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You searched for ‘Retro’, which matched 31 songs.
click - person recommending, year, performer, songtitle - to see more recommendations.
Escape  performed by Armando Trovaioli  1967
Recommended by bobbyspacetroup [profile]

Most of the soundtrack to this comedy-caper flick is pretty standard '60s soundtrack material. This track, however, is moody, top-notch crime jazz... The arrangement is chaotic but stirring with some really heavy bass-piano, wailing brass, and organ (used more as an atmospheric sound effect than to deliver any melody). Special thanks to Darrell Brogdon for playing this on his Retro Cocktail Hour.

from Treasure Of San Gennaro (Buddah BDS-5011)
available on CD - Jazz In The Movies, Cinecitta (CAM (Italy))



Are You For Real  performed by Astronaut Wife  2003
Recommended by MoeShinola [profile]

This is from "Flying Saucer", which for me is the record of the decade. It's electronic synth-pop w/ 2 female vocalists. There's an youthfulness and innocence about the music that makes me think it'd be a good soundtrack for a manga. There's some grown up melancholy there, too, on some of the songs.

from Flying Saucer (Susstones)


Come On Let's Go  performed by Broadcast  2000
Recommended by Mr Steal [profile]

The Midlands-based retro-futurists put this out as a single and it should have been a massive hit but, of course, it wasn't. Still, it's one of the sweetest songs I've heard in recent years, abetted by Trish Keenans's insouciant yet heartwarming vocals � and a lovely tune.

from The Noise Made By People (Warp CD65)




  tinks: i love this entire album! and they put on a great live show, to boot!
Unchanging Window  performed by Broadcast  2000
Recommended by tempted [profile]

Broadcast are the perfect retro-futuristic band. They make space age pop like no one else today. Haunting Moogs, fuzzy, reverb-laden guitars and tight bass and drums. Trish Keenan's voice sounds like an understatement with its simple, effortless tone. For lovers of Morricone, United States Of America and Stereolab.

from Noise Made By People, available on CD (Warp)



The Peterman  performed by Bullet  1975
Recommended by HoboTech [profile]

Beautiful slow jazz funk. Funky bass, floating flutes, trombone, rhodes piano. This entire album is a classic. You've probably heard some of it somewhere before, it's been sampled by lots of people from DJ Vadim to Buck 65. Originally recorded as library music and then used in the British TV series the Hanged Man, this record is one of my favorites.

from The Hanged Man, available on CD (The Hanged Man)


Dindi (Jin-Jee)  performed by Chris Montez  1967
Recommended by Swinging London [profile]

Chris Montez had two musical periods. Two shots at the limelight.

It's his second musical era (1966-68) that I like the most.

In 1966, Herb Alpert produced 'The More I see You' & with it, Chris had a huge international smash single. It was a cover of a 1940's tune given a sort of 1966 Beverly Hills treatment & was very nice.

Unfortunately the pairing of Chris & Herb didn't produce anymore hit singles but they went on to make four very nice albums.

This song is from the third album, 'Foolin'Around' and it's one of my favourite Chris Montez songs.

There have been a few retrospective Chris Montez compilations and they always seem to leave this song out, which, frankly, baffles me.

It's sort of Rio meets Beverly Hills 1967 in sound.

It's also my favourite version of the song which was also covered by Astrud Gilberto and I believe, many others.




from Foolin' Around (A & M)



Evenin� Breeze  performed by Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks  1969
Recommended by Jackamaku [profile]

Fantastic Band whose sound was retro country back in 1969. So I guess now its retro retro country.

from Original Recordings
available on CD - The Most of Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks



Ice Cold Lemonade  performed by Death By Chocolate  2000
Recommended by djfreshmoney [profile]

There must be tons of songs that follow this format. I'll call it the 'Tequila' form. Cool instrumental punctuated by someone speaking the name of the song. There are so many songs like this I'd guess that no one could pull off this kind of tune nowadays- without it sounding hopelessly retro. But this tune does it for me. Perfect summer groover. Sound like a bedroom recording, kinda lo-fi.


available on CD - Death By Chocolate




  ronaldo: really great song. perfect for a 60s-themed party. bet everyone will dance just like the people in the background of pulp's video for 'common people'. it also sounds a lot like the archies' 'sugar sugar'.
Guitar in Orbit, PT. 37  performed by Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics  1998
Recommended by Solo [profile]

cool high speed clean guitar instrumental with a 1950s tonalizer sound. I feel like I'm watching Sputnik in orbit while hearing a jet break the sound barrier when I listen to this. Deke and the Ecco-Fonics are noted for a phenomenal period-style production on albums, retro but never wistfully nostalgic songwriting, and exceptional virtuosity at live performances. The rest of this CD is loaded with great vocals and hip tunes.

from Number One Hit Record! (HighTone (HMG) HMG 3005)


Entre e Ouca  performed by Ed Motta  1992
Recommended by ambassador [profile]

I didn't entirely get Ed Motta until I listened to this album. For me this is his perfect mix of sacred and profane styles, his soul and his jazz. Only his third album and his first two employ retro styled instrumentation, it sounds like a 1970s session from Luther Vandross without the glitzy disco production. Ed's voice sounds so great paired with the Fender Rhodes which dominates this album. The arrangements are complicated, unpredicatble but entirely accessible. Entre e Ouca, which means "Enter and Listen," has a mid-tempo disco feel with a bouncing bass line, sharp guitar lines and that rhodes. I like his newer, more challenging albums as well, but this sound immediatly speaks to me like the best crafted pop songs.

from Entre e Ouca (WEA)
available on CD - not that I know of


The Promise  performed by Girls Aloud  2008
Recommended by geezer [profile]

A calculated stab at cool retro pop and all the better for its contrived polish, a great pop song with a great pop chorus ,remeniscent of Northern Soul ,The Three Degrees and even the Spice Girls ,hear it once and be struck, there is no antidote, you will just have to sweat it out of your system.I think this will still sound good in 10years time . Wait and see!

from out of control
available on CD - Out of Control


we were so much in love  performed by hideki kaji  1998
Recommended by daidai [profile]

very laid back song from kaji-kun with a retro feel. excellent usage of theramin.

from tea (trattoria PSCR-5556)



I think We're Alone Now (Japanese)  performed by Lene Lovich
Recommended by bloodfever [profile]

Queen of the New wave and possibly Vampires, Eastern Bloc princess of the moogs and synths takes a old 80's teeny bopper cover and refreshes it by singing the lyrics in Japanese and adding a synethically mellow-dramatic and somewhat retro kitsch shibyua district cuteness. Dance to it or cry to it, nonetheless this cover is 1000X better than the original..





Let’s Get Married  performed by Mariya Takeuchi  1984
Recommended by drchilledair [profile]

I am a connoisseur (er, fan) of Japanese pop music, not just young further-out acts/groups like Cornelius (lost w/o his tape loops) and Love Psychedelico (think Beatles Meets Velvet Underground). But also that strain of Japanese pop which draws heavily on the stylistic traditions of the usual Brill Building suspects. i.e. Solo Nihogo artists like Mariko Takeuchi, especially those tracks with arrangements by the great Tomaji Sogawa. Also Chage and Aska, Eichi Ohtaki, (sometimes called Japan's Phil Spector), Gospellers, Rag Fair and, of course, Pizzicato Five. I am especially drawn to the efforts of Tatsuro Yamashita as a solo artist, and of his tracks with his wife, Mariya Takeuchi, released under her name. On their own and as a team they have been recording since the 1980s and in (affectionately known by his fans as) Tats' case since the late seventies (his first album was co-produced and arranged in the U.S. by the 4 Seasons' Charles Callelo). There are a number of other artists like this in Japan with uncommonly lengthy---by U.S. standards---careers. And believe it or not, a hit record in Japan sells in numbers that are generally far larger than the U.S. despite a population that is roughly half as large.

One of my favorite Takeuchi - Yamashita collaborations (she writes and sings, he arranges) is "Let's Get Married," which would not be perceived as being retro or sixties or somesuch by (IMHO) the more flexible and openminded Japanese music audience. Even though, admittedly it does draw upon such musical conceits. Instead, Let's Get Married would merely be regarded as a great record, case closed.

This 1984 cut track is timelessly, and extra-territorily infectuous. But with the exception of Kyu Sakamoto in 1963 with his fluke number one single, Sukiyaki, to the best of my knowledge no Japanese artist of any musical inclination has been able to crack the U.S. charts in any significant way. General garden variety xenophobia coupled with a hard time wrapping the tongue around those hard-to-pronounce names with two many vowels and and syllables. It is doubtful that LGM, even though it is sung by Takeuchi in perfectly accented English, was ever released in the U.S.

Starting with a full blown fanfare of the Wedding March played on organ, after twenty seconds, Let's Get Married abruptly switches gears and mood and becomes an ever-ascending excercise in neo-Spectorian pop, replete with castinets, chimes, a swirling ooh-wah background chorale (courtesy of an overdubbed Yamashita), multiple drumkits, a full complement of string players and plenty of good old fashioned Gold Star Studio-style echo. A paen to the joys of marriage, my favorite moment happens at 1:42 way down in the mix right after Takeuchi sings the line "You and me with a small house and a dog," where, if you listen carefully you can hear the sound of a dog yapping for joy. Homage to the "Pet" at the end of Brian Wilson's "Caroline, No" perhaps?

Both Yamashita and Takeuchi had number one albums in Japan last year. Unlike most of their 70s and 80s U.S. rock/pop counterparts, they have not been cast aside by the bulk of Japanese record buyers, but continue to peak at the top of the charts with every new issue. A listen to this perfectly crafted, classic, three minute (well. . . 3;45 actually) track should help illustrate why this is so.

Bill Reed (new to this list)

from Impressions, available on CD


Machine Vibes  performed by Metro Area  2002
Recommended by heinmukk [profile]

metro area brings a lot of things together. there is the oldskool discovibe. there is retro-electro. there is detroit. and there is always organic stuff within like in this track, the nice flute-riff which appears only once or twice.
the whole album is highly recommandable. all tracks are arranged in a deep disco mood, as i would describe it. but you can't compare it to real disco from the 70s as there are a lot of other ingredients. for example a 909 fourtofloorbeat in many tracks and synthiepads sweeping in and out. nice mixture.
i think some tunes should be familiar to club-goers (miura, athmosphrique) but this one is more for your home-audio-experience...=)

from Metro Area


The Holy Filament  performed by Mr. Bungle  1999
Recommended by Tangento [profile]

This is a truly unique song, from a beyond unique band. Mr. Bungle has a rabid, almost cult-like following, and songs like this are the reason why.
This band has always drawn on many different, widely varying influences, including ska, grindcore, jazz, and funky beats, to name just a few.
This track displays a whole new direction for the band, with dreamy, ethereal bass and piano interplay, retro-vocal harmonies, and an almost rapturous climactic sequence, followed by a melancholy fade-out.
This is a work composed by Bassist Trevor Dunn, (a true talent) and I feel it is more than worthy of a place on this list.
The album is a classic, I highly recommend it for people with just about any kind of musical taste.
I am providing a review/ option to purchase:
HERE

from California, available on CD


Temptation  performed by New Order  1982
Recommended by delicado [profile]

Although far less well known than the 12" version and the 1987 'substance' rerecording, I'm utterly in love with this 7" version. I think perhaps the band hate it, since it doesn't seem ever to have appeared on CD, and was not even on the recent 'Retro' box set. At a little over 5 minutes long, it just seems much more focused and affecting to me than the overlong 12" version and the scrappy 1987 version.

It opens with that hypnotic beat/synth sound that has become famous since the song was used in various film soundtracks (most famously, Trainspotting, and most recently, 24 hour party people. Both used the later, rubbish version though). On this version, there's a twangy guitar sound added over the top of the introduction. The other main difference from other versions is vastly improved vocals (particularly over the 1987 version), and that wonderful early New Order guitar sound, as witnessed on other classic tracks like 'Ceremony' and 'Procession'. Like a handful of other tracks I've recommended, it's hard for me to be completely objective about this one, because I've adored it since my mid-teens. But having just bought an extra copy of the single, I'm happy to report that it sounds as brilliant as ever.

This recording showcases a raw and under-appreciated New Order/Joy Division sound that mixes early synth sounds and beats with punky guitars in a really beautiful and affecting way. I still enjoy their later stuff, but it's tracks like this that really attract me to the band.

from the single Temptation (Factory fac63)




  n-jeff: I've not heard the 7 since I was at college in 82, but there is also a version about 15-20 minutes long on one of the first "Touch" cassettes, where they have cut it with an interview. The whole thing seems to have been a lengthy Jam, edited differently for different releases. So the 7 would give you the most focused version. Compare the 7 and 12 edits of the KLF's "3am Eternal" for the enhancing effect of a great edit.
  Genza: I totally agree with everything delicado says. Early New Order rocks. Everything after and including Blue Monday is more poppy - and I can live with that. But most of their albums are very patchy - with half the tracks good and the other half almost unlistenable. But Temptation is an utter, utter classic. And I just love Dreams Never End, Cries and Whispers and In a Lonely Place. Well, any early New Order - it all that has tinny dance-music quality but still holds that desolate Joy Division sound.
You’re A Hero  performed by Patric C  1996
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

Digital Hardcore just sounds hopelessly dated now. Whether its the post-September 11th climate of antipathy to all things terrorist / anarchist, or those dusty 10,000bpm sounds, or Alec Empire's gradual metamorphosis into a footsoldier of nu-metal I guess we'll never know.

However, Patric C (the male half of EC8OR) escapes this near-universal damnation with his first album, probably because it was specifically retro in the first instance. The musical accompaniment to an imaginary computer game, The Horrible Plans Of Flex Busterman beeps and bursts at you like all the best simple timewasting game soundtracks did. This song, played toward the end of the album and meant to signify success at the digital challenge, is the finest of all; an inspired melody that is devilish in its simplicity and an absolutely perfect sound to come from a Commodore 64 or Amiga 500 (two of the "instruments" Patric C employed on this album).

It also retains a definite piss-taking attitude, which also stands it in good stead for longevity; the general earnestness of most Digital Hardcore is so difficult to stomach these days, and lightness of touch sets Patric C apart.

from The Horrible Plans Of Flex Busterman, available on CD



Trees   performed by Paul Weller  2010
Recommended by geezer [profile]

A legend, not so much reborn as rejuvinated ,his relentless vision has endured for 33 years through one guise or another,this reflective and odd piece of psychedelia sounds old ,new ,retro and contemporary all at the same time if you have never arrived at the door of Wellers quiet genius now is the time,this track pulls you in then threatens to lose you before you realise you are in the place to be.

from Wake up the Nation, available on CD


If I Ever Feel Better  performed by Phoenix  2000
Recommended by geishalass [profile]

This is a gorgeous summer tune in a similar vein to "Heartbeat" by Tahiti 80. This song makes you want to dance, a bit disco, a bit easy listening and a smudge of retro. I can't recommend the entire album - it's all over the place but this single is stunning.

from United (Astralwerks)




  G400 Custom: Couldn't agree more. This is one of my favourite singles of the last five years. The album certainly is patchy, but there's a few things on there that reach similar heights, notably the other single, 'Too Young'.
What You Don’t Want To Hear  performed by Sam Phillips  1992
Recommended by Yammer [profile]

The former Leslie Phillips once recorded songs sold in Christian supply stores, disguising (presumably) the moist, carnal, and otherwise unholy drives behind The Indescribable Wow, her first release on the in-retrospect-mildly-ironic Virgin label. At a time when those of us with unslaked appetites for well-crafted Beatlesque pop were having to suck it up and try to get into rap or grunge, The Indescribable Wow appeared like a shimmering beacon of joy. This track's music is as perky and sunny as the beginning of a summertime fling, while Phillips's yearning voice and cutting lyrics have the sad truthfulness of the ending of a summertime fling.

from The Indescribable Wow (Virgin)


manon  performed by serge gainsbourg
Recommended by stemmer58 [profile]

dark and passionated in a now very retro euro continental style with decadent overtones in both its lyrics and musical tone.

from gainsbour greatest hits


Send In The Clouds  performed by Silver Jews  1998
Recommended by snafkin [profile]

What a great song! Nothing flash, just a great modern, yet retro, rock song.




"One Dimention"  performed by Simian  2001
Recommended by pleasepleaseme [profile]

Beatles, Beach Boys & Pink Floyd filtered through a modern sense of electronica.
Pure Ear-Candy!!!

from Chemistry is What We Are, available on CD


Hawaiian Cowboy  performed by Sol K. Bright & his Holywaiians  1936
Recommended by HoboTech [profile]

Have you ever wanted to find that quintessential Hawaiian twangy song from the 30s that you dream you heard when you were 2 years old? This is the one! Frantic hawaiian vocals (which were supposedly made up on the spot) paired with twangy steel guitar make this song unforgettable.

from Hawaiian Music (Honolulu - Hollywood - Nashville 1927-1944)


Warmth of the Sun  performed by The Beach Boys  1964
Recommended by delicado [profile]

Another of my favorite Beach Boys tracks, 'warmth of the sun' is a haunting ballad, sung astoundingly beautifully (Carl Wilson does the lead vocals) over a twangy picked electric guitar. From the astounding album 'Shut down vol. 2' which also gave us 'Don't Worry Baby'! 6 years ago I thought that the Beach Boys were pretty much 'Surfin' USA and other surfer hits'. I'm glad I was able to get beyond this - there's so much to discover!

from Shut Down Vol. 2 (Capitol)
available on CD - Surfer Girl/Shut Down Vol. 2 (Capitol/EMI)



Chocolate And Strawberries  performed by The Januaries  2000
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

This song really sounds pretty much like the title would suggest : Warm, lush, sweet and sensual due to the 60s retro-ish, Bacharach-esque style of the tune combined with warm, warbling electronic sounds and with a delicately sounding trumpet solo. Very nice seductive vocal delivery by singer Debbie Diamond on top of that. Yummy !

from The Januaries (Foodchain Records)



Serenade For Missy  performed by The Residents  1982
Recommended by Tangento [profile]

This is my first recommendation, so I will go easy on all of you. The following description is from my website. (it is the only way to do the song justice):

This can only be compared to something like "Retro-60's Upside-down Elevator Muzak".
(although it certainly draws from 20's/ 30's Big Band escapism)
The thing is, if this actually were playing in an elevator, the people there would certainly perform an odd ritual of alternately:
a. Merrily tapping their foot, and then
b. Looking up at the speaker, frowning and befuddled.
This is a song, which back in my partying days, we would use as a soundtrack for the following activity:
We would put our tiny baby Alligator Lizard, Festus
(who was an inch long, head to tail, and smaller around than a pencil)
...we would put him on this cheap little multi-colored fiber-optic "fountain" and put the clear cube back over it.
We would then watch as this "fountain" would very slowly spin around, Festus aboard, with this completely absurd (but oddly beautiful) music playing.
This produced near-catastrophic laughter because he would be looking up at you with this little tiny frown, as if to say;
"what the hell is wrong with you people?"
To this day, I cannot properly answer that question.
R.I.P., Festus.

Additional info:
The sax is not my favorite instrument, but it is perfectly utilized here. It wavers between slightly obnoxious and smooth as silk.
What really make the track sweet, however are the unique guitar stylings of Snakefinger.

from The Tunes of Two Cities, available on CD


Love Theme  performed by Vangelis  1982
Recommended by eftimihn [profile]

A classic, congenial, groundbreaking electronica score to Ridley Scott's movie "Blade Runner". While the most significant cues like "Love Theme" and "Memories of Green" were included on numerous compilations before, it took 12 years for the soundtrack to get released officially. Since Vangelis "recompiled" the music for the soundtrack, adding new music, reworked cues and left out parts of it, it's the best sounding but far from complete version of the soundtrack. Due to this fact there have been a huge amount of unofficial bootleg releases over the years, mostly private releases put out in small quantities. Even after over 20 years since the soundtrack has been recorded it still sounds fresh and highly evocative as ever before. The feeling throughout the soundtrack is a neo-retro, future-noir mood with grand soundscapes created with a mass array of various analogue synths. Especially the wonderful use of the Yamaha CS-80, with it's somewhat organic, sweeping, harmonica-style polyphonic sound gives the music such a remarkable feel. On "Love Theme" though Vangelis prominently features pretty much the only "real" instrument on the whole soundtrack, a saxophone played by Dick Morrisey.

from Blade Runner, available on CD




  nighteye: This is one of the best instrumental synth soundtrack track ever made, Vangelis is a genius! The pads / strings and the saxophone are so incredibly relaxed it feels like you are floating in space. My other favourite song from the Blade Runner soundtrack is 'Blade Runner Blues', it's also amazing!
  nighteye: Forgot to mention there is a variation of this song on the Blade Runner Bootleg by Esper called 'Thinking of Rachel', which is a muffled warm analog synth piece.
In The Year 2525  performed by Visage  1978
Recommended by geezer [profile]

This songs flower power origins always seemed at odds with its retro future predictions for mankind,so when it was re recorded amidst the static buzz of late seventies synths it suddenly made more sense ,a mildly treated vocal from Steve Strange still retains the melody but the backing track transports its sentiments to a more appropriate time line a gives a great song a bigger and better home .

from best of
available on CD - best of /Singles


ne�re do well  performed by young people  2003
Recommended by olli [profile]

not really much into indie music, but this song struck a chord with me. comes across as a sort of retro-but-not-really-retro california rainy day sunflower melancholy lo-fi pop version of broadcast, if you can make any sense out of that.
short and sweet at 1:44.


available on CD - war prayers



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