Reviews (page 7 of 8)
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.
The thing with The Carpenters is they are only ever as good as the material they're given. The are obviously competent and charismatic performers, but it is hard to escape the sheen of saccharine sweet vocal harmonies and lightweight production - the weaker songs crumble under the weight of layers of easy-listening gloss. Don't get me wrong, it's a pleasant and often appropriate sound, but not a partiularly challenging or thought-provoking one. At their best, The Carpenters smuggle an layer of unsettling melancholy into what, on the surface, appears to be just another frothy pop ballad. That doesn't happen too often on this album though, sadly. The well-known hit singles are highlights, decent but not deep.
A fairly mellow pop album that was a tad repetitive but overall not bad. Not exactly my style but there are a few enjoyable tracks.
Alright
pretty, but also kinda sucks!
I can dig it. Cleaned the house to it and enjoyed the Beatles cover 5/10
Why isn’t the Halloween theme on this? 0 stars
Saccharine music but well done. The big hits are classics but it loses a point for murdering Help.
This is exactly what I would imagine music made by carpenters to sound like
Saccharin sweet. Cliche, overproduced and dull tracks. The only highlight of the album is Karen Carpenter vocals & drumming
2.4 Torn on this. On the one hand, I hate it. On the other hand, it probably made a lot of people happy, won loads of awards somehow, and so was probably an important release. Cannot give this 3 stars though, so I'm forcing it to fall just short. I feel like this album is made for people who are oblivious to how tough life is. It's vom in mouth levels of cheese. Oh also, it's most a covers album. That won loads of Grammy's. Wtf.
Cheesy, but pleasant enough for a single listen.
Karen certainly had a lovely voice, but this is mostly too saccharine for my taste.
Awfully, intolerably sweet. Hit me on a day when my record player waas broken, too.
2.0 - Weak
In all honesty I'm just bored listening to this album. Soft rock like this always leaves me wanting a bit more. There are some strong elements to the album but for me the album lacks edge or any standout moments. It makes for a “pleasant” listen but also a very forgettable one.
Knew a couple from it, not my type of music
Meh. Fine enough but not really captivating.
Haven’t listened to this in years and now I know why. Even though this album was well liked at the time, I’m surprised it still gets so many great reviews today. Credit for a beautiful voice but these are awful covers of some great music. Awful song (We’ve Only Just Begun) that at the time was everyone’s overplayed wedding theme song. Overall too sappy.
It's fine. Technically it's a solid album, I just don't think I'm in love with their style.
The Good: We know where they are! The Bad: They could’ve listened to The Police and not “stand so…” The Ugly: The fact that this is the easiest of easy listening. Poor Karen—I mean that respectively—what a terrible life she had. Listening to this, and knowing what a great drummer she was, it must have hurt even more to be stuck with this pantzy music. Of course I know the tunes, and they are agreeable, however, I’ve come to realize that doing a different album every day really makes one want to listen to specific sounds after a while, and this album does not contain them. I will give them a 2* that should’ve been pushed to 3*, but I can’t get myself to do so...
Old
Not for me but sounded nice
Far too saccharine for me. I was going to compare this to the Beatles / Beach Boys and then a cover of their awful song Help came on!
I get that she has a great voice and all that. Talented drummer too. But damn are these songs boring. I think in the 70’s and 80’s my dentist played the carpenters in his office on 8 track repeating over and over. 2 stars (2& 1/2 really) because I appreciate why it’s here. I just don’t need to listen to it again after today.
Perfect distilling of 70s pop
Dear god, the soundtrack to hell. I can't deal with this kind of music really. Maybe one or two songs in the right setting, but the whole thing, nah. Also the album cover and aesthetics of it all is a bit much.
Sweet mellow album , wasn’t much special stuff in there or replay value for me but a chill listen … thinking my mom may like it
There's no question; the Carpenters were about as talented as they come, and some of the song arrangements on this album are actually insane, but after a few tracks, I start feeling like I'm at grandma's living facility trying anything to find some joy.
Listening to Close to You feels like stepping into my mum’s living room in the '70s — floral curtains, a cup of tea on the go, and this album playing softly in the background. It’s the kind of music that brings back memories, but not necessarily ones I want to relive. Karen Carpenter’s voice is undeniably smooth — there’s a calming, almost hypnotic quality to it — but the whole thing leans way too far into the sentimental, easy-listening zone for my taste. It’s polished, it’s sweet, and it’s just... not for me. Feels like musical wallpaper — pleasant enough, but I wouldn’t choose to put it on. If you like your music with a bit more grit or edge, this probably won’t hit the mark.
Sweet but very boring
I Karen has an incredible voice. But I don't see the arrangements as something unique.
Na. Not my thing
I like the carpenters but a bit too pop for me. And knowing Karen is one of the best fldrummers elever and she made this type of music instead of hard rock just saddens me cause thats wasted talent
I will never listen to this again. Probably cool for 1970 though?
This is not for me. Amazing voice and a lot of questionable decisions. I truly don't like The Beatles, but even I think that mangling "Help" this badly should be a crime.
Good voice but ayyaiyai this one is rough
Far from my favorite style of music, though undeniably great voice. A few listenable tracks, a couple that were so heavily used in pop culture it's hard to believe there was a time before they existed in an unironic way. I'll give this one a few stars for the quality of the recording and the musical arrangements, but no damn way am I searching this one out unless I'm shooting a late 70s/early 80s scene that calls for the type of nostalgia that conjures up road trips in the family truckster.
These are the types of albums that are hard to rate. Karen had a lovely voice, and there is a lot of talent there. But for me, this is just way too sappy. I don't want to listen to it. I really can't even muster a 3, so 2 it is.
This sounds like typical late 60s/early 70s catchall fluff. It seems to take no risks and ends up very milquetoast. I appreciate that Karen plays the drums, but other than that, this is a boring toe me.
Ya basta de jipis
Mmmmmm muuuuy tranquilo
Totally not my thing.
Meh, most of it is other people’s songs. Don’t really care for this twee karaoke stuff myself.
Mostly bland and inoffensive but that cover of Help!....that were absolute diabolical...I can't spake!
Well-known, but not great
Not for me. This feels like the music you grow up on then later in life become a questionable camp counselor.
This shit is exceptionally lame. Not terrible, but just really, really, really lame. Didn’t care much for the Help cover either. Maybe one or two songs sprinkled into a radio broadcast would be fine, but a whole album of this was too much for me.
Fun fact: a 1975 Playboy readers poll voted Karen Carpenter the best drummer....over John Bonham. "Reason to Believe" is probably my favorite here. It's fine - nothing I'd ever spin, but see why this thing could sell 4 million copies in 1970.
Büro, Heidenheim, Deutschland. Neben den wenigen Hits echt öde.
was a'ight. 2/5
Competently performed but arranged in such a safe and bland way. No more of this, and I will stop writing. Deal?
Better than expected, but still never better than something I'd hear in Macy's and think "that was decent".
Couple of decent songs, greatest hits album would be a better listen
An album definitely of its time. A couple of timeless classics but the majority is so stodgy. Karen's voice is the only consistently good thing about it. Favorite: We've Only Just Begun, Close to You Would I listen to it again: No
So incredibly boring. Not bad. Definitely not great. Just meh.
Wenn das Album en Mensch wär, denn wärs es Jungs, christlichs Päärli vode 70er Jahre - sie ganz in Wiis, er mit 70er Jahr Chrage, Luke Skywalker Frisur - beide ufeme Stei sitzend und id Kamera grinsend. So han ich mir Carpenters ned vorgestellt. (ganz e wildi Theorie vo mir, dass sie sich Carpenters taufet will de Mc. Jesus Ch. eine gsi isch, dadefür weissi ja nedmal öb die zwei würkli christlich sind) Allgemein sind sie mer biz zu päärlig, zu herzig und zu umeschätzelig gsi. S Beatles Cover Help het mer no ganz pässlet und mit Another Song bini schlussendlich doch no überrascht worde. Meh wie die zwei heilige Faltigkeite chani defür ned büüte
Churz gseid hed mi biz glangwilled. So biz 60/70er pop einheitsbrühe. Eich schön, aber hed mi grad nöd catch. Sorry carpis, aber au wenn euches Handwerk lang gfragt gsi isch, und immer na gschätzt wird, d ziite drülled sich. 2 tischbei für das
What a voice Karen Carpenter had. Just glorious. The trouble is that a lot of these songs just sound weak.
*sigh* Okay. Yeah, this all just sounds like parody to me at this point. It's earnest to the point of being silly. There's obviously craft involved here, and Karen Carpenter has a lovely voice, but the overall effect is just emphatically not for me. Like listening to the fever dream of someone in a diabetic coma.
Honestly I found this whiny with the exception of the song I knew.
Epitome of easy listening 70s
the album that made Karen Carpenter into a household name. It's a dreamy, soft-pop album that doesn't resonate with me at all, but I can appreciate the talent to a degree.
I suppose this is an album worth listening to once. And now it is done.
There are clearly some good songs in there somewhere, but this production and format has not aged well at all.
Rating: 4/10 Nah.
They Long to be close to you
Definitely not my thing but I can't deny they're talented. Karen Carpenter is a terrific drummer. Even John Bonham was a fan of hers. I just wish she had a better chance to showcase those skills instead of making really milquetoast easy listening music.
This is just fine but it has NO BUSINESS being in this list.
The Queens of the Stone Age, then this????? The singles are OK, but the rest just tooooooo sugary.
Saccharine almost to the point of creepy. Like the soundtrack to a very earnest kids show and/or the songs a cult sings sitting around in a circle. The one exception was Help, which sounded quite different from the rest and which I actually liked.
Sooo boring, it's like an album of lullabies
This is 70s pop. It's fine.
Awe...my mom used to have this record. Lol some of these sound like something you would hear on some of those kid shows in the 80s like reading rainbow or 321 contact. I only liked a couple songs on there if that. Sorry momma.
Too sweet for me
Es ist nicht schlecht, ich bin einfach froh, dass es fertig ist.
BOOORING
She has a smooth, silky, comforting voice. Not a huge fan of the soft pop music, but they have a couple of decent songs. It was weird hearing them doing Reason to Believe. The brother seems like a tool. 1001 album worthy: Nah - 81/147
Creepy looking cover. Got in the car and drove to where I needed to be with this playing. Didn't hardly notice it was on. Nothing at all wrong with it. Just didn't apply to me.
Not my style
Cheesy mixed in with unlistenable tripe
I only liked the songs I already knew.
Yep, this is definitely a pop record from the early 1970’s. It’s fine, I guess, the vocal harmonies are pretty and everything is well written. I never really felt pulled in, and I found this album super easy to tune out. I don’t want to call this record boring, but it certainly doesn’t inspire any particular emotions in me. 2*
Karen Carpenter has a beautiful voice and the Carpenters together harmonize very nicely. For a couple songs, these two things were enough to carry the album for me… but then it started to feel a bit… chintzy. A bit cocktail lounge. The fact that so many songs are covers does not help this cause. It’s all just a bit saccharine and kind of bland. It feels like it was just engineered to do well on the adult contemporary charts on the strength of her voice. And it really is mostly just her voice—the occasional solo vocals from the gentleman Carpenter would’ve really been better left out. A random point that is neither here nor there: the Beatles cover is … ugh. I don’t know if it’s particularly better or worse than the original; the song is just kind of annoying to begin with. Also… they were siblings? I thought they were married? Hmmmm that’s a lot of chintzy lazy cocktail lounge love songs for siblings. I don’t like it. But Karen really does have a beautiful voice. At several points throughout the album the quality of her voice really struck me and made me feel bad for not liking the album more. 4.5/10
#569. Mildly interesting poppy hippie music. 2/5: meh.
Seems I didn't really know them beforehand for a reason. Pretty bland and boring. The only thing saving this from 1 star is the Fav Track: (They Long To Be) Close To You
A few classic songs- close to you is imprinted in my mind because of the Simpsons.
It's boring but at least they like each other.
It is what it is - and its fine.
I like her voice and Burt Bacharach songs as much as the next guy. But this doesn’t hang together all that well.
I liked this slightly more than I was expecting, especially in the latter part of the second side where they try to be a bit more than the saccharin pop that made them famous. Starting with "Crescent Noon" which is a nice rich robust harmonies, a little bit more performance than pop based. "Mr. Guder" may not be the greatest written song but I was impress by the changes in tone and style, especially the a capella section. Still even in those parts the production is too polite to give it an edge... I kinda wish they had a more rocking band to do that one. My final highlight is "Another Song" which has a Karen letting loose on drums, I could instantly tell it was not the polite studio sound of Hal Blane, but I looked it up just to be sure. She really sounds like she's pounding them skins... Overall though, I'm really not into the soft easy listening pop which was, quite frankly marketed to people like my mom... at home mom's who grew up on 50s and 60s pop standards. I'm not a fan, but I've always been in love with Karen's voice. I just wish she had better material. 5.5 ★★½
A couple of songs were quite good. 2.5
There's a reason this kind of music is often heard in hospitals and doctors' offices: it's bleach white and sterile - which is ironic, given that it made me sick to listen to it.
Bland pop really. Leavened by Karen Carpenter’s pure vocals. The hit singles were overplayed throughout the seventies
I enjoyed this album in that it sounded like a parody of itself. Not really my bag otherwise.
Fun Fact: Karen Carpenter was voted the #1 drummer in the 1975 Playboy Music Readers' Poll. She beat Keith Moon, Ginger Baker, John Bonham, Mick Fleetwood, Ringo Starr, etc. That's gotta be worth an extra star.
No. Don't stand so close to me. 2/5
like a nice flowery wallpaper in that it's pretty for a little while but then it starts cracking until all you have left is drywall
That sounded like 30+ min in a dentist’s office.
I really do love that song (They Long To Be) Close To You.
Carpenters takes me back, definitely one of those artists / albums we had around the house when I was a kid and a staple on SoCal AM radio. Mostly forgettable IMO, with the exception of the hits, and the covers were defintely whitewashed versions of the originals. That being said, Karen had a beautiful voice, and was a badass drummer. Mentions of the Carpenters always take me back to the line from My Morning Jacket ~ Librarian: Looking for a lesson in the periodicals There I spy you listening to the AM radio Karen of the carpenters, singing in the rain Another lovely victim of the mirror's evil way
Not at all my scene. I can appreciate the classic ‘70 sound. But not great.
This was actually kind of painful to listen to. And I know most of the backstory with Karen Carpenter and there were a couple of the original songs that I thought were OK but the rest of them cover. I did not like it all, maybe it just has an age very well
Pretty cheesy and while sometimes in a good way, it's mostly not. After listening I now realize there's no reason to listen to more than one Carpernters song in a row.
Beautiful but a little bit too lame.
Geen aanrader om de dag mee te starten, als je wat energie nodig hebt. Althans, dan heb ik het vooral over de eerste helft van het album. Vanaf de 'Help' cover maakt de zoetsappigheid af en toe ook plaats voor wat meer bravoure. En aan het einde van de plaat vinden we zelfs wat mystieke, sample-waardige, jazz-funk. Toch wel een verrassing, had dat niet perse in gedachten bij Carpenters. Maar over de gehele lengte van de plaat is het niet helemaal mijn cup of (mierzoete) tea. Wel shoutout naar Burt Bacharach (& Hal David). Hoe vaak je die songwriters wel niet terug vindt in de credits van popmuziek, tot de dag van vandaag. En ook hier zijn de betere nummers weer geschreven door Burt. 6/10 Highlights: (They Long To Be) Close to You Crescent Noon
Ja tuurlijk, hartstikke mooi die harmonieen en samenzang. Maar dit is wel een hele zoete popplaat, zeg. In menig Amerikaanse huiskamer zullen in de jaren 70 zwangere huismoeders gesmolten zijn. 5,5/10 Highlights We've Only Just Begun Close to You
I had to load up the Bristol Stool Chart to correctly assess this one. 6/7 Fluffy pieces with ragged edges, a mushy stool. This is some soft arsed shit.
no strong feelings for this album close to you is pretty good, but I won’t be listening again
Rather mellow.
Recognised a good few songs, but not for me. Standouts: - We've Only Just Begun - Help
I really like Karen's voice, but overall the album is just too blah. The 2 hits are classics, but there's a lot of filler in here. I liked their version of "Reason to Believe" but it's not close to essential.
There is a couple of very nice songs on this album Close to you and Weve only just begun are lovely. The rest of the album is just really wet! Favourite song: Close to you. Least favourite: The cover of help is awful Album artwork: A little bit creepy
It’s just SO saccharine. It’s hard to imagine anyone in this era wanting that. Even the covers are like that. Close To You retains some of its power to cut through the clicheness it has now, but only if you are close listening. It’s hard to recommend this as a listen
Good if you need some sleep
Pretty amazing to get this album after Black Flag. I think Black Flag playing Carpenters’ covers would be amazing … but the Carpenters playing their own songs? Excuse me while I take a nap
I have always consciously avoided the Carpenters, not because I didn't think they were a good band, but because their songs are so mellow. I really don't mind mellow songs but an entire album full of them can be difficult to get through. Well, I was wrong that would be my problem with the album. It turns out the songs aren't as mellow as I thought. There are covers and a more upbeat feel to the songs. My problem is the Carpenters are the 1970's version of Pentatonix in that they manage to suck any soul out of any songs they cover. They are just so...white. They rip any of the grit Rod Stewart put into Reason to Believe and replace it with a sing-along version your kids can be entertained by if they listen hard enough. Help loses some of the desperation the Beatles showed and replaces it with a plea to assist in getting a can of beans from the top grocery shelf. The originals (well, songs they aren't specifically covering) are the pleasant soft rock I would come to expect from the Carpenters. Help has the 10th most streams from this album. You have to work really hard to make a Beatles cover so mediocre that even reminiscing Boomers can't connect to it. Does this need to be in the book? I don't know, as I'm not sure what it adds.
Tough
This is what won the Best New Artist Grammy for the Carpenters?! God the 70s were a terrible time... But a small part of me has a little guilty pleasure thing going on here. It's fucking terrible, but it's catchy. Arrghh! So conflicted. You still get a 2
Karen Carpenter is cool, but this album was just ok, had some famous songs on it.
I remember this very well: 8-track tape driving across the country (52 hours from Michigan to Seattle). Not really something that I needed to hear again, but I don't mind.
Another beautiful voice and tragic life. What a shame the songs are just so sappy and cloying.
Well that was…wholesome. Went off the rails for the last couple of tracks.
it's just... so... bland... I'm struggling to come up with a better review than "meh", but it really is the lightest, softest pop-folk-rock you could imagine, and probably your elderly great-aunt's favourite band. Personal highlights might genuinely be 'Mr. Guder', which at least takes some kind of stance other than "isn't love lovely?" Definitely not one for me.
BEAUTIFUL voice Shit songs Probably one of the most boring albums on this list so far.
Softrock fra 70’erne, duo, poppet, covers, Simpsons movie
70’s boring
Good vocals but not my favorite
Mr. Gooner, say Mr. Gooner, are you gonna goon tonight? 5/10
Listening to this album in the car I felt like Eddie Valiant from Who Framed Roger Rabbit driving through Toon Town. A happy and smiling sun singing in the sky. Trees and animals dancing, just loving life. This album was really nice, but it was almost TOO nice, even for me!! I do love the song “Close to You.” I can’t deny that. And if I’m going to listen to an overly sweet album, I’d like Karen Carpenter to be the one singing. Her voice is absolutely lovely 🌸
So boring. Wake me up. Nice voice though.
Had never been exposed to The C people when I was growing up. But, I have watched plenty of spoof-y movies that incorporated the sounds of The C people into goofy montages to accentuate the silliness. I'm thinking Ron Burgundy-esque type films, so it's kind of neat to listen to the original. I think there are three things that people normally gravitate to when they hear The C people. Number one is Karen and her anorexia, number two is Richard marrying his cousin, and number three is the soft, candlelit, cheesy-goodness of this duo's sound.
Pretty. Pretty boring. The only time I perked up was when I thought they were saying Mr. Gouda and singing about cheese, but they were not. Now I am disappointed and hungry.
A perplexing combination of pleasant and boring.
I get the appeal, but this was an incredible slog to get through. The most absolutely dull instrumentation and a general vibe of a cult. I find too much tragedy in the Carpenters story to find any real peace or hopefulness in the lyrics. 1.5/5 from me. Rating as a 2 because of respect for her voice and harmonies.
mushy love stuffs
It was alright. She had a nice voice but it all felt the same.
Gets an extra star for having Homer and Marge’s meet cute song.
well... it' better than you think . Yes, 54+ years old but there are seeds sown upon for future singing duets. pleasantly surprising
Dull and sappy
We've Only Just Begun is a lovely song, and the modal shift in the chorus is great. From there though, it's all downhill. The cover of Help is just woeful - I'm not a fan of pre-Rubber Soul Beatles, but that is terrible. Also, the cover of Alan Partridge's Close To You is unnecessary.
Insufferable
Thoughts before listening: I have always thought of the Carpenters as talented but ultimately extremely vanilla. Just 70s radio-friendly soft rock that would have very little critical appeal. Therefore it is surprising to see them on this list. This will certainly be my first time listening to one of their albums although I'm sure I've heard their music before. Review: Yeah. This isn't for me. I get that they're talented, but its just not something I would choose to listen to. This is despite having a couple extremely recognizable songs and a Beatles cover. 2-stars
That godforsaken song has popped up in my life like half a dozen times for the past week. Please make it stop.
Boring, sappy and just downright claustrophobic. Going from Slayer yesterday to Carpenters today has to be one of the biggest energy swings possible within this project. You can probably tell by my rating which side of the pendulum I prefer.
It's like Christian music but they keep forgetting to mention Jesus.
Wow that’s a weird time capsule. Too saccharine. And I definitely didn’t need to hear Carpenters sap the energy from a Beatles song. Conversely, I can see why “cooler” artists would enjoy covering some of these songs b/c there are some decent melodies.
Karen Carpenter heeft een gouden keeltje, maar jemig, die arrangementen zijn echt zo afschuwelijk zoet dat het glazuur ervan van je tanden slaat. En dan ook nog die overbodige covers. Ik maak me geen enkele illusie, jullie hebben dit allebei een 1 gegeven, ik geef dan nog een 2 voor Karen d'r stem en nagedachtenis, en daarna zet ik 'm ook nooit meer op.
Prima gezongen. Daarom terecht in de lijst. Maar wat is dit saai en gedateerd zeg.
Zoetsappig en traag. Maar het zijn wel prachtige stemmen en mooie harmonieen. Het doet wat denken aan Bee Gees en Beach Boys. Het is alleen wel wat gezapig allemaal. Wat me sowieso opvalt, is hoeveel nummers van het album stiekem bekend zijn. De cover van de Beatles vond ik wel geinig. Het interessantste om te lezen vind ik dan hoe meisje Carpenter aan haar einde is gekomen. Ook wel treurig ergens. Geen sex, drugs en rock n roll, maar een eetstoornis. Wat dat betreft past het ergens wel in het brave karakter van de muziek. Maar wat geef je zo'n album dan. Het is te oud, te gedateerd, te gezapig. Je gaat dit normaal gesproken niet voor je lol opzetten. Zelfs moeders kijkt raar op als ze mijn kantoor binnen komt gewandeld en deze muziek opstaat, en die is met deze lijst toch heel wat gewend geraakt. Ik geef een 2, omdat het wel echt kwaliteit heeft en ik de zang schitterend vind. Maar deze muziek kan echt niet meer.
I could list all the synonyms I can find for sacharin, but I'll settle for that. Ms. Carpenter has a fantastic voice and she can use it well, but this sentimental schlock is way too sweet for me.
Sacrine sweet singing, slow advert ready beats with string overkill. It sounds frankly horrible, however under all that you do get some intersting things happen musically, we need covers of these songs!!
Quite pleasant, if decidedly minor
The is an album of AM Gold. Which really - I am not the target audience for. The Carpenters always seemed to be the butt of a joke when I was growing up and I made it a point not to listen to them, knowing that they sucked. Well time and Hollywood is a bitch - I knew most of these songs! Ugh. This is super vanilla, easy listening that is kitschy at best. Honestly the whole Karen Carpenter tragedy is more interesting(?) than their music.
This was sadly a bit painful. As I recall, the Carpenters were a distinct pop sound in the heavy psychedelic rock of the 70's In retrospect on this album in particular, a couple of well deserved top 40 hits but the rest of the album was just sad. The selection had one song in particular that didn't sound like it should have been sung in any key...
WAUW die opener! We've only just begon! Dat is dus 1 van mn favoriete scenes uit Room 1408. Heel vet om m nu weer eens te horen en me niet dood te schrikken, kleine PTSD effect an het begin. Maar fuck he, wat is dit album verder saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai Het is een soort matigere versie van Simon & Garfunkel, en die vind ik al verschrikkelijk!! Ontzettend saai album, ik ga hier nooit meer iets van luisteren. Heel misschien Weve only just begon, voor de memes. Maar verder? Albums to listen to before you die? Hell no, dit is juist een dodelijk saai album... Krijgt 1 sterretje erbij, omdat het niet slecht is, het heeft gewoon alle spanning en sensatie van een snee wit brood. FAVO: We've only just begon
stars falls from the sky? this is about lucifer, right? she's talking about lucifer? guys? guys?
Not bad, but a bit too sickly sweet for my cold, dead heart.
I tried to listen at work, it nearly put me to sleep.
There is really no meat here. It's so clean and perfect that it loses meaning as it costs everything it touches with sugary syrup. I'm old enough to remember the end of their career. People who didn't really listen to a lot of music LOVED the Carpenters. I suspect it was because it was so easy.
Not really a vibe
Karen Carpenter has one of the best voices I've ever heard, and Richard Carpenter's arrangements are incredibly rich due to being severely classically influenced. However, the music is so soft and sweet that it's not really my cup of tea. The covers that mark most of this album are really hit and miss. Interestingly though, the standout track for me is "Mr. Guder," which is one of their own compositions.
Se tuttu biisi on kyllä toimiva, ja paikoin muutama muukin, mutta tämä duo on liian kotonaan omassa pehmeydessään.
Bit too lame and bit too aged for me. Even the hit-single "Close To You" doesn´t convince me at all.
I would call this country pop. Not quite in either camp and doesnt excite like either actually could. Fine but not getting a second play
Karen Carpenter has a lovely voice, obviously, but this is too saccharine for me.
There’s a few classic songs that still hold up. But most of this record is bland. What even is that “Help” cover? 2.5/5
mid
118/1001 2.5/5
I’m struggling to understand why I didn’t like this better. She has a lovely voice, and their style is reminiscent of Simon & Garfunkel. But something about it just doesn’t strike my fancy. Maybe it’s because the songs themselves are a bit dopey and cliché?
Karen Carpenter's voice is so good. I don't want to hear it though. I'm not into it.
Not for me….
This was pleasant
Sure there are more than a few pleasant harmonies here, but cmon. This is late 60s cheese at its highest form. And the covers?🤮
Shout out to the carpenters for writing half the songs that i hear whenever I walk through a retail department store
Production schmaltz ruining some otherwise ok songs. Music like this was really only needed to fuel the outrage for other groups to re-invent the recording industry. This kind of album is manipulative like a Disney movie trying to enforce a certain emotional state via musical tropes and manipulations rather than actually letting the content work. The philosophical term "inauthentic" was created for things like this. I look forward to NIN re-recording this.
Cursi y empalagoso como miel. No me gusta mucho.
I actually let out an audible moan when this came up. Yet I listened to the album all the way through, just like every other. I have to admit Karen has a great voice, and most of the songs are well crafted. But omg, it's so sugary sweet that I had to call an ambulance because I was about to fall into a diabetic coma from listening to this.
Ugh. I knew the songs.
The kind of your Nanna is going to love and quite possibly the most lifeless Beatles cover in existence, in saying that it does get an extra point for some interesting harmonic movements
2 stars only because I remember a couple songs from when I was a kid. Would be 1 star if I had to listen again.
I got a sweet tooth, but this was too sweet for me
There's a few songs that drag on and on here, but the vocal layering and harmonies are pretty ear catching. The final song is solid and I would have enjoyed more of that. 2.5, rounding down.
Meh
Boring
Was not very interesting until the last song
Great voice, bad songs
Top 40 Soft Rock 70s…memories of the 2 hits playing throughout the decade. Definitely talented & a tragedy years later. Lots of covers including Help. It’s a shame Karen couldn’t get enough…help.
Boring…
I quite liked Mr. Guder and the cover of Help, but this was a bit too saccharine. Lovely voice she had though.
I tapped out around Help. Don’t plan to finish or revisit.
Tiene dos tremendas canciones, el resto es mediocre
Middle of the road syrupy pop music. A couple of big hits and an angelic voice help make it stand out...a little. Just not realy a fan of overly sentimental pap. 2 stars
I was going to give it a 1.5 and round it down to 1, but that last minute of the last track really picked it up to a 2. what is wrong with me.
i have enjoyed this album in the past but today? a slog. such is life. 1.5
Every song sounds like the theme song from a 70s sitcom
The songs are good, but the performance and production are way too sweet for my taste. Especially the singing. Favorite song: love is surrender.
Hippy dippy music.
We've only just begun is a classic Love is Surrender is an odd song for a brother/sister duo to sing Not really my thing, but the vocals are nice Carpenters version of 'Help' was excellent Another Song was out of character for the album, probably my favourite track from the album
Album Nr. 36 Eine Schnulze nach der anderen. Kein wirklicher Weltuntergang aber eintönig.
I didn't love this one.. I think I can appreciate it for what it is but probably will never revisit.
Maybe someday I’ll give this another listen, but after 1 play through, I’m not a fan. The slow song pace of every track, the vocals are good, but when it comes to the covers, I appreciate the originals more. The Carpenters are a band that many have held in high regard , but they’re not for me. 2/5.
mormonimusiikkia. chilli pilli: the albumi. huomioitavaa on myös se, että jeesus oli puuseppä uraltaan myös. jeesus on paras suomen kansalainen joka koskaan ollut olemassa. nykyinen hallitus ei tätä ymmärrä. meidän täytyy kansan noustava ylös kapinoida, tuoda alas tämä korruptoitunut läjä poliitikkkoja... maybe it's you
I'm going to leave listing to the Carpenters to waiting in elevators or department store lines.
Saccharine from start to finish. There's some classic melodies and tracks here, but it's delivered in such a thick layer of sugar that it's hard to listen to more than one track.
タイトル曲は心の底から好きなので一点プラスした。かったるくてほんとにつまらない。
Weird - kind of folly pop.
1.5/5 The last song is pretty good
2,5 since it reminds me of my moms Music
Sehr ruhiges Album. Nicht schlecht, aber nichts was ich oft hören würde.
Meh. There’s ok songs here, but most are bland, bad, and uninteresting. There isn’t much else to talk about.
Just bland. Grocery store sliced white bread music.
5/10
The Carpenters bringing that smooth early '70s adult contemporary sound. Not really my thing. Probably my least favorite genre of that time, but I recognize they were good at what they did. I'll give them an extra star just out of respect.
Sorry not my thing. I appreciate the talent on show in this classic album from that era, but too soft and sickly for me
In the spectrum of music I enjoyed hearing while growing up the Carpenters definitely had a place and it wouldn't have been the same without them. Karen Carpenter had such a wonderful voice! The Carpenters were a group that I always heard via radio play and greatest hits so actually sitting down to listen to this album was a new listening experience. This is a good example of an album where you endure the filler songs while waiting for the hits. Their cover of "Help" was terrible and reminded me of the type of thing you'd hear on The Lawrence Welk show when they tried to be hip and relevant by singing something on the current charts. Nothing outside of the hits held any interest for me, it's all a bit too lush, rich and saccharine.
The first twangs confirm the album cover: folkish twaffle. In The Century of the Self, Adam Curtis argues that after the middle-class counterculture kids of America met the full force of the state in the 1960s, they sought to change the world by changing their minds, as opposed to by changing society. The kids abandoned the material world for the spiritual one, and sought fulfilment of the id, as opposed to justice for the disempowered. Close To You is an album made for these creatures. Each song is a lullaby for wrinkled babies, who suckle on safe comforting familiarity. There's a cover, or two, or three, or four. There's the reassuring presence of God through the church organ. There's a by-the-numbers romantic sax flicker. Yet, when Karen sings, I feel the cynicism siphon away. Her voice is sweet. She seems unperturbed, removed, aware enough to not be too earnest, but not so self-aware to be ironic. Her melodies promise the return of innocence, escape from all past sins. However, on I Kept On Loving You when Karen steps to the side, the full atrocity of the music comes into view. The sheer inanity amazes. I remain torn. Maybe I'm in a good mood. Maybe I'm ill.
At least it was short
So washed out and boring.
Not really my thing, ha ha.
A little too gushy for my taste. When I heard the cover of help I actually took a break and listened to the Beatles album. Just shows there was better pop music around that time that I’d rather listen to.
meh
I don't think this is as bad as some people say, but the cover of Help sucks. Karen Carpenter has a very beautiful voice.