Happy to join you, Steve, in gratitude for our respective loyal Substack readers! I also get somewhat twinkle-eyed and misty-toed this special time of year (the powder helps, and I don't get paid to say that)! I mean, it's hard to help it!
Your question is so simple, yet so profound, and I wish I had thought of it (the dearth of easy-listening artists today). Back in Bishop's day, he was yet another artist in what used to be the broad genre of Top 40 AM radio fare. While that also included hard rock, guitar solos, R&B, disco, et al, Bishop simply fit in, while we all acknowledged (without judgement or derision) he was simply on the easier/poppier end of the hit radio spectrum.
On the FM side (and I was astride a pro FM mic in '76, the year of his debut album release), we found little to play, but only because he was melodic and only gently electric. I liked him and took home his promos! I just looked up how he got his start, and after several years plugging away at a publishing company, he had fellow artists notice his compositions, to the point of recording them! I smell an "Audio Autopsy" on the beginning of Bish (I've already set aside this article to mention as an inspiration, if I ever get to it)!
As for today, I'm guessing there are some "easy listening" artists today, but I suspect they're either out-numbered in the studio by drum machines or Auto-Tunes, or they're overtaken by thinking they have to out-warble the Mariahs and out-48-bar run the Christinas. All of which takes anything striving to be "easy-listening" down to the level of hard-to-endure. But, again, a fun and noggin-challenging post!💥
Thanks Brad. I didn't have the bandwidth for a full Stephen Bishop explanation or history this week. I am glad it has inspired you to write a newsletter post about him! 😀
Happy to join you, Steve, in gratitude for our respective loyal Substack readers! I also get somewhat twinkle-eyed and misty-toed this special time of year (the powder helps, and I don't get paid to say that)! I mean, it's hard to help it!
Your question is so simple, yet so profound, and I wish I had thought of it (the dearth of easy-listening artists today). Back in Bishop's day, he was yet another artist in what used to be the broad genre of Top 40 AM radio fare. While that also included hard rock, guitar solos, R&B, disco, et al, Bishop simply fit in, while we all acknowledged (without judgement or derision) he was simply on the easier/poppier end of the hit radio spectrum.
On the FM side (and I was astride a pro FM mic in '76, the year of his debut album release), we found little to play, but only because he was melodic and only gently electric. I liked him and took home his promos! I just looked up how he got his start, and after several years plugging away at a publishing company, he had fellow artists notice his compositions, to the point of recording them! I smell an "Audio Autopsy" on the beginning of Bish (I've already set aside this article to mention as an inspiration, if I ever get to it)!
As for today, I'm guessing there are some "easy listening" artists today, but I suspect they're either out-numbered in the studio by drum machines or Auto-Tunes, or they're overtaken by thinking they have to out-warble the Mariahs and out-48-bar run the Christinas. All of which takes anything striving to be "easy-listening" down to the level of hard-to-endure. But, again, a fun and noggin-challenging post!💥
Thanks Brad. I didn't have the bandwidth for a full Stephen Bishop explanation or history this week. I am glad it has inspired you to write a newsletter post about him! 😀