less notable singles fail to match the unique quality Karen's voice offers. Delightful to listen to, with a couple of hits if you’re into feeling somewhat dismal, but not an album I’m floored by. Favs 1. We’ve only just begun : I listen to this — what I assume is a classic — at least a couple times a cycle because of the wistful sunset feeling it gives, optimistic with a tinge of sadness, or apprehension, but when the trumpets kick in, the song becomes almost reassuring to listeners who are beginning new endeavours-relationships-etc.. because “we’re sharing horizons that are new to us”.. a line I’ll never get tired of. A compelling, sentimental introduction to the album, which could have easily been made a track in the film “Brooklyn” (2015). lol. 2. Close to You — I’m kicking myself for never listening to this before, because apparently it’s a HIT (oops) but uH yeah I guess this lives up to its 90 000 000 + plays on Spotify. This was stunning … and although I’m no instrumental connoisseur … I’m a little awed by the breadth of instruments covered in this … with any other artist this could have been overwhelming but Karen’s voice somehow makes it all acceptable. My only issue with this song is trivial , just that the lyrics were repetitive, too obsessive for my liking and didn’t exactly hold a lot of meaning (see: Why do stars fall down from the sky/Every time you walk by?/Just like me, they long to be/Close to you). As for the rest, nothing stood out to me as memorable, although Maybe It’s You and I’ll Never Fall in Love Again were pleasant enough. I thought their cover of Help was unnecessary and honestly annoying… Mr. Guder was a odd tinkly ballad mix (but I can’t deny the tasteful instrumentals); see I just think most of these arrangements are too soft and ill-fitting to support the melancholy typical of her voice . Like, I’ve always found the intoxicating flute solos in their cover of This Masquerade a beautiful match.

Enjoyed this much more than anticipated...still ultimately kind of boring but less so than I thought it would be. 3 🌟

Agreeable easy listening, although mostly a bit bland. Close to you is absolutely legendary though.

Fun.

Pleasant folk/poppy album. Some of the songs sounded familiar, and some were definitely covers. Not bad, just not my style.

So. This album is considered "easy-listening" and while I don't think I've ever really considered exactly what that genre entails I feel like I got a crash course in it today. A very comfortable, gentle crash. I've actually heard a few of these songs before (even beyond the title song), so it was interesting to be able to put an artist to them - particularly since I've also heard the group's name so often and somehow completely avoided listening to their music; I have my music snob parents to than for that, I suppose. All said, decently poppy, non-challenging music that was a suitable fit for a long bike ride on a windy day.

3.5 Cool drums

Pretty good, the lead singer is very talented. Kinda cheesy 70's romance pop. 3.5

Outside of the hits, there’s not much here

We’ve only just begun: very good Love is surrender: good Maybe it’s you: excellent Reason to believe: good Help: good Close to you: very good Baby it’s you: below average I’ll never fall in love again: average Crescent noon: excellent Mr. Guder: above average I kept on loving you: average Another song: good 6.5/10

Appreciate the craft of the writing and Karen C is a great singer, not one I'd want to revisit but enjoyable

Good vocal performance. Easy to listen to, not special.

Very singsongy and 70s, but I liked this for casual listening. Mr. Guder sample was fun to identify and track down Saved: We've Only Just Begun, Mr. Guder

Corny? Yes. But who doesn't need nice and smooth music from time to time. Great singer, and an underrated drummer.

.

Easy listening is not generally my go-to genre, but this is really well done. The harmonies are tight, the arrangements solid. I doubt I'll come back to this on my own, but I wouldn't be upset if I heard it on the radio.

good music, slightly psychedelic and a big rip off of the beatles but nice

Suave. Buenas voces. No me ha llamado especialmente la atención

not in the mood

Smatlzy. I def know some of these songs. Not my style at all, but I can see how it would be influential. I did enjoy listening, Help and I'll never fall in love again are the standout tracks

im not German

"We've only just begun" and "(They long to be) close to you" are by far the most popular songs. Super soft album. 6/10.

Está bien, pero no es mi estilo de música

Oh Marge... por vous. Close to You is a classic. I remember listening to ‘I’ll never fall in love again’ on the Austin Powers Spy Who Shagged Me cassette tape, but I think that was the Burt Bacharach original/remake. Single folk must hate this album. Baby It’s You- just the right amount of sax 👌. Some cool classics, intertwined with some dull

That was pleasant to listen to. Well put together and a real cruisy vibe. Liked it more than I thought I would.

I didn't expect to like this, but it was calming, pleasing and melodic. I liked the Beatles cover of Help.

Bastante flojon, harta de que siempre el mismo sonsonete y tonada

I frickin hate it when people sing just for the sake of singing! But it's not that horrible in this one. The texts are pretty dull (borderline hippie stuff), but at least the singing is melodic and fits the music. I listened to the album while reading on wikipedia article about the rather tragic career of the band and premature death of Karen. It was a good read, and with the background music I felt thoroughly entertained. Then again, I still have to deduct two stars, because in the end it wasn't much more than pleasant background noise.

Very pleasant easy listening, with lots of the songs familiar from film soundtracks or adverts... Fave track - "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" - great lyrics!

Very easy listening-ish, but you have to love Karen Carpenter's voice. 3 stars.

very....nice--for better and worse

Exceedingly smooth. It's amazing how many of these songs I've heard before and how ingrained they've become in American society.

p good

Nice

well this certainly is the carpenters

Ziemlich kitschig. Nur "Help" verhilft zu drei Sternen

Not my thing, but beautiful vocals.

Not my style, but I can appreciate it.

Fun. Love and game show style music

Eh. I like the carpenters, sort of just went by. Good stuff though yep

Irgendwie zu fröhlich... Viele blumige Komplimente, die sich beiläufig anfühlen. Schöne Stimmen. Insgesamt angenehm zu hören, obgleich auch noch nicht unmittelbar für mich in eine Gemütsstimmung einordbar. Ich bin mir noch unschlüssig darüber, ob ich sie nochmal hören würde. Vielleicht überzeugt mich ja der Rest ihrer Discography. Ich werd mir mal die restlichen zwölf Alben anhören... irgendwann...

it's fine. Kind of dull and sappy.

It's not bad it's just very... safe. Dull, edgeless, kind of boring. I can't say I dislike it (cos the harmonies are gorgeous), but I can't say I remember a whole lot from it either. Favorite tracks: "Help", "(They Long to Be) Close to You", "Another Song"

feels like bubblegum in my teeth, not my cup of tea.

Ita quite nice but not very nice

not bad or anything but its just abit boring for me

Oof. I wasn't really into the cheese at first but was willing to give it a shot. The "Help" cover did me in. Interestingly, the band tells on itself in the last few moments; the outro to "Another Song" is the most interesting thing on the record, indicating that they can actually do something surprising and impressive, but apparentlly chose not to.

(38/100)

#35 The musical equivalent of plain cheerios with a heap of sugar on top; bland and overly sweet. Karen Carpenter does have a great voice though.

Interesting album

Easy listening. Too many covers. Nice voice and melodies

This group probably best of brand and you have to give credit to the harmonies, but the music are sloppy trash. 🤢🤮. Need to listen to some AC/DC or Led Zeppelin to snap me out of the nausea!

not really my vibe... her voice is beautiful though weve only just begun - 2/5 love is surrender - 2/5 maybe its you - 2/5 reason to believe - 1/5 help - 1/5 (they long to be) close to you - 2/5 (why do I keep finding meme songs omgggg lol) baby its you - 1/5 ill never fall in love again - 1/5 crescent noon - 1/5 mr. guder - 1/5 i kept on loving you - 1/5 another song - 1/5 15/60 = 2/5

Nice enough I suppose but mostly forgettable until the last track, another song, which is a banger.

Wet

It’s not bad, but it is cheesy.

This was like slipping into a diabetic coma, I was really struggling to make it through this cloying mess, but then the last two minutes of the last track it turned into a jazz fusion record and I forgave some of the worst parts of the proceeding 35 minutes, elevating my 1 star to a 2 star at the crucial point.

Highlights: We've Only Just Begun. In a nutshell: nice. Perhaps too nice? I've always seen The Carpenters as a singles band who leaned in too hard on the wholesome pop angle. It's not to say that Karen and Richard Carpenter are inept and a difficult listen. Richard was a competent pianist. He had his hand at composition and arranging before this album through the mentorship of Herb Alpert while at A&M (yep, Tijuana Brass Band guy). This continued with subsequent albums. Karen is the standout of the duo. Karen had a be-au-ti-ful voice. Another voice that encapsulated the early 70s. Karen made the Hal David and Burt Bacharach song Close to You blossom from a rosebud into a rose garden. She was a great drummer too. The fact is, Karen deserved better. She was forced to play the game of shrinking (no pun intended) as a musician and as a person so the Carpenters could be a success. As an album, Close to You has two great singles, competent playing throughout but you don't really remember the other songs. I would have liked to know what tracks Karen played on and Hal Blaine (of The Wrecking Crew) played on. All that said, I recommend finding the tribute album "If I Were A Carpenter". If you’re not won over by Shonen Knife covering Top of the World, you may need to evaluate your opinion on pop music. Overall: 3/10

zzzz

She can sing, but it's all ballads and strings. Dated sound that thankfully had a 4-5 year shelf life and guitars came back into style. Everyone knows the two hits on here, like 'em or not. But there's no one talking up The Carpenter's game today, that sound died with them. 2 stars

Very mild. Bordering bland.

A sweet voice but as an album I found it pretty dull

About as twee as I expected. Songs for mums

Good album. Karen was such a soul.

I adore Karen Carpenters voice. There is so much emotion and fluidity in her performances. However, I was never a fan of any Carpenters albums. There isn’t any cohesiveness. I should get he greatest hits however. This record contains “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “(They Long To Be) Close To You” which are fantastic! The rest is forgettable.

Karen's got a great voice ("Merry Christmas, Darling" is one of my favorite Christmas songs, and it's because of her), but mostly this is just a lesser version of someone like the Free Design, doing covers that never approach the levels of the originals.

Impeccably soft

This just isn’t for me. I can appreciate how polished and well-made it is, but the style and sound do absolutely nothing for me.

Meh

she has a lovely voice but thats it. Too sweet and sugary to enjoy.

Compositions are great for the genre. Vocals and harmonies and musicianship are top notch. Karen Carpenter is actually a pretty great drummer. All that being said, this 70s cheese is just a little too much for me. So bad...

I listened and even with an open mind, the record is pretty blah outside of the singles which I don't really like all that much either. This is another AM radio filter record and I've got a hard time with those, for the most part.

Sure Karen has a great voice but tbh I’d be happy just hearing the hits on this album once or twice a year. Don’t need to hear any of the other songs again, particularly the Help abomination.

Album #87, Carpenters, Close to You, ⭐⭐ Sorry folks, this did nothing for me. I don’t really like easy listening music, and while I don’t mind people like Burt Bacharach, and I know some of these songs are stone cold classics that I’ve heard loads of times before, they’re just not songs I tend to gravitate towards. It’s another one of those albums where the execution is pretty great, so I can’t really fault it on a technical level. The musicianship is strong, the vocals are very good, but the style is just so twee and light and airy that it doesn’t have the bite, grit, or emotional heft that I look for in music. No more so than on one of my all time favourite songs, “Reason to Believe”. I’d never actually heard Carpenters do it before. I love Tim Hardin’s original version, and I especially love Karen Dalton’s version. It’s a particularly sad song with a bleak lyric about being led on by a lover. The Carpenters do a nice arrangement of it, but there’s just no emotional weight to it. It feels too light for what the song is trying to say, and I actually ended up disliking this version quite a bit. That kind of sums up my issue with the whole album. It just feels too soft, and I don’t really get anything out of it emotionally. So it’s a two star for me. It’s clearly well made, but it just doesn’t connect with me at all.

It's so smooth I have nothing to sink my teeth into. Very much background music, though nicely done.

Persoonlijk niet mijn ding

Never listened. Expectations: Mid - Verdict: Alright - We've Only Just Begun is a lovely song. The rest seems a bit tepid. Reason To Believe can't get anywhere close to the Rod Stewart version and the Beatles cover is interesting but not for me. Close To You is nice. I quite like this version of Baby It's You. The singles are clearly the highlights here but I think as an album it just doesn't hold up.

Album 179. Close To You (https://open.spotify.com/album/5z8MFnoVUIfVo6MQW0uIul?si=Dv39Zq3dR2KL_B8O8j6wjA) — Carpenters (1970) If there exists music that leads to diabetes, that's exactly this music. Karen's voice is magnificent, but the music overall is too sweet 2/5 No liked songs

I have always found The Carpenters such a sad band, fit their story, not their music, so this was a difficult listen for me.

Banger opener but the rest sounded like auto tuned covers

Was looking forward to this but beyond the hits it’s a bit dull

I hear Karen Carpenter was a great drummer. You'd never know how boring this album is. Not only do the songs have no life to them, but add in the typical 70s over-production, meant to snag that precious AM airplay, and you get an un-listenable mess. 1 1/2 stars

It's fine, just sounds very dated 56 years later. Mr. Guder is a pretty cool song!

Tons of 60s singles but a little to lite for me.

I know, I know, her voice is divine, their songs are absolute classics... But this was never my music of choice, it's to lame and boring and just makes me wanna sleep and I don't know, maybe I am just an horrible person but who cares? Listen to this before I die? Nope, I'll pass ;-)

Milk toast music.

Great voice, but blaaaaaaaaaaaaand...

I found this album to be quite refreshing, as it's altogether quite different to what we've had thusfar Very heavy on the lyrics, which for me is a big downside. It's sickly sweet, like eating too much sugar Some lovely piano, in general the change in instrumentation is a welcome one even if it's just not my style of music. The more melancholic stuff like "Crescent Noon" is more interesting to me, though an honourable mention goes to "Mr Guder" for being jazzy (even if I don't like the song much) It's far from unlistenable, but I don't think I ever would again

Didn't really like this. It isn't my vibe at all. If this review was objective id mabye give it a 3 cuz I can tell its not bad but for me it's a 2. I just didnt feel a thing while listening.

"The Carpenters" just make me sad, and have since my dad told me the story of Karen Carpenter when "You've Only Just Begun" (which I think was played at my parents' wedding) was on the radio. Plus, does Richard Carpenter (whose first name I had to look up) do less than John Oates?

Great vocals and very tragic backstory. But this was both my first and last time listening to this album.

Extremely not my shit

Day826 -oh lord this is softer than baby poo.

Although I *really* don't enjoy easy listening/pop music like this, this was clearly a very popular album and helped make them into a big name; despite knowing they were loved worldwide, it's still shocking to read that their albums sold over 100 million units. It might have been more interesting if more than a third of the album was actually (co-)written by a Carpenter, but I'm not sure that was the point, and their two big hits (both by other songwriters) kind of dominate everything else. Funny to read that Ma Carpenter was angry that Karen didn't get to play the drums for the album, though, and even funnier to read that "Mr. Guder" referenced Richard Carpenter's and John Bettis' boss at Disneyland who fired them because they kept playing modern tunes when park customers requested them. (Also not at all surprising to find out "We've only just begun" started off as a bank jingle.) But overall, this really didn't work for me, and I'm not sure I needed to hear the rest of this album beyond their very familiar singles.

No idea why we'd get this album instead of the one with "Superstar" and "Rainy Days and Mondays" on it.

lame

A ham sandwich, ready salted packet of crisps and a bottle of water

Another one. Another album I acknowledge the beauty and talent of, but really do not want to listen to, and probably won't listen to again. Sorry

It looks like Nicole, it sounds like Nicole, but it's not.

Ei ollut mun makuuni tämä levy. The Beatlesin ”Help”-cover oli ihan ok.

She obviously has a beautiful, soft, warm voice, and the couple of hits are very good tracks. But this isnt an album to hear before i die. Full of poor covers, minimal original songwriting and a lot of filler.

I really didn't like this album of MoR pop. I don't see this as anything particularly innovative or influential.

Есть приятные нотки, но в целом это пасторальная блажь

What a slice of cheese. So many schmaltzy covers, so little time. “Another Song” is my favorite track. It’s like they were so close to doing something almost experimental and couldn’t quite get there (probably because their mother was in the studio micromanaging the show).

It’s not bad music, it’s put together well enough, it’s just really not my thing 2

I only liked the song Close to You and that’s only because it reminds me of a toy my brother had when we were kids.

Taas menee hutisektorille. En oikein keksi tilannetta tai mielentilaa, jolloin laittaisin tämän soimaan. Taustamusaa jossain ravintolassa tms. Help-cover ihan kamala. Ainoa tuttu biisi nimibiisi, joka toki klassikko. Onhan tämä toki oikeaa musiikkia taitavien muusikoiden tekemänä mutta ei minun makuuni. 2/5.

Nice artifact and sounds pretty good but ehhhh

I could see this being good if you're in the right mood but in the wrong mood kinda makes me want to attack someone

This is cheesy 70s pop, her stunning voice is wasted on most of this music.

Some of these songs are pretty good as compositions, especially ‘We’ve Only Just Begun’ and the title track, but the arrangements/performances (in particular the vocals) are so syrupy, saccharine and cloyingly sentimental. It’s music with any hint of edge totally smoothed out. I'd certainly take the original/more famous versions over any of their covers. I don’t hate it, though; it’s so inoffensive I can’t imagine having any strong feelings about it either way (the epitome of ‘easy listening’). But would I ever listen to it of my own volition? No, and for that reason it gets 2 stars.

2.33

Oh, how sweet, soft and kind. And how far from my taste. It could be good in 1970 when released. When I heard Carpenters' version of a The Beatles song I could say nothing but Help. 1.5 points.

Geez, what an earsore of a Help cover. They Long To Be is super pretty though, but it's the only interesting moment to me alongside Another Song where Richard and Karen trade off two pretty fun solos. Great musicians, I sometimes catch myself in awe of some of Karen's performances as a drummer, it's a shame how fame treated them.

A bit heavy on the saccharine for me. No denying there is talent but it's cloying

I actually like this less than I thought I would having heard their Greatest Hits from my parents’ collection. Karen has a lovely warm voice but a full album’s worth is so saccharine it was almost making my teeth hurt at times. There are some good tunes that with different production choices could have been a pleasant listen

2.5

Making a cheap rom-com about college sweethearts who found each other again after 60 years, and need a soundtrack? This is it! It's all sooo syrupy and goody-goody, it annoys me. OK there are a few good things about this album (with "buts"). Karen Carpenter can sing (but so can Michael McIntyre's "unexpected star of the show" and many buskers). Some of the song are well composed (but credit goes to the like of Burt Bacharach, not to The Carpenters). My experience was not improved by the awful, Carpenter-ified version of Help. Does the job pretty well as inoffensive, "good sounding", dated, commercial pop. I'm totally OK if people like it, as it is very good "for the genre". I'll now go listen yesterday's album again if that's OK (Holger Czukay).

Normally I’m a sucker for Burt Bacharach songs but this is too saccharine suburban sweetness for me. Music for 70s station wagon moms. Rearranging a Beatles hit less than a decade later is a choice. There are moments, but nowhere near enough. 1.5⭐️ I much prefer Sonic Youth singing about Karen Carpenter

Meh

Just not for me. Unless I need to be comatose, then this would be PERFECT

2/5. Listenable but uninteresting. It's not bad, but it isn't worth listening to twice. Some nice vocal harmonies spice up some otherwise uninspired early 70s pop.

These guys look like they eat sheet metal or something that would kill a mortal

Definitely not my jam. Are there times when airy, delicate music can soothe you? Yeah. Would you make out to this? maybe if you lived in 1970. Weird anti capitalist message on Mr. Gruder. Stay in your lane? Cover of Help? ok. Saccharin. Heard this album a lot growing up. She has a beautiful voice. Abba? No dont want to listen to again. I'm too gen x and jaded to feel like this is authentic. The cars on fire and the carpenters are not at the wheel.

There are ~30 albums in this list that were released in 1970. Almost all of them are more interesting and influential than this album. At the same time, it is impossible to think about 70s music with the inclusion of Carpenters. There music was everywhere and they were extremely commercial successful. They made pop music and it was very popular. Karen Carpenter has a great voice, to be sure. Like so many musicians she died to early (32), for most it was drugs, for her it was anorexia. Both causes of death have roots in public perception. I'm not going to be revisiting this album, but it did bring back memories. I can also see why the authors included it on the list. Just not for me.

Everything sounds like theme songs for 70s sitcoms.

5/10 This album gave me diabetes

Very very saccharine, very samey. Best/most interesting song was ‘Help’, which of course they didn’t write. 1 or 2 pretty songs but nothing very interesting

Certainly skillful music making, but far too saccharine for my ears (although maybe I'm just in a bad mood).

Its the Carpenters. I don't really think they're an album group. This one did have two of their hit songs on it and some covers. It was just a decent listen but nothing I'd hear again.

GOING IN: No strong feelings LISTENED WHILE: walking the dog FAMILIARITY: Know a few songs SKIP RATE: Skipped the odd one REPLAY VALUE: Once was plenty DISCOVERY CURVE: Slow burner this one ALBUM ARC: Pretty even, consistent VERDICT: Fair enough BODY'S VERDICT: Toe tapping situation FAVOURITE TRACK: We've Only Just Begun My Rating: 2 Incredible voice, but I would rather listen to the greatest hits album.

Felt sweet in places but quickly got tiresome

Not the Carpenters' best but also fairly benign overall.

This would be one star if not for Karen Carpenter’s ethereal voice. RIP.

Karen is always lovely, but otherwise unremarkable.

Though not entirely unpleasant it was mind-numbingly boring.

Grupo trascendental, contiene temas famosos pero la musica en general esta claramente orientada a otra generacion.

Sounds like the house band at the Holiday Inn - East Peoria

Sickeningly sweet ...

Perfectly pleasant AM Gold for 70’s NPCs that find Rod Stewart and The Beatles just a bit too harsh. I enjoyed Crescent Noon and Mr. Guder.

Generic hippy music. They should be called "The Blah-penters"

I'm sure my mum had this album.

Not as insipid as I thought it would be, but pretty darn insipid. A few grooves eventually and Karen's voice is nice, but now I know why I've always stayed away from the Carpenters.

This album is kind of exactly what you expect-- easy pop songs that are generically produced but catchy. I guess I'm a bit of a Carpenters hater, but I find most of their sound cheesy ("Mr. Guder" or Mr. Gouda?) and annoying. Karen Carpenter is an iconic voice but not unique, and I'm not sure if that's because she imitated the common style or her voice became the common style. Their whole vibe of strings and flutes and soft harmonies feels contrived and evokes pearl-clutching Christian moms. But perhaps I'm being influenced by the stereotypical labels put on them. I don't rest blame solely on Karen and Richard for their "squeaky clean" reputation, but it certainly what the studio did to them and what the production evokes. I don't judge those who find Carpenters a guilty pleasure as they are certainly talented musicians and the songs are certainly well done. But if you take the Carpenters as some kind of symbol of true American values or a reflection of your own virtue, then I raise an eyebrow. (Perhaps this seems overkill to state in this day and age, but it is a sentiment I heard growing up.) This is just a pop band making pop songs, and the album is fine.