The 50’s kicked off rock and roll. Bill Haley and his Comets got it jump-started in 1955 with their jukebox hit Rock Around the Clock – and we’ve been rockin’ ever since! Take a step into the land of oldies with the sound that rocks from the 50’s through the 80’s. Load these classic rock treasures into your favorite listening devices or watch them on YouTube. Some of them are lost hits or one-hit wonders. Pictures of Matchstick Men was the only hit by Status Quo, an English rock quintet. It’s seldom heard on the airwaves, but it’s a haunting rock love song that’s timeless. Rock And Roll Hoochi ..read more

Fans of funk, both young and old, will enjoy diving into the Vault of Fearless Funk because nothing beats original old-school. Being old-school myself, there are days when I’m loving psychedelic blasts from the past or just some pure pristine oldies pop.  But other days – I just want to get funky – and here’s where the oldies vault of Fearless Funk really shines. In 1976, Parliament, spearheaded by the grand master of funk, George Clinton, laid down some of the heaviest funk with: Tear The Roof Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk) and followed it up hard in 1978 with Flash Light. In 1979 the ..read more

Time for some fun in the sun. Enjoy these “summer flavored” blasts from the past, evoking simpler times. Whether you want soft songs for summer romance, sunny “pop” songs for cruising to the beach or songs with a hard, danceable edge, reach into the oldies vault — there’s something for everyone! Back in the 50’s, Harry Belafonte rode the crest of the calypso wave launching him into stardom. Sadly, we recently we lost Mr. Belafonte, but his music lives on forever with classics such as Banana Boat (Day-O), Coconut Woman and Island in the Sun. The 60’s brought us plenty of “fun in the sun groups ..read more

Jukeboxes, diners and classic cars…what do they all have in common? They ALL give us the feeling and excitement of days gone by – the fabulous 50’s leading us into the rockin’ and psychedelic 60’s. They all remind us of when life was (or appeared to be) a lot more simple. Diners were in every town, spotlighting down-home cookin’. It was cool to be seen in a ‘57 Chevy – cars with “fins” were “in”. But before those rather cold-looking CDs ruled the world (though not anymore), there were brightly lit, glitzy, chrome laden jukeboxes – all spinning vinyl 45’s featuring the most popular songs and da ..read more

Every year I dig into the Green Oldies Vault to retrieve memories of Irish groups and songs from the past. Time to ring in St. Patrick’s Day with Irish soda bread and corned beef cabbage while enjoying these Irish blasts from the past. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling is an old, classic standard. Through the years it’s been covered by many artists. But in 1952, Bing Crosby made it his own personal hit when he released it on Decca Records. The maternal side of Crosby’s family came from Ireland and Crosby released several Irish themed albums. In 1964, the 5-man band Them formed in Belfast Northern Ir ..read more

Valentine’s Day is blowing in faster than our Northeast windchill. So treat yourself to some festive holiday chocolates and other Valentine goodies as you take a stroll to the intersection of Memory Lane and Love Song Street from decades gone by. Some are Happy Love, some are Demanding Love, some are songs of Broken Hearts while others are just plain Romantic and Fun. The 50’s and 60’s wracked up plenty of songs covering happy love and love gone bad. Dion freely admits he loves his women, but he can’t help it, he’s The Wanderer and has got to keep moving! Bobby Lewis has it so bad, he’s Tossin ..read more

The New Year has landed – 2022 is on its way to becoming a distant memory as we all breathe in the freshness of 2023. The new year is also a time of reflection – of years gone by, and it’s also a great time to dive into the oldies vault and re-visit some superior blasts from the past. Some are lost hits are rarely heard on oldies radio like Aint No Stoppin’ Us Now by the R & B group McFadden & Whitehead who wrote songs for many Philadelphia soul acts and helped define The Sound of Philadelphia. Also from Philly, Mark Valentino provided us with his one-hit wonder, The Push and Kick. Min ..read more

Every Christmas season I re-post this Christmas oldies list so folks can reminisce about the tunes of holidays gone by.  Some are fun — some serious — and some just downright silly.  Each of the songs on the list below are from the past, including standards covered by different artists in their own unique style. What single gal wouldn’t appreciate Eartha Kitt’s 1953 Santa Baby. Clearly this woman had a serious Santa wish list! She wanted Santa to give her a “ring” – but not on the phone, plus a yacht, a convertible, a deed to a platinum mine, etc! But Pearl Bailey kept it simple as s ..read more

Halloween is fast approaching. Every year I re-post this list of “classic-retro” blasts from the past that fit the spooky season like a glove. Michael Jackson’s Thriller was one of Jackson’s biggest hits. Late horror actor, Vincent Price added his own personal maniacal laugh, giving Thriller, the perfect ending. The video had sensational choreography and serious zombie dance moves. Still a fun video to watch. Metallica’s heavy metal masterpiece, Enter Sandman, can give anyone a good jolt of bad nerves or restless sleep – yet there’s something infectious about the music and the lyrics. Edgar Wi ..read more

Feeling lucky in love? Feeling lucky at the casino? Enjoy these Vinyl Dice oldies flashbacks. In 1950, Frank Loesser wrote Luck Be A Lady. Although covered heavily by Sinatra, including on his live Sinatra At The Sands album, it was actually first performed by Simon Mullins. Luck Be A Lady was featured in the smash musical Guys and Dolls. One of the most acclaimed Elvis movies is Viva Las Vegas where Presley plays a race car driver trying to score enough money in Vegas to buy a new race car. But anyone whose watched that movie knows there was more gyration flying around between Ann Margaret an ..read more