Which is worse the current top hits or 70s MOR pop?

[jamesanthony]

Many pop music critics love to hate the middle of the road pop like Helen Reddy, Terry Jacks, Barry Manilow but give me that music over most of the songs that are on the top 40 radio lists in 2004. What in the world is up with songs like Goodies? Were it not for the looks of the young woman singing that song what on earth would it's appeal be? It has absolutely no musical merit whatsoever IMO. Lean Back is another pointless song. I remember when critics were saying that disco ruined popular music, but if you ask me popular music is in a much worse state now than it was in the 70s. The pop charts look like someone turned them upside down and shook all the junk until it settled in the top rungs. R&b radio is just as bad. Both lists have far too many records that sound like they were made to play in strip clubs. Country is all about hunky looking dudes in big cowboy hats, Easy listening has some decent songs but they stay in rotation for 3/4 of a year or longer. Smooth jazz is getting more and more generic. Interesting music is still being made, but you almost have to NOT listen to the radio to find it.

[Steve M.]

Seventies MOR wasn't as bad as critics remember. John Denver came up with a good song every now and then, and Generation Xers like myself remember the Carpenters with fondness, as their tunes remind us of our far more settled days of childhood in the earlier half of the decade. And yes, the seventies were far better than today. Disco wasn't all bad, we had soul acts like the Stylisitcs and the O'Jays, and there was still room for rock on the singles charts, even though most of it had migrated to FM radio. Elton John, the Edgar Winter Group, the Allman Brothers, Steely Dan, Paul Simon, and the Eagles all had hit singles in the seventies. Today's Top 40 is all teen pop and hip-hop, recorded with much less craft than seventies performers like the Bee Gees and Donna Summer had, and Andy Gibb was much more enjoyable than today's teen idols. I agree, give me the seventies any day!

HAVE A NICE DAY! :)

[Jrnygrl]

I would take the MOR 70's music over anything on the radio today. At least people like Helen Reddy were singing about something, and you could consider them artists in the field of music. Today, they are just performers just willing to cash in on the handouts that record companies are giving away.

[jamesanthony]

I agree. Compare disco songs that were relatively meaningless like Boogie Oogie Oogie or Get Down Tonight to the modern crunk records or the Britney Spears/Ashanti/Ashlee Simpson type singers and it is very evident that those earlier records as slight as they might have been were made by people who had some level of musicianship. Many of the philly soul, Bee Gees and Elton John records were VERY intricately produced and the Carpenters were a VERY talented duo IMO. And it's true that the likes of Helen Reddy and John Denver were singing about something meaningful and before the advent of synthesizer dominated sounds it was normal for records to have live instruments on them.

[diezman]

I'll take 70s MOR over today's radio any day!

But then again, I'm old


It's funny- songs that I hated back then I have grown to love. It's a nostalgic thing I guess

[boechsner]

70's is by far better than todays music and I'm 23.

[Mijada]

I prefer the 70's stuff especially Barry Manilow. I remember my sister playing his records when I was a kid and it brings good memories.

[musicradio77]

As a matter of fact, the Music of Your Life plays nothing but big bands, swing and a batch of 50's, 60's and 70's MOR and some R&B. I should prefer 70's MOR over these genres.