Brother-sister duo the Carpenters remain among the most successful duos in pop history, and their work continues to resurface on TV and in films almost two decades since the tragic death of Karen Carpenter. Their best-known tunes, the ones that consistently topped the charts in the early seventies, have always been around. Songs like 'Yesterday Once More', 'For All We Know', 'Rainy Days And Mondays', 'Goodbye To Love', 'Sing' and 'We've Only Just Begun' are invariably on the airwaves somewhere, and the melodic 'Top Of The World' was featured on Japanese TV drama repeatedly. The Carpenters also knew their way around covers as their best-loved songs include such re-creations as 'Superstar' (Leon Russel), 'Ticket To Ride' (Beatles) and 'Please Mr. Postman' (Marvelettes).

Siblings Richard (born in New Haven, Conn. in 1946) and Karen (born in 1950) began singing and playing instruments together while in high school. Richard played piano, while Karen sang and played drums. Having won a local music contest, the pair went on to sign a deal with RCA Records. After a few years of no success, the pair moved to A&M Records headed by trumpeter Herb Alpert, who was impressed by some of their demos. It was the start of their very successful career. Although their 1969 debut 'Offering' didn't became a chart success, their 1970 single 'Close To You', written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, brought the duo to the top of the pop charts. With the second album of the same title, the Carpenters became a full-blown superstar worldwide and they followed with a procession of Top 10 hits and platinum albums. Indeed, the duo found themselves literally at the "top of the world" for much of the seventies. During seventies, the duo released such blockbuster albums as 'Close To You' (1970), 'Carpenters' (1971), 'A Song For You' (1972), 'Now & Then' (1973), 'Live In Japan' (1975), 'Horizon' (1975), 'A Kind Of Hush' (1976) and 'Passage' (1977).

In contrast to their huge commercial success and soft pop with innocent lyrics, the Carpenters suffered from mental and health problems in late seventies, forcing the duo on occasional hiatus. Richard was addicted to prescription drugs and hospitalized for treatment in 1978, while Karen was stricken with anorexia nervosa, which eventually led her to death in February, 1983.

Most of fans may consider their works in early '70s as their best, but they recorded a number of excellent albums from late seventies up to now, including Karen's posthumous albums. Platinum-selling 1978 'Christmas Portrait', 1981's comeback album 'Made In America' and the album released shortly after her death, 'Voice Of The Heart' are among their best-loved albums.

The Carpenters are known for Karen's crystal voice and Richard's outstanding songwriting and arrangements full of lush harmonies and strings. Their music has long been loved, particularly in Japan, where the Universal International releases yet another collection of the duo, 'Carpenters Box Set 35th Anniversary Collectors Edition'.