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Oldies

 
 

Description of Oldies

 
Encompassing Doo-Wop, early rock 'n' roll, Vocal Jazz standards, and some Big Band stuff such as Glenn Miller, oldies can be defined as pretty much all the music that came out of the states after the second world war and before the explosion of long-haired, pot-smokin' freedom rock in the mid-1960s. Oldies often get dismissed as too tame for sophisticated modern palates, but for some that's the genre's biggest value -- it harks back to a time that now seems innocent. The best thing about oldies is that you can hear the artists expressing unexpectedly radical messages in songs that appear harmless on the surface. The sexual repression stereotype of the '50s is obliterated by the brazen lyrics of the Dominoes' "60 Minute Man," while Nat King Cole's commercial pandering and Al Jolson's overt racism are answered by the Coasters with songs including "Framed" and "Riot in Cell Block #9." Although the songs in this category were released from the '40s through the mid-1960s and are stylistically diverse, they're usually lumped together in the oldies bin at your local record store. With such ambiguous boundaries, oldies offer a smorgasbord of styles, varying degrees of commerciality, and cool, scratchy recordings.
 

Oldies Key Albums

 
Elvis Presley
(Bonus Tracks)

Elvis Presley

Greatest Hits!

The Association

Pet Sounds
(Bonus Tracks)

The Beach Boys

The Chess Box
(Box Set)

Chuck Berry

 

Oldies Key Artists

 
Aretha Franklin

Queen of Soul Aretha
Franklin's
Gospel-influenced music
has endured for decades,
bringing her both pop and...

Ben E. King

Pop-soul singer Ben E. King,
best known for the timeless
song, "Stand By Me," helped
soul music crossover to the
pop charts. King spent a s...

Bill Haley & the Comets

Though some consider Bill
Haley to be the first rock 'n'
roll musician, he merely
brought rock 'n' roll to
white audiences. Bill Hale...

Bo Diddley

One of the main architects
of rock 'n' roll, Bo Diddley's
unique rhythmic guitar
playing is key element in
rock 'n' roll. Bo Diddley's...

Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry's driving guitar
style and picturesque
songwriting became a
cornerstone of rock 'n' roll.
Berry modeled his rhyth...

Cream

Cream is the seminal 1960s
blues rock, psychedelic
guitar-gasm band led by Eric
Clapton -- who is god.
Cream were only togethe...

Elvis Presley

From his humble Rockabilly
beginning to his swaggering,
sweaty Las Vegas persona,
Elvis embodied all that was
rock 'n' roll. Elvis cut his f...

Fats Domino

A progenitor of '50s R&B,
Domino's triplet-based,
frolicing piano playing
captured the goodtime style
of the Crescent City. Som...

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis' wild stage
show, feverish songwriting
and out-of-control behavior
continue to inspire
musicians today. Lewis' d...

Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix used feedback,
heavy blues and LSD to
create enduring, influential
rock that expanded the
language of the guitar. Ja...

Rick Nelson

First known for his role on
'50s TV show "Ozzie and
Harriet," Nelson became a
top Teen Idol, playing
catchy Rockabilly. Rick N...

Roy Orbison

Beginning his career as a
Sun Rockabilly artist,
Orbison had moved on by
the early '60s to pioneering
country-pop. Orbison, w...

Smokey Robinson

Satin-voiced Smokey
Robinson was a driving
force for Motown's
hit-making machine for over
a decade. Smokey Robins...

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys personified
the California spirit with
their harmonious pop. Brian
Wilson is widely heralded as
a mad genius. "Pet Sounds...

The Beatles

The Beatles gained
enormous popularity with
genius songwriting,
beautiful harmonies and
non-stop experimentation...

The Drifters

Despite a revolving door
line-up, the Drifters'
magnificent vocal strengths
carried their career from
the '50s into the '60s. Atla...

The Platters

One of Doo Wop's most
enduring institutions, the
Platters are best known for
their hits "The Great
Pretender" and "Only You...

The Rolling Stones

Forever the greatest rock
band on the planet, the
Stones have turned their
bluesy brilliance into a way
of life. The Stones' foundi...

The Shangri-Las

Gum-snapping,
leather-wearing bad girls of
the '60s Girl Groups, the
Shangri-La's perfected
melodrama in song.

The Supremes

Bridging soul and pop
music, the Supremes
sustained a level of success
through the '60s that rivaled
the Beatles. The Supreme...

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