page_title: The Carpenters discography
hierarchical_section_title: The Carpenters discography
caption_attribution_description: Richard Nixon (edited out of the photo) meeting with Karen and Richard Carpenter, 08/01/1972
context_page_description: The discography of the American pop group the Carpenters consists of 12 studio albums, two Christmas albums, two live albums, 46 singles, and numerous compilation albums. The duo was made up of siblings Karen and Richard Carpenter.
  The siblings started their musical career together in the latter half of the 1960s. In October 1969, six months after they signed a contract with A&M Records, the Carpenters released their debut album Offering. Within a year, they rose to prominence with their chart-topping single " Close to You", a Burt Bacharach and Hal David composition that had not been commercially successful when it was recorded by television star Richard Chamberlain in 1963.
  The Carpenters garnered worldwide commercial success, scoring big hits mainly in the first half of the 1970s. RIAA-certified sales of their records have been estimated at around 34.6 million units. In the United Kingdom, they are ranked as the seventh top-selling albums artist on the official record chart of the 1970s. They have also been the third-best-selling international music act in the Japanese market, only behind Mariah Carey and the Beatles.
context_section_description: The discography of the American pop group the Carpenters consists of 12 studio albums, two Christmas albums, two live albums, 46 singles, and numerous compilation albums. The duo was made up of siblings Karen (lead vocals and drums) and Richard Carpenter (keyboards and vocals).
  The siblings started their musical career together in the latter half of the 1960s. In October 1969, six months after they signed a contract with A&M Records, the Carpenters released their debut album Offering (its title was later changed to Ticket to Ride). Within a year, they rose to prominence with their chart-topping single "(They Long to Be) Close to You", a Burt Bacharach and Hal David composition that had not been commercially successful when it was recorded by television star Richard Chamberlain in 1963.
  The Carpenters garnered worldwide commercial success, scoring big hits mainly in the first half of the 1970s. RIAA-certified sales of their records (albums, singles and videos) have been estimated at around 34.6 million units. In the United Kingdom, they are ranked as the seventh top-selling albums artist on the official record chart of the 1970s. They have also been the third-best-selling international music act in the Japanese market, only behind Mariah Carey and the Beatles. By 2005, they had reportedly sold more than 100 million copies of records worldwide.
caption: Richard and Karen Carpenter at The White House on August 1, 1972
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