I’ve gone nuts for Patsy Cline – I just basically cleaned out the iTunes library and bought practically everything available. I already knew about her, and I had a few of her songs, but the more I listened the more I was overwhelmed by her talent.
Oh, yes, Patsy Cline. Her voice is like the perfect marriage of smoke and honey.
My retro discoveries lately are silly stuff from 1971-1976 or so. For some reason, and spurred by watching “Life on Mars”, I’ve been grooving on some pretty far-out early 70s tunes.
“Latest” as in it’s been a few years, but I was a fan of Blood Sweat and Tears for a good while until my brother turned me on to the “Al Kooper Era” album Child is Father to the Man in 2004. It was like…woah. That’s about all I can say to sum up my feelings about this discovery.
For some reason, I’m reliving my Iron Maiden/Black Sabbath/Zeppelin teenage years. I wish I still had some skinny black jeans and an Eddie t-shirt, but, you know, who’s being picky?
Jenő “Chappy” Orlay used to be the swingin’est drummer in Hungary. Here he plays A Man and His Drum, a 1939 number written for the Jimmy Dorsey band.
Turk Murphy
Kay Starr. I’m a sucker for great female harmonies, and the refrain (1:18) is just killer.
And of course Reg Kehoe and his Marimba Queens. Impossible to not smile listening to this music.
I just downloaded a bunch of Bessie Smith. My dad was a big fan, so it wasn’t really a discovery, I just remembered I like her.
For no apparent reason, I always thought The Pretenders were The Temptations. I don’t even vaugely understand why. Anyhow, rocking out to them for the last few weeks.
It’s not quite recent, but maybe two years ago I heard Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” for the first time. Ho-lee-shit.
Add to that the up-tempo, Gladys Knight version of “I Heard it through the Grapevine”.
I’d spent years despising the down-tempo Marvin Gaye version. Just too…I dunno. Gladys’s version makes me want to dance every single time.
Also Aretha’s “Think”. The descending bass/piano line at the end of the bridge hits me every time.
…both attributed to an older co-worker listening to an oldies station at work, god bless him.
im on a 60s music kick. Tremeloes, the Marmalade, The Troggs, the Kinks, the Move, the Herd & my favouirites the Hollies.
Last year I started watching videos on YouTube from shoegazer groups. That’s a musical genre that I’m kind of sad I missed out on.
I’ve been rocking out to C86 bands like The Pastels and The Wedding Present.
Also Linton Kwesi Johnson
I’ve just recently realized that The Beach Boys were a lot deeper than just surfing and chasing girls in classic cars. Pet Sounds has become one of my favorite albums lately.
Based on your nutness for Patsy Cline, I think you might like She & Him.
She & Him is a collaboration between M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, and their album of last year is full of great retro-sounding songs.
Try out “Sunflower” and “Surf’s Up” if you haven’t already. Re-mastered and re-packaged on one CD about 10 years ago. Brian was mostly on the sidelines at this time, but contributed some gems and the other “Boys” came into maturity as song writers.
I really like Karl Zéro. Don’t bother clicking the link. This is basically all is says:
He’s ‘retro’ in that he has recorded music from decades ago, but in 2000 and 2005; not ‘retro’ as in ‘I’ve discovered an artist from decades ago’.
Songs for Cabriolets and Otros Tipos de Vehiculos has a Latin feel to it. Cha-cha, Samba, that sort of thing. Dig it. You can listen to samples here.
KentaroPJJ - Cowboy Bebop - Io Mammate E Tu is Zéro’s Io Mammate E Tu set to anime.
Hi-Fi Calypso, Vol. 2 (with The Wailers) is, as it’s name states, Calypso and Reggae. I think his wife is the one singing Crazy Like Mad. She doesn’t have the best voice, but that just makes her sound sweet.
Other retro stuff I listen to is Surf Music. Dick Dale, The Surfaris, the retro surf band The Mermen, The Ventures, and others. I just like the whole early-to-mid-'60s vibe. Surf, sun, sand, the Space Age, cool cars, James Bond, and myself being a toddler at the time, life was pretty sweet.
As for Patsy Cline, I actually got into her a bit when I was visiting the desert a lot. After The Right Stuff I (an aviation enthusiast from the beginning) associated Patsy Cline’s music with the wild-and-wooly days of flight test.
My God, what a voice. He could sing it all, from schmaltzy pop ballads to straight-ahead jazz. I’d never heard of him until recently, and now I’m hooked.
Really. Check him out. You won’t be sorry.
Wow, I’m now officially hooked on Johnny Hartman too. Out of those mentioned in this thread, his voice is the one that stopped me in my tracks.
Anybody ever heard of Annette Hanshaw? Check her out.