The duo's place in the pop firmament was so assured that they could approach their fourth album as a broad-based concept record.
The album included some fine later-period Carpenters moments and, as always, those incredible Richard & Karen harmonies.
‘Carpenters: The Musical Legacy’ will be released on October 19.
May 15 was a bright day for Carpenters in 1971 when their single ‘Rainy Days and Mondays’ was the highest new entry of the week on the Hot 100.
You may not know they exist, but the best music arrangers can lift a song to new heights, making all the difference to whether it’s a hit or not.
A special playlist to celebrate the masterful song craft and recording brilliance of Richard and Karen Carpenter.
As the third single from 'Passage' was released, February 18, 1978 brought Richard and Karen's one appearance on the country chart.
Nearly seven years after Karen Carpenter's death, the group's devotees were able to hear a whole disc of unreleased material, on the album 'Lovelines.'
Now deleted, 'Live At The Palladium' was only released in the UK and Japan and is now something of a collectors' item for fans of Karen and Richard.
Perfect for the holiday season, Carpenters’ ‘Christmas Portrait’ is a timeless record that only gets better with each passing holiday.
Often pigeon-holed as AOR, Carpenters were actually musical mavericks, thanks to Richard Carpenter’s forward-thinking arrangements and Karen’s unique voice.
Carpenters’ 'Passage' was a victim of timing. Released in October 1977 when the world was going punk, Carpenters still made the plushest pop.
Just how did Karen and Richard Carpenter get involved with the ‘International Flying Saucer Bureau’?
Hank’s original ‘Jambalaya (On The Bayou)’ made its US pop chart debut on September 6, 1952.
Written by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody, ‘Solitaire’ is one of those much-covered songs, but the Carpenters' version for their album Horizon might be the best.