bread (70s) -> air supply (80s) -> (90s)? -> (00s)?

i'd say maybe travis for the 00s, but i'm drawing a huge blank here...

Coldplay (00's)

i gave them a nod, too, after much reflection

Timmy T. (90's)

as in "one more try?"

do 8 minute songs of tweeting crickets and whistles and shit from Animal Collective count as soft rock?

there's a number of bands for the 90s...I'm gonna go with Toad the Wet Sprocket

Jesus guys, don't short the Goo Goo's, Hootie and Matchbox Twenty, now.

are they really the 90s equivalent of blazers with the sleeves pushed up and songs with 'love' in the title?

Maroon 5 for the 00s.

bingo

Phoenix

there was a period in the 90s where you could make a case for Aerosmith

00s is Coldplay

Just reading this got that don't want to miss a thing song stuck in my head.

ok, so this sounds about right:

bread -> air supply -> coldplay -> maroon five -> phoenix (pending history's decision)

also, pre-bread: had contemporary radio music devolved as much prior to david gates and company?

(i.e. what could possibly come before bread?)

This might be a good time to point out that Bread was actually better than most of their soft rock contemporaries and infinitely better than what came before them (for reference: Herman's Hermits, Petula Clark, Gerry & the Pacemakers, Gary Puckett & the Union Gap, ohgodmakemestop).

Bingo. I'd add Crash Test Dummies.

And include Hall and Oates, Asia, Toto, Roxy Music, Alan Parson's project, Ah-ha and a slew of others for the 80's--which combined with awful prog rock and hair metal to create an top-40 radio and MTV hell during the time of my yoot.

I consider Air Supply a 70's band. And add Chicago and the Doobie Brothers.

phoenix? really? soft-rock?

Phoenix isn't in league with these bands. While they all suck, those other bands have fans. Paying fans.

Like Phoenix is being bought by soccer moms all over the place.

definitely agree with either goo-goo dolls or matchbox 20 for '90s

agreed

BREAD GOOD

I think either these, or something like Sarah Maclachlan (sp?) is as close as it gets for that decade. Something that has distorted guitars buried somewhere in it, but has all the backbone of a bowl of applesauce.

Good nomination.

Yeah it's really tough to compare something like her or Goo Goo Dolls to classic soft rock like "Sailing" or "All Out of Love". I'm sure it's all a matter of age and perspective to look back at this stuff but, to me, that kind of soft rock simply isn't being made anymore.

I mean what about something like Train or Savage Garden? Remember "Truly, Madly, Deeply, BLECH"?

That shit sold through the roof.

But even that stuff isn't on the same level as something like "If You Leave Me Now".