Mixcloud nerd here. I’ve finally started doing 30s and 40s pop compilations roughly 1936 to 1952. When I say pop, it’s everything from Glenn Miller to Dizzy Gillespie to Hank Williams to Charles Trenet to Duke E and Count B, and covers swing, bebop, country and western and novelty.
It’s so ill served as so many compilations are slathered in “living sound” reverb, or rechanneled into stereo, or even worse, have flabby 70s re-recordings.
I’ve sourced the dry originals as far as I can and it’s fun stuff. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I’m a 60s bod and unfortunately my dad isn’t here to put me right. He’d definitely wince at my following a cool bop record with Woody Woodpecker.
Fab! That’s my morning listening sorted.
I can’t get the Mix Cloud to co-operate but I trust you have “Your feet’s too big”?
On my list now! Along with Handful of Keys. Thanks
Great idea. And you can’t go wrong kicking things off with “Salt Peanuts”.
As far as suggestions are concerned, Bob Stanley’s book ‘Let’s Do It’ is a good place to look. There’s also a handy playlist on Spotify :
That’s hugely useful. Thanks
Assume you’ve got a good leavening of Django?
So far only “ Them There Eyes”, but will add more. I also found some nice stuff Grappelli did at the BBC in the 40s
I’m a fan of Django with Hubert Rostaing on clarinet, who stepped in when Grappelli legged it back to London during the war. This one especially. So much fun and invention in this arrangement.
This huge Rhythm and Blues playlist might be worth a look:
And one of my playlists:
This sounds like a fascinating project, rexbrough. Those Mixcloud playlists look very inviting
I am delighted that your choices are so eclectic.
Having listened to some of the Mixcloud, I must say it’s quite impressive to hear these oldies in their ‘dry’ state. I didn’t realise how much they have been messed with in reissues etc.
Thanks for doing it. These will be nice background listening.
Johnny Mercer – mister Capitol Records. A fantastic singer
The Mills Brothers. Start around 1944.
Is this on your list? 😉
I just got a an email from Mixcloud telling me about a new show
Allsorts from 1940 to 1946 – Rockin’ In Rhythm
By Bregh Roux
An I’m currently enjoying it.
Just discovered this gem from Al Bowlly.
Sadly., Al was gone long before the Fuhrer. Killed during an air raid in the Blitz.
Such a great song and guitar playing. I just read about how he died on wikipedia. Parachute mine- I’d not heard of that weapon
I gather he’s in heaven.
I said……
No love for George Formby?
Incredibly good at what he did (and indeed what he got away with)
Hari Georgeson was a huge fan (used to attend all the annual GF conventions) and
even converted R Zimmerman
* Or, more correctly, George Formby Junior
Definitely I’m a fan. His “Keep fit” is in the hopper and more to come, especially “Emperor of Lancashire”
These playlists are the perfect soundtrack for a cocktail party. and would really get people talking if they ere remotely interested in music..
The variety is so enormous and the quality so great that I kept going back to check what each song was.
Like this duet
YT then suggested this fine clip with Lady Day and Satchmo from the film “New Orleans”, directed by Arthur Lubin in 1947.
Here’s the movie
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039655/?ref_=nm_flmg_c_41_dr
What did you say? Young people at a party would NEVER listen to this?
They just want lots of bangers and mash-ups!
Oh that’s a goodie- that’s going in. Thanks!
Tommy Dorsey – Song Of India
What an arrangement. All those parts and it still swings.
I got another mail from Mixcloud, so this afternoon I’ve been listening to a new playlist. Thanks @rexbrough.
Lots of interesting gems which had me scurrying off to discover more.
One song was Mama will bark, a novelty duet by Sinatra and Dagmar. from 1951.
It’s hated by Sinatra fans and was hated by Frank himself
Here’s a very amusing article about Bob Merrill, the man who wrote it.: The Worst Songwriter of All Time.
https://web.archive.org/web/20090624022438/http://slate.com/id/2898
I’d never heard of Dagmar either. Quite a girl
This thread will run and run. You are discovering so many unusual songs!
I can’t view the mixcloud but none of the other playlists mention Benny Goldman’s Sing Sing Sing (With A Swing) from 1936
Thelonious Monk – Round Midnight
Nat King Cole’s After Midnight is one of my favourite albums of any kind (and one of my mum’s).
Try Sweet Lorraine.
Tuba Skinny did a nice album with Maria Mulduar a couple of years back. Strange she doesn’t get name-checked here more often as those first three Warners albums she did in the 70s are wonderful
Talk about a cue for a song, @Jaygee!
Here’s Ms Muldaur and Tuba Skinny.
Cheers. @kaisfatdad, always good to hear a bit of Maria – this being only her second appearance on these boards (her first was in 2015)
That is ridiculous @Jaygee! Such a talented singer. I agree with you about those Warner Bros albums.
Nothing since 2015! I am very impressed that you have statistics of the kind at your finger tips. Midnight at the Oasis came up on a playlist recently and it struck me how excellent the guitar playing was.
I just checked. It was Amos Garrett. Never heard of him!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Garrett
He’s quite something!
I had the chance to see MM when she played the long-defunct Jazz Club in Hong Kong in the mid-1990s and stupidly – and shamefully – didn’t go
This, from 1938. Rock ‘n roll a couple of decades early