The very best selections in the genre of oldies popular music can be subdivided into many categories, and every oldies music fan undoubtedly has an opinion of what constitutes the best of the best.
Since beginning to author oldies pop music columns for Examiner.com in mid-August of last year, this writer has included a number of articles designed to provide insight as to what songs may be considered best in a variety of classifications.
Here are links to some of those "best of" columns -- including links to each of the musical selections -- in addition to an article that mentions some of the best radio stations of the Top 40 area that played so many of the songs that are still remembered and enjoyed today:
* TUNES THAT APPEAL TO MOST OLDIES FANS: Although everyone has their own favorite songs, there are a number of selections that are likely to appeal to virtually every fan of oldies pop music. Certain songs may be considered as being too loud, too jazzy or having difficult-to-understand lyrics. And some people don't prefer certain categories of music, such as C&W, R&B or disco. But there are some songs from the '50s and '60s that not only stand the test of time, they reflect characteristics that make them timeless classics to music fans of that era. To read a column with links to such songs, click here.
* BRITISH INVASION ONE-HIT WONDERS: With the advent of the so-called British Invasion, the U.S. music scene was overwhelmed by an influx of recordings by artists from the United Kingdom, who became ultra-popular from 1964 through 1967. Many of those singers and groups became household names as they belted out hit after hit. But there were a number of British artists who had only one claim to musical fame in the U.S., even though most had lengthy strings of hits in their homeland. This article attempts to list the very best of those one-hit-wonders of the British Invasion. To read about them, click here.
* THE BEST ALL-TIME DOO-WOP HITS: The style of music designated as doo-wop -- based on vocal group harmony, often with a lead singer and a backing ensemble -- started achieving mainstream popularity in the 1950s. So what are some of the greatest doo-wop songs of the '50s and early '60s? This column includes a compilation of a mythical listing of what might be considered as the Top 40 doo-wop songs of that era. The column attempts to include the best overall doo-wop tunes -- not necessarily the biggest-selling or highest-charting numbers. To read the article, which includes links to all the tunes, click here.
* THE BEST ELVIS SOUND-ALIKES: Without question, the legendary Elvis Presley had unique talents that catapulted him to the pinnacle of recorded music as a true megastar. And as such, many singers attempted -- with various degress of success -- to match the Presley "sound" and incorporate it into their own repertoire. This article attempts to identify some of the very best -- though not always the most successful -- of the recording artists who came closest to matching Elvis' fantastic voice and singing style prior to The King's death in 1977. The listed singers are not Elvis impersonators; rather, they are vocalists whose recordings bear the closest resemblance to Presley's style. To read about it, click here.
* UNFORGETTABLE FOREIGN-LANGUAGE HITS: Songs sung entirely in a foreign language haven't been prominent on U.S. pop music charts over the years, but occasionally, such songs make a major impact, and on rare occasions, they even reach the top of the charts. To see an article that contains a mythical Top 10 among foreign-language recordings that made it big in America, click here.
* TOP "SPOKEN-WORD" SELECTIONS: The wide scope of oldies pop music includes a number of top-notch records feauting cool music and excellent -- often moving and emotional -- lyrics, but little or no actual singing. Such records fall into what could be termed "spoken-word" music, and a fair number of such records earned prominent places on nationwide charts during the '50s, '60s and '70s. To take a look -- and perhaps a listen -- to some of those classic numbers, click here.
* BEST OF THE "CANADIAN INVASION": Although not as noticeable or widespread as the so-called British Invasion, a Canadian Invasion began to take hold in the late '60s, not long after the British artists' grip on U.S. pop music had finally declined. During the 1960s, Canadian music was, for the most part, considered insignificant, and as a result, many Canadian recording artists turned toward the U.S. in hopes of fortifying their careers. To read about how an influx of Canadian songs hit American markets starting around 1969, click here.
* CHART-TOPPERS JUST PRIOR TO BRITISH INVASION: Without question, the so-called British Invasion that occurred early in 1964 changed the American popular music scene to a substantial degree as an influx of performers from The United Kingdom became ultra-popular on this side of the Atlantic. But what type of music preceded the British tidal wave? To take a look at the Top 10 on the Billbaord charts of Jan. 18, 1964 -- one week before "I Want To Hold Your Hand" would vault to the No. 3 position prior to a seven-week run at No. 1 on Feb. 1 -- click here.
* ALL-TIME CHRISTMASTIME FAVORITES: When attempting to compile a list of the Top 10 oldies pop music Christmastime chart hits from the '50s, '60s and '70s, it's easy to place Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" in the No. 1 position, but the task of completing the list is a daunting task. There are so many holiday classics and familiar melodies that fill the airwaves and are listened to throughout the U.S. and the world during the holiday season, but to check out a Top 10 listing of holiday favorites, click here.
* THE BEST TOP 40 RADIO STATIONS: There were many "major players" among Top 40-type radio stations on the AM dial during that format's glory years of the late '50s and throughout the '60s. Indeed, for many years, the "top 40, news, weather and sports" format was firing on all cylinders from coast to coast and border to border. So which were the very best of those Top 40 stations? This column attempts to rank and identify some of the greatest of those Top 40 stations of yesterday -- stations that were prominent and dominant for at least most of the era from the late '50s through the '60s. To read the column, click here.
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