About Close To You by Carpenters Album
Close to You is the second studio album by American duo Carpenters, released on August 19, 1970. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 175 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, maintaining the rating in a 2012 revised list. The album contains the hit singles "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun". The success of the title track earned Carpenters an international reputation. The album topped the Canadian Albums Chart and peaked at #2 on the U.S. Billboard albums chart (and #3 on Year-End US Billboard 200 for 1971). It was also successful in the United Kingdom, entering the top 50 of the official chart for 76 weeks during the first half of the 1970s. Close to You earned Carpenters eight Grammy Award nominations including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. Carpenters won the Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for the album. The album is sold 4,000,00 units worldwide, acording to Billboard. AllMusic's retrospective review deemed Close to You "a surprisingly strong album," particularly praising Richard Carpenter's original compositions "Maybe It's You", "Crescent Noon" and "Mr. Guder", describing them as superlative displays of both Karen Carpenter's vocal work and Richard's arranging talents. According to session drummer Hal Blaine, the Carpenters' parents were in the recording studio for the Close to You album and "you could tell right away they ruled the roost." Blaine said that Agnes Carpenter, their mother, dictated Karen singing style and was unhappy that she did not perform as a drummer for all of the songs. Blaine countered that although Karen was a capable drummer, she was accustomed to playing loudly for live performances and thus was unfamiliar with the requirements of recording in a professional studio. However, she had been informed beforehand of Blaine's involvement and indicated her approval. Richard said in an interview for Billboard in 1973 that Close to You was a meaningful album for him, since they were not yet famous and had time to focus on the recording.
