Elvis

Hey Skeeter, give Kadiddlehopper your act. Man, Elvis was good.

I Can Tell

Check out the color footage from behind the scenes of a 1964 episode
of Ready Steady Go!. They're dancing to a remake of Bo Diddley's
I Can Tell. The clip is from a Look at Life newsreel about Liverpool.




I Can Tell, The Zephyrs, 1964

new year, new suit

Let's go get our "got to be with it" suits. And bring your drum set.
As we enter this year, remember that a little lovin' goes a long way. 😃

Mrs. Claus

Santa. Santa. Santa. What about the Mrs.? For instance, she loves to dance to soul music. Join her already and have a Happy Christmas!


Mama's Got a Bag of Her Own, Anna King, 1965

I won't let them stretch their necks...

...to see my little black egg with the little white specks. Thanks to Lost and Found, I'm reminded of The Little Black Egg. I definitely would have bought this 45. The storyline is intriguing. A guy finds an egg and won't show it to anyone. At one point, Mary and Lee stop by. The end.


The Little Black Egg, The Nightcrawlers, 1965

'Tis the season...

...for lots of Christmas music to put you in the mood. Let it snow!

Think For Yourself

Do this, don't do that, be this way, don't be that way. Go along with the crowd or else... "Be yourself and make up your own mind about things" was the advice my parents gave me throughout my life. Follow your heart and do what you want to do, not what others want you to do. Below, is a deconstructed version of Think For Yourself. Rubber Soul was recorded in 1965 with a more introspective outlook and a different sound from their previous work. Yipppppppppeeeeeeeeeee!


Think For Yourself deconstructed, 1965

It's gettin' chilly

Now if I can just find my stash of winter neckwear I'll be all set.

vroooom

Need a teeny car to go with your teeny house? Why not one of these?

Look Through Any Window

I'm not quite sure that if you went around looking in windows that you'd see smiling faces all around. More like people freaking out.
Aren't they encouraging peeping Tom-ism? I love the revolving stage.

The First Cut is the Deepest

What's better than discovering a "new" old song? Finding a video to go along with it. P.P. Arnold recorded the Cat Stevens song in 1967. I knew the 1976 Rod Stewart version first. With the multitude of fine hairdos that Rod has sported, I couldn't choose just one photograph.




The First Cut is the Deepest, Cat Stevens, 1967

Mr. Blue Sky

Don't you love whipping open the curtains to find a gorgeous blue sky?

Happy Halloween!

Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat. 👹

The Electric Company

As a grade-school kid in the 70s, I was the target audience for this program. I looooved this show and it helped me tremendously with reading and writing. The music and vernacular were very much of the time – groovy and funky. For me, Morgan Freeman the movie star will always be "the guy from The Electric Company." Right on.

Hold On, I'm Comin'

Sam and Dave (backed by Booker T and the MGs) and Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers perform Hold On, I'm Comin' live.

Stevie Wonder

I need to hear Stevie Wonder this morning. Check out others who
dig him. Music is the universal language of mankind. – Longfellow

Cher

Beautiful, talented and funny. How do you not laugh at this scene?

I'm with them

I always had a feeling that Miss Jane had a savage side. Loud people
are usually all talk but it's the quiet ones who are the wild ones.

Betty who?

My favorites are: Betty White, Betty Boop, Betty Crocker, Betty Grable, Betty Ford and Betty Rubble but my #1 is Black Betty.

Linda Ronstadt

Here are two live performances featuring the most angelic voice.

Justine

Going to the barbershop, gonna have him do me up, gonna get clean for my little buttercup. The Righteous Brothers perform Justine complete with go-go girls dancing The Monkey and the "James Brown." This high-energy tune was originally recorded in 1958 by Don and Dewey.


Justine, Don and Dewey, 1958

Saturday morning dose of 1965

New Musical Express is a British publication (now online) established in 1952. From 1959–1972, NME held concerts featuring the winners from the reader's poll of favorite artists. From 1964 on, the concerts were filmed for tv viewing. Here are some performances from the 1965 show:

The Moody Blues  •  Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames
The Seekers  •  Herman's Hermits  •  Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders  •  The Rolling Stones  •  Them  •  The Searchers
Dusty Springfield  •  The Animals  •  The Beatles  •  The Kinks

backup singing

I've always had a fondness for songs with terrific backup singing.

John Fogerty

I was a fortunate son last night to be able to see John Fogerty and his kids put on a blast of a show in Boston. One huge, sing-along fest.

school dances

As a teenager in the late 70s and early 80s, my school threw lots of dances and I attended most of them. After the 7th grade, we stopped having dances in the gym to preserve the floor. They were then held in the cafeteria and the resident deejay was Mr. Taylor, one of the teachers. Every time I hear Cars by Gary Numan, I remember how impressed I was that he played this cool, weird, new-wavish song at a dance in the fall of 1979. Satisfaction was always played even though it was 15-years-old. Stairway to Heaven was usually the last song.

meet me at the pool

Travel to Venezuela and Israel. Take a dip or squiggle poolside.

Saturday morning dose of 1965

Maggie Thrett has got me goin' loopy with her groovy tune Soupy.


Soupy, 1965 (thanks Funky 16 Corners)

Staying cool?

Get outside, splash around or grab some grub and have a picnic.

Eddie Kendricks

This song reminds me of riding in the car as a kid. It was #2 on the charts in 1974. Check out these platforms and boogie down, baby.

I wanna go home

Do you feel like Earth isn't your true home? That's because it isn't.

beat school

Where are my sunglasses and cigarettes? It's time for writing class.

Martha and Dusty

In 1965, several Motown groups appeared on Ready Steady Go along with host Dusty Springfield. Martha and the Vandellas join Dusty for a fabulous version of Wishin' and Hopin' – the original Salt-N-Pepa. 

In this clip, Dusty is backed up by Motown greats. What a show. 😃

Tico rocks!

Tico kind of sings along to Blister in the Sun by the Violent Femmes.

I Dig Everything

Check out this early tune by David Bowie. Can you dig it? I dig it.


I Dig Everything, 1966

fuzz and twang

Billy Strange, guitarist/songwriter and member of The Wrecking Crew performs Satisfaction. Strange's guitar is heard on a ton of hits but my favorite is his rockin', surf sound from The Munsters (1964).

Welcome summer!

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend. Remember what it's all about.

weeeeeeeeeeeee!

How have I never heard of this beast from England? As a kid I would dream of taking a rollercoaster places instead of a bus or train. This is what it would've been like. 😜 Coooooool! Whoooooooooaaaaahhh!

gliddy gloop gloopy

Last weekend I attended an intense, 3-day retreat in the lovely state of New Hampshire. On two occasions we had to spend time alone in the woods at night. Looking up at the starry sky was my solace from my vivid imagination running wild especially after being told there was a mama bear with cubs spotted in the vicinity. That's right, I'm woo-woo.


Good Morning Starshine, Oliver, 1969

Come On and Sing

Dancing Machine

Brown + Orange = Brorange, the official color of the 1970s.

It's Madison time

Two regulars from Baltimore's teen dance program The Buddy Deane Show (1957-64) demonstrate The Madison in 1959. This program was the basis for The Corny Collins Show in Hairspray.

Can you dig it?

Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about?

Don't Be Cruel

Before opening your big, fat mouth, is what you're about to say kind?
Is it helpful? Or is it cruel? If the latter is true, perhaps look into that.

Happy Easter

Heavenly souls, go in peace to love and serve the Lord. No, really.