This is where the duo began running a little short of material for albums, having raided many of the song catalogs with which they were most familiar on their two previous LPs -- although it didn't seem it to anyone at the time except Richard Carpenter, since there were three hit singles present:... [+] Expand

This is where the duo began running a little short of material for albums, having raided many of the song catalogs with which they were most familiar on their two previous LPs -- although it didn't seem it to anyone at the time except Richard Carpenter, since there were three hit singles present: "For All We Know," the huge selling "Superstar" (done on the first take because it was a little uncertain how comfortable Karen Carpenter would be with the sexually suggestive lyrics to the Leon Russell song) and "Rainy Days and Mondays." They ensured the popularity of the long-player and the unusual jacket design, like an invitation with a decorative picture of the duo (like a graduation photo), seemed to go over well with older listeners while not repelling teens, which is lost in the transformation to CD packaging. In retrospect, Carpenters is a very MOR album -- "Superstar" aside, its influences are more pop than rock, and any of the duo's original interest in jazz is long-gone as well. The Burt Bacharach-Hal David medley, in particular, was distinctly more appealing to the over-30 set than to teenage listeners, and "Saturday" made them few new friends. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

• songs
• similar
• videos
• eyeviews
• reviews
• download directory