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Easy Listening - The Pleasures of Middle of the Road

I'm not so sure about that. I have three millennial kids. They might have heard the name when mentioning the Rolling Stones, but that is it. Hendrix?...Nope never heard of. My lot had never heard of U2 the other day! Watching the Jubilee 'concert' the other day, there as an endless stream of 'who's that' from the other end of the sofa. Rod Stewart, Duran Duran and more. Elton John managed some recognition. Even so I cannot see any of them picking up this stuff from charity shops ever. Anyway, they only stream from Spotify. Not sure who is buying turntables - but none of the current generation of students seem to have one. At least any connected to my three young ladies and their boyfriends and mates.

When that generation gets into the next 20 years they will not be buying Hendrix albums! Or anyone else from the 60s and 70s or even 80s.

I went to wedding the other day. 140-odd people in a big marquee from 90yrs old (did not stay long!) down to a large bunch of 21 - 32 yr. olds. The band finished and the disco started. A lot of classic R & B that everyone knew at the beginning. Everyone up and doing their thang. At the end of the evening, there were about 30 or 40 youngsters dancing/moving to some hip hop stuff that I had never heard in my life, but they were all shouting along with. Time for a graceful exit and go to bed.

My kids are 1980’s/1990’s so the only comparison I have is the Granddaughters.
Both 11-12 years old. Both can identify The Beatles tunes, and usually name who is singing. They like Elvis, Kate Bush but not got them on to Hendrix yet. Exceptions to the majority I suppose.
Both have or want record players. They listen with me in the music room to stuff and we deconstruct it, then put it back together. They are good listeners.

My 3 Kids like music a lot as well. And HiFi.
 
I like lots of this stuff, & I'll add Matt Munro to the list. A great voice & apparently one of Frank Sinatra's favourite singers. Many years ago we were visiting Longleat & as we entered the lion enclosure the car's multidisc player selected Matt Munro's Greatest Hits & ‘Born Free’ started playing. True dat…
 
I like lots of this stuff, & I'll add Matt Munro to the list. A great voice & apparently one of Frank Sinatra's favourite singers. Many years ago we were visiting Longleat & as we entered the lion enclosure the car's multidisc player selected Matt Munro's Greatest Hits & ‘Born Free’ started playing. True dat…
On my bucket list was driving the moyenne corniche from Nice to Monaco and back with Matt Monro on the stereo.
Achieved it six years ago.
 
As a Swede I, in my youth, I had to endure ABBA members very bland pre ABBA output. One thing was sure, none of them where to make it on the international scene ;)

Come to think of it, Björn U's favorites where Kingston Trio :eek:
 
Grew up with Dean Martin, Herb Alpert, and Wayne Newton records being played in the house. Still listen to all of them.

More recently I've expanded my easy listening horizons into "exotica", collected most of the classics from Martin Denny, Alfred Apaka, etc. This weekend I added five LPs: Yma Sumac, two mid-60s Bud Shank/Chet Baker records, and two from London's own Norrie Paramor – a new discovery for me. Wonderfully evocative sounds of times long past.

 


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