which could easily have been played by some progressive hero of the ilk of Jimmy Page

[Neil McCauley]

Another original Carpenter/Bettis composition – the inspiration came from an imaginary song in a 1940 Bing Crosby movie, Rhythm on the River – Goodbye to Love is alluded to but we never hear it. Richard decided to write that song, featuring a lyric (“No one ever cared if I should live or die / Time and time again the chance for love has passed me by”) that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in a Smiths song. Released in 1972, it features a guitar solo from Tony Peluso that burns. Back when music made with guitar, bass and drums was considered to be the only sound of authenticity and bands were supposed to pay their dues, the Carpenters were anathema to high-minded rock fans – a vaporising solo in the middle of a pop soufflé caused much consternation then. “The start of my appreciation of the Carpenters was hearing Goodbye to Love,” wrote journalist John Tobler, “[and] what made it so astonishing for me was the guitar solo towards the end of the record, which could easily have been played by some progressive hero of the ilk of Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck.” A few years later, attitudes had changed slightly. Writing in Photograph Record, Ken Barnes said: “It’s certainly less than revolutionary to admit you like the Carpenters these days – in ‘rock’ circles, if you recall, it formerly bordered on heresy. Everybody must be won over by now.”

Continues at https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/aug/02/the-carpenters-10-of-the-best