It’s interesting to ponder the world of nearly 60 years ago, especially since we still hold such an era in high regard. 1960 brought us the first glimpse of the Neoliberalist optimism that no longer serves us more than a half century later alongside with such advents like Birth Control & The Flintsones. Music critics look…
Tag: The Shirelles
Prime Time for ’69: 50 Girl Power Gems from 50 Years Ago
Pardon me, as I deviate and gather around a theme. I don’t think I would have embraced the power of music without the brilliance of contributions of Black Women in particular to American Popular Music. Black people, and women in particular, brought a certain gospel, nothing necessarily about Christianity, but something always aware of reality,…
A Dancing Holiday: Toe Tapping Tunes That Avoid The Christmas Crush
If you’re anything like me, all you need really is one spin of Christmas Music to be completely over it. Don’t get me wrong, one of my earliest mixes dealt with the Christmas Conundrum, getting past Phil Spector’s dominance with a variety of vintage seasonal gems not always beholden to Christmas. Listening to the same…
Not Too Late for more 1968: A Riot of Righteous Women
Today, November 17th 2009, is when I started the journey towards being a Vinyl DJ and a more serious music blogger. So in a measure of thanks, I’m speeding up my normal as of the past year trying to post a new mix and accompanying blog as we head into Thanksgiving week so you’ll have…
Never Has It Been So Good As Ashford & Simpson (and sometimes Armstead)
New York of the 1960’s brought us the power of love in the writers booth in a profound way. The Brill Building gave young Jewish Newlyweds like Goffin & King, Greenwich & Barry and Mann & Weil lots of money and respect as they churned out hits for people coast to coast and even overseas….
Don’t Trust The Weatherman, And Always Carry Your Umbrella: 35 Tunes For That Rainy Day Feeling
Nobody really warned me that summer ends right after Labor Day in the Pacific Northwest. After a long (short) Summer of 2 months, it’s been mostly rain, rain (please go away) in the Portland Metropolitan area. This is truly bizarre to me, living in the Bay Area, splendid, vaguely summery weather lasts all the way…
What’s New for ’62? Forty Femme Gems For Cosmopolitan Consumption
In terms of Pop Culture, 1962 is an interesting year. In a lot of ways, it’s the first full fledged year of “The Sixties” as we currently conceptualize it. Out were tailfins on cars, up were beehives. Lucille Ball returned to television minus Desi Arnaz. And, as a little nugget, two Aries superstars battled it…
Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff: Brotherly Love In The Recording Booth
Picture it, Philadelphia. 1963. Okay, it’s Leo season, and time for me to round up another pioneering set of songwriters. Given the season of the lion, I had to pay tribute to one member of Royal Soul. But you can’t really go into the spectacle that is the influential career of Kenneth Gamble (born August…
The Real McCoy: The All Too Real Hustle of Van McCoy
It’s really telling as I searched the wide web of inter that I couldn’t seem to find an image of a Pre-1970’s Van McCoy. Given his parity in age, and his extensive catalog of works he created, it’s a sign that he remained much the constructor behind the scenes, not really becoming of note until…
Girls Trip ’64 – Swinging Sixties Divine Diva Delights
I’ve mined the territory of checking in with women were doing in the recording studios through some random assortment of years during the 1960s. I started with 1965, jumped to 1961 and then did 1963. 1964 is an interesting year to ponder. Of course it’s mostly remembered as the beginning of the British Invasion that…
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