Sunday, September 24, 2006

Some of you will have no idea what I'm talking about...

The PBS station in St. Louis is in the middle of yet more fund-raising programming. To bring in the cash, they are featuring old Doo-Wop performers:

the Del Vikings -- Come Go with Me
the Penguins -- Earth Ange
the Chiffons -- One Fine Day
Jay Black & the Americans -- Cara Mia
Fred Paris & the Five Stations -- In the Still of the Night
the Edsels -- Rama Lama Ding Dong
Mel Carter --Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me

Great music, but it took me awhile to figure out why it doesn't sound quite right: when we originally heard this music it was on AM radio or old 45 records. AM radio has a tin-ny sound -- also called AM hum or hiss. 45 RPM's were non-stereo, non-hifi, and always scratchy. Doo-wop on stereo TV just sounds too good, like something new, not like something nostalgic.

5 comments:

:P fuzzbox said...

I drive Angry Joyce crazy singing doo wop. In her defense, I sing it lounge lizard style much like the Bill Murray charector on the old SNL.
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no jury in Texas would convict her!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

"Hold me, thrill me, kiss me/never let me go..." Good song; I liked Mel Carter back in the day.
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great lyrics because there were professional song writers, now the artists write the songs to get the double royalty

Pixie said...

They should have a scratchy sound effect that they could mix into it- your right certain songs just don't sound right too clean.
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some were also best heard from far away places on an AM car radio late at night: WLS (Chicago), WOR and WABC (New York), KAAY (Little Rock)

Jay Noel said...

I guess they're appealing to old people with big wallets.
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unsure why they still need to be doing fundraisers, every program has ads before and after (plus all those foundation sponsors)

Carnealian said...

Do you think that's the reason or is it that their voices have aged 50 years??? I love that music. It's so innocent.
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they have aged so they naturally sound different, also microphones and the other sound-electronics create better quality -- they sound great, but maybe it's too Carnegie Hall and not enough corner bar or diner jukebox