Close To You

This takes me back to family road trips when I was a kid listening to this on the car's 8-track player.

This album tastes like orange shag carpet, avocado green sofas, wood paneled walls and bell bottoms. I think if I was incredibly stoned, I would find this funny enough to enjoy listening.

Great, calm, powerful album

70s adult contemporary is not an especially beloved genre for me, and many of these songs suffer from the curse of sameness. But there’s no denying the power of Karen Carpenter’s warm lovely voice, which especially shines on “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Crescent Noon.”

3/5?

We’ve Only Just Begun is a great opening track and (They Long To Be) Close To You is a banger, but the Help cover doesn’t add anything to the original and the rest are just ok at best

A little too sacra 1970s for my taste. But extremely well crafted and executed. It's a shame that Karen and Carpenter didn't live longer. It'd be amazing to hear what she would have come up with.

Classic MOR glurge. But that's quality glurge, mind.

OMG that voice. Karen and Dianna Ross were what I, as a kid, imagined that angels sounded like. I like that Richard still wasn't convinced that Karen was THAT much better at singing. (Imagine if Finneas INSISTED that Billie sing backup on two or three songs per album?) Still, the music is SO sickening sweet. You start to become convinced you can listen to it and then Help! (Who in God's name listened to Karen singing Richard's songs and thought, "you know, I'm not convinced these two can carry an album's worth of material.)

Delightful album. Karen Carpenter has a wonderful voice. İt takes me back to the bio-pic starring Hilary Swank. Good times. Not overly thought provoking just a nice listen.

Lots of classics on this one. Not a Carpenters fan per se, but this is the one to listen to if you are.

Being quite familiar with greatest hits compilations of the Carpenters, I was quite blown away at how much I loved every single song on this album that I'd never listened to. Adored, in fact. It's such a wonderful collection of interesting songs and styles, all with that Carpenters magic. This one should have been with me a long time ago.

Just lovely. The voice of an angel, I tell you.

Beautiful. A wonderful Christmas gift!

I haven’t listened to this album in its entirety for a very, very long time - and I feel like I’m appreciating it for the first time. The MONSTER hits on this album cast a huge shadow that, until today, had obscured much of what The Carpenters have created from me. Help is the best cover of that song rivaled only by Tina Turner’s version. But no less amazing is the cover of Baby It’s You. It’s so wistfully beautiful - like a totally different song. And can anyone else consistently can stand up next to Dionne Warwick when performing Burt Bacharach/Hal David tunes? Richard Carpenter’s contributes some incredible songs to the album. Crescent Noon is beautiful. Mr. Gruter is early 70s baroque perfection arranged perfectly. Paul Williams’ compositions are in the best possible hands here as well. Who knew that a bank jingle could become a cultural staple (We’ve Only Just Begun)? Sappy & sentimental in the best possible way - only a cold-hearted grinch couldn’t relate to this song at one time or another. It’s easy to take this for granted, but you are the worse for it if you do. But I keep going back to those John Bettis/Richard Carpenter compositions again and again. They are inventive and surprising to me and certainly something I have underappreciated and overlooked until today. I keep finding myself drawn to them. Perhaps Richard Carpenter felt ultimate artistic freedom in crafting those arrangements because they are some of the most creative arrangements around. These ethereal masterpieces wait to be discovered in the shadows cast by Close To You and We’ve Only Just Begun. In some ways today I’m just realizing there is a whole lot more to The Carpenters that I’ve only just begun to hear.

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

Cheesy album photo and music. Not my kind of thing. But can't deny it's quite good.

The album took a dark turn. The woman's voice is good but the first song is not enough to elevate the album above mid range.

one of my dads favorites

Karen has a very nice voice, but some songs sound a bit repetitive and same-y. Overall enjoyable though

I think their biggest strength is Karen Carpenter's voice. It's very smooth. It's too bad it's sometimes drowned out by the "backing" vocals. The last song had a very cool outro.

I'm going to leave listing to the Carpenters to waiting in elevators or department store lines.

I got as far as 'Help' and took the cue. Over-polished saccharine pop that wouldn't be out of place on one of those Seventies Top Of The Pops albums.

This is dreamy. The Carpenters were at an early stage where there was no expectation to deliver a conveyor belt of pure pop hits. They had the space to experiment. And woh - Close to You is an album of experimentation. Reason to Believe is even better than Rod's version. High praise indeed. Close to You as a song is both slush and lush. Mr. Guder is BONKERS. They don't make them like this anymore. Nope.

This sounds like unicorns and rainbows

I like how it got a little psychedelic on that last song, just for the last 90 seconds or so. Basically saying, we sing sweet songs, but we also like drugs sometimes. Ironically, Karen Carpenter died of an overdose at 33 in 1983- there were early signs.

I needed this.

Her voice is pure sunshine.

I remember this one as a tape we used to have in the car!

Fav song: mr guder

Good. Classic Album. Easy listening. Nothing mind-blowing for me though.

had a crush on Karen

Much like Costello, I've been familiar with The Carpenters but never knew much about them. I didn't realize they were siblings or that Karen Carpenter died at 32 due to anorexia. Close to You and We've Only Just Begun are American staples. While they wrote some of their own songs, they also adapted music from The Beatles (Help!), Tim Hardin (Reason to Believe) and several Burt Bacharach songs. This was just okay. It's a product of its time. I'd be okay listening to it while I rode an elevator.

This was a lovely listen. I knew a few of the Carpenter's songs, but there were certainly more I didn't know. I don't see myself throwing this album on at home to "jam" to or in the car alone, but there is a time and place for this kind of love ballad-style music.

Correctos.

The breakthrough record of the Carpenters, one of the biggest American pop acts of the early 70s. With influences from folk, country, soul, and bossa nova, it's everything Adult Contemporary stood for to provide easy listening. Beautiful vocals on top of lovely fine orchestral arrangements. Very commercial, with many forgettable tracks, but there are several highlights on here. Especially "Close to You", one of my favorite pop songs of the 70s (absolutely love the harmonious back vocals and harp). There are only a few skippable tracks. Even some of the less memorable deep cuts like "I Kept On Loving You" kept me engaged with catchy hooks and peculiar instruments. Favorites: We've Only Just Begun, Reason to Believe, Close to You, Mr. Gruder

Passes the “pleasant to listen to” test, but that’s about it. Nothing stuck out or excelled, so I can’t go higher than 3

Enjoyed Karen's voice overall. Some good versions of some tracks, but overall very syrupy. I hadn't realised her story was so tragic.

An OK album, the sound really date it, but its not offensive on the ears, could happily have this playing in the background whilst I was doing stuff. Also loved the beetles cover

Never properly listened to We’ve Only Just Begun and my god, what a banger. Some beautiful lyrics there and throughout the album and a beautiful voice. Sounds a bit 70s cliche but I’m sure it was new and innovative at the time. Gotta respect Bacharach, he really wrote some bangers. Loved the first songs, the rest were good too but not as good as the opening track.

I didn’t realize that I heard this album a very long time ago until the album started. So many years have past, that instead I’d a relisten it felt like a completely new experience. I’ll admit this was a fun and a surprisingly tranquil listen. Felt very much like a very sweet treat to the ears. 4 out of 5 stars.

Peak easy listening. Makes me wanna fall in love.

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.

a pretty solid 3 stars from me - def 'easy listening' but def really good. Fantastic vocals and interesting instrumentation and arrangements and production. The cover of Help could prob have been left off. Love the Burt Bacharach covers though and also the Reason To Believe cover.

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.

Great

1.5/5 The last song is pretty good

2,5 since it reminds me of my moms Music

Love a good Carpenters album! And we got a Beatles cover of Help on here too. We've Only Just Begun and (They Long to Be) Close to You are some of their best songs, so it was great to see those in here. None of the others really hung around with me, but this was a great album none the less.

Whoa, so cool to see the Carpenters pop up! A few of these songs were on repeat in the house when we were little, certainly "Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun." Today is my first realization that their band name is "Carpenters," not "THE Carpenters," kind of messing me up. They're a sibling duo, which you could argue set a bit of a precendent for a duo like the White Stripes - Jack and Meg I think pretended to be siblings? I don't know, but these Carpenters are great. Really strong songwriting flowing underneath these crisp, airy tracks. Their story is really tragic though, Richard became addicted to quaaludes and Karen had anorexia that ultimately killed her. I wish them both as much peace as their music brings me. "Close to You" has to be a top 50 song ever, it's just so beautiful. Frank Ocean knew ball when he sampled that. Favorite tracks: Close to You, We've Only Just Begun, I'll Never Fall in Love Again, Crescent Noon. Album art: A beautiful family photo if you think about it. Just the two sitting on some rocks on a beach somewhere, bordered by grey and some goofy font. Again, just hurts my heart that they seemed like such sweet souls but wrestled with such difficulty and tragedy. 4/5

10/10 holy shit, first Carpenters album I’ve heard and it’s such a masterpiece favorite track was probably Mr. Guder, and I loved the way it transitioned into the final two tracks

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.

Generally pleasant. Help is awful, but Mr. Guder is pretty neat, worth it

Just bland. Grocery store sliced white bread music.

All around classic 70s pop album. The voices are immaculate, the instrumentation is large, and the tunes are oh so right. I really like "Help" and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again". They remind me why I love Karen Carpenter so much.

Love this album! Great renditions of Bacharach and Beatle tunes. Soft and tender songs when sing by Karen would make a heart of stone melt. Great arrangements by Richard. It may be a little corny at times, very white bread, but I'm eating the whole loaf! Even ends with a cool jazz oddessy thing!

5/10

she was so beautiful but she couldn't see it...

Easy listening album.

Pretty decent classic songs

16/100 Based on this scale: 1 star - 0 to 19 2 stars - 20 to 39 3 stars - 40 to 59 4 stars - 60 to 79 5 stars - 80 to 100 As the top reviewer brilliantly said, they should have stuck to carpentry. This is a special kind of boring. It gains a few points with a brief instrumental bit at the end, but not enough to move it out of 1 star territory.

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.

Boring 2/10

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.

I remember my mum telling me one of my friends reminded her of Karen Carpenter. I told my friend only to get the response "didn't she die from anorexia?". Oops.

At least it was short

So washed out and boring.

These were great. She’s got a wonderful voice. The cover of Help wasn’t my favorite though.

Not really my thing, ha ha.

Fun album.. tough to work to however.

the Shins got it here!

Good stuff. Karen had a fab voice, great arrangements and wonderful songs. Sounding quite dated. 70's dinner party music.

I didn't know this was where 'Why Do Birds Suddenly Appear' is from. Neat

ta okei musikita de la epoca uwu calas que hay una teoria de que billie eilish y su hermano son la reencarnacion de estos manes :00000000

Average album in my opinion. Very heartfelt and maybe that’s why I’m salty about it. Overall good just not something I would listen to again

Big fan of this one. Some slow songs that drag on, but they all fit the overall vibe. Felt like I was in a love story montage driving up the California coast in the ‘70’s. Good stuff

Really nice listen, fantastic vocals and solid instrumentals, would have liked a little more on the production end but that’s my old gripe

I like this more than I would expect. A nice blend of folk and old rock. Top Tracks: 1) (They Ling To Be) Close To You 2) Lover Is Surrender 3) Mr. Guder 4) We’ve Only Just Begun 5) Maybe It’s You 6) Help

One of my least favorite genres. I understand this was a huge hit in the day, but there's a reason no one makes music like this anymore.

Gentle and sedate, and some all-time classic songs on here - We've Only Just Begun, Close To You - but not my bag

Brutal.

Correctos.

Pleasant but lacking depth or purpose

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.

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.

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.

It’s like a caricature of trite, early 70s soft rock. I can’t find any redeeming qualities.

Boring

Never really answers the question as to why birds suddenly appear when that person is near. "They long to be close to you," is not really an answer. If birds suddenly appear, the person must be a magic saint or an evil wizard.

A masterclass in vocal harmonies. Absolutely incredible. I really wish it didn't have a 70s musical vibe, though. It really brings it down a notch or two for me. A lot of the songs feel like they're a rip off of The Sound of Music, when they would excel more if they had their own identity.

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...?

Beautiful voice

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

This is a great pop album. Haters are missing out; to them I'd say let go of your ego, listen without thinking about what you're going to say about the album later, just experience it now, in the moment.

The ultimate tweefest. Not much losing sleep over, really. Or weight. Sorry, this looks mean, but there's a discrepancy between the lack of intensity I feel about the music on this record and Kate Carpenter's tragic fate as a tortured soul plagued with grave eating disorders for most of her adult life. I know it's quite a dumb take, but that was my instinctual reaction when this album and band popped up today. Not that it justifies such subjective and insensitive reaction. I just can't find any other way to articulate my thoughts for now. But I'm gonna try a little harder for the rest of this humble review. "Crescent Noon" and "Mr. Guder" are charming deep cuts towards the end, I admit it at least. Appreciated the minor-major modulations of the first, and loved the Bach-inspired flourishes on the second. As for the jazzy tropicalia conclusion in "Another Song" at the very end of the tracklisting, it's too little and too late in terms of genuine flavours by that point, unfortunately. Worse, such a late left-turn doesn't make any shred of sense in the context of the album. It seems like Carpenters managed to turn the few assets they had into flaws on this one. And apart from a few moments here and there, such as the ones I've evoked up there, this LP goes from corny to downright ridiculous. There are so many syrupy, sacharine tunes in it that I'm starting to get concerned about the sugar level in my blood this morning. And sucking life out of a lively, energetic song such as "Help" speaks volumes about the way you can destroy even the best compositions out there. Terrible, terrible work on an artistic level (even if the performance and production values are admittedly decent). Rest in peace, Karen. Thanks Richard for giving ABBA an effective starting point so that they could hone their own craft later on. And please, oh please, Robert, take out that LP out of everyone's sight and give us something with real character. 1/5 for the purposes of this list, translating to a 6/10 grade for more general purposes (5 for musical skills, technical proficiency, competent performances and professional production values + ... 1 for the overall lack of taste!). Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 427 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 264 Albums from the list might* include in mine later on: 139 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 174 (including this one)

“We’ve only just begun” is a perfectly nice song that’s been totally ruined by overuse (both sincere and in parody). God, no question why I’ve never heard this BAD cover of Help. Though this does (as always) make me wish more good bands today did covers of contemporary peers. This was such a common thing for most of the 20th century and it’s just gone now, very weird. Close to You - wow, again, death by ironic overuse of a perfectly nice song. Baby it’s you - Two Beatles covers (sort of) on one album, sheesh. Capitalizing on the breakup I guess? I’ll never fall in love again - And the second consecutive Burt Bacharach cover!! Wild.

Childhood memories of listening to the radio on Sunday morning. Karen Carpenter was very talented, gone way to soon.

Fantastic album, slow and melodic without being boring

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.

This album is somewhat stained by its reputation as a cheesy pop album for old people. To be fair that's what it is, but it's elevated mainly due to Karen Carpenter's voice. The music is simple and the melodies are sweet (maybe too much at points), but you can't help but enjoy her serenading. Neither can you help singing along to the massive hits in the record. It's not a five-star effort but I liked it a lot. Standout tracks are Reason to Believe, I'll Never Fall In Love Again, We've Only Just Begun, and Close to You.

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

What a shame. As others have mentioned, she has an incredible voice, up there with the best of them, but the music itself is so dull. There's really nothing else going on - the arrangements are boring, the backing singing is boring, and the lyrics are mostly boring. It's a couple of very famous, very saccharine singles, a few more interesting songs towards the end of the album, and a load of boring dross. 2/5. 

I felt as if someone was going to give me a white rob ask me to move to the Commune and drink some kool-aid to enter salvation. Something I would gladly do if I had to listen to this again

the first three are lovely. every song after that…girl dump his ass

The album loves me

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

Lovely. It feels timeless and elental. Masterpeice start to finish.

Reminds me of music with my mom

This album felt like the mashup of the mamas and the papas and late-60s beatles (despite covering one of their earlier hits) and I really like both of those things. It had the hippie vocals of the mamas and papas and the production of a more orchestral beatles song. I can't really call it original but I still enjoyed listening to it.

Karen Carpenter is so fucking underrated! She is just a legend and deserves more recognition as a drummer and a vocalist. Not to mention the rare feat of being both at once. Great band, great album!

There's a reason that We've Only Just Begun has become a mainstay of horror movie soundtracks to symbolize psychological torture.

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.

This was a well produced and well executed but ultimately sterile album. There’s nothing offensive about it at all, but it’s solidly middle of the road and bland. The cover songs in particular sounded too slickly produced and any explosivity and spontaneity that existed in the originals was gone. Everything about this album feels too perfect and scripted.

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

Vocals perfect, everything else could stand to gain some

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

We've only just begun is a bop but overall this album is very aged. The type of songs you'd hear playing at an arts and crafts store. RIP Karen Carpenter

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

I mean, of course this is incredibly dated. It was released in 1970. Having said that, there are some... interesting choices for covers here. The weirdest cover of "Help" I've heard in a long time. "Reason To Believe" as a white version of a samba, maybe? It's all just very... odd. And the last song... was kinda proggy? Very strange. The album definitely epitomizes soft rock, but it's all over the place in song choices. I mean there's the two well-known songs by the Carpenters, but the others are just... huh? Really strange stuff.

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

The only merit of this is Karen's voice, it has a nice soothing quality that works well with soft rock. However, the album "Close to You" is a pile of boring, bland tunes that doesn't interest much. The title track, while iconic, is not even that good. The Beatles covers are quite annoying as well. The only song that I enjoyed is "Mr. Guder", I like the folky elements sprinkled in it. Unlike actual carpentry, music sounds more interesting when the artist takes risks (like in "Mr. Guder") instead of playing safe.

I’ve got a real soft spot for the Carpenters. Simple, honest and beautiful music that also reminds me of my mom. Karen Carpenter was such a killer singer and drummer who ultimately was ruined by the pressure women had put on them back then.

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

Sappy in a sweet way. Karen Carpenter was a rad drummer!

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.

A ella y a su voz las amo. We've Only Just Begun es hermosa y Crescent Noon sería la canción más triste de mi musical. Le pondria 3.5 por el mal cover Help y algunas canciones no tan buenas, pero por tener Close To You se merece el redondeo para arriba.

Tiene altos muy altos y bajos muy bajos.

This one brings me back to the early seventies. Huge hits on this album. Karen Carpenter had the most beautiful voice in all of pop music back then. Nice to hear it for nostalgic reasons but wouldn’t seek it out to play on my own.

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

Reminds me of many soundtracks and musicals. Great singing.

Well done. Not my speed

When people talk about A.M. Gold as a genre this has got to be a foundational document. I know it doesn't rock or even really swing but I guess I don't care about that. Karen had such a beautiful voice and these songs, the majority of which were written by Paul Williams or Burt Bacharach and Hal David, with a few originals and a Lennon/McCartney hit thrown in, are wonderfully produced. Is this an album I'd pop in every day? Definitely not but it reminds me of a certain happy time in my life. Nostalgia isn't always bad, bring on "Now And Then"

This is how it feels to drink milk as a lactose-intolerant person.

Good record with some classic tunes on it.

I have a lot of positive memories and feelings from my mom listening to the Carpenters when I was younger, and hearing their songs always makes me think of her. "Close To You" is my favorite song by far. The covers were pretty cool too.

It's the idea. It's the idea of The Carpenters that has occupied and taken hold of my mind for quite a while now. It's an enchanting idea in theory, yet it all comes down to putting in the effort to actually sit down and listen to the works at hand, which is something that I had to do with Close to You. This is the step multi-talented siblings Richard and Karen had to take to achieve success and stardom and it works out well for them, even as some of the more cloying aspects of their material induces a shiver or two. Overall, it is pleasingly non-threatening and palatable with a room or two for surprises. Favorites: We've Only Just Begun, Love is Surrender, Maybe It's You, Reason to Believe, (They Long to Be) Close to You, Crescent Moon, Mr. Guder, I Kept on Loving You, Another Song.

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.

A simply beautiful echo of a perfect yet bittersweet world.

very sweet. Karen's vocals are so beautiful! was not expecting a cover of Help on this album :o but it was done very well ^____^ I love what they did it with it. the keyboards at the end... Supa dope. ps I cried during crescent noon 😭 favies : crescent noon🥺, Mr guder 🤯, title track least fave : baby it's you ,,,only bc I rlly love the Beatles version a whole lot more! would I listen again? absolutely!!!

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: yeah it was ok, a bit too quiet and slow in build up throughout though for me Favourite song: Track 6 - (They Long to Be) Close To You

8/10 solide album. soft rock.

5/5 I'd give this 5/5 just for CTY and WOJB. Two of the most perfect songs ever recorded.

How can you not like The Carpenters? Didn't know they covered Help! though.

Twee

I was incredibly excited to get this album today. I enjoy a lot of soft rock, but somehow, I've never listened to this album. I've heard "We've Only Just Begun" and "Close To You," but I've never really kicked back and actually listened to them. I've heard that Karen Carpenter has one of the best voices of all time, and after listening to this album, I would strongly agree with that statement. Her vocals were absolutely perfection on every track, and each song here was a joy to listen to. Richard Carpenter's vocals, when they seldom appear, are also really nice, but he definitely can't compete with his sister. The instrumentation here may not be much, but that's exactly what this album needed, so that Karen's vocals could shine. I usually like it better when people write their own music, but that didn't bother me here. This isn't the type of album that I'm likely to listen to frequently, but when I'm in the mood for something gentle and pleasant, I'll have no problem firing this up. I had a wonderful time listening to this.

This is a very pleasant album that I’ll probably never revisit.

Enjoyed!

Not a fan of soft rock… the cover of the Beatles ‘Help’ also turned me off - it was not bad actually but covering it in 1970 seems odd.

Overall a very strong album. We've only just begun is sublime and along with Close to You highlights just how beautiful Karen Carpenter's voice is, along with some gorgeous harmonies. some of the other tracks don't quite reach these heights and their cover of Help is not a patch on the original (the cover of I'll never fall in love again is pretty decent however)

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

I enjoyed this FAR more than I thought I would. Always found Karen's voice too saccarine but actually it fits perfectly.

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

This kind of pop with soft rock isn't my taste, but I really liked "We've Only Just Begun"

Very talented musicians, well known songs, but very boring. I struggled to make it all the way though.

3.5

Not absolutely terrible, but veeery little to like here for me

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.

Good songs, good vocals, good musicians. Took me a couple songs to buy in, but once I did it was delightful.

Karen Carpenters pensive but strong vocals work against the accompaniment so damn well. There’s some ICONIC tracks on this release. Songs that still sound good over fifty years later.

70's pop at it's finest. More musically complex than it appears on first listen.

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.

This album is okay, but it seems I enjoy some of their other songs, and the related artists.

wahoo soft and lovely! wonderful things done to great songwriting (thanks burt). best tracks: close to you, I'll never fall in love again, help

Karen Carpenter deserves the world.

An unexpected delight. I really thought this would be quite hit and miss but almost every song is fantastic with some beautiful arrangements, and Karen’s voice is stellar. Two songs towards the end (Mr Guder and I Kept On Loving You) didn’t quite hit for me, but it picked back up for the more experimental closer

It's like the OST to some godawful west end musical

Very good and melodic, love her voice

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.

This album starts pretty stereotypical, but after one-and-half Beatles covers and an amazing song in (They Long To Be) Close To You, the album shifts to this anywhere from melancholic to straight up dark sounding sound that really sounds great paired with the sometimes pretty, sometimes haunting vocals. Sure, it's nothing crazy, especially for the time of release, but there is more here than just Marge and Homer Simpson's song and other songs tacked on.

Meh

Shocked by how much I loved this. The vocalist’s voice is incredible and each song just feels so nice to listen to. So glad this is my first experience with the carpenters.

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

Was alright

This might have been 5 stars if it wasn’t for the cover of Help and the last song, jazz is awful

Mr Gouda

Very nice relax

Soft and nice. What else would you expect…?!

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

som muito bom

Massively underrated band. This is the evolution of what Brian Wilson was doing on Pet Sounds and deserves recognition as such.

Boring

My older sister would give this an 11!!! This heat is taking me back to my youth! Fun fact everyone knows Karen Carpenter was a great drummer that could sign! You should look up a clip of her drumming, you know the one, the one everyone thinks they discovered!

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

Not a fan of this album. I've never really gotten into the Carpenters and now I think I know why. I know that certain people really like their music but I don't really understand the point of this album. It's a bunch of easy listening, lesser versions of mostly decent songs. I'd start to recognize a song and think I was in for a good one and then it would break into their composition of it and immediately would be disappointed. Standout Tracks: We've Only Just Begun

This is so soft and inoffensive it makes me angry. What is the point? Why would you even want to make an album so bland? What was the driving impetus that made you think, "I must create this! The world needs this!" "Close to You" is utterly empty of passion, energy, or drive. It's fully sedated. I cannot imagine being the kind of person that says, "Oh, yes. This is my jam. More of that, please." The mindset that leads to this album charting is utterly foreign to me. But the Beatles cover was the proverbial straw for me. Wow, was that ill-advised. Terrible choice. Just terrible. I tried to find positives to balance the negatives. I really did. But that's where I drew the line. This shouldn't exist.

This was a waste of my time. The majority of the songs are not written by Carpenters or are covers. I don't mind if the performing artist hasn't written the songs as there's some iconic collaborations like Meat Loaf and Jim Steinmann, and Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The Carpenters however almost made me turn the music off when they started singing The Beatles "Help". Overall they have an unbearable soft padded style they wrap the songs in.

Classic carpenters

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.

Hm, this is really a lot of cover songs on here and mostly I prefer the originals. Even We've Only Just Begun I thought it was their original but they took it from an advert it was originally written for hahaha. Their arrangement and version of that song is pretty epic but the whole album I really don't like, it's so sickly sweet and then there's no nostalgia there for me or related memories so I can't bear the twee ness of it haha.

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?

This has not aged well at all. She has a nice voice, but her singing is so sappy that it's hard to listen to. When you add in the backing vocals.....no thanks.

I'm not sure what do with this one, it's not like it was terrible just not my thing. Their "A Christmas Portait" album is pretty good if you like Christmas music. "Another Song" that closed the album was kind of a jam. And that Why Do birds Suddenly Apear song reminds me of that one Simpsons episode so that's worth something

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.

Some really beautiful songs on this. Amazing voice and harmonies.

Ok

LOL this is schmaltzy and awful, but its also somehow simultaneously great. I'm going 4/5 because I honestly dont know how to evaluate this album.

Je reprends goût à la vie grâce aux charpentiers (✿◕‿◕)

adoucissant naturel

It’s really good.Close to you is such a good song.I also like the opening track and mr guda. Karen’s voice is amazing.It never gets annoying as well which is crazy because how happy and airy the album is.But there is so much complexity and different parts to the songs it’s crazy.

Fun album! Little Bit of baroque pop, little bit of folk rock. Great harmonies. That last song is bizarre but not unwelcome!

mostly (over)sweet love songs, helped a lot by the karen’s voice, which is great. the cover of help is… heinous. really really bad. took this album down a whole point.

gostei do álbum. inicialmente estranhei que reconheci algumas músicas mas sabia que não eram deles, até que descobri que eles são intérpretes e não tanto compositores. gostei das regravações que conheci, gostei da harmonia entre voz feminina e masculina (costumo gostar dessa combinação). um bom álbum, calmo e tranquilo de ouvir.

Oppressively earnest. Karen Carpenter’s voice shines and I enjoyed the vocal harmonies and arraignments, but found myself enjoying the album less as it moved along. All the sugary sweetness gave me a stomach ache. 2.5/5

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

I liked listening to Karen's vocal along side with Richard's harmonizing, arranging, and composition skills, producing a distinctive soft musical style very familiar from the 1970's

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

Two great song…several horrible covers…. Makes a barely listenable album. Might have been something when it came out, but it does not hold up. 2.5

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.

Really good album. I would give it a 9/10 if I could give half stars. I listened to their first album in preparation for this one and Karen sounds better and somewhat more confident to me. The title track "(They Long To Be) Close To You)" is one of the best songs of all time. It does one of my favorite things in music which is it's melody progresses exactly how you want it to and it is perfect. Other highlights to me are Baby It's You, We've Only Just Begun and I'll Never Fall In Love Again. I was not a fan of only two tracks which were Love Is Surrender and Reason To Believe. One interesting side note for this project is Richard, the other Carpenter, when given his own singing parts sound good but there is a clear gap in the quality of the singing. I have not listened to any more of their music but I would not be surprised if when I do he starts getting less and less singing opportunities which is not a knock on him cause he is solid but Karen is like an all time great vocalist.

Probably won’t listen to again

It's the Carpenters, absolutely for me.

While I did find this pleasant, it's not really my vibe, so it was a bit boring. I love the closing track, though.

Actually, pretty good.

Difficult to listen to with fresh ears - songs are firmly stuck in the "karaoke slosh" category for me. But the vocal harmonies are gorgeous. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. "Another Song" actually rocks.

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.

This is so mid. Not bad, but straight up mid. Karen Carpenter is dope tho. This stuff is just too twee. Sounds like I’m in a mid-70s department store.

It was just fine. Not really anything I’ll listen to by choice. Won’t be adding any songs to my playlist, but I’ll give it a 2.

Enjoyed it

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.

The songs are good but the arrangements are schmaltzy. The performances from Karen and Richard are solid. I don't know why I like this. I really shouldn't.

I did not know how much I’d enjoy this. Karen Carpenter is incredible and I never knew that or anything about the tragedy that was her early death.

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.

This one is very of it’s time. Lots of filler on here a lot of the songs blend together. There’s nothing really interesting about it and that’s its main problem.

This is an extremely good post cry listen, feels very soft and comforting. Love her voice, definitely adding this album to my music.

A very beautifully sounding album. Cannot go wrong with this one! Such a nice listen all the way through. One of the most powerful drummers to exist and was forced to tone it down for this one but did it so well, not having Karen on all drums is a crime but it didn’t take away from the softer sounds of this album and brought her beautiful voice to front and center. Great album and great listen!

Rating: 9/10 Best songs: We’ve only just began, Love is surrender, Reason to believe, Close to you, I’ll never fall in love again, Crescent noon

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

Much of the album feels sincere and sublime vocally and musically, though there are some parts that I don’t connect with.

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.

not a fan

Started off feeling like a classic folk album, but the ability for almost every song to peak in the middle of it was so good. Her voice is amazing and left me wanting to just keep listening, and felt like great music.

Excellent

Timeless.

Some great tunes but not my cup of tea

I secretly wanted to like this, The Carpenters have always been one of my mum's favourites. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite get on board. Just too syrupy.

Some good stuff (We've Only Just Begun, Close to You), some bad stuff (Crescent Noon). Didn't really like the covers of Help or Baby It's You. The last song (Another Song) was pretty cool/experimental, which bumps it up to a 3/5.

Very positive messages about love and relationships, but didnt enjoy the music much.

Fine, basically the mamas and papas again

Go on - four stars. Not usually my cup of tea, this. But Karen Carpenter has such a bloody wonderful voice that it elevates virtually everything where she is front and centre. There's some good material here, too - I really like the multi-part arrangement of 'Another Song' for example, but the real standout is 'Crescent Noon', a gorgeous, witchy showcase for Karen's singing. Richard? Good songwriting, but his vocals are a tad off - on one track he sounds hangdog, and on another it's as if he's chewing a pork chop. Just let your sister sing mate!

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.

это какой-то волшебный альбом, ощущения, что побывал в сказке, хотя поначалу казалось, что будет скучновато и однообразно. здесь отличная музыка, которая создает ощущение: "все будет хорошо". здесь отличная лирика, понятная, но неповерхностая. оценка 4++, но не 5. гонять на повторе такое, наверно, сложновато, но ознакомиться обязательно нужно

Great soft, light rock

3.5/5

If plain white toast was made music.

Я думал здесь будут просто прикольные каверы, но под конец зацепило какой странной атмосферой психушки)))

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

I did not like this album, I can totally appreciate how good the artist are but it is just not my type of music.

soft easy listening oldie Fleetwood Mac vibes. The sound of a 1970s movie montage of driving around San Francisco

I'm surprised by how many people rate this album super high. I love folk-pop from the 60s and 70s, love women singer/songwriters, and was pretty much raised on this stuff. Yet despite all of that, I find it a little insipid. She certainly had a beautiful voice, but musically it's all just boring. And the cover of Help is an abomination.

Too sloooooooow

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

Great voice, read up on her and very a very sad story. Like the little things in the production and am always a sucker for more orchestral instruments, maybe pushes things a little bit too lush at times though

Fire 🔥🔥🔥🔥 straight heat

Excellent vocals, recognizable and enjoyable all the way through

I'd be happy to never hear these songs again. 2/5

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

Joa. Nee.

Yes, well what can I say... 3 tunes and the rest is muzak.

8/10

*YAWN* This has been doing absolutely nothing for me. Hilariously, The Carpenters are a favourite of my mom's as well, so she's 1 and 1 in this challenge so far - Harrison was a win, Carpenters were not. This feels like cream of wheat for the ears. 1/5

Some classics on here for sure. It tends towards being cheesy and saccharine, but you know what... I still really like it. Hard to be in a bad mood with this playing.

Part of me wanted to rip this album to shreds, but holy shit, I recognized half the songs on the album. Sappy, cheesy, lovey dovey bullshit songs, but how can you not love They long to be closer to you? Because I recognized so many of the songs, I did a little research and there's a lot of remakes. Rod Stewart, Beatles (yuck) and Dionne Warwick to name a few...... I will say, way too much flute. But the flute solo at the end of the album may be the greatest flute solo I have ever heard. Pretty sure it's also the only flute solo I have ever heard. All I could see was Ron Burgundy in my head. Another shocker, this was the album of the year in 1970? Wow. Just wow...... I had a hard time with most of the songs. Just not my thing, but she does have a beautiful voice and Closer to you is an all time classic. Also enjoyed We've only just begun and I'll never fall in love again. I don't know what to say here. Would I listen again? Probably not. Am I happy I listened to this a couple times over last 2 days? Yea, it made me smile. 2.5 Can't give it a 3 on the scorecard, due to overall cheesiness

Austin Powers stans rise up. Honestly I’ve loved everything I’ve heard from Carpenters and I’m glad I’ve heard this. This is easily one of my favorites from this list. I love Karen’s voice and the melodies are entrancingly beautiful. 5

4 The first time I ever heard The Carpenters was in an episode of The Simpsons. I’m sure most Simpsons fans remember this one, but basically, in a high school flashback, Homer dismisses the song Close to You on his drive into school as cheesy garbage (opting instead for Steve Miller Band). Then, when he lays eyes on Marge for the very first time as she walks into his classroom, he can’t help but hear the song in his head, finally understanding it. It’s a great episode, and likely at least part of the reason why I find the song to be a genuinely touching song about love rather than cheesy garbage myself. Anyway, this is a beautiful sounding album, and it really made me feel things at times. Karen Carpenter has an incredible voice, though I find her story heartbreaking, and in some ways it added to the emotional aspect of this album for me. I know the vibe is supposed to be happy and lovey-dovey, but I really couldn’t shake a sense of bittersweet sadness throughout my listening. Idk maybe I’m just weird, but I think because of that it resonated a lot more with me. Great album, but it’s probably going to require a certain time, place, and headspace for me to re-listen. Favorite songs: Close to You, We’ve Only Just Begun, Maybe It’s You

This just isn't a sound I'm into, that twee 60's/70's California singer songwriter sound is just anathema to me. Almost all of it comes across not only as boring but also shallow and this is no exception. I find almost nothing to get excited about. I also really don't like the drum sounds and heavy use of Rhodes piano throughout which just screams "This was made in 1970" in a way that plenty of other music from the era doesn't. Also every single person involved in that absolute travesty of a "Help" cover should have received a slap and a good long lecture on why they should never do anything so idiotic again. I was tempted to mark it up to a 2 because, as far as I am aware, The Carpenters are at least partially responsible for creating this sound and have seemed to elevate themselves a little bit higher in the popular consciousness than the hundreds of copies of them. But its just... so... awful... sickly, sweet, twee, I don't like the production, I really don't like their use of backing vocals which is so in your face its almost screaming "Look... Look, Look how good at singing we are, are you paying attention, are you?' Its so not my thing its not even funny

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.

Lush and lovely if somewhat twee and easy listening. This came out on day one of the 70s so it is a defining sound from that decade. Is it any good though? Yeah, it's good.

A whole album of this is too much.

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

Correctos.

Very smooth harmonies in here. Pretty enjoyable album.

Poop

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