Carpenters: The Musical Legacy (Princeton Architectural Press)

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Carpenters: The Musical Legacy

The “with Richard Carpenter” signals that it’s an authorized account. Carpenters: The Musical Legacy doesn’t dwell on Karen’s early death from anorexia but puts the focus where it should be—on the music. But who they were (and how they were perceived) is inescapable from their music. The book’s prologue, “The Image Problem,” blames the siblings’ unhipness for lack of high chart positions in their final years together. In truth they were never deemed as hip. But let’s not forget that in those years Karen’s interest in drums was unusual for a girl. And here’s a revelation: early on, Karen and Richard were in a group that opened for … Steppenwolf?

Musical Legacy is primarily a chronicle of events with recollections by Richard. By the time of their second LP (1970), featuring “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” they had honed their harmonies and perfected a Top-40 sound. “Close to You” had bounced around the music business for several years prior with recordings by Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield. The authors describe “Close to You” as “an unapologetically romantic love song coming out less than eight months after the Woodstock music festival.” After the hot spicy meal of the late ‘60s, the Carpenters were the scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Their suburban image reflected who their reality. Richad and Karen’s rebellion was limited to small cases (“Mr. Guder,” a gentle rebuke to a stodgy boss). However, despite their carefree presentation, Karen’s voice caught the feeling that something wasn’t right (“Rainy Days and Mondays,” “Superstar”).