Haunting and magical with fragile, baby-doll vocals. The song describes common sentiments, repeating the phrase "park that car/drop that phone/sleep on the floor/dream about me" with such earnestness that, if you were the object of such affection, it would be nearly impossible not to come back.
This track is recommended for: fans of the Magnetic Fields, Radiohead
available on CD - You Forgot it in People (Arts & Crafts)
Middle-Eastern '60s teenpop! Wild backup singers and a groovy guitar/flute solo add a distinctive, exotic touch to this lovers-from-different-cultures song. Still, it's Gene Pitney's incredible, dramatic singing that pushes this over into the "so weird it's wonderful" arena.
available on CD - 25 All-Time Greatest Hits (Varese Vintage)
One of Brazil's classic pop hits of the late 60s, written by an incredible songwriting team responsible for dozens of similar gems between 1967 and 1971. Better known in the English version recorded by Brasil '66 as "Pretty World," but Wilson Simonal truly nailed this with his typically soulful vocals and a vintage soul-jazz-Brazil backing courtesy of pianist/arranger Cesar Mariano and his fantastic Som Tres trio. Also note the swirling strings-and-woodwinds arrangement and climactic hand-clapping singalong climax at the end.
from Alegria Alegria Vol. 2 (Odeon) available on CD - Alegria Alegria Vol.2 (EMI Brazil)
From one of the key Tropicalia albums, a typically genius Veloso composition, with a jazzy but vaguely psychedelic feel, sung in gorgeously beguiling style (and in English!) by Gal. Actually, this whole LP is essential. (note: in London there seem to be a lot of vinyl pressings � of dubious legality � of vintage Brazilian LPs around at the moment. Sound quality is sometimes iffy, but most of this stuff is hard to find on CD).
delicado: a fantastic recording; thanks for drawing my attention to it. Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 do a great version on their 1970 'Stillness' album as well.
An absolutely lovely smooth soul/pop ballad, and I'm someone who usually hates such things (if it's from the last couple of decades anyway). Did I mention it was smooth? His vocal especially. No idea where to find it, but a series called "Vintage Canadian Music" has released his other single "I Am The Preacher" (which I once saw Deep Purple do under the name "Hallelujah" on the tube) on one of their CDs, so I am hopeful ... hint, hint!
This entry and the one before it come from a compilation called pop-shopping - juicy music from german commercials 1960-1975, and I can only imagine seeing these with their original car commmercials. This music is fast, stylish, and vintage.
from pop-shopping - juicy music from german commercials 1960-1975
A beautiful track off Air's already classic debut album "Moon Safari". Actually the instrumental backing of this song is based on a track they released in 1996 ("Les professionels", later compiled on the "Premiers Symptomes" album). This one boasts such an enveloping warm analogue sound with all the vintage synths Air used (Moogs, Fender Rhodes etc.). On top of that there's the dream-like, sensual vocals by Beth Hirsch that gives it such a floating, laid-back tone. Sounds like the impression of a late summer sunset transcribed into sound. Wonderful.
If you are (were) a fan of Weezer, you probably heard of the Space Twins, Brian's side project. If you like this sound, also check out Goddess of Love. These two tracks were both done in the nineties, and they both have that vintage sound which I guess I've always loved; I must have been 14 or 15 when I was listening to this and I liked it even then as much as or more than weezer. This site really is making me realize my musical progression and how its all very related and interlinked.
Wonderfully lush, yet dark electronica. Alison Goldfrapp's excellent voice shines on a landscape dominated by synthesizers of various vintages. When she stops singing, the synths fizz even more.