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Anorak Revolution posted:Where do I start with 50s to early 70s Motown, 40s to 60s Jazz, Doo Wop and 50s to late 60s girl groups? With Motown it's all about the Best-Ofs. Before the late sixties all the emphasis was on hit singles and very few people cared about producing a consistent LP. This is especially true of Motown seeing as they had a group of very talented writers whose songs were split up over a large number of vocal groups. I have a 3-CD set called Tamla Motown Gold which I picked up cheap and would consider a good first purchase; it has most of the hits from the 60's which is the golden period for Motown (The label didn't score it's first hit until 1959, and lost it's best songwriters, Holland-Dozier-Holland in '67). The sixties is very much the era of the "classic" Motown sound typified by The Supremes, Smokey Robinson And The Miracles etc. Of course some acts like The Supremes have more than enough great songs to fill up their own Greatest Hits compilations. I couldn't recommend a specific one but I'm guessing they all have pretty much the same tracks and are all cheap. Motown are releasing comprehesive year-by-year collections of all their singles at the moment too. You can find reviews on https://www.pitchforkmedia.com. Of course, some artists like Marvin Gaye would go on to success in the 70's with their own songwriting, and you should check that out too if you haven't already. It's a long way from the ultra-poppy 60's stuff though. Although I know less about Doo-Wop music (I've tried to ask the same question on these forums before) it's a fact that the hit single was the number one objective for most Doo-Wop groups (or rather their record labels) too. Many groups were just teenagers picked out of high school who recorded a song or two then were never heard from again. I've picked up a couple of general doo-wop compilations recently, neither are very consistent but both have a few wonderful songs. Doo Wop Shop - with Love, Randall Lee Rose (Ace Records) Has Angel Baby by Rosie and the Originals, probably not strictly doo-wop but a beautiful song nonetheless, as well as The Penguins' Earth Angel and Denise by Randy and The Rainbows (later covered by Blondie). The Original Doo Wop Album (EMI) has some good songs too although I like it less. These CDs were pretty cheap so you might be best off going into your local record store and just grabbing a Doo-Wop comp at random. I also have Best Ofs from The Marcels and Dion And The Belmonts. Both have some really good tracks on them as well as alot of throwaway nonsense that was probably written and recorded within half an hour. That seems to be par for the course for the doo-wop era I'm afraid. Well, good luck, let me know if you find any hidden gems!
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Apr 29, 2008 11:19
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 00:17 |
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Jimmy Jazz posted:Also, where should I start with Belle & Sebastian? In chronological order: The debut, Tigermilk, will blow you away even before you know that it was recorded as a college music project. The following two albums - If You're Feeling Sinister and The Boy With The Arab Strap are also great. Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant is patchy. Dear Catastrophe Waitress and The Life Pursuit, from what I've heard of them, are pretty good even if it does seem that Stuart Murdoch wants to jump from genre to genre, In a White Album kind of way, on each track. B&S also recorded alot of EPs throughout the first half of their career and these are compiled on Push Barman To Open Old Wounds. This has some great songs on too and gives a good overview of the variety of sounds the band was experimenting with. I would start with any of the first three albums plus Push Barman To Open Old Wounds.
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May 5, 2008 13:17
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I think Brighten The Corners is pretty accessible too, it's the only album of theirs where I enjoy every song. Also it has Shady Lane which is the song that got me and I'm guessing alot of other people into the band. On second thoughts I'd probably stick with Crooked Rain, but skip to Gold Soundz and Range Life first.
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Jun 30, 2008 22:50
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Captain Charisma posted:Yes, when I want to get into a band and want to hear an album, the first thing I do is skip to the middle and end of the album instead of listening to the entire thing! I just think those are the most melodic/accessable/best songs on the album. Why not skip tracks? Everyone does it and most albums (including Crooked Rain) aren't filler-free. Captain Charisma posted:Crooked Rain is a really swift listen too, what the hell are you thinking? When people ask you for movie recommendations do you tell them to skip to scenes 13 and 17 and forget the rest of the movie? This is a ridiculous analogy. Crooked Rain is just a collection of songs like any other, not some untouchable masterpiece that must be enjoyed in a specific order. I'm with you on Terror Twilight though, skip to Carrot Rope first because it's just the best.
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Jul 1, 2008 22:06
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What Bobby Conn stuff should I buy? I think the man has a special kind of brilliance which probably doesn't always translate to record. This is loving incredible though.
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Jul 7, 2008 20:09
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| # ¿ May 17, 2024 00:17 |
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I want to get into some spanish language music mainly cos I'm learning Spanish and like music. I like acoustic stuff and obviously singers who enunciate clearly would be the most helpful, but any suggestions, regardless of genre, are welcome. What spanish/Latin American stuff do you guys listen to?
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Nov 6, 2008 19:23
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