What is Pink Lady? In Japan they are remembered for a string of pop hits in the 70s, but Americans might remember them either from their disco single "Kiss In The Dark" or from an attempt to sell them to the US market in 1980 via a short-lived NBC variety show Pink Lady & Jeff (TVParty summary) with comedian Jeff Altman. (Opening). The show featured their Japanese hits, UFO, MONSTER (a bit more rock and roll), and SOS along with US hits like Boogie Wonderland, McArthur Park and the occasional guest star. (with encore) Also, Roy Orbison. Sadly, the show failed to break out and the two returned to Japan for a series of farewell concerts and retrospectives. Much, much more available at this charmingly retro, utterly exhaustive fan site devoted to them. Or just read the recaps. [more inside]
posted by The Whelk on Dec 11, 2011 - 33 comments

In their 25 year career San Fransisco-based Kronos Quartet might be most famous for creating the go-to dramatic movie trailer music but they've recently courted controversy with their latest album, 9/11, with Steve Reich (NPR First Listen). The album is another in a long line of collaborations with composers such as Phillip Glass, Terry Riley, and Pēteris Vasks. And like any good instrumental ensemble, they've covered Hendrix, Sigur Ros, and Tom Waits. Oh, and they've been on Sesame Street. [more inside]
posted by The Whelk on Sep 17, 2011 - 34 comments

Quincy Jones sat in the Tenafly, New Jersey den of 16-year-old vocal student Lesley Gore, playing demo after demo, looking for the right song to cut for her first record. Out of over 200 tapes, Jones and Gore had moved only one to the "maybe" pile, and so that song, It's My Party, was recorded on March 30, 1963 in a Manhattan studio. After the session Mercury president Irving Green warned Gore not to get her hopes up, but Gore gratefully told him that it had been a great experience anyway, and it was okay if he didn't want to release it. However, later that evening Jones learned that Phil Spector had just recorded "It's My Party" for The Crystals, so Jones rushed back to the studio to press 100 test copies of the single and immediately mailed them to key radio stations across the country. [more inside]
posted by swift on Sep 13, 2011 - 69 comments

PonPonPon (earworm alert) from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. [via]
posted by unliteral on Jul 26, 2011 - 58 comments

Endless Noise turns Beyonce's Single Ladies into a tribute to the girl groups of Motown.
posted by The Whelk on Jun 13, 2011 - 25 comments

1980SLYT: Kim Mitchell* - "Go For a Soda" (1984). In whiche our protagonist experiences his favorite rock singer (1) step out of the television, (2) do a little dance on the table, and (3) join his band in the refrigerator. All while singing a Hard Rock Anthem about the joys of S-O-D-A. [ *wiki • via the voice of great antiquity's great blog post about being a contestant on Jeopardy. via jessamyn ]
posted by not_on_display on Apr 12, 2011 - 43 comments

At long last, Wikileaks gets a catchy theme song: "Who the f**k is Wikileaks" by "Chicken Soup (Boney M Goes Club)", a new project from veteran producer Frank Farian, the man behind Boney M and Milli Vanilli. Warning: the song contains repeated use of the "F"-word, and the video contains images of the "anonymous" mask. [more inside]
posted by iviken on Mar 8, 2011 - 32 comments

Single Link Saturday Night Dance Party: The neon-dripped hallucinatory candy-pop world ofBrite Futures' - Sideways Pony Tail [more inside]
posted by The Whelk on Feb 5, 2011 - 24 comments

Renaissance Man (SLYT) Being One in a Series of Musical Videos wherein Man's History is Elucidated.
posted by khaibit on Nov 20, 2010 - 7 comments

YouTube user Pallomember loves scary European death metal. But sometimes he wonders, wouldn't scary European death metal be improved with a dash of Lady Gaga?

Yes. Yes it would.

vs Meshuggah: Bleed-A-Razzi | vs Behemoth: Ov Fire and Bad Romance | vs Soilwork: Bricklover [more inside]
posted by Errant on Nov 9, 2010 - 31 comments

Taylor Swift's hit video for "You Belong With Me" is not well loved, but the changing of a single detail turns it into the heartwarming teen romance it was meant to be.
posted by The Whelk on Jul 2, 2010 - 84 comments

60s Pop Friday! Ladies and Gentlemen, from Queens, NY, it's the Shangri-Las! Mostly known for their grandly melodramatic songs about teen love gone awry, they aren't all downers. They've been covered by bands from France to Japan.
posted by The Whelk on Jun 5, 2009 - 12 comments

Cruella de Ville, the band, were formed by fraternal twins (with identical voices) Philomena and Colum Muinzer. They were probably best known for their single, "Those Two Dreadful Children", which appeared on Dr. Demento's show a number of times. CdV were only around for a short time (1982-1984) before dropping off the map [citation needed], but thanks to the internets and youtubeses, we can revisit their tiny catalogue: pop nuggets in a manic, cheeky, theatrical punk vein. But just when you thought you'd pegged their sound...
posted by not_on_display on Feb 11, 2009 - 14 comments

Dave Dee, RIP. [more inside]
posted by fearfulsymmetry on Jan 9, 2009 - 22 comments

The Guardian has compiled a list of their top fifty arts videos, the majority being from either rare or obscure sources and uploaded onto YouTube.
posted by djgh on Aug 30, 2008 - 13 comments

Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer) picks the theme, "80s radio," and develops a song, step by step, collaborating with some of his fans. Watch some of the responses. It's not his first collaboration, and he's no stranger to the internet.
posted by zippy on May 31, 2008 - 16 comments

Unbelievably ass kicking playlist of french pop culture hits from the 60's. Featuring the ever zany Brigitte Bardot, Jaques Dutronc, France Gall, Serge Gainsbourg, and more. (via)
posted by sourbrew on Jan 31, 2006 - 30 comments