2 years ago, I kicked it off with my epic "80's Movie Music Mix." (Read the full details on that one here.) Last year, I waited until October to unleash my "Halloween Hits!" mix. This year, I set my sights on a sub-genre that is near and dear to me. Oldies! Primarily, the majority of my selections are from the late 50's with one minor exception. (More on that in a minute.)
This all came to be a few short months ago when I got together with my buddy Robbie Ikegami. Robbie and I used to work together at Amoeba Music over in Hollywood and our constant back & forth banter amused most of our fellow co-workers. Enough so to inspire the collective nick name of "The Rob Couple," a play on "The Odd Couple." We both embrace our similarities and differences, and play up to this comedic persona. Every couple of months, we'll get together for a catch up session. Last time he picked me up in his convertible, I believe he had an Amazon Playlist set to all oldies music. Jackie Wilson's "To Be Loved" came on, we cranked it while cruising on Ventura Blvd with the top down, and I was reminded of just how great of a pop song it really is.
From that afternoon on, I became obsessed with re-discovering all my favorite "oldies" artists and songs. A big part of it plays into the music I myself have been writing over the course of the last year. I used to be so used to starting with a guitar riff or musical idea, building on that, and my last step would be to figure out melodies and lyrics. But because of this oldies kick, I instead have reverse engineered all my latest songs, starting first with the catchiest melody I can think of and working backwards to figure out what chords or music should compliment it.
In doing so, I started really analyzing and breaking down some of my favorite late 50's hits. They're so simple, straight forward, rather brief and often build these gorgeous harmonies between several singers. While this style and academic breakdown have influenced my songwriting as of late, it also inspired me to collect the best batch of feel-good songs. Literally, a new CD mix filled with non-stop good vibes. And after months of testing, I think I finally got it!
If I bumped into you in the last week or so, then you would've been treated to my latest:
"Oldies But Goodies: A Rob G Mix Vol. 3"
Track listing:
1. Hound Dog by Elvis Presley
2. Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets
3. Come On Let's Go by Ritchie Valens
4. Be My Baby by The Ronettes
5. Wouldn't It Be Nice by The Beach Boys
6. Oh Boy! by Buddy Holly
7. Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) by The Penguins
8. Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry
9. To Be Loved by Jackie Wilson
10. Tutti Frutti by Little Richard
11. Danke Schoen by Wayne Newton
12. Twist And Shout by The Beatles
13. Lollipop by Chordettes
14. Come Go With Me by The Del-Vikings
15. Yakety Yak by The Coasters
16. Respect by Aretha Franklin
17. Do You Love Me by The Contours
18. December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
19. Stand By Me by Ben E. King
20. Great Balls Of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis
21. Shout, Pts. 1 & 2 by The Isley Brothers
I can think of no better way to kick off an "oldies" mix than with "The King" himself, Mister Elvis Presley. "Rock Around The Clock," believe it or not, has been floating in my mind for a potential mix ever since I made the 80's Movie Music one. It's on the soundtrack of THE KARATE KID PART 2 and I always had it in the back of my mind for one of these collections eventually.
Can't have an oldies mix without some of the absolute greats like Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and Jerry Lee Lewis. I, of course, have a few movie-themed/inspired selections through out. The original version of "Earth Angel," followed immediately by Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" is of course an homage to BACK TO THE FUTURE. I was debating between the Beatles version of "Twist & Shout" and The Isley Brothers one, but while driving around and testing this mix with my buddy Dave Parker, he suggested "why not Danke Schoen, then the Beatles version?" Of course! A perfect nod to FERRIS BUELLER.
Also, did you realize that "Danke Schoen" was originally performed by Wayne Newton? And that Wayne Newton has the voice of a woman?! I had no idea!
Tracks 13-15 were not on my first version of the mix, but then I revisited STAND BY ME on Blu-Ray in honor of that film's 30th anniversary and knew I had to cull some tracks from that soundtrack.
The one cheat is "December, 1963," which technically is a single from the 70's. BUT, the Four Seasons have a ton of late 50's oldie classics including "Walk Like A Man," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Sherry." And they're often associated as an "oldies" act. I just love that song, and think it fits perfectly among these other selections. And how else can you close an "oldies" mix out than with "Shout?"
I'm pretty proud of this particular mix and absolutely encourage you to either draft up your own, or make a Spotify playlist! Sometimes it just feels good to rock out to some old-school positive tunage! Enjoy. And I promise I'll be back on here much sooner rather than later.
