The 500 = #175 - Close To You - Carpenters

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #175
Album Title: Close To You
Artist: Carpenters

Genre: Soft Pop

Recorded: A&M Studios, Hollywood, CA

Released: August, 1970

My age at release: 5
How familiar was I with it before this week: A few songs

Is it on the 2020 list? No
Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Close To You

Fifty years ago during the winter of 1974/75, my grandfather (Pop) purchased my first saxophone. It was a Conn 6M alto and part of Conn’s "naked lady" series. The "naked lady" in question is an image of a topless woman, etched on the front of the horn.

I didn't realize it at the time, but that artwork signaled that the instrument was of high value. According to the KGU music dealership site:

"a vintage Conn saxophone from the mid-20th century, is considered exceptionally good due to its high-quality craftsmanship, rich and vibrant tone, excellent response, and unique design features from that era, making it highly sought after by collectors and professional musicians alike."

In fact, the same site lists the value at $900 -- $3,000, depending on wear and tear. Even the mouthpiece is listed at more than $150 because vintage Conn saxophones sound much better with it than with a modern one.

My vintage Conn 6M "Naked Lady" saxophone in the original case.

That same winter, I joined my elementary school band at Jack Miner P.S. in Kingsville, Ontario. The first song our bandleader provided  was (They Long To Be) Close To You, the 1970 chart-topping hit from Carpenters. To my delight, the alto saxophones carried the melody for much of the Junior Concert Band arrangement.

That melody energized my fingers and breath so many times as a nine-year old that it is still part of my muscle memory. Next week, when the school band at Sir Arthur Currie P.S., where I teach, resumes practising, I'll give my Conn 6M a whirl and see if I can remember it. Playing twice a week with our students is a highlight. After early morning practice, I am calmed, grounded and focused by the teacher-student collaboration. It might be the breathing or the counting of beats or just the multi-tasking required when playing music. It is the only time, other than when sleeping, that my brain shuts off.

Eight members of our Currie Band who
were also in the Grade 7 class I teach

Close To You is also the name of the second studio album by siblings Richard and Karen Carpenter. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, but raised in Downy, California, they began music lessons at a young age – Richard on piano and Karen on drums. Initially, they were part of a trio that included bassist Wesley Jacobs. Later, the siblings formed a soft-rock group called Spectrum.

The Carpenter siblings left the group when they signed a deal with A&M Records in 1979, releasing their first album, Offering. It contained one minor hit, a soft-rock, ballad version of Ticket To Ride from The Beatles.  It was well received by critics who praised Richard's lush arrangements and Karen's beautiful contralto voice, but it did not sell particularly well.

Album cover for Offerings by The Carpenters (1969).

The second release, Close To You, was a massive success, featuring two singles that topped the charts for multiple weeks -- the aforementioned title track and We've Only Just Begun. The album and the singles earned the duo eight Grammy Nominations, and two wins. Both songs are ranked on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of The Greatest Songs Of All Time at #176 and #414 respectively.

Album cover for the single, We've Only Just Begun, (1970).

The Carpenters continued to make music, releasing eight additional records before Karen succumbed to anorexia nervosa -- an eating disorder characterized by severe dietary restrictions due to an overwhelming desire to be thinner. Individuals with this mental health condition, including Karen Carpenter, have a distorted view of their body image. Carpenter weighed an entirely reasonable 53 Kg (120 lbs.) when she collapsed and died from a cardiac arrest on February 4, 1983. It is a tragic disease from which more than one percent  of the population suffers -- the vast majority women.

The world lost an extraordinary talent that day. A beautiful singer and talented drummer who has influenced a generation of vocalists that include Madonna, k.d. lang, Shania Twain and Sheryl Crow. Sir Paul McCartney has said she had, "the best female voice in the world, melodic, tuneful and distinctive." Fortunately, for 15 years that voice was captured and the record Close To You became a marvelous landmark in her incredible career.

Considering The Carpenters’ stellar ranking in the music world, it’s disappointing their record was dropped from Rolling Stone Magazine’s 2020 list. I suppose a victim of a new generation of judges who probably didn’t get to play Close To You in the school band.