I know I really enjoy swing, jazz, ragtime, and other sounds of the 30's and 40's, but if I were on a quiz show to name song and artist I would fail miserably. So to you readers... please recommend 5 of your favourite old timey songs for me to get familar with. I am talking about the scratchy popping record sounds of the past. They have to be versions from the 20's - 40's. Songs that I would play on my old Victrola had I had one. I can tell you that I am a fan of Fats Waller already, so his gems won't need recommending.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Music Recommendations
As much as I love the 40's and the WWII era I am not familiar with the music specifics. 
I know I really enjoy swing, jazz, ragtime, and other sounds of the 30's and 40's, but if I were on a quiz show to name song and artist I would fail miserably. So to you readers... please recommend 5 of your favourite old timey songs for me to get familar with. I am talking about the scratchy popping record sounds of the past. They have to be versions from the 20's - 40's. Songs that I would play on my old Victrola had I had one. I can tell you that I am a fan of Fats Waller already, so his gems won't need recommending.
I know I really enjoy swing, jazz, ragtime, and other sounds of the 30's and 40's, but if I were on a quiz show to name song and artist I would fail miserably. So to you readers... please recommend 5 of your favourite old timey songs for me to get familar with. I am talking about the scratchy popping record sounds of the past. They have to be versions from the 20's - 40's. Songs that I would play on my old Victrola had I had one. I can tell you that I am a fan of Fats Waller already, so his gems won't need recommending.
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I'm Getting Sentimental Over You - Tommy Dorsey
ReplyDeleteOpus One-Tommy Dorsey
Cherokee-Charlie Barnet
Jumpin at the Woodside-Benny Goodman
Drum Boogie-Gene Krupa
I could go on and on. I think I shall make you a CD!
I highly recommend purchasing the compilation "Original Dance Music of the 1920s and 1930s". Here is the Amazon.com link: http://www.amazon.com/Original-Dance-Music-1920s-1930s/dp/B00004RDNO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1233498832&sr=1-1
ReplyDeleteIt's really quite excellent. The 5 songs I'd recommend on it are I Found a Million Dollar Baby, Man on the Moon, Broadway Melody, You're the Cream in my Coffee and I Wanna Be Loved By You.
If you need more recommendations, I suggest asking TakieKing over at talkieking.blogpost.com.
Good luck with your search!
Well, since I have currently time traveled to 1955 as a housewife, I should know this, right?
ReplyDeleteI love the andrew sisters
1. Don't sit under the apple tree
2. Rum and Coca-Cola
3.Billie Holiday-God bless the child
Ella Fitzgerald
4.Chew your bubblegum
5.Tisket a Tasket
Charlie Parker-How High the Moon
There are a lot more, plus I really am getting into Jazz of the 1950s, since I am living here I might as get to know the music, right?
Nice blog.
I'm a new reader to your blog, and an avid collector and lover of vintage music. So, sticking to only 5 songs of the 30s and 40s, and those I can link you to, I recommend these (and anything by the artists):
ReplyDeleteThe Very Thought of You (1934) by Al Bowlly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDYrXcQj4JI
Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries (1931) by Rudee Vallee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mc6RS9e3Dhw
Dinah by The Boswell Sisters (1932)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9Afn3Z-BWI
Hey Now (1934?) by Cab Calloway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4jj9V48owg
Solid Potato Salad (1943) by Ella Mae Morse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_kGzyblvuI
Jenny... A cd would be WONDERFUL!! I would love to have a full sampling of 30's 40's music to pass the day away while I clean or whatnot... especially Sat and Sun afternoons! I am almost done dowloading your recommendations! Yay!
ReplyDeleteArt Hickman and Bix Beiderbecke! You should be able to find some to download (I use SoulSeek).
ReplyDeleteSt. James Infirmary - Louis Armstrong 1928 However there are many different versions.
ReplyDeleteIn the Mood - Glenn Miller Orchestra(every time I hear his music it conjurs up thoughts of WWII & USO dances)
String of Pearls - Glenn Miller Orchestra (GMO)
Moonlight Serenade - GMO I saw GMO in concert in 2006 and the end every concert with the Moonlight Serenade
Toot, Toot, Tootsie! (Goo'bye) - Al Jolson #1 pop hit in 1923.
Also for a modern day band that does a MOST EXCELLENT job of recreating the greats is the Stollen Sweets. I have seen them in concert at venues twice they do 30's and 40's jazz. They are from Portland Oregon and when they are in town and playing the Portland Swing Scene comes out to dance and party. I have their CD which I highly recommend, I played it for two different friends and they both thought it was an old time recording because it has that old time crickety phonograph sound to it. They also sing in the style of the Boswell Sisters. Here is the link to myspace so you can here their music: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=11780042 and here is their website: www.stolensweets.com.
Also You really need to check this person on myspace they asked me to be friends several months ago and a few weeks ago I decided to check them out and he collects old time records he has HUNDREDS of them go and have a listen... but do it fast because myspace is giving him a hard time about copywrite infringements even though most of his stuff is 70 to 100 years old and are considered public domain but they are soon going to make him take the songs off of myspace. He is in the process of making a CD of these musical gems.
Oops I forgot to give you the link and the name to the last one: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=281568443 and the name is Johnny Bitterman.
ReplyDeleteI swear sometimes I think I go brain dead when I try to opperate this thing (laptop & CPU's in general) and BTW THANKS for the compliment!
I am enjoying your blog so much that I gave you an award on my own. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you asked this,I'll have to have my husband help me compile my list. As I can often remember the name of the song,but not the artist or vice versa.
I'm in the same boat as you Lo... so I'll have to come back and read more comments later to learn more!
ReplyDeleteI have been going to www.pandora.com and made a station of the Andrew Sisters. It brings up all kinds of great stuff. I definitely want an Ella Fitzgerald cd, and many others I have liked there.... but couldn't tell you what they are, I'd have to go listen again and write them down, lol!
hello kitten i just found your blog omg i have had a great time here...i love all 40's music...benny goodman...bell sisters...tommy dorsey...ella...one amazing gal is ruth brown...and my very favorite song is by gracie fields....judy garland, the mcguire sisters...and all the listed by the other rocken kittens above...enjoy the hunt for the best 40's music...if you need a lil' now music there is a kitten doing sultry 20's 30's and 40's music...she is fab...janet klein and her parlor boys...oh honey 2 die for...swing by my place sometime...cat
ReplyDeleteHere are five from that era that immediately come to mind:
ReplyDelete1. I'm Confessin', Louis Armstrong (1930)
2. Shout, Sister, Shout!, Boswell Sisters (1930)
3. Time On My Hands, Lee Wiley (1931)
4. Let Me Off Uptown, Gene Krupa Orchestra, Anita O'Day vocal (1941)
5. Saturday Night (s The Loneliest Night In The Week, Frank Sinatra
May I also recommend two radio programs you can hear online -- "Hot Jazz Saturday Night" from WAMU in Washington (http://wamu.org/programs/hjsn/) and "The Big Broadcast" on Sunday nights from WFUV in New York (http://www.wfuv.org/programs/bigbroadcast.html). Past programs are also available online.
how interesting you are a burlesque dancer! that sounds like a lot of fun. i love Victrolas, don't own one..
ReplyDeleteNick Lucas music is wonderful, especially "A Cup of Coffee, a Sandwich and You" and "An Apple for the Teacher"-- Annette Hanshaw music, especially "Walking My Baby Back Home" and "Lovable and Sweet"-- Early Bing Crosby -- "You Sweet So and So" by Jack Buchanan. Here are the links to great cds that I absolutely adore on amazon:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/Pennies-Heaven-Various-Artists/dp/B0001Z2S4A/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1235019286&sr=8-4
http://www.amazon.com/Lovable-Sweet-25-Vintage-Hits/dp/B000001HK2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1235019376&sr=1-1
http://www.amazon.com/Tip-Toe-Thru-Tulips-Nick-Lucas/dp/B000051TPJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1235019400&sr=1-1
And the station Sweet and Lovely on Live365 plays a bunch of really great Jazz Age music.
btw, Great blog!!!
What a great blog, and what great generous responses! Almost too many to go through! I love Satch, Django Reinhardt, and some of the WW2 stuff- 'Praise the lord and Pass the Ammunition' and all that.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!