It's Easy Listening week!
 

Another week down, another theme for all of you to go crazy about. Apologies for this being a little late, I know you were all eagerly awaiting it. This week is Easy listening week here at MB.

Trusty Wikipedia has this to say about the genre.

"Easy listening is a style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the mid-20th century, evolving out of swing and big band music, and related to Beautiful music and Light music. Easy listening music features simple, catchy melodies, soft, relaxing songs and occasionally rhythms suitable for couples dancing. The genre includes both instrumental forms (often played on light of tone instruments such as the Hammond Organ, violin or ukulele); and vocal forms featuring pop singers and some exotica artists. Easy listening is similar to what is called lounge music, but lounge is more jazz-oriented and dependent on musical improvisation than easy listening. Easy listening music is usually orchestrated by an arranger rather than improvised by a small ensemble.

Easy listening music is also sometimes called mood music or elevator music (lift music in the UK), the latter due to its frequent use in elevators or elevator lobbies of large buildings. The term easy listening is often incorrectly applied to other genres such as soft rock, smooth jazz, ambient music or new age music. This is because the definition is relatively broad."

Reading materials
Wiki
RYM
Easy Listening Radio

I feel like I might know some examples, but I'm not so sure. I'm interested to see what other people post.

Barry Manilow...the king of Easy Listening.

Skip to 1:25:


Or listen to the entire (excruciating) thing here:

I know nothing of Easy Listening. Well, maybe I do? I dunno. Like that excerpt from Wiki says, the term is quite broad.









This is what I think of when I hear Easy Listening. But I also imagine it being that horrible soft rock stuff with oboe and saxophone.

This has to be easy listening:

Screw easy listening, I want some really hard listening!

:laughing:

I thought about posting that (great song). But then I read the genre description and it didn't seem to fit:

It made me realize I don't know what easy listening is. And I don't think this thread is helping much, with the wide variety of styles. :laughing:

Not that I was yearning to get into easy listening.

Oh damn, that Chicago song...brings back memories. Must download and add to my nostalgia playlist! :D

I know a thing or two about good Easy Listening methinks-

Yeah, it really doesn't qualify as easy listening, but since Easy is part of the title and I love the song to death, I decided to throw it out there.

Easy listening is really just a commercial radio demographic that gives 40 something post mid-life crisis sufferers a soundtrack to ruminate over their regrets, could-have-beens, and whether or not they still believe in life after love while they pound terrible coffee and consume mass quantities of donuts and antacids inside their cubicle universe.


... and let's not forget a certain Karate Kid soundtrack:

Karate Kid II :)

i would think that stuff like Sade would be considered easy listening

AHHH it just gave me chills! :D

Well, I don't know, maybe this is easy listening (I guess that depends on the mood)



Is this, like, what schlager is in Europe?

According to Larst.eff em, this is considered Easy Listening. But, I currently think Toby Driver's music is fucking scary. Kandu Vs Corky and Brown Light Upon Us will forever give me nightmares.

Known in all the elevators, airports, shopping malls and dentists' offices in the World:

As every year, this one is gonna be played many times during the next weeks:




Another unforgettable classic:

How dare you post quite possibly the most sycophantic, sentimental, sickly track ever recorded and a downright affront to music in general here! ;)

Lady In Red is absolutely fricking awful but it is easy listening I guess!

Best Lounge/easy listening track for me:



I listened to this 4 times in a row this morning walking to work!

This comes a very close second:

The category seems to be too broad, so I'm a bit "disoriented" here. :o:

I don't know if George Winston fits here. Honestly, I hope not, because being classified together with Richard Clayderman would be an affront to his piano music.