Ever since I was a tiny, tiny buck the only radio station I ever really listened to was the oldies station. I used to be an encyclopedia of 50s/60s rock until the past few years when I got, you know...old.
ANYways...I've already ranted on here somewhere about how there's no bars to go to in NYC without getting assaulted by screeching loud music. But what has begun to really chap my hide now is whenever you go to a friends house for a party. Of course, once something's labeled a "party" there's has to be music involved. It used to be bad enough when someone would put on a cd...but at least then, you figured well, the cd had to be something worthwhile if we were gonna sit through the whole thing. But now? Thanks to iPods, whoever wants to can just assault us with his/her iPod on "shuffle." Which is usually painful to fucking sit through. For every "Can't Hardly Wait" that pops up, there's 10 "between-tracks ironic filler from Yo La Tango b-sides." Jesus.
I am, and always have been, of the mindset that anytime there's more than 2 people sitting somewhere drinking beer, the default music should always be oldies AND ONLY oldies. Everybody knows most of the songs, they're usually GOOD, and, at worst, they're done in less than two minutes. No sitting through hours of some geek's esoteric bullshit. Fats, Buddy, Chuck; rinse, lather, repeat.
3 comments:
Babe . . . you gotta define "oldies"
You realize that Blondie now shows up as "elevator music?" My friggin' jazz station plays a song that is a cover of a Brian Ferry hit.
I was shocked when a Plasmatics song was used to sell a car. This was in a Superbowl commercial that had to be 5 or more years ago.
So what is an oldie? Anything not being played on a commercial station that isn't in a recognized format (80s, Classic Rock, whatever) today? Then, I am with you. If you are limiting the term to something more restictive (you did say less than 2 minutes), then sorry. Your perspective may be missing a couple of decades of "what everyone knows" and can enjoy.
Just my two cents.
anything from "That's Alright Mama" to "American Pie." and AP is pushing it :)
A buddy of mine who bartends used to play pre-rock and roll music like the Ink Spots and the like after last call. We called it GTFO music. (Get The Fuck Out) It worked.
As a card-carrying music geek, I'd have my iPod going with a particular playlist made especially for the party. (I just recently put together a 4 hour-long playlist for a recently deceased buddy’s memorial. It was loaded with a vast amount of his faves.) It would probably have rock and soul from the last 50 years—perhaps not equally proportionate, chronologically or stylistically—with some world and Latin thrown in for good measure. All crowd pleasers, for sure but nothing cheesy or obscure, unless the latter were something really catchy.
My friends tend to like all kinds of music and there happen to be a few fellow music geeks in the bunch, but after 30-45 mins of the equivalent of WCBS FM, I assure you brotherman, I'm gonna get the "what the fuck?!" look. (Especially if the possibility of dancing with single, hot chicks is on the horizon.)
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