Carpenters Vinyl Records – Close to You, A Song for You & Essential Albums on Vinyl

Karen and Richard Carpenter made some of the most perfectly crafted popular music of the 1970s. Richard was one of the great arrangers and vocal producers of his era; Karen was in possession of one of the most beautiful voices ever committed to tape — warm, close, immediate, and technically flawless.

Their run of albums between 1970 and 1975 — Close to You, Carpenters (the "Tan" album), A Song for You, Now & Then, Horizon — produced a string of singles that defined AM radio in that period. Karen's early death in 1983 cut the story short at thirteen albums, but the catalogue has aged extraordinarily well and is genuinely beloved by everyone from Sonic Youth to Herb Alpert. Carpenters on vinyl is a revelation — Richard's arrangements are miracles of space and detail, and the A&M original pressings and recent 180g editions both sound extraordinary.

Best Carpenters Albums on Vinyl

A Song for You (1972)
Their finest album. Top of the World, Hurting Each Other, Goodbye to Love (with Tony Peluso's fuzz-guitar solo), the title track — everything they did well, in balance. A perfect record of its kind.

Close to You (1970)
The breakthrough. (They Long to Be) Close to You and We've Only Just Begun are the singles, but the whole album demonstrates Richard Carpenter's arranging genius from the first side to the last. Essential.

Now & Then (1973)
The concept album with the oldies medley on side two. Yesterday Once More, Sing, This Masquerade — side one contains some of their most ambitious arrangements. The medley divides fans but the singles are untouchable.

Horizon (1975)
The most polished production of their career. Please Mr. Postman, Only Yesterday, Solitaire — recorded with unusual care over a long period. Karen's vocals are at their most nuanced throughout.

The Singles 1969–1981 (1985)
The best-selling compilation and, for many, the entry point. Every major hit in one place, beautifully sequenced and mastered. The later Collected 2xLP is the current-press definitive version.

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