Jan. 22, 2012 at 11:38am with 86 notes
mixesaudio post
Teenage Dream — a compilation of girl songs from the 1960s that I really like Nothing But a Heartache | The Flirtations Dedicated to the One I Love | The Shirelles I Only Want to Be With You | Dusty Springfield You Don’t Know | Ellie Greenwich That’s the Way Boys Are | Lesley Gore Give Him a Great Big Kiss | The Shangri-Las Egyptian Shumba | The Tammys The First Cut is the Deepest | P.P. Arnold That’s When the Tears Start | The Blossoms I’m Gonna Destroy That Boy | The What Four Jenny Let Him Go | Antoinette Sophisticated Boom Boom | The Goodies The Worst Record in the World | Aletha and the Memories The Boy From New York City | The Ad Libs I’m Into Something Good | Earl-Jean Only Seventeen | The Beattle-Ettes The Trouble with Boys | Little Eva How Do You Do It | The Ladybugs The 60s were an interesting time with regards to music (also everything else, but let’s just talk about the music here, okay?). When people talk about missing “the music of the sixties,” they’re almost always referring to the Beatles or any of the psychadelic rock that became prevalent in the later years of the decade, but honestly, if I had to pick a favorite genre that really blew up during the Mad Men years, I’d be hard pressed to say anything other than girl group pop. Frequently silly and more manufactured than Lana Del Rey, it wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, but a lot of it was also incredibly catchy. Much of the genre was written by adults to appeal to young girls, and thus was primarily concerned with boys and love (often a really weird, dark version of teenage love — a lot of songs ended with one half or both members of a couple dying and then reuniting in heaven), but every so often you’d get something completely weird and nonsensical, like the Tammys’ “Egyptian Shumba” (included herein) or Marsha Gee’s “Peanut Duck” (not included, but search it out, I beg you). But as silly and lightweight as it could be, the genre was also home to some amazing producers (before Quincy Jones was turning Michael Jackson into a star, he was doing the same for Lesley Gore) and totally kickass hooks and harmonies. One of my favorite songs on this mix is “The Worst Record in the World” by Aletha and the Memories, which is actually a pseudonym for legendary producer Kim Fowley and some girls he rounded up off the street to sing “Louie Louie” hooks as he riffed sarcastically into a mic about how pop, R&B, and surf music were mind-numbing and sickening. (Sample line: “Do you ever think there’s been a dance called The Wheelchair? You can do it sitting down.”) It’s kind of ironic to listen to now amid the complaints of teenagers who romanticize Cold War-era music, and I love it a lot. Click through the image to download, or click here.

Teenage Dream — a compilation of girl songs from the 1960s that I really like

  1. Nothing But a Heartache | The Flirtations
  2. Dedicated to the One I Love | The Shirelles
  3. I Only Want to Be With You | Dusty Springfield
  4. You Don’t Know | Ellie Greenwich
  5. That’s the Way Boys Are | Lesley Gore
  6. Give Him a Great Big Kiss | The Shangri-Las
  7. Egyptian Shumba | The Tammys
  8. The First Cut is the Deepest | P.P. Arnold
  9. That’s When the Tears Start | The Blossoms
  10. I’m Gonna Destroy That Boy | The What Four
  11. Jenny Let Him Go | Antoinette
  12. Sophisticated Boom Boom | The Goodies
  13. The Worst Record in the World | Aletha and the Memories
  14. The Boy From New York City | The Ad Libs
  15. I’m Into Something Good | Earl-Jean
  16. Only Seventeen | The Beattle-Ettes
  17. The Trouble with Boys | Little Eva
  18. How Do You Do It | The Ladybugs

The 60s were an interesting time with regards to music (also everything else, but let’s just talk about the music here, okay?). When people talk about missing “the music of the sixties,” they’re almost always referring to the Beatles or any of the psychadelic rock that became prevalent in the later years of the decade, but honestly, if I had to pick a favorite genre that really blew up during the Mad Men years, I’d be hard pressed to say anything other than girl group pop. Frequently silly and more manufactured than Lana Del Rey, it wasn’t exactly groundbreaking, but a lot of it was also incredibly catchy. Much of the genre was written by adults to appeal to young girls, and thus was primarily concerned with boys and love (often a really weird, dark version of teenage love — a lot of songs ended with one half or both members of a couple dying and then reuniting in heaven), but every so often you’d get something completely weird and nonsensical, like the Tammys’ “Egyptian Shumba” (included herein) or Marsha Gee’s “Peanut Duck” (not included, but search it out, I beg you). But as silly and lightweight as it could be, the genre was also home to some amazing producers (before Quincy Jones was turning Michael Jackson into a star, he was doing the same for Lesley Gore) and totally kickass hooks and harmonies.

One of my favorite songs on this mix is “The Worst Record in the World” by Aletha and the Memories, which is actually a pseudonym for legendary producer Kim Fowley and some girls he rounded up off the street to sing “Louie Louie” hooks as he riffed sarcastically into a mic about how pop, R&B, and surf music were mind-numbing and sickening. (Sample line: “Do you ever think there’s been a dance called The Wheelchair? You can do it sitting down.”) It’s kind of ironic to listen to now amid the complaints of teenagers who romanticize Cold War-era music, and I love it a lot.

Click through the image to download, or click here.

  1. persephonespen reblogged this from dragonzair
  2. lorasgaga reblogged this from dragonzair
  3. kblovely reblogged this from monalisas-madhatters
  4. dreamsupercombo reblogged this from heybungalowbill and added:
    i was going to be really mad if the shangri-las weren’t on here
  5. heybungalowbill reblogged this from lizdexia and added:
    thousand times yes.
  6. dragonzair reblogged this from lizdexia