Whatever happened to middle-of-the-road soft rock and soul?

[tsull1]

I'm listening to a great 70's soft classic, "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" by The Fortunes, what a great song with good images. The post here on Hamilton, Joe Frank, and Reynolds, got me listening to some soft rock classics on YouTube. I really love this genre, others I like are The Turtles, Grass Roots, The Rascals, and so forth. Really, well-written, fun tunes.

One of the posters on The Fortunes tune wrote this, which I thought was interesting and insightful:

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Answer - KILLED by the music industry long ago!!..Because "they" really want societal or cultural DIVISION, they PURPOSELY SHUN promoting "middle-of-the-road" friendly rock style songs ..like this classic tune from the Fortunes.. that elicits a feeling of peace or togetherness for the masses!..Instead, the "extreme", controversial, & divisive styles like rap or "power-metal" is favored by the WICKED "music"[[sic) industry to promote artistic/cultural animosity and "SEPARATISM". 
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Boy, I think he hit it spot on. Not only do I not hear anything like The Turtles or Mamas & Papas anymore, I also don't hear stuff like Stylistics, Spinners, Fifth Dimension, Main Ingredient, all of Motown, Hall & Oates, Chi-Lites, etc. And I'm referring to hit music on the radio and popular music in general, not some good stuff on CD Baby.

I don't understand why the music industry thinks the only people who buy music are teens? I mean heck, Elton John and Paul McCartney are still the top concert sellers.

I know, I often have a rant on the music industry, so be it. I miss the old, catchy tunes with messages in them.

[jillfoster]

That's a very interesting theory. And I think there's alot of truth to it. It does seem that music today is very compartmentalized, and I think record executives got the idea a long time ago that "shock and awe" sells records. That somehow, you need to create a visceral reaction in the listener to be memorable and make an impact. Perhaps the seeds of this was sown by the likes of Kiss and Alice Cooper. I suppose maybe it's part of getting old, we have to accept that music as we KNEW it is gone. But like i've stated before, my seeking out music from the 60's and 70's that is "New to me" has satisfied my hunger for new music for quite some time, and I think it's the only thing we can do. That's why I think sharing these "discoveries" with each other is an exciting way to be able to enjoy the thrill of hearing a song for the first time that you LOVE. that is something I missed SO MUCH in the last 20 years, but due largely to YOUTUBE, i've been able to recapture that feeling, and end up spending a freaking ton of money on CD's in the process!! LOL BTW... I LOVE the Fortunes, they has many wonderful hits, this being my favorite:

[stephanie]

Ok! Here is how the record companies and the artists can make money. Get rid of Lady Gagg, Britney Shears, Trey Sounds, Oosher and all of the ones we dont like. Start playing
all of the old Motown, Stax and Power Pop people from the 60s to the present and for those who can still move get them on the road. Jim Peterik [[Vehicle and Eye of the Tiger is awesome LIVE now in 2010 full blown horn section and all and same voice wheel Pacific Gas and Electric out there as well if they can still sing). Dont pay the young artists and play the older songs the groups that are in their 50s and 60s wont ask for as much money. Sell the older songs and give the royalty money to the families [[whatever little there is) older people will buy cds and younger kids will be forced to appreciate the music the way we were forced to buy cds. Go to Sirius if you want to hear these people. Only thing you will hear on the radio now is classic rock. Rock groups are never ignored look at all the young fans Judas Priest, Rush and KISS have. I think they wanted to kill randb intentionally myself. I still hear Firefall and Pilot from time to time but no Joe Tex, or Raspberries or even the Guess Who.

I could go on and on but soft rock and randb has a place heck I dont even hear the I Carpenters anymore. Im glad the old Soul trains are on cable I heard Jermaine do Lets Get Serious.

[soulster]

tsull,

That music would be called "blue-eyed soul". It's nothing but soul music with a pop sensebility by white guys [[and gals).

Among my favorites are "Wildflower" by Skylark and "Don't Pull Your Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. Three Dog Night did a lot of them too!

[Sotosound]

I started working as a DJ in the second half of the 70s and I rode the wave of disco, soul, funk, Saturday Night Fever etc. Those were great days for dance music with broad appeal.

Then in the early 80s, we saw Rap and Electro arrive. Although this stuff had merit, it wasn't that useful for a mobile DJ doing weddings and birthdays in an around London.

As the 80's progressed we saw further compartmentalization to the point where new straightforward pop or soul with memorable lyrics, a melody and an easy, danceable beat or rhythm became increasingly hard to find. Instead we had hip hop, garage etc.

I retired from DJ-ing in 1987 to concentrate on my main career and funnily enough, straight after this, Stock Aitken and Waterman rose to the top with their own brand of danceable pop and soul with memorable lyrics, a melody and an easy, danceable beat or rhythm.

What is also worth noting is that people of all ages revere music from the 60s and 70s whereas the same can't perhaps be said with such conviction about music produced after those two classic decades.


Finally, I love "Here It Comes Again" by The Fortunes as well. For me, the portentous intro just sets this track up perfectly. It's also best in mono and I therefore bought an original Decca single via eBay a couple of years ago to maximise my enjoyment.

[smark21]

There's still middle of the road music, it's just that the street has been paved over and re routed. Middle of the road artists today are performers such as Michael Buble, Josh Groban, Colbie Callait, Sara Baraellis and others. Just tune into your local Lite FM station [[though perhaps wait until after Christmas as most Lite FM stations are wall to wall holiday music right now). You'll discover what is now the middle of the road. Another name for this type of radio could be "Secretary rock" as the stations are geared toward people who work in administrative support positions in terms of the music and the promotions.

[soulster]

smark, I think the OP was specifically referring to R&B-flavored pop. I really don't think any of the artists you cited fit into that category.

[tsull1]

Of course the music industry is right, just ask them. Heck, what other industry could demand that they're doing it the right way when 63,000 albums sold now tops the charts and just a decade or more ago you had to hit a million to top the charts.

Name another industry that could lose 3/4's of its market share and sales and still think they're correct. It would be like Apple still making typewriters and saying, "You all don't get it, we're right!"

[tom_moulton]

You don't want to get the marriage of Music and Lyrics mixed up with today's sound. I wonder how much longevity today's sound will have down the road. I was shopping the other day in a super market and they were playing A Woman Needs Love by Ray Parker jr. GOD I MISS MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[marv2]

Back when there was music, I was spending $200 -$300 a month on it! This year, 2010 is the first year that I think I bought one or maybe two CDs!

[jillfoster]

200-300$ a month? Shit, Marv... that's alot of cabbage spent on music! I have a good friend who has 4,500 vinyl albums. It's amazing, really. I feel like a loser with my 120 vinyl albums and 200 CD's.

[stephanie]

People WANT to buy good music they dont HEAR it! That is why they are not buying CDs!

[glencro]

Back when there was music, I was spending $200 -$300 a month on it! This year, 2010 is the first year that I think I bought one or maybe two CDs!

Yea the pnly good thing about the crap that's out is that I've saved a ton of money. I used to would spend my last on a cd and go without eating. Man, has that changed but I will say this week I did purchase 5 cd's which is almost the number I've bought in the last 6 mos.

[smark21]

People WANT to buy good music they dont HEAR it! That is why they are not buying CDs!

I think it's more of a matter that people who do consume new music either download [[legally or illegaly) or stream music. And as for the older demographics, they are generally not interested in new music and perhaps their music collection is by and large complete, with the odd new release or re-issue here and there. CDs are slowly becoming obsolete, or at most, a concrete marketing object to display to advertise the music.

[smark21]

You don't want to get the marriage of Music and Lyrics mixed up with today's sound. I wonder how much longevity today's sound will have down the road. I was shopping the other day in a super market and they were playing A Woman Needs Love by Ray Parker jr. GOD I MISS MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

20 years from now the people who love Katy Perry and Justin Beiber and Miley Cyrus are going to complain about the popular music of 2030 and complain about how it's not real music and wish society could go back to the days of real music like Katy Perry. On youtube I watch videos of very commercial 80's and 90's acts--I remember back when they came out how people would complain about how souless and commodified those songs and albums were--but in the user comments, you have people saying "that's real music" and express a longing to get back to the integrity of say, Diane Warren penned power ballads performed by bands like Bad English. All these comments say to me is that the commenters have grown old and are nostalgic for their youth when all things seemed possible before the reality of adult life took its toll.

[smark21]

smark, I think the OP was specifically referring to R&B-flavored pop. I really don't think any of the artists you cited fit into that category.

Good point. I must admit, other than the classical NPR station I listen to when I wake up, I don't listen to the radio anymore unless I'm in a store that's playing a radio station, ususally Z100, Beat of New York, or Lite FM. A couple of years ago I was working in an office in LA that permitted employees to play the radio softly at their desks. A couple of guys had their radio tuned to an Adult oriented R and B station. The playlist was very limited as I heard most songs played two, three or 4 times between 9-5. I'd say about 70 percent of the songs played were from the 70's, 80's, and 90's--Michael Jackson, O'Jays, Stevie Wonder, Sade, Tony Braxton, Anita Baker, etc and 30 percent current releases--Magic by Robin Thicke and Just Fine by Mary J. Blige were played to death. I guess if there is a middle of the road pop and soul station, their playlist is geared toward oldies as that's what their listeners want to hear.

The original poster also brought up how Elton John and Paul McCartney play to sell out audiences as an example of older audiences being music consumers. Yes, but most of the people who are going to see vintage acts are there to here the old stuff. They might tolerate a new song or two, but by and large, the old acts can't sell or get airplay for their new material. Their long time audiences, outside of the genuine die hards, want to hear the old stuff, and the young people want their own stars, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's how it should be.

[kenneth]

What's really illuminating, if you look at a music guide from the late 60s or early 70s, it is amazing how diverse Top 40 radio was. A lot of Top 40 stations played everything from the Beatles/Stones to Motown to Sinatra/D. Martin to the MC5/Stooges and even some occasional Country, though I think this was not as common at least in the major markets. It's funny that Top 40 has the reputation of being so compartmentalized but I think this more or less emerged in the 70s when album sales took off and the industry was less singles driven. So fun to see those old music guides, I wish I had saved more of them!

[jillfoster]

The point about diversity is a very good one. At some points, you even had acts from Holland having hits on the US charts. Today we have a complete absence of the instrumental, as well. Whole genres of music just GONE from the top 40.

[splanky]

Okay, Tsull...If you want to hear that stuff get what you can on cd or reference sites like youtube but personally I don't
spend a lot of time bemoaning these situations anymore because I know everything must change and yesterday is not
today. For me there is plenty of good music out there now but maybe that's because I listen to a lot of stuff 95 percent of
people here ignore. The only reasons I don't buy as much music as I did in say 2006 is that 1) the record/cd outlet business
in New York just about collapsed and 2) I had my own personal economic crisis in 2007. I simply cannot afford to buy as
much as I used to and so have to rely on other sources and some good friends to feed my hunger. Thankfully this year I've
been enjoying the latest releases from Sharon Jones, Ryan Shaw, Shemekia Copeland, Catherine Russell, Corrine Bailey Rae, and Sade for examples, along with nice reissues from Billie Holiday, Slave and Baby Huey. Within the week ahead I expect to be getting jazz violinist Regina Carter's Reverse Thread and Ethiopian legend Aster Aweke's Ballads. My ears are wet already...

[rta5225]

I hear all of those groups and frequently! Youu have to go to the "Oldies" radio station in your town, I'm guessing. That's where I hear it here.

[Motown_M_1056]

I hear all of those groups and frequently! Youu have to go to the "Oldies" radio station in your town, I'm guessing. That's where I hear it here.

I didn't understand the initial question either. Time Life continues to repackage soft and Seventies rock classics. There are radio stations that play Sixties & Seventies soft rock hits by the Fortunes, Hamilton, Joe Ffrank & Reynolds, etc. Middle of the road or soft rock has evolved. It's still around, but being made by different artists. We don't have records being made in different regions of the country anymore, but middle of the road rock is still around.