by The Dixie Cups (1965), The Bell Stars (1989), James Sugar Boy Crawford (1953)

Wow, between Beetlejuice, Keanu Reeves, Frazetta and the Smiths, I really seem to be revisiting the mid to late eighties with all my heart this week. The trend continues with Iko Iko, a song introduced to me via the Bell Stars rendition in Rainman. Something about the kite festival got it in my head and it’s been pleasantly rattling there ever since. I’ve learned that the Dixie Cups 1965 version is even better (and probably my favorite if I had to pick) and that among many people The Grateful Dead and Cyndi Lauper also have versions. The very first original though, is pretty rocking and fab and comes from James Sugar Boy Crawford. See videos for all these after the jump.

Click here for the rest of Iko Iko

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Posted on May 16, 2010

Originally Aired 1967-1972

Callan is a serious minded and intelligent spy show that came out of Britain in the late 1960s. Edward “The Equalizer” Woodward plays a reluctant, obstinate but gifted (and handsome) killer who works for a shadowy government agency called The Section. Morals, plots and allegiances are ambiguous and you’ve really got to pay attention to appreciate the twists and plotting.

The thrills here are more subdued and psychological and Callan lacks the gadgets, cars and big explosions of typical spy fare. Not surprisingly, the recommendation came from good friend and spy aficionado Matthew (of the blog Double O Section) who also set us up with the similarly intelligent and complex Sandbaggers, which came to BBC a decade later.

Only the third series, the first in color, and subsequent are released on DVD, so if you do Netflix these prepare yourself to be dropped in the middle of major story arch – but don’t worry, you’ll figure out what’s going on in no time.

Click here for the rest of Callan

See more: TV Shows 1960s 1970s British Thrillers

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Posted on April 18, 2010

by The Yardbirds (1966)

Whether it’s presaging the darker sludge of Black Sabbath (Since the World Began), a gentle Crimson and Cloveresque beauty (Shapes in my Mind), a roadhouse rattle (Nazz are Blue), some psychedelia (Hot House of Omagarashid), or capturing an energetic catchiness (Over, Sideways, Under Down) The Yardbirds’ Roger the Engineer is a perfect snapshot of the sound of its time.

This album is pre-Page Yardbirds with a heavy influence by the innovative guitarist Jeff Beck. The reissue I have includes several bonus tracks as well as a combination of both the US and UK original releases which were inexplicably different.

The band never seemed to resonate with the American public quite as strongly as other British Invasion acts did, but as it was the launching pad for Beck, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page, it’s hard to look back on the Yardbirds without wonder. Roger the Engineer is an eclectic display of their talents and it’s quickly becoming one of my favorites of the era. Plus, I adore the cover art: a wonky, trippy pen drawing by band member Chris Dreja.

Click here for the rest of Roger the Engineer

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Posted on February 21, 2010

by Shel Silverstein (1964)

While I may not believe in the religious specifics of the holiday, it’s the spirit that moves me: love, kindness, giving… and no book tells the story of selflessness better than The Giving Tree. Like all of Silverstein’s books that played a large formative part in my younger days, it’s a seemingly simple book expressing complex things with quirky line drawings to match.

I remember the book as a very touching one, but as an adult I also find it as quietly sad as it is lovely. The unclear point of view (is self sacrifice a good or bad thing? is the boy bad in all his demands?) leaves many readers at the very least confused and sometimes up in arms with words of controversy.

Click here for the rest of The Giving Tree

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Posted on December 20, 2009

by Nino Rota (1960)

Nino Rota made beautiful music for films, and never more beautiful and fanciful than when working on a film by Federico Fellini, and never more whimsical and wonderful than his theme to the classic La Dolce Vita.

It’s a piece of music that can whisk you away to glamorous and magical worlds.

Fellini said of Rota, “He was someone who had a rare quality belonging to the world of intuition. Just like children, simple men, sensitive people, innocent people, he would suddenly say dazzling things. As soon as he arrived, stress disappeared, everything turned into a festive atmosphere; the movie entered a joyful, serene, fantastic period, a new life.”
Click here for the rest of La Dolce Vita Theme

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Posted on November 22, 2009