My first post - getting my feet wet

So far setting this whole thing up has been remarkably easy. Although I've been a programmer for over 25 years, this is my first foray into actually creating something web-related. So for this, my first post, I wanted to keep it simple. So I just went through a bunch of songs on my Ipod and selected a few favorites to share here. My tastes in music are pretty wide-ranging although Rock & Roll from the 50s and 60s (the soundtrack to my life) is what I listen to most. But what I post will generally depend primarily on my mood when I'm putting it all together. Anyway, here goes.

I first heard "...Lovin'" on  one of Tony the Tyger's "Hipster's Sampler" tapes around 5 years ago. Generally, when it comes to 60s British beat, I prefer listening to the mono versions but in this case the stereo mix is actually pretty good....The Barrington Davis song comes off "Ugly Things Vol. 2", a comp of Australian 60s garage records. If this kind of freakbeat noise is what gets you goin', the 3 volumes in this series will be money well spent. And unlike many compilations of this ilk, the sound quality is first rate...Not much needs to be said about Big Maybelle. A big woman with an even bigger voice. This song is from the mid-50s. About 10 years later she cut a dynamite version of "96 Tears" which is kinda hard to find. I'll try to post that too one of these days.

I first heard Couple about 2 years ago, completely by chance. In the last days of the fabulous Power Pop Lovers blog I read a comment from Aidil, the main force behind the band. That's him you hear singing. Hailing from Malaysia they are creating quite a stir in their little corner of the world. They've got one album out (with another on the way) which you can get from Kool Kat or Amazon but in the meantime, you can hear more here.  

Del Shannon is one of my all-time favorite singers. "I Wish..." was supposed to be his last single on Amy but for some reason it was withdrawn. It's a shame as it's absolutely lovely as is "You Were So Warm" by Dwight Twilley.  Getting back to Del Shannon for a bit, I've heard rumors of some recordings he did with The Smithereens back in the late 80s. The mind boggles at the mere thought of such a pairing. If anyone out there knows anything more, please post a comment....Nothing much need be said about "What's So Funny...". EC belts it out with all the conviction he can muster and it feels even more relevant today than it did 30 years ago when I first heard it. 

I've never been caught up in the whole Sarah Records mystique. While, to a point, I can appreciate sensitive and twee, many of their records seemed too much so for my tastes. But not Heavenly. Amelia Fletcher has a beautiful voice and "Cool Guitar Boy" has a bit more bite to it. It's one of those songs I can play over and over...Little Willie John is another favorite of mine. Even when his material wasn't first-rate (which didn't happen often) he really knew how to put it across. "I'm Shaking" was covered almost note for note by The Blasters but the original is way better. 

"Margio" by Rob Hoeke is another incredible song brought to my attention by Tony the Tyger and it's become one of my all-time favorites. Mr. Hoeke was mainly a blues/boogie woogie piano player who also made a handful of amazing beat/R&B 45s back in the day...The E-Types single "I Can't Do It" was typical of many records coming out of California back in 1965/66 but that doesn't take away anything from how well their combination of upbeat jangly guitars and wistful vocals pull at the heartstings. Well, mine anyway. Available as a 45 with a nice picture sleeve from Sundazed Records....Lastly, a little bit of silliness. Rock and Roll has aways, at it's heart,  been about fun and that's all "Martian Hop" is - just pure dumb fun. 

Adam Faith - I Don't Need That Kind of Lovin'
Barrington Davis Powerpact - Raining Teardrops
Big Maybelle - That's A Pretty Good Love
Couple - Now That I Can See
Del Shannon - I Wish I Wasn't Me Tonight
Dwight Twilley Band - You Were So Warm
Elvis Costello - What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love And Understanding
Heavenly - Cool Guitar Boy
Little Willie John - I`m Shaking
Rob Hoeke - Margio
The E-Types - I Can't Do It
The Ran-Dells - Martian Hop

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