Blogcritics

Retro Redux: Granddad and the Victrola

Big Geez — Tue, 6 Jan 2009 09:20:53 EST

Music affects each of us in a different way.
When I look at old pictures, I sometimes see beyond the obvious subject matter and sort of re-imagine it. Or to be more accurate, I guess I should say that I combine what I see in the picture with selected memories, and throw in a touch of guesswork. The result can be interesting. Recently I ran across an unusual old picture of my maternal...

Retro Redux: The Beau Brummels' Answer To The British Invasion

Big Geez — Sun, 4 Jan 2009 05:24:04 EST

Even though one member of the group was British, they weren't quite what they seemed.
Pop music in the 1960's sometimes seemed to be all about bands like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and others -- an era that came to be known as the British Invasion. But there was also a secondary effect. Many of the American groups scrambling for success during that period found themselves - consciously or not - emulating the British bands....

Retro Redux: Ringing In The New Year With Auld Music

Big Geez — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 02:41:29 EST

With this information, you can be the envy of other party-goers...or maybe not.
I have to confess that I haven't been to a New Year's Eve party for a long time, but I would be willing to bet that at least a few party-goers will still follow the tradition of singing "Auld Lang Syne" when midnight arrives. I would also guess that most of them will have no idea of the origin of the song, and by that point of the...

Retro Redux: Sometimes You Can Have Too Much Tequila

Big Geez — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:25:28 EST

You might want to take some advice from the guys who made Tequila famous.
Now that Christmas is in the rear-view mirror, a lot of folks will be looking towards New Year's Eve for their next celebration. If you're one of those who plan to host a party, you might want to heed the advice of an oldies-era instrumental group -- it's possible to have too much tequila. In the late 1950's pop music was in a state...

Retro Redux: From Summer Camp To Pop Music Stardom

Big Geez — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:41:40 EST

Most kids come home from summer camp with a bag of dirty clothes and a case of poison ivy.
One of the quirkiest musical stories of the 1950s had to be that of the singing sisters known as Patience and Prudence. Their first two recordings reached hit status in the same year and that made them pretty special, but the really surprising part is that the young ladies were only 14 and 11 years old. The girls were the daughters of a...

Retro Redux: How Grandma Found Her Christmas Groove

Big Geez — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:12:29 EST

Memorable holiday experiences can appear in unusual ways.
The music of ukulele wizard Jake Shimabukuro might seem to be an unusual starting point for a piece about memories of Christmas. But when that tune is something called "Grandma's Groove," it inevitably makes me remember my own grandmothers — and how they each found their holiday groove in different ways. My maternal grandmother...

Retro Redux: The Grinch Takes On Holiday Music

Big Geez — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 07:49:23 EST

Scrooge isn't the only curmudgeon making an appearance during the holidays.
At the risk of sounding like the Grinch -- and not for the first time, I might add -- I have to admit that I've often had mixed feelings about holiday music. I didn't always have a problem with it. While I was growing up, the sound of Christmas music coming from the radio or record player meant that one of my favorite times of the year was...

Retro Redux: Remembering Ritchie Valens

Big Geez — Wed, 3 Dec 2008 06:52:51 EST

It's always been a little interesting to me how a long-gone musician's legacy can develop with the passage of time....
It's always been a little interesting to me how a long-gone musician's legacy can develop with the passage of time. Ritchie Valens is mostly remembered now as one of the doomed passengers on Buddy Holly's ill-fated plane trip, and also for his hit song, "La Bamba." But his biggest hit by far was the slow ballad,...

Retro Redux: Andre Kostelanetz And The Evolution Of A Genre

Big Geez — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:25:14 EST

Although the Russian revolution was taking place all around him, he was only interested in music.
André Kostelanetz is given credit by some for inventing Easy Listening music, but the whole concept of a genre being 'invented' is a little iffy -- at least as a conscious act. It seems to me that it's more of an evolution, a natural process of musicians stretching themselves to find a wider audience. But the Russian-born...

Retro Redux: Jim Lowe Found Success Behind That Famous Door

Big Geez — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 13:38:33 EST

His career soared when he recorded his SECOND song about a door.
If you were around in 1956, and old enough to pay attention to the music being broadcast on the radio or coming out of jukeboxes, then you will probably remember a song that soared to the top of the charts that year. I'll give you a hint -- it had something to do with a door of a particular color. In the early 1950's Jim Lowe was a Chicago...