Easy Listening

58 vinyl records found

Easy listening emerged in the mid-20th century as a accessible alternative to swing and big band, built on simple melodies, soft arrangements, and songs perfect for dancing or background listening. The genre spans instrumental work on organs and strings alongside vocal performances from singers like Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and Johnny Mathis, creating a diverse catalog worth exploring.

Filter by Price

Sort

50s Jukebox Hits Vol. 1 by Paul Anka — album cover

Best Price

-11%

Amazon ↗#anúncio

Paul Anka

50s Jukebox Hits Vol. 1

$22.34

$19.98

Collected - Limited Crystal Clear by The Carpenters — album cover

About the Easy Listening genre

The roots run back to the 1940s when returning WWII soldiers brought tropical influences into American music, heard in artists like Martin Denny's exotica work. Jazz musicians began crossing into the format as well, with Stan Getz blending bossa nova textures into California cool, while Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass brought Latin rhythms to mainstream pop charts in the 1960s. Instrumental arrangements dominated: The Three Suns offered accordion-and-guitar simplicity from nightclub settings, and Percy Faith created lush orchestral versions that transformed pop songs into mood pieces.

The genre's radio format, sometimes called Beautiful music when stations adhered to strict instrumentation rules and limited vocal tracks per hour, shaped how collectors encounter these records today. Composers across different traditions found homes under easy listening's umbrella, from film scorer Lalo Schifrin's action themes to Nino Rota's ornate arrangements. By the 1970s, the format began shifting toward Lite AC and Adult Contemporary radio, though the physical catalog remained prolific and remains highly collectible, with reissues of classic instrumental and vocal recordings still circulating in the used vinyl market.