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 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.

[4] "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was the first Burt Bacharach/Hal David composition, with some original lyrics by Cathy Steeves, that Carpenters covered.

[5] "We've Only Just Begun", composed by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols, first appeared in a 1970 Crocker-Citizens Bank commercial that depicted a married couple beginning their life together.

Originally written by Ralph Carmichael for the early contemporary Christian musical Tell It Like It Is, "Love Is Surrender" was a song that Richard and Karen heard during their teenage years.

was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney in early 1965, one of four Beatles covers that Carpenters recorded; the others were "Ticket to Ride", "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Nowhere Man".

[10] In their review, Billboard noted that "Karen and Richard Carpenter have taken the music world by storm with their beautiful "Close to You" million seller and they are on their way to repeating that success with their current "We've Only Just Begun".

Their smooth blend of voices is evident throughout this LP which includes both those hits and they should skyrocket up the best selling album charts."

A good deck, this one, with the title hit, Tim Hardin's "Reason To Believe," Beatles' "Help," and Bacharach-David's "Baby It's You" and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again."