Originally it`s a name for the easy music made parallell to rock music in the late 60s and early 70s. However, I`d swear that a song like "Ain`t That Just The Way" by Barbie Benton from the last half of the 70s would also fall into this category. -Music for playboys with short hair and Ford Mustang, the rich people of the 60s. To me, being a kid, this was just anonymous wallpaper coming from the radio.

Like "Streets of Love"?

-Hmm, see your point, but I think people use to say Ray Conniff. I would say Burt Bacharach, and all who covered him. -James Last too, belongs in there. There was something called supper clubs, wasn`t there? The post-humously underrated (I guess) Engelbert Humperdinck was a household name for the times. -Tom Jones,too, of course. -And then there were Nancy (Sinatra) and Dusty (Springfield) at each side of the pond. -Older, and in a certain different leage, there was band leader Percy Faith (always on the radio). Rock? -Don`t even think of it!

Engelbert's still out there and he ain't no hologram. Re easy listening, during the heyday of rock/rock'n'roll, as I remember, it was Percy Faith, Andre Kostelanetz (did I spell that right?), Ray Coniff and similar who were considered easy listening, doing covers of pop hits and what they call the American songbook.They were muzak for the most part. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, Barbra Streisand and such were also considered easy listening.

Think of what could be called easy listening today - songs a number of us grew up to that are played now as background music at Home Depot, Walmart, Best Buy, Safeway supermarket, etc., in addition to being used as music for television commercials. What was once seemingly rebellious is now candy for consumers ears.

I would say a number of acts were considered "easy listening" during the rock era - Carpenters, Lobo, Bread, etc. - many having some really good songs (along with some real losers).

Ex. Guitar Man by Bread or Superstar by The Carpenters.

Seals and Crofts and England Dan & John Ford Coley. Good stuff.

Logins and Messina's House at Pooh Corner comes to mind.
And later Christopher Cross's Sailing.

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Rip this joint, gonna save your soul, round and round and round we go......

Carpenters was the incarnation of the bland 70s.

Hoagy Carmichael deserves a mention here?





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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-12-11 13:28 by DandelionPowderman.

Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles come to mind.

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noughties
Carpenters was the incarnation of the bland 70s.

This from the person who recommended Barbie Benton. LOL

"No Anchovies, Please"

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shattered
Seals and Crofts and England Dan & John Ford Coley. Good stuff.

England Dan was Seals' brother

"No Anchovies, Please"

Keith Richards on post-2000 RS misuc

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Elmo Lewis

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shattered
Seals and Crofts and England Dan & John Ford Coley. Good stuff.

England Dan was Seals' brother

Ya, realized after I posted. Thanks Elmo.

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Elmo Lewis

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noughties
Carpenters was the incarnation of the bland 70s.

This from the person who recommended Barbie Benton. LOL

Yeah, Barbie Benton`s song is even more bland. Back in those days I couldn`t even hear the song because all the generic la-la-las. Hearing it now, I can tell it`s a song alright. It`s all a matter of your own receptive abilites. -But of course, it`saying "MOR" all the way.

I don't understand how you can call the Carpenters or Christopher Cross easy listening.....to me they are very difficult to listen to....I can't make it through a song.


....On the other hand, to me, easy listing would be Zeppelin, AC/DC or the Stones....simply, because it's easy for me to listen to.

Elo, Supertramp, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel were perfect for those good timers, dressed up in the latest fashion, going out and queueing up after their working week. They didn`t ask for more, had hardly heard any other kind of music, besides, all those hard guitars were old school.

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noughties
Elo, Supertramp, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel were perfect for those good timers, dressed up in the latest fashion, going out and queueing up after their working week. They didn`t ask for more, had hardly heard any other kind of music, besides, all those hard guitars were old school.

What those 5 acts have in common is that they were all very successful, but musically they are very different. None I would say is "easy listening," though some of their work might be in that realm. In particular Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham at the helm and ELO with Jeff Lynne were attempting pretty out there musical ideas often times. And getting some hits along the way.

Anyway I agree there was some music that was insufferable. Although "love Will Keep Us Together" is a guilty pleasure, "Muskrat Love" has never gotten 15 seconds in without a dial change. And the same for anything by Harry Chapin. A lot of Billy Joel just behind.

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noughties
Elo, Supertramp, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Billy Joel were perfect for those good timers, dressed up in the latest fashion, going out and queueing up after their working week. They didn`t ask for more, had hardly heard any other kind of music, besides, all those hard guitars were old school.

Soft rock or West coast pop are not the same as easy listening. Different genres.

Different genres, yes. The years rolled on. Ten years after, that is second part of the 80s, Def Leppard were the new kids on the block. I remember a big board/poster outside Narvesen in the lower part of Karl Johan, Oslo.

Steely Dan post Aja.

Roxy Music - Avalon.

Bob Marley & the Wailers ----- Easy Skanking .......



ROCKMAN