Your favorite vegetabl...oldies

[Dunderhead]

I just wanted to make a thread for everyone to post/recommend their favorite oldies. I've been listening to a lot of cool stuff from the pre-British Invasion period recently and I just wanted some recommendations.

[Moon Dawg]

 A couple of years ago, I compiled something like 1000 songs to represent a 1954-64 pre-Beatles rock & roll playlist. Everything from Elvis to Doo-Wop to Pat Boone. (There are hundreds and hundreds of  good but semi-obscure Doo-Wop records.)  Got burned out and erased the whole mess but now I'm at work on a "Super Seventies" playlist.

[modestmaus]

I'm so confused  on what does and doesn't count as an oldie these days. There's a radio station around here I listen to that was pretty much all "ALRIGHT LETS GET SOME OLD SCHOOL IN HERE" and it was Britney Spears' "Baby, Hit Me One More Time". I wanted to cry. 

I'm turning 30 later this year and it's freaking crazy to think that there are people out there who weren't even born when "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was huge that are now college/university age. I've been so hesitant to call something like that an oldie but, you know, maybe it is? Or sure darn close to being one.

Anyway, my favorite oldie often changes but currently for me it's "The Letter"

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

I have always, and will always love, Let it be Me by The Everly Brothers.
That's my jam!

[hypehat]

On certain days, Ill say that I Only Have Eyes For You by The Flamingos is the greatest song ever recorded. No record sounds more beautiful.

[EgoHanger1966]

Not all pre-Beatles. But...a few of my favorite artists, cursory look through my cd collection.

Bobby Vee
Neil Sedaka
Everlys
Lesley Gore
Dion (solo)/Belmonts (solo)
Four Seasons
Billy Fury
Jay Black/Jay & The Americans
Chiffons
Tokens
Barry & The Tamerlanes
Cascades
Lou Christie
Four Evers
Rick(y) Nelson
Early Motown - Miracles, Mary Wells, Eddie Holland, Marvelettes etc
Del Shannon
Jackie Wilson
Kenny Lynch
Videls (other Pete Anders and Vinny Poncia related works include The Tradewinds, Innocence, Treasures)
Roy Orbison

There are plenty of one-off records by very obscure artists that are just as worthwhile. In these days of Youtube, very easy to find out what you like and what you don't, and can go from there.. Good luck! I love "oldies" music and see concerts by still-performing artists frequently.

[halblaineisgood]

.

[Dunderhead]

Come on guys, gimmie your top 5 singles or something.

1. Buzz Buzz Buzz
2. Heat Wave
3. Quarter to Three
4. Palisades Park
5. Young Blood

[Wild-Honey]

Top 5!  That's near impossible, but I'll give it a go

Tower of Strength, Gene McDaniels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM5eYVlztJc

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance - Gene Pitney

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - By anyone

Rag Mama Rag - The Band

The Streets of London - Ralph McTell

Caledonia - A lot of folks have sung this song. I first heard it sung by a local at a bar in Kilkenny Ireland and fell in love with it.  I've put Dolores Keanes version on here and Paolo Nuntinis.

Paolo -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux-lObXl9Sg

Dolores -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYc-MxAg9XM

Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets     

You Don't Own Me - Lesley Gore

[halblaineisgood]

.

[Summertime Blooz]

Sticking with some 60s faves:

It's Not Unusual- Tom Jones
Call Me- Petula Clark
More Today Than Yesterday- Spiral Starecase
I Say a Little Prayer- Dionne Warwicke
California Soul- The 5th Dimension
Don't You Care- The Buckinghams    http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,12580.0.html

[cablegeddon]

My top 10 oldies songs

1. Johnny Nash - I can see clearly now
2. Orleans - Still the one
3. Impalas - Sorry (I ran all the way home)
4. Hollies - Here I go again
5. Elvis Presley - Can't help falling in love
6. Archies - Sugar Sugar
7. Ben E King - Stand by me
8. Petula Clark - Downtown
9. Four Seasons - Dawn
10. Ricky Nelson - Lonesome town

[Wild-Honey]

First off, great title with reference of one of my fave BBs songs. Now re subject. I have many favorite oldies (however I hate using this word). I'd recommend to listen to early surf instrumentals & jazz singers/musicians. F.ex., Sarah Vaughan, June Christy, Sun Ra etc. In rock-and-roll I like Danny & the Juniors, Joey Dee & the Starlighters, Sam the Sham, The Coasters & so on. Also some amount of Lesley Gore, Leon Russell, Jelly Beans & some one-off records by some unknown artists, for example, The Beatmen. They're not necessarily ante-British Invasion but still in the oldies category since it's 2013 year now. So, let me give this one example of haunting underrated gem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfSB8TrZs_g Isn't it beautiful?

Yes I agree RR it is beautiful.    Everyone has great taste!  When all your replies I thought "oh yeah, I forgot about that song!" 

[Moon Dawg]

Pre-Beatles

  1. Little Star-The Elegants
  2. Runaway-Del Shannon
  3. Johnny B Goode-Chuck Berry
  4. A Thousand Stars-Kathy Young & the Innocents
  5. My Girl Josephine-Fats Domino

[Ron]

I just wanted to make a thread for everyone to post/recommend their favorite oldies. I've been listening to a lot of cool stuff from the pre-British Invasion period recently and I just wanted some recommendations.

too many to list, but my favorites are always the kind of slimy ones like "Brandy".  Everything about it's great, I don't care how sleezy or corny it is. 

When I was a kid, I had a couple tapes with these oldies collections, but they were never the really famous stuff, it was always "b" list songs, things like "Ferry Cross the Mersy" or "Rockin' Robin"... or "Chapel of Love"... so I tend to like that stuff the best, because it reminds me of how strange it sounded to me, listening in the early 80's to these kind of b-rate love songs.  When I was a kid, I'd buy 45's at the thrift store... I always ended up with songs that were big hits (so they made a single record) but nobody wanted to hear anymore (so now they were cheap!).  So those still strike me as my favorite oldies.  I was a weird kid, my friends listened to the Beastie Boys, I was listening to "In the Ghetto" and "The Peppermint Twist". 

[Alan Smith]

Something in the Air - Thunderclap Newman

Man of the World - Fleetwood Mac

Joy - Apollo 11

Mongolid - Devo

You belong to me - the Duprees

[Gertie J.]

'kentucky rain', 'g.i. blues', 'return to sender', 'all shook up' by Elvis the King
Arethas 'chain of fools'
'shout' by the isley bros
Dusty - 'i close my eyes and count to ten'
'bobby's girl', susan maughan