songs of yesteryear that wouldn't necessarily sound retro if released today

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Listening to Can's "Oh Yeah" the other day, it struck me that if there were a parallel world in which Tago Mago didn't exist, and if some Radiohead-ish band released "Oh Yeah" tomorrow, it would probably sound quite fresh and not necessarily retro, despite the fact that it dates back to 1971. So I'm wondering what would be the earliest song that someone could release today without people thinking it was self-consciously retro.

It seems to me that something from around 1968 might be the earliest. For example, you couldn't really release anything off Sgt Pepper today without people thinking you were deliberately aiming for that retro sixties sound. But there's probably stuff from the White Album that wouldn't raise any eyebrows. Same goes for Velvet Underground I think. Sunday Morning, Femme Fatale etc all have this idiosyncratic sixties vibe. White Light/White Heat would be harder to place and once you get on to the eponymous third, a track like Jesus could easily be released by some wacky folkish singer-songwriter today.

― Revivalist (Revivalist), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 12:57 (twenty years ago)

"Rain" the Beatles.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 12:58 (twenty years ago)

_Raw Power_.

― mike a, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 13:04 (twenty years ago)

Big Star's '#1 Record' sounds more contemporary now than it did when it was released.

― Dan Heilman (The Deacon), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 13:13 (twenty years ago)

Dark Star - Graceadelica

― Dec, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 13:20 (twenty years ago)

Less Than Jake - All My Best Friends Are Metal Heads

― Dec, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 13:21 (twenty years ago)

Big Star's '#1 Record' sounds more contemporary now than it did when it was released.

Good call on Big Star - I'd be inclined to go with Radio City because of the drum sound, which isn't easy to pin down to its era.

― Lotta Continua (Damian), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 13:47 (twenty years ago)

Too much guitar soloing on "Oh Yeah" for it to sound contemporary

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:29 (twenty years ago)

... now if you'd said "Father Cannot Yell" or "Butterfly"

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:31 (twenty years ago)

REM's Murmur and Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden/Laughing Stock sound completely out of step with the past.

― Rufus 3000 (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:38 (twenty years ago)

Re: Can-What about "Spoon"?

― Chairman Doinel (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:43 (twenty years ago)

Soft Machine - We Did It Again

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:46 (twenty years ago)

Rolf Harris - Sun Arise

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:48 (twenty years ago)

To answer this question backwards, for a long time I thought "the Sound of Violence" by Cassius was from like 1978!

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:50 (twenty years ago)

that is ridiculous

― Konal Doddz (blueski), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:51 (twenty years ago)

open your eyes - nazz

― Good Dog (Good Dog), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:53 (twenty years ago)

Nico ("Marble Index"/ "Desertshore"/ "The End")
The Fugs ('65/'66)

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 14:56 (twenty years ago)

She Says What She Means - Sloan

― Rufus 3000 (Mr Noodles), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 15:00 (twenty years ago)

I Feel Love obv

― scnnr drkly (scnnr drkly), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 15:08 (twenty years ago)

"I'm Not In Love".

― Roz (Roz), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 15:19 (twenty years ago)

the only reason none of these bands sound retro is because every current band is still trying to catch up and replicate those sounds

― STRAIGHT FERN GULLY (jaxon), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 15:27 (twenty years ago)

Sometime in the late 90s I was talking to a guy who had just bought Dark Side of the Moon, and had misread the release date of this edition of the CD for the original release of the album. "What's so amazing is that they did all this in 1993!"

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 16:22 (twenty years ago)

Hmmmm, amazing given how dated "Dark Side of the Moon" sounded in, say, 1983

― TS: Mick Ralphs vs. Ariel Bender (Dada), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 16:38 (twenty years ago)

― Brian Good, Wednesday, 19 April 2006 23:16 (twenty years ago)

maybe not quite contemporary sounding but I always find it hard to believe that "popcorn" by hot butter is from like 1969 or some shit.

― methanie tanner (methanie tanner), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 23:19 (twenty years ago)

Were you playing the VU album? The mixing is very 80s.

― Chairman Doinel (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 23:23 (twenty years ago)

"i can't touch it", the buzzcocks

― Clarissa Richardson (allurala), Wednesday, 19 April 2006 23:49 (twenty years ago)

Early Tall Dwarfs sounds remarkably ageless - something like "Nothing's Going To Happen" could have come out anytime between 1969 and now.

― mike a, Thursday, 20 April 2006 00:21 (twenty years ago)

Brian Eno / Third Uncle = what, 1974? '75?, could easily have been 1979, 1987, mid 90s or I guess 2004.

― bham (bham), Thursday, 20 April 2006 08:20 (twenty years ago)

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