Pop/rock bands writing songs in 1920s and 30s pop styles

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From what I understand, the pop success of "Winchester Cathedral" encouraged the trend in the 60s. Stuff like the Beatles "When I'm 64" and "Honey Pie", and The Monkees' "Magnolia Simms" followed.

I'm already a big fan of the genuine 20s and 30s pop stuff and for some reason I like it when pop/rockers try it out. Are there any other songs from the 60s on up to the present that I should seek out?

It seems like there'd be a lot, but the only other one I can come up with at the moment is Yoko Ono's "Yes I'm Your Angel".

And I'm not counting Big Band dabbling (I think that'd be another thread) like Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet".

― Mean Guy, Sunday, 4 May 2003 00:25 (twenty-two years ago)

For some reason I can imagine the Libertines' "Horrorshow" -- or at least the chorus -- sung by Bob Odenkirk as Dickie Crickets (through a HUGE megaphone)

― Nate Patrin (Nate Patrin), Sunday, 4 May 2003 01:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Grenadine's album Nopalitos has a few faux 20s numbers ("Hell Over Hickory Dew," "Roundabout on a Tuesday")

― Ernest P. (ernestp), Sunday, 4 May 2003 04:39 (twenty-two years ago)

arguably, both elvis costello (circa imperial bedroom) and billy joel hearken back to tin pan alley-type pop. which is why certain folks confuse the two ...

zappa's "bow-tie daddy" has a sorta twenties/thirties feel to it ... but that was a one-off thing.

― Tad (llamasfur), Sunday, 4 May 2003 05:02 (twenty-two years ago)

and goodly portions of the kinks' late-sixties and early-seventies repertoire wouldn't have sounded out of place in the twenties or thirties (particularly, "sitting by the riverside," "all of my friends were there," "end of the season," and "babyface").

― Tad (llamasfur), Sunday, 4 May 2003 05:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Disco Tex's 'I Wanna Dance Wit You'is quite '30's in flavour.I've got a great '70's Disco LP by Camp Galore called'Deco Disco'which has covers of '30's songs such as 'Three Little Words','Golden Slippers','Four Leaf Clover'&'Happy Days are Here Again'.Sailor's 'Girls,Girls,Girls' & 'Glass of Champagne'were also quite '30's.Sparks & Fox were also a bit deco.

― Paul R (paul R), Sunday, 4 May 2003 12:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Disco Tex's 'I Wanna Dance Wit You'is quite '30's in flavour.

Actually, a fair chunk of the album...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 4 May 2003 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

There was a bit of a fad for it in the mid to late 60s. Moby Grape's "Just Like Gene Autry: A Foxtrot" is one to play to those people who insist that Skip Spence is a genius.

The kings of it all tho are the Bonzos: "Mickey's Son and Daughter"; "Jollity Farm"; "Hunting Tigers Out In Indiah"; "My Brother Does the Noises For the Talkies"; "Tubas In the Moonlight"; "I'm Gonna Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight". All simply spiffing and tophole.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Sunday, 4 May 2003 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Thing about that Moby Grape song is that Spence actually got Arthur Godfrey in for the introduction, so he knew exactly what he was doing, I think. ;-) Great call on the Bonzos, though, they are the kings.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 4 May 2003 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Squirrel. Nut. Zippers.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Sunday, 4 May 2003 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

No, I'm pretending they didn't exist. Oh GOD am I pretending that.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 4 May 2003 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Your best bet is to obtain 69 Love Songs by the Magnetic Fields. Stephin Merritt has a penchant for olde stylee tunes, and although he rocks it up in a few of them, a good half dozen of the tunes are writen in the style you mention. Everyone says his osngs are like Cole Porter's anyway - give it a go.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Sunday, 4 May 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah.... dear old Harry Nilsson too and Randy Newman on occasion

― Dadaismus (Dada), Sunday, 4 May 2003 15:53 (twenty-two years ago)

August Darnell to thread.

― Sean (Sean), Sunday, 4 May 2003 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

i HIGHLY recommend you check out (The Real) Tuesday Weld. sometimes they (or he rather.. stephen coates) are just referred to as Tuesday Weld.
Some song suggestions would be: 'the days of me and you', L'Amour et la Morte, am i in love, daisies.. and quite a few others.
(TR)TW has often been called 'antique beat'.
they have also been called 'glenn miller-core' because of their modern lo-fi twist on big band and swing numbers. check em out.
oh and they are on kindercore.

― JP Albin (John Paul Albin), Monday, 5 May 2003 02:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Prefab Sprout's "The Wedding March" is another good example (but the only one by that band as far as I know)

― Paul in Santa Cruz (Paul in Santa Cruz), Monday, 5 May 2003 03:02 (twenty-two years ago)

lyle lovett

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 5 May 2003 04:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks.

― nickn (nickn), Monday, 5 May 2003 05:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Get this album:

http://www.zetosa.com.pl/piotrus/greenpages/queen/night.jpg

Apart from being generally fucking fantastic all round, it contains "Seaside Rendezvous" and "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon", both in the style of which you speak.

Also, perhaps try Denim? Magnetic Fields seconded, in any case, and Momus to thread, I presume.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Monday, 5 May 2003 07:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Check out (or download, if you can) Steve Hackett's "Sentimental Institution"...meant as a humorous throwaway track to close out his album Defector, so spot-on 78rpm 20s-or-30s-era pastiche it's eerie.

― Joe (Joe), Monday, 5 May 2003 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Several Queen tracks were influenced by 20s and 30s music hall, the most well-known of which was "Killer Queen". Album tracks like "Seaside Rendezvous" and "Lazing On a Saturday Night" were also in the same style.

Kinks were also influenced by that style, but usually arranged their music in a very electric guitar dominated style which means it sounded more modern, only with an influence from old Music Hall.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 5 May 2003 12:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Hurricane Smith

― Arthur (Arthur), Monday, 5 May 2003 13:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Why does Geir habitually repeat information that's been provided one or two posts above?

Anyway: Louis Philippe.

― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 5 May 2003 13:43 (twenty-two years ago)

to make it more true.
(bjork's its oh so quiet was a cover.)

― nathalie (nathalie), Monday, 5 May 2003 13:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Why does Geir habitually repeat information that's been provided one or two posts above?

Because he doesn't bother reading any other posts, so confident is he that his views are the only ones that really count as he is the only person in the world who genuinely knows anything about music.... perhaps.

― Dadaismus (Dada), Monday, 5 May 2003 13:46 (twenty-two years ago)

my marge-the move
and, of course, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Monday, 5 May 2003 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Ned in anti-Squirrel-Nuttist shockah! Say it ain't so Ned!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 5 May 2003 14:38 (twenty-two years ago)

On the surface it's hard to tell, but a lot of Sting's songs are written in forms more common in the 30s than now.

― dleone (dleone), Monday, 5 May 2003 14:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Fret not, Nickalicious, I don't dislike them anywhere near as much as I hate the Cherry Poppin' Daddies, who I sorta hope are drunk and dead in a ditch somewhere right now.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 5 May 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Though Queen's already been named, I wanna give a shout to "Dreamer's Ball," a simply wonderful song. Franklin Bruno can toss off a Tin Pan Alley style song at a moment's notice. Stephin Meritt cultists think SM is writing Tin Pan Alley but he's not, really.

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Monday, 5 May 2003 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

What John said. Merritt seems to believe his own hype, too.

― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 5 May 2003 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

The Strawbs- "Ah Me Ah My"

― Joe (Joe), Monday, 5 May 2003 15:23 (twenty-two years ago)

What John said, too. I like Merritt, but his songs are less Cole Porter than Cole-Porter-flavored, if you know what I mean. Bruno doesn't write '30s style songs, per se, but I do think he follows in the Porter tradition of literate, well-crafted, heartbreaking songs. I like Jenny Toomey's versions of his songs -- try "Tempting," an album-length collaboration.

As well, you might want to acquire the Velvets' "I'm Sticking with You," in which Moe Tucker seems to be channelling the spirit of a '20s child novelty chantoosie.

― egood, Monday, 5 May 2003 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

on May 13, you can check out the new Marilyn Manson album supposedly influenced by 20's/30's culture. can't wait for that shit. seriously.

― JP Albin (John Paul Albin), Monday, 5 May 2003 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I expect lots of songs about white slavery.

― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 5 May 2003 21:29 (twenty-two years ago)

on the stephin merritt tip try the 6ths' hyacinths & thistles, which has a whole slew of guest vocalist doing his songs. it's uneven, but the tracks by momus, kathleen whalen, sally timms, melanie, and sarah cracknell are perfect merritt moments and sound as if they should be issuing scratchily from a victrola.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 5 May 2003 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Why does Geir habitually repeat information that's been provided one or two posts above?

I did a search for "Queen", but it didn't find that album cover image.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 09:58 (twenty-two years ago)

???

― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 6 May 2003 12:46 (twenty-two years ago)

aaaaahhhhh nate! can we have a whole thread on dickie crickets and the monsters of megaphone? where music nerds and comedy nerds collide!

― lolita corpus (lolitacorpus), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 06:44 (twenty-two years ago)

aaaaahhhhh nate! can we have a whole thread on dickie crickets and the monsters of megaphone? where music nerds and comedy nerds collide!

Sure, how about this album, then:
http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drd000/d099/d09928r79x7.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 08:54 (twenty-two years ago)

that album has nothing to do with Dickie Crickets

― James Blount (James Blount), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 09:33 (twenty-two years ago)

The Pines: 'MGM' - which I believe is the b-side to a current-ish single?

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Wednesday, 7 May 2003 09:44 (twenty-two years ago)

ten years pass...

Does ILM hate the Squirrel Nut Zippers or is it only Ned?

― Moka, Tuesday, 17 December 2013 04:45 (twelve years ago)

What are some examples of appropriated music? Also wasn't disco heavy into a forties revival (way cool).

― Sweetfrosti (I M Losted), Tuesday, 17 December 2013 15:43 (twelve years ago)

Kevin Ayers to thread

― Eats like Elvis, shits like De Niro (Tom D.), Tuesday, 17 December 2013 15:45 (twelve years ago)

More talk about olde tymey revivalism here, and some songs in this style I like. (And yes, I like SNZs too...)

RFI: The 1970’s Vaudeville / Music hall / Old-timey variety show revival

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I5Pxfhyl8A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wx6ikxdNfbU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajzWdpLFPns

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pULdZeyapM

― Conceptual Brew (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 17 December 2013 16:20 (twelve years ago)

Oh, and here:

Good Trip or Bummer? U.S. Psych Bands Doing "Old-Timey" Songs on Their Albums

― Conceptual Brew (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 17 December 2013 16:42 (twelve years ago)

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