thu 28/03/2024

The Joy of Easy Listening/ The Prince and the Composer, BBC Four | reviews, news & interviews

The Joy of Easy Listening/ The Prince and the Composer, BBC Four

The Joy of Easy Listening/ The Prince and the Composer, BBC Four

From rock to schlock, and a musical turn from HRH

James Last in the heyday of easy listening - don't worry, they don't make them like this any more

Once upon a time, "easy listening" was a term of abuse and contempt, intended to evoke everything uncool, unhip and musically middle-aged. It meant pipe, cardigan, golf and Bing Crosby, and it was the last thing you'd hear before you were felled by your thickened arteries and under-exercised heart.

Once upon a time, "easy listening" was a term of abuse and contempt, intended to evoke everything uncool, unhip and musically middle-aged. It meant pipe, cardigan, golf and Bing Crosby, and it was the last thing you'd hear before you were felled by your thickened arteries and under-exercised heart.

Richard Carpenter looked like a haggard Special Forces veteran, which goes to show there's nothing easy about easy listening

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