Close To You

Some great classics, but too many terrible covers and dated feel.

One would think that the sound of the Carpenters would be from meticulous plodding in the studio for perfection. However, this was thrown together to capitilize on the strength of the title tracks release and success as a single. It also happens to be their best album. Sometimes inspiration is more important than perfection and can lead to the second without all the planning.

nice

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

Always loved Karen's pure and very distinct voice. Richard's arrangements really brings out the best in her sister's vocal work and should be given credit for it.

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

It's such a mellow album. Really like their chill energy

Very good, really enjoyed it

A sweet and innocent sounding record. Packed with lovely songs sung beautifully. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: We've Only Just Begun Date listened: 18/12/22

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

Eðalpopp frá 1970. Útsetningarnar mjög einkennandi fyrir tímabilið, á hinn besta mögulega hátt, og rödd Karenar er frábær. Veit ekki hvort þetta sé endilega tímamótaverk, en ég skammast mín ekki fyrir að njóta þess að hlusta. - Það er helst að Help coverið sé ekki að gera neitt fyrir mig.

J'adore la voix de Karen Carpenter, je pourrais l'écouter toute la journée. Le fait qu'il y ait beaucoup de reprises m'a un peu laissée sur ma faim, même si elles sont très belles.

A little bland, but an enjoyable listen nonetheless.

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

I thought the carpenters were just this lame band that exclusively played slow, boring love songs, and that Karen wasn’t that good of a singer. I was very wrong

So, wasn't expecting to mike this as much as I did. Saccharine, maybe, but sort of perfect pop

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

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

To quote Austin Powers... "And now for the music of Mr Burt Bacharach" This album is "luvvie duvvie" in the extreme. Saccharine sweet, and incredibly twee. But also expertly put together and really rather lovely

Wel heel oude trage muziek

Soft och skön musik. Hon gick bort på tok för tidigt.

The Carpenters rule. This album has a lot more weird moments than you'd expect, and two of the greatest pop songs of all time.

Sweet voice, nice music.

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

Couple of excellent songs, a few fillers.

Lush and huge

Folk

Oh this horrific turgid tedium. They didn't even write the good songs. Poor Tim Hardin would be turning in his grave

Wonderful album, amazing

What can I say other than it’s filled with back to back Smooth Radio classics

I LOVED IT SM

Un album qui rapporte beaucoup de beaux et doux souvenirs

I think it's insane that Richard (the controlling asshole) and Karen (the gifted songstress and drummer) Carpenter insisted on pretending they were brother and sister, especially when it was so beyond obvious they were fucking.

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

One of my least favourite assessments of any album is the classic platitude, “Well, it’s not my kind of thing, but I can appreciate it nonetheless”. While this roundabout way of saying a piece of art evokes no significant emotion in oneself is a cop out, it’s the best I can come up with for this record. Middle-of-the-road on a long, eventless highway, milktoast soft rock. Not diminishing the Carpenters’ talents as songwriters/arrangers is important, however. That being said, the proliferation of pretty forgettable covers (the sort you’d find on those bargain bin, royalty free Top of the Pops compilations from the 70s) cause the album to drag and cause problems as to my final rating. After all, it becomes difficult apportioning the credit to the rightful recipients when the brother and sisters’ contributions to a song are minimal. Upon closer digging, they were definitely passengers on a few songs. And that’s a disappointment, because their self-penned tracks are some of the strongest on the record. And I love the harmonic minor hook on “Another Song”. To offset my largely banal assessment of this album, I’m inclined to come down just south of a half-way grade - so 2/5 it is.

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

so tem tipo 3 musicas no album todo que são escrita por eles. eu acabei de ver que tem um cover de help. me ajuda. puta que o pariu. so por causa desse cover (crime contra a musica) eu vou dar 1 estrela é bom ver que nem tudo no começo do anos 70 presta

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

Les Carpenters ont justifié leur réputation. Dès le départ, on est forcé d'admettre que le bois sélectionné est d'excellente qualité, et cette bonne impression se confirmera au moment de la pose de la charpente. Du très très beau travail.

Les Carpenters m'ont absolument régalé pendant toute la durée de cet album, et ce malgré des interruptions intempestivs d'ordre professionnelles. En effet, plusieurs de mes collègues ont tenté de me destabiliser pendant toute l'écoute, mais j'ai réussi à profiter pleinement de la proposition artistique des Carpenters. Les poutres ont été parfaitement placées de bout en bout, quelques plinthes ont été aposées par-ci par là. Une colonne de marbre viendra même être placée entre les deux piliers centraux, afin de créer une harmonie parfaite dans la structure de la maison. Un pur régal.

Why am I crying

Burt bacharachs writing and Linda’s voice

Boring

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

Mellow.

A bridge from the 60s to 70s pop, easy listening and country. Mesmerizing Vocals

I was ready to write this album off, but "Mr Guder" caught my attention. The backstory is it is aimed at a certain Vic Guder who was their supervisor at Disneyland and would scald them for playing requests from the park visitors (including "Light My Fire" of all things! Can you imagine?) instead of "Disney approved" material, eventually firing them. The result is hilariously the softest, fluffiest diss track ever, and though it doesn't have the ferocity and rebellious spirit of say MC5 or even CCR, never would I have imagined something like this coming from The Carpenters, and just for trying to stick it to Disney and corporate cow-towing culture, I have to give them a certain amount of credit. Because we've all had to deal with a Mr. Guder at one time in our lives.

No surprise this got dropped from the RS 500.

'Close To You' is such an amazing song (although originally by Burt Bacharach). Rest of the album? Not particularly so. The cover of 'Help' really adds nothing new to the song. 'Baby It's You', another Bacharach product, starts off side 2 quite strong, and although the vocal harmonies are impressive, the remaining songs continues with a mix of blandness and sugary sweetness.

There’s no getting around it; Karen was an incredible singer and Richard really knows his way around arranging vocal harmonies. The obvious highlights are the title track and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” (both originally by Burt Bacharach). The cover of “Help” on the other hand adds very little new. And while there’s no getting around the talent on this record, it just never actually moves me. In fact, I’m quite bored when we reach the end. All respect to the Carpenter’s - it’s just not my jam.

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

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

Too sooty

My sugar levels just spiked.

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

5 I just love this album. "Close To You" has been with me for a long time, and always makes me think of my mom, like a lot of other music on this list, but this song beats most. Also "Reason to Believe" caught me off guard. I've listened to Tim Hardins song A LOT especially Karen Daltons and Rod Stewarts version and it hit me so hard the first time I heard it in "Every Picture Tells a Story". Hadn't heard "Help" and "Another Song" before, and they both really positively surprised me. I was scared the whole thing was going to be way too sweet, but you can really feel both their musical presence, and it's so endearing.

Quite a mix of songs with interesting arrangements. Sometimes the harmonies are too cloying. Above all it's the voice that elevates.

Youthful innocence and optimism is found here which seems rare these days with increasing cynicism and irony. Good songs and vocal harmonies. The key changes in Crescent noon is perfect.

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

Nice

Great album. Loved every song. The vibe of this album was immaculate. I am glad I listened to it.

7/10. Quite old fashioned, but very pleasant

I like most of the songs but a full album of Carpenters is a bit much. 7/10

Album show cases the talent of the duo. Excellent close harmonies and instrumentation. The album does have a few covers and their sound is a bit straight-laced.

If there was ever an album that was a product of its time, this is it, in good ways and in bad. The Carpenters mostly worked in the old style of easy listening orchestral pop, which might not resonate with you if you're more inclined to more rock/soul/hip hop genres. You're missing something special though if you dismiss it. If you just lean into this music, it's so lovely to hear. Karen Carpenter's sweetly melancholy vocal is incredibly engaging and just elevates every song, even the less interesting ones. On the flip side, I'm not a big fan of Richard Carpenter as a vocalist. I will say that, coincidentally, three of my favorite songs on this album happen to be Richard Carpenter compositions. He has an unusual ear for instrumentation and arrangement that we probably don't talk about enough. There's a level of talent and craft that you just don't see in pop anymore. Fave Songs: (They Long to Be) Close to You, We've Only Just Begun, Another Song, Mr. Guder, Crescent Noon

This was exactly what i expected.

Den Titel kennt man. Hippie Musik

I don’t understand how this album made the list. It had a few hits but overall I find it to be mediocre sentimental garbage. I found it to be generally boring and that “Help!” cover was particularly awful.

karen carpenter i miss and love you. - today was kinda horrible 💀💀 i feel so lonely in all my classes. i feel like everyone’s just kind of forgotten about me/doesn’t feel the same :0 feelings they felt for me in the past. been contemplating just playing the game and getting back on socials, i just don’t want to compromise my values/interests for some bs/childish stuff. mom and dad noticed i was upset and had a talk with me. it seemed like mom was annoyed more than anything. she was saying something along the lines of “why do u need validation so bad 🤨😒” which was not at all what my dilema was but i didn’t feel like correcting her. dad always knows how to subtly support me. he’s done it ever since that one point in my life last year. he took me to cut some wood at the field where we used to hunt before the guy started calling the cops on us 💀 he took the chainsaw. mom also came but she stayed in the car. it took me a while to recognize the place bc everything is flat. it really broke my heart for some reason. dad showed me a tree that had been cut that looked at least 50 years old. it was a very melancholic day/moment.

08/31/2022 Karen Carpenter, I will always love you. Been finding a lotttt of comfort in soft 70s music lately, this album was so amazing. I really love the carpenters a lot and it’s a shame that they don’t always get taken seriously just bc they’re aren’t perceived as “hard” by society. I hope I still have the record of this laying around somewhere??? Crescent noon was amazing. — Damn, today SUCKED. I felt off from the second I walked into studio. Today was just one of those days where shit just piles on and continually gets worse. We worked w Rhino today and since my understanding is so very basic, I was having a really hard time moving as quickly and efficiently as my other classmates. I’m struggling a lot. I feel like I don’t have anything special or useful to bring to the table like literally any of my other classmates do. Feeling super incompetent tonight…. Got drunk to try and numb some of the bad feelings, but it kinda just led me to wallow even more. Idk if how I feel on a day to day basis is normal, because by the end of every day I feel super panicky and nervous. Doubtful that I’m even making the right decisions in life. Hopeless bc I struggle to find motivation to keep moving forward sometimes. I’m really hoping that all these feelings are just hormone related.

Trop bon. Une decouverte pour moi aussi fou que ca peut l'être. 5*

My initial reaction upon seeing today's album: "Ugh, the Carpenters." Despite a deep desire to just skip it, I decided to embrace the spirit of this exercise and skimmed the album instead. My knee-jerk reaction was justified. This album should have been titled "Music for the Soulless." I'm a white guy. I go out into the sun and I burn within approximately 8.3 seconds. And when the pain and suffering caused by my third-degree burns are over, I return to a mirror-like shade of white. No tanning involved in the process. Despite that, this album is *way* too white for me. It's so white I need sunglasses to protect my eyes from the glare. It's whiter than an albino Mormon eating mayo on white bread in a snowstorm. It is the epitome of every "white people have no soul" stereotype. Tower of Power sang about people catching honky pox, and this album was surely the vector that infected Patient Zero. I literally listened to "Soul Vaccination" after skimming this album, just to be safe. If you need proof of this album's violent blandness and mediocrity, look no further than their cover of the Beatles' "Help." They've turned an incredible song into saccharine schmaltz. It is an atrocity. A crime against humanity so abhorrent that they should have been tried at the Hague for it. It makes one wonder what the world might have looked like if Karen Carpenter had used her vocal talent for good instead of evil. Regardless of the answer, it's ultimately just a fantasy. The reality that cover--and the rest of the album--represents will haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.

I never paid close attention to the harmonies or Karen's vocal rage, so this album was a treat. I had already enjoyed their music & I know a fair deal about Karen's demise. In all, this is a beautifully composed album & is now part of my "chill' playlist.

This encapsulates everything I hate about music in this era. This was so saccharine, so much tambourine. And wood block. And hitting the rim of the snare drum. At times I felt like I was trapped listening to some professional glee club. Never been a fan of the Carpenters so I approached this with dread and an open mind. Nope. Still not a fan.

Cheese, but not the sort of cheese you want more of.

Great time. Calm and lovely

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

As the two singles compilations are perfect, I usually do not listen to regular albums of the Carpenters. However, some of these are excellent too, like this one. First half is perfect (5*). Second half has a decent share of 5* moments, but is perhaps a little inconsistent. Overall: 5*.

Too boring to give it more than three stars.

I’ve listened to this 😡

Feels harsh as I don't hate the album but couldn't help but be disappointed. The title track is a staple ballad I knew before, which probably was the reason for the overly high hopes going in. There are a few good tracks sprinkled from here to there, but as a whole it just wasn't that enjoyable and got fairly boring.

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

I can not separate The Carpenters from the Todd Haynes strange film called Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988). So, I associate The Carpenters with extreme sadness and pain. Which is that antithesis of their music. So, I will almost never listen to this band if I can help it.

Earnest love songs never make a big splash. Unless they do. And these are deserving of the hype. Carefully composed like they used to do, wistfully delivered by a magnetic voice (except for that so-so one when her brother had a go).

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

Karen Carpenter was the last good Karen

Hold me and sing me to sleep Karen

expect to be very 70s but maybe a 4? Nah. way too slow

Musically good, but still just not my favorite

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

For some reason I never seem to think "Oh boy, I really want to listen to The Carpenters today," but every time I do they draw me in like no other. The arrangements are just perfect, every texture and layer absolutely decadent. And Karen herself is a magnificent gem, of course. This was simply a delight.

I really enjoy the soft sound, catchy writing, and the combo of the pair's vocals. Plus, Help was a very welcome surprise well executed.

oh so very lovely

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

Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple all owe royalties to The Carpenters. We were forced to listen to The Carpenters' dribble when AM stations were the only option. They are the main reason that our Christmas and birthday lists were full of requests for The Coop, Sabbath, etc. Karen Carpenter's story is tragic and I sincerely hope that she rests in peace. But the music still sucks.

We watched a Carpenters documentary last year and I remember 2 snippets well. 1) A 20-year-old Karen Carpenter arriving in a limo at a hotel and being mobbed by fans - perfectly normal, except the fans were in their sixties! 2) The bank commercial with the song "We've Only Just Begun" which Richard Carpenter heard, got his hands on the original, and recorded a few months later. They went out of their way to sound different to the rock/psychedelic scene at that time which appealed to the older crowd. They were also anti-drug. I'm a big fan of 2 or 3 of their songs and Karen Carpenter had a wonderful "contralto" voice (and was a good drummer). The supporting songs include too many hits from a few years prior, which I suppose was a popular way to fill out an album in the pre-singer songwriter era.

Yes she has a lovely voice but most of the songs were written by others, eg Burt Bacharach and one is a lame Beatles cover. But they did crack the code for mellow 70s pop that sold a bajillion records. Definitely not my jam, but I’ll be generous here just because of her voice.

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

Very niice

Why is it called soft rock when it goes so hard?

Bra

Awww, this was some 70s cheese but in a wholesome way. A very sweet, calming little album. I have to give the favorite track award to the title track, but there was a lot to love here.

Sickly sweet twee pop. This stuff hasn't aged well.

A wonderful record. Beautiful voices and upbeat music make Close To You radiate with joy and optimism of the early 70s. Splendid. Highlight: whole album, really

W niektórych przypadkach nie jestem pewien czy to na nich się wzorowali, czy sami ściągnęli, ale ogólnie podało się.

Naprawdę mi się podobało. Nie tylko głosy 2 wokalistów fajnie się łączyły, ale wiele piosenek miało niesamowicie chwytliwe melodie. Do tego te skrzypce niekiedy. Spoko albumik, myślę że nawet dam 5, bo choć muzycznie to nie jest rewolucja, to słuchało się bardzo przyjemnie

Karen Carpenter’s ethereal voice sells the soft rock fantasy with ease. You’re getting iconic songs delivered by a voice too pure to exist. It gives me chills.

Beautiful if a little contrived

Suavemente agradável o vocal da Karen.

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

Joitain ihan kuunneltavia biisejä kivoine melodioineen, mut oli ehkä sen hetkiseen mielentilaan aivan liian lälly

Never liked these guys!

🤮

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

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

Karen Carpenter's voice is so clear and gorgeous. This album had great variety and it's fun to hear a lot of songs that I know from oldies radio or movies/show soundtracks. Just an all around pleasant listen!

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

Karen Carpenter can SING. Such a simple sound with some easy to listen to harmonies. I loved the cover of Help! and Crescent Noon was a standout for me. I wouldn’t listen to this to get fired up but definitely had me relaxed!

Strangely enjoyable and lots of variety. Good listen.

I'm sure there's something here, but can't really get past the cheese factor.

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

Enjoyed this album, it was very relaxing to listen to.

Bill was glad when it ended. (2/5) "Bit shit" - Jane. (1.5) 2 out of 5 for Shannah because her Mum liked it. (2/5) Conor liked/knew two songs. Rest was milk-bland and forgettable. (2/5) (1.75/5)

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

Easy listening gold. Smooth from start to end.

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

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

Love a bit of Carpenters, it's cheesy and sugary but it's good!

Very solid, very *very* soft rock. The title track and "We've Only Just Begun" are clear standouts.

Mom is wrong the Carpenters are good

This album is where that "why do birds suddenly appear" song comes from. It's not a half-bad song if you're okay with cheesy over-commercial schlock. Yeah, she had a pleasant enough voice and it's very sad that her eating disorder ended up killing her, but this album genuinely sucks, right?

Ugh. I can imagine this was good back in 1970, but not so much now. 2/5

yeah, fuck this. more 70s tripe. if punk never happened the 70s would have been the absolute worst. i'm not surprised there was a need for music to be ripped up and started again.

During an interview with Time Magazine in 1982, Karen Carpenter revealed she had a major crush on upcoming football prodigy, Nigel Spackman. When asked about the revelation, Spackman is quoted as saying "I'd fuck the shit out of her ass 'til kingdom come, but unfortunately I'm dating my own uncle right now". It remains unknown as to whether the two did eventually fuck the shit out of eachother, but a close source tells us to "get out of my house you lunatics, before I call the police".

Best carpenters since Jesus

Nope, they should have stuck to carpentry.

I enjoy how the 1001 Album algorithm decided I should listen to this after that Afghan Whigs album. I understand why they were so big in the early 70s, these songs have AM radio written all over them. I'm sure this is a perfectly well made example of the sort of thing that it is. And I do not care. It's nice. It's relentlessly nice. Only "Another Song" at the very end breaks the pattern and it's *still* reasonably nice. Even the jab at their old employer at Disneyland is nice. I've met croissants that were more substantial.

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

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

Muy melódico. Suena bien, pero no es mi gusto

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

2/5 too boring

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

you can see the flares, and the inserting of the cassette into the beat up car heading on the road trip, and the singing of the school choir and it seeming a bit naff but the songs are great and its jazzier than you think

I was surprised by how many covers they do. Actually enjoyed Mr Guder

This album gave me diabetes.

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

Lovely and definitely of its time. Makes me once again feel sad about how Karen Carpenter died.

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

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

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

Huh. So I assumed I was not going to like this, because the bits of individual Carpenters songs I've heard have done nothing for me. However... I find myself liking this over the full listen. I guess hearing them in the context of the album is a different and better thing. Beginning of We've Only Just Begun - reminds me of Carole King, but then the chorus goes in a brighter direction, which is sorta cheesy, but I don't hate. I prefer the non-chorus portions of the song, but overall I like it. Love is Surrender - just ok, but not bad. I like the organ and background more than the singing in this one. Sorta a Charlie Brown vibe. Maybe It's You - nice melancholy song. Sorta reminds me of Beach Boys - Pet Sounds. I like when the woman sings on her own, more than the vocal harmonies, I think. She has a nice lilt. Reason to Believe - reminds me of a chill country song. It again has a Carole King quality that's sorta nice, but overall this song is just ok. Help - this song is a banger and a surprise. I like it. (They Long to Be) Close To You - everyone's heard this song. It's basically a meme at this point. I did find myself enjoying it more than I expected. The twinkly keys in the background reminded me of something from like Willy Wonka. It's a chill song. It also has lots of just the woman singing (I should find out her name. Karen). Baby It's You - Just ok one. Not much to say. I don't like "sha la la la la oooh" portions in songs though. I'll Never Fall in Love Again - More Carole King vibes. Like, quite a bit. I like this song for that reason. More of just Karen singing, except a few overdubs. Crescent Noon - more of a jazzy number. I like it. Not in the instruments so much, but in the singing. Again, sort of a melancholy, moody song, which is my style. Mr Guder - weird song, which makes me like it. It has the "ba da da da" stuff, but in a weird way and I dig it. I Kept On Loving You - Ken(?)-led song. That's my least favorite part about it, but the rest has that Belle and Sebastian quality I noticed. The instrumentation is quite nice. Another Song - more Carole King feel. I am realizing these guys preceded Carole King in general, so probably I should be saying it the other way around. I like Karen's singing a lot by this point. The instrumentation is really nice on this song too. I like the harpsichord and the drumming, especially. Weird song to end on, and apparently it's the least-listened song on the album, according to Spotify numbers. Overall: I'm realizing that a lot of the background sounds that I'm liking are similarly represented in Belle and Sebastian's happier music. I think without that touchpoint, I might find this more cheesy than I did. Didn't expect to like this, but I did. 4/5

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

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

Pretty snoozy late 60s pop music.

Fuck the Carpenters (minus Karen’s drumming). 0

Good singles, but the rest of the album could put me to sleep.

3.5

Whoa! These harmonies. There's also an interesting balance of these very familiar timbres paired with more challenging songwriting. It's like a really intimate, heavy ballet. Favorite Tracks: Love is Surrender, Mr. Guder, I'll Never Fall in Love Again

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

Enjoyed it but don’t know if I would seek out. Still gets a 4 because clearly it is good

Some covers. Soft voice. Not great for parties.

The album is psychedelic pop. It has elements inspired by the Beatles. My favorite tracks are “Help” and “Another song.” It’s very experimental.

Perfect winter album.

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

Not my thing BUT I can appreciate the instrumentals.

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

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

a Lovely collection of songs

Perfectly composed if not a bit sickly sweet

Hella pleasant. Everything about this album is just soft. Karen’s voice is angelic and the sounds are just so nice and comfortable. A few strange ones within the track list but still a very chill listen. 7/10

Heilt ok

Karen had a beautiful voice, some of the first music I remember

Mellow 70s pop. - Think Burt Bacharach ... who incidentally, wrote a couple of songs on this album. (They Long to Be) Close to You is great. So is I'll Never Fall in Love Again. On the other hand, the Help - Cover doesn't seem to quite work, and there are one or two songs that are just OK. Still, Karen Carpenter phantastic voice carries this album throughout. I'll give it 3.5/5.

lame

Liefelijk plaatje met een goeie zangeres

OK, cool. At least that what you might think if you're highly a conservative-minded teen in the early 70s.

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

I could only remember a couple songs by the Carpenters and they were both well done on this album. As I listened I realized how much of them I had heard over my life and they were really good. I would put this as a solid mellow album, great for easy listening or background music, but certainly not one to rock out to. Maybe not the best for a long boring car drive because it was so mellow, but that is also its strength. I’d listen again.

VERY good. I was surprised at how much I liked it. It could get a little schmaltzy, but I didn't really mind. I'm almost tempted to give this a 5. I'd probably give it a 4.5 if I could. It's pretty solid. Karen Carpenter is a great singer, and Richard is an amazing arranger.

Elevator music. I had seen reference to the Carpenters as punchlines to many jokes and I now know why. 1.5/5

boring, seemed like I was in an elevator, I won't say it was bad, it was just non-descript

Inoffensive, but pretty shite. 2

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

This is damn close to a 1 for me. I just don't like the voices, the songs that are good are mostly covers (and I prefer the original/alternate version) and I just cannot fathom how this won Album of the Year.

slaps

I was very much enjoying this album until that awful Help cover came on and then Baby It's you. Close to you is pretty cute of course. Rest of the album was ok

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

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

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

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

Too pop and dull

i mean... it's the carpenters

Finally some real stars

This was okay, very 70's

4.5

Such a beautiful voice, such a sad ending. This is Sunday afternoon on the porch and a book.

A few well-known songs, decent enough.

6/10

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

Beautiful music

Hi: Crescent Moon Lo: Help The Carpenters has such a definitive 70's sound that their music frequently mistaken for commercials and TV theme songs of that era; vocal harmonies, sweeping violins, mellotron, and lazily strummed guitars. It's makes you want to sway and is carefree and peaceful. Radio hits like We've Only Just Begun and Close To You are present and accounted for, but Crescent Moon is deep and brooding, absolutely the standout performance on this album. Unfortunately, the cover of Help, however well executed just feels out of place, and I'm not a fan. There really isn't anything bad here, it's a competent, and fairly well executed album from start to finish.

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

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

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

VERY good. I was surprised at how much I liked it. It could get a little schmaltzy, but I didn't really mind. I'm almost tempted to give this a 5. I'd probably give it a 4.5 if I could. It's pretty solid. Karen Carpenter is a great singer, and Richard is an amazing arranger.

My thoughts on this record are similar to my thoughts about the ABBA record that I got on here recently. I can appreciate their skill as a pure-pop group but by and large this music is just not for me. It's not unlistenable but it's too polished, too clean, and too syrupy. Having said that, even ABBA is arguable more creative and influential than the Carpenters. This is far more middle of the road and boring.

Fav songs: - Maybe It's You - Help - (They Long To Be) Close To You) - Crescent Noon

Oof, I remember watching a documentary/movie of Karen Carpenter and her death when I was a child. The opening track is sung so heart-breakingly even though the lyrics are about beginnings (not ends). I can’t say I like this version of east listening, but I have to acknowledge the beauty of her voice. Three stars for her voice, minus a star because the music is just so boring.

I like the hits, but over a whole album the style is just too cheesy.

Beetje slappe pop maar wel mooie stem

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

Dit is wel mierzoete shit zeg. Wie luistert dit?

Pff, wat een zoetsappige meuk zeg!

😫 dit is echt héél erg zoetsappige gezapige muzak zeg.

Het glazuur is van m'n tanden gebrokkeld.

25. Close to you - Carpenters 12 tracks. What a let-down. Really really poor. Really struggled to get through this whiney dronefest. Was not far off 1 star! 2/5

Good stuff, they have a special place in my heart because my mom was a fan when I was young and would play them sometimes.

Don't really know what to say. She has a nice voice but the arrangements don't do much for me. Can't honestly say I enjoy this.

I get why people like them, but man it is definitely not my thing, I really don't like anything here lol. Too pure and beautiful, it's like the Carpenters came back from church and recorded. I'm gonna give it a 2 because I really can't listen to this anymore.

Ша ла ла ла и ОУОУ

fleetwood mac vibes

Far too twee for me.

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

Loved the Beatles cover.

Nice.

One of my favorite slightly dismissive words in these reviews are "slight". It came to mind again here; Not because of the instrumentation, or the arrangements, but their combination. Everything flows well enough and is inoffensive, but the overall effect is AOR-via-pop. (I guess there's an "adult contemporary" category for that, eh?) The horns and strings are what bring it out for me: They're there, but in neither the wall-of-sound nor the virtuosic sense. There are a handful of good songs, but as an album it lacks.

Simple, I liked it.

It's like listening to a collection of opening credits songs for 70s sitcoms. I liked the cover of Help but the other stuff just started being a parody of itself. A bit too twee I think.

ok i guess, but dull enough that i found the jazzy fucking around at the end a highlight. And i do not, as a rule, like jazzy fucking around.

On one hand this isn't really my preference but it's undeniably great as inoffensive easy-listening and who doesn't know at least some of these songs?

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

So not my bag. I remember listening when I was a kid and liking some of it. And the catchy ones and covers aren't bad, but I'm also not gonna seek them out. This barely eeks out 2 stars. Barely.

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

Yes, there are a couple of nice songs in there, but overall I don't think this album withstood the test of time.

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

I can’t do this kind of ethereal saccharine music. It is what it is though, and it’s not inherently bad per se.

Really enjoyed it. Best album this generator has provided thus far. Karen’s vocals are immense 👍🏾 One of them albums where you’ve heard the songs already

Is Mr. Guder a song about cheese? There were a couple of fantastic songs... and some complete misses...

Wow. I was looking forward to this. I clearly know the hits, and they still are amazing. What do the Carpenters sound like outside of the hits? It is unfortunate, they clearly depend on their harmonies to carry the tune, but it isn't enough over a couple of bad covers, and lyrically empty, candy-sweet, non-catchy pop-ish crooners. Thanks they give boy carpenter only one song to lead, and the experimental tail of the album only needs one listening. Stick to this hits, listeners, and you'll more likely appreciate the Carpenters more.

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

Some hits, but not my style and was not interesting for the most part. Very talented singers, but the smooth, easy listening style is incredibly dated by today's standards.

Absolute shit. Hated every second

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

Very chill. Enjoyed their Help cover.

more certified bangers on a single album than most musicians have in three lifetimes

Not my cup of tea

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

Pretty nostalgic, liked most of the songs

Definitely not my style but soft and relaxed so good music to listen to on a rainy morning. Karen Carpenter’s voice is great. Their arrangement of ‘Help’ is neat, and the instrumental outro is interesting. I would not listen to this outside of this project though

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

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

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

This music is so egregiously bubbly and upbeat it feels like it's supposed to be playing ironically behind a horror film

Easy listening

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

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

Fun.

Not what I wanted to listen to

Enjoyed this more than anticipated considering it's an album of love songs, most of which aren't original

Not for me.

Nice

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

Expectedly pleasant.

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

3.5 Cool drums

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

Songs start to sound the same. Surprise trumpet.

Not too bad. Not my thing.

An absolute masterpiece of an album. Every track on the record is laced with intricate instrumentation and lovely vocal harmonies, and to top it all off, you get Karen Carpenters stunning voice. Fantastic stuff👌🏽

It was memory lane

Outside of the hits, there’s not much here

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

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

Close to you and never Fall in Love kennt denk ich jeder Schön arrangiert alles in allem natürlich sehr ruhig

This is actually truly fantastic pop. And I'll admit I have a huge soft spot for Karen Carpenter. (By the way, check out videos of her playing drums...amazing!)

ruim. tem um cover de "Help" dos beatles (ruim também, mas achei interessante ressaltar haha)

Not for me - too floaty and lacklustre. Some iconic songs but generally not my bag

Интересно. Ну в целом не то чтобы сильно выделяется на фоне поп-музыки того времени (хотя уже 70 год, уже это все на спад шло, и всякие Walker Brothers клитором не командовали), но душевно и кропотливо сделано, видно что с саунд-дизайном работа хорошая проведена. Про Карпентерс я раньше слышал в основном в разрезе того, что Sonic Youth на них надрачивали, и это мне сильно портит восприятие, ибо их творчество теперь воспринимается практически исключительно в разрезе довольно трагичной смерти Карен Карпентер (впрочем, если там в комментах на ютубе посмотреть, то не у меня одного). Вот есть у этих песен какой-то такой привкус, какое-то ощущение, что больной человек переживает нервный срыв, и тебе не следует на это смотреть. Действительно же очень грустные песни по сути, даже в целом мажорная Help битлов звучит как-то зловеще и безнадежно. В общем эмоционально не самый простой альбом, не уверен, что захочу слушать его ещё раз когда-то. Но песни сами по себе хорошие, голос сильный, аранжировки более чем приятные. 8/10

Да это ж почти полностью кавер-альбом, что за подлянка! И это что, каждый раз теперь проверять надо, в каждом ли альбоме исполнитель не поленился хотя бы большинство треков запилить сам? Благо, это были те странные времена, когда кавер-версии затмевали оригиналы и оставались в веках. В случае с Help, конечно, тягаться с оригиналом смысла особо не имело. В шоу "Хованский разрулит" мы слышим именно версию The Beatles. Ну а с заглавным треком фортануло, именно эту версию мы несколько раз слышим в Симпсонах. Несмотря на разброс авторов, в целом альбом чувствуется цельным. Ладно, разве что та же Help! для уха выбивается. Но собственные треки, что есть, интегрированы гладко. Да и звучит всё славно. Как раз тянский вокал сюда давно не завозили.

Karen's voice & vocal range is amazing! Richard's musical skills are legendary! What a wonderful album!

Warm, elegant, jaunty and sophisticated pop. Beautiful.

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

Lovely tunes, but really really not my thing. Help and Close To You are classics, but Help is just a Beatles cover. 2/5

3 songs added to playlists

Sickly sweet twee bullshit. This album lasts 2340 seconds and for ever single one of those seconds I wanted to switch this off. Devoid of any redeeming qualities. Wank.

Shite album. Formulaic sacherine sweet love songs of triumph and heart break. Like being stuck in purgatory for me. It's a 1 star album, the extra star is for Karen's beautiful voice.

No doubting the voice but god it’s so twee and sweet. I can still acknowledge that it contains some very well crafted songs though

Sarah’s Mum’s favourite album 🤗🥰

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

Saved Prior: None Not Saved: 12. Help (Hard to outdo the Beatles) 11. Crescent Noon 10. Baby It's You Cutting Edge: 9. (They Long To Be) Close To You (Crazy that this was their huge hit. I'm sure it'll grow on me) Off Rip: 8. Reason To Believe 7. I'll Never Fall In Love Again 6. Another Song 5. Maybe It's You 4. Mr. Guder 3. I Kept On Loving You 2. We've Only Just Begun 1. Love Is Surrender Overall Notes: This album made me go :). Happy music. Can't wait to take some summer drives to this.

Not my cup o' tea

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

Kind of lame my grandma might like it

.

Mejor que cualquier disco de Fleetwood Mac cocainómano pop.

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

Tiene canciones hermosas, pero también muchas aburridas y facilonas

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

Thoroughly enjoyable Sunday morning listening.