Geographer
Well-Known Member
Some time ago, I promised to dig-up a review that shows the negative criticism in some corners during the 1970s:
Record Mirror, October 1st, 1977:
"KAREN CARPENTER, the dummy In the shop window devoid of emotion, each song a rerun of the last.
Flat monotones, whether she's singing about pain or love, depression or joy. A supermarket voice. Stick it In the wire trolley and run the gauntlet of washing - powder shelves. On Passage she tries, tries very hard In fact, to bend those white line vocals and there's Richard In the back trying very hard to lift those barbed wired fences so she don't get caught. And how does he do it ? By choosing things like Don't Cry For Me Argentina and Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft written by Beetle-bombers Klaatu. Does it work ? Well, put it this way: I suppose it ain't bad as far as Carpenters' albums go,
which ain't very far. No matter how flash the production, no matter how melodic they strive to be, their records leave me as flat as a pie without self raising flour. Karen's the girl you pull In a dance hall who don't say a word when you jive and after buying her drinks all night you find she's got her own car outside. The two experimental tracks, which amount to little more than typical Carpenters jelly moulds only twice as long, have mixed success.
Argentina just doesn't belong The operatic intro sounds like something straight out the local Gilbert And Sullivan Society and Karen's voice adds
nothing to the song. Occupants Is the new single and I guess you could call it catchy, despite the clumsy phrasing. Calling occupants of Interplanetary most extraordinary craft. For what It sets out to achieve, it succeeds. Just tease please, Karen. Slip out of those surgical stockings and put on some with seams and maybe the tiniest garter. And forget Steve Harley, He'll only make things worse. BARRY CAIN."
Source:
This reads as if he already decided to hate the album before he even listened to it. And then, once he did, he secretly liked it but was already committed to his negative review.