This album was a considerable departure for the siblings and contained experimental material such as the Klaatu cover "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" single—which reached no.

[1] However, according to Richard Carpenter, "not one major producer would sign on; radio was not quite as friendly at that time to our type of sound and to be honest, my track record on the whole was a tough act to follow.

Accordingly, I remained producer, but I did try to approach this new project from a different angle, hence my selection of songs for this album made Passage a bit of a departure from our previous recordings.

Between the 100-plus member "Phil" and the 50-voice Gregg Smith Singers, the recording session had to take place on the A&M Sound Stage and was then wired into Studio D."[1] The Los Angeles Times called the album "crisp, punchy and often fun," and noted "the sparkle in Richard Carpenter's arrangements and the ambitiousness of the pair's efforts.

"[4] Billboard noted "from the opening cut to the final track, this album represents the Carpenters' most boldly innovative and sophisticated undertaking yet...Karen Carpenter's textured vocals, evoking new heights of expressiveness, remains flexible and strong throughout while Richard's keyboards and impeccable production adds a polished refinement.