@Edward Parker

Discover new music from artists we think you'll like. Refreshed every Friday.

A dreamy, moony-eyed middle ground between the strident earnestness of ’60s folk and the lusty funk and soul grooves that dominated the latter part of the ’70s, soft rock offered listeners stories of love lost, found and longed for, set to lush arrangements. Characterized by incandescent vocals (wistful falsettos from Boston, Peter Frampton, and Bread; golden purrs from Carole King and Stevie Nicks), rich harmonies (Hall & Oates; the Eagles), warm, pure guitar tones, and laidback synth chords, these tunes offered a mellow, melodic haven in a world undergoing tremendous social and political change.

In the wake of the Summer of Love, troubadours turned their attention inward and upward, using their ample talents to champion causes both romantic and existential. The spare, outspoken political folk that occupied singer/songwriters throughout the ’60s gave way to lush, mellifluous ballads and rowdy rave-ups in which artists examined matters of the heart and soul from multiple angles. Armed with little more than a six-string, poet/philosophers like Cat Stevens and Joni Mitchell helped listeners make sense of everyday chaos, while charismatic crooners like Billy Joel and Elton John sent worries scurrying away on a cascade of piano chords.

Though often associated with California rock, John Boylan is an NYC native who went to Bard College around the same time Steely Dan did. He was responsible for putting together the band for Linda Ronstadt that later became the Eagles, and helped Tom Scholz refine the first Boston album. Along with hits by Charlie Daniels and Quarterflash, this list has an obscure country-rock gem he did with The Association.