100 Favourite 'New To Me' Oldies

 

A couple of months ago, I took another look at my Top 100 favourite records. It was the first time I’d had a go at redoing it since 2005.

And since then, I thought I’d do a Top 100 ‘New to Me’ Oldies since I moved to Cambridge back in February 2010.

I’ve been going through all the music I’ve bought in one format or another, to work out my favourites and try and put them into an order. It’s been a fun exercise.

What’s important is that they’re not all rare, it’s just that they’d not infiltrated my senses until I got here.

There’s a complete variety of music here – the oldest coming from 1955 and the youngest, 2002. I wasn’t going to count the 2002 one into the chart, but it holds a special place for me as it was the very last song I ever played in a radio show, so for that reason, it’s in.

You may know some, in fact, you may know a lot, but over the years we all hear different music, and these are just 100 of the ones that are ‘New To Me.’ I have to thank many of my American radio listeners for introducing me to a multitude of them as they didn't chart in the UK but did in America.

As an ‘Oldies’ lover, I think it’s great that I’m still coming across 'Oldies' I’ve never heard before.

Here are my favourites, starting at 100 and I’ve added each songs release month and year just to give you an idea when it came out.

There’s also a youtube playlist link so that you can hear all 100 in their entirety.

Enjoy!

100 Nancy Sinatra - How Does That Grab You Darling (Apr 1966)

99 Guess Who - These Eyes (Jun 1969)

98 Susan Christie - I Love Onions (Apr 1966)

97 Falco - Vienna Calling (May 1986)

96 Glen Campbell - Dreams Of The Everyday Housewife (Jun 1968)

95 Paul McCartney & Wings - Arrow Through Me (Aug 1979)

94 Gilbert O'Sullivan - Underneath The Blanket Go (Feb 1971)

93 Collegians - Zoom Zoom Zoom (Feb 1958)

92 Peppermint Rainbow - Will You Be Staying After Sunday (Apr 1969)

91 World Of Oz – King Croesus (1968)

90 Gene Pitney - Nobody Needs Your Love (Jun 1966)

89 Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan - Tennessee Bird Walk (Dec 1969)

88 Otis Leavill - Nobody But You (Feb 1968)

87 Eydie Gorme - Everybody Go Home (Oct 1963)

86 Sue Thompson - Sad Movies (Always Make Me Cry) (Oct 1961)

85 Twice As Much - Sittin' On A Fence (May 1966)

84 Family Dogg - Way Of Life (Apr 1969)

83 Cathie Taylor - Baby Baby Have You Got Cheatin' On Your Mind (Feb 1968)

82 Happenings - Where Do I Go (Sep 1969)

81 Roger Voudouris - Get Used To It (Apr 1979)

80 5^th Dimension – Puppet Man (May 1970)

79 Ali Thomson - Take A Little Rhythm (Feb 1980)

78 Herman's Hermits - I Can Take Or Leave Your Loving (Dec 1967)

77 Tommy James & The Shondells - Draggin' The Line (Sep 1973)

76 Blues Band - Rolling Log (Nov 1982)

75 Downliners Sect - Little Egypt (Sep 1964)

74 Pacific Gas & Electric With The Blackberries - Are You Ready (Jun 1970)

73 Bob Welch - Ebony Eyes (Nov 1977)

72 Zombies - Whenever You're Ready (Sep 1965)

71 Assembled Multitude - Overture from 'Tommy' (Jul 1970)

70 Bulldog – No (Aug 1972)

69 Stackridge - Do the Stanley (Feb 1973)

68 Roger Whittaker - I Don't Believe In If Anymore (Mar 1970)

67 Lou Christie - Rhapsody In The Rain (Apr 1966)

66 Electric Indian – Keem-O-Sabe (Sep 1969)

65 Beach Boys - Sail On Sailor (Feb 1973)

64 Lesley Gore - She's A Fool (Oct 1963)

63 Neil Young - Old Man (Jun 1972)

62 Spanky & Our Gang - Like To Get To Know You (Apr 1968)

61 La Reine La Mar - That's Not The Way To Love (Oct 1965)

60 Gallery - Big City Miss Ruth Ann (Dec 1972)

59 Flying Machine - Smile A Little Smile For Me (Apr 1969)

58 Sandpipers - Come Saturday Morning (Jan 1970)

57 Steve Forbert - Romeo's Tune (Oct 1979)

56 Bob Welch – Church (Jun 1979)

55 Tokens - She Lets Her Hair Down (Jan 1970)

54 Mud - Moonshine Sally (Jun 1975)

53 Ambrosia - How Much I Feel (Aug 1978)

52 Skeeter Davis - I Can't Stay Mad At You (Sep 1963)

51 Tin Tin - Toast & Marmalade For Tea (May 1970)

50 Engelbert Humperdinck - I'm a Better Man (Jul 1969)

49 Patty & The Emblems - Mixed-Up Shook-Up Girl (Jul 1964)

48 Gilbert O'Sullivan - We Will (Jul 1971)

47 Guess Who – Laughing (Aug 1969)

46 Eric Burdon & The Animals - Good Times (Aug 1967)

45 Stealers Wheel – Star (Nov 1973)

44 Joey Scarbury - Believe It Or Not (Theme From Greatest American Hero) (Sep 1981)

43 Pickettywitch - Baby I Won't Let You Down (Oct 1970)

42 Hank Levine – Image (Nov 1961)

41 Blues Image - Ride Captain Ride (Jan 1970)

40 Malo – Suavecito (Apr 1972)

39 Gunhill Road - Back When My Hair Was Short (May 1973)

38 Five Americans - Western Union (Apr 1967)

37 Roger Miller - My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died (Sep 1966)

36 Bobby Goldsboro - Watching Scotty Grow (Jan 1971)

35 Butterscotch - Don't You Know (Mar 1970)

34 Dave Clark 5 – Because (May 1964)

33 Hoagy Lands - Lighted Windows (Nov 1960)

32 Bobby Russell - Saturday Morning Confusion (Sep 1971)

31 Sarah Vaughan - Broken-Hearted Melody (Jul 1959)

30 Kurt Harris - Emperor Of My Baby's Heart (Jan 1964)

29 Stampeders - Sweet City Woman (Sep 1971)

28 Pilot - Just A Smile (Sep 1975)

27 Neon Philharmonic - Morning Girl (May 1969)

26 Sandy Coast - True Love That's A Wonder (May 1971)

25 Doris Troy - Watcha Gonna Do About It (Oct 1964)

24 John O'Banion - Love You Like I Never Before (May 1981)

23 Gary Lewis & The Playboys – Little Miss Go-Go (Apr 1965)

22 Pagliaro – Lovin’ You Ain’t Easy (Jan 1972)

21 Little Eva - Makin' With The Magilla (Sep 1964)

20 Glen Campbell - Everything A Man Could Ever Need (Aug 1970)

19 Ian Gomm - Hold On (Sep 1978)

18 Liz Damon's Orient Express - 1900 Yesterday (Nov 1970)

17 Twinkle – Tommy (Apr 1965)

16 BB 'Blues Boy' King - 16 Tons (Dec 1955)

15 Warm Sounds - Birds & Bees (Apr 1967)

14 Mike & The Mechanics - Taken In (Jun 1986)

13 White Plains - I've Got You On My Mind (Apr 1970)

12 Zombies - Care Of Cell 44 (Nov 1967)

11 Grand Funk - Bad Time (Apr 1975)

10 Chris Farlowe - Air Travel (Nov 1962)

9 Eric Burdon & The Animals – Monterey (May 1968)

8 Paul McCartney - Uncle Albert - Admiral Halsey (Aug 1971)

7 Neil Christian & The Crusaders - Two At A Time (Oct 1966)

6 Mary Hopkin - Lontano Dagli Occhi (Jan 1970)

5 Joe Dolan - You're Such A Good Lookin' Woman (Jan 1970)

4 Al Martino – To The Door To The Sun (May 1975)

3 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – The Last DJ (2002)

2 Harpers Bizarre – Mad (Jun 1970)

1 Billy Stewart – Ol’ Man River (Jan 1967)

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The Music of My Life #13

 I went to boarding school when I was 14. It's an experience I'd never want to repeat.

I was in a dormitory with loads of other boys my age and we all had our little areas about 6ft x 4ft. I had a single bed and a little wardrobe to put my belongings in. And a curtain you pulled across to make it into your own little room.

In between the two rows of beds along the walls of the dorm, there was a walkway around 3ft wide. And at the end of the hallway, there was a solitary 13am socket. Luckily, that socket was only about 15 ft away from my little area,

In my wardrobe along with my clothes, I'd brought my Dansette record player and a motley collection of records.

'Superbad' is to this day my favourite compilation album. 'Talking Book' although can be sad, was a comfort to me.

I'd get my record player out and plug it into the socket, place it on the floor and play my records.

Most of the time I'd be on my own, feeling totally homesick, missing my family. and I'd sometimes have a little sob session on my own.

Other times two or three other boys would be there and they'd have some records (once they knew I had a record player, they brought some of their records) that we'd play. Those were better times.

Even now, all these years later, I can remember how lonely it felt there. When Stevie sang "You and I, we can conquer the world" I knew he was singling about love, but to me it was about me and Stevie getting through another day until I had visitors, half term or the end of term.

These two albums helped me get through some of the loneliest periods of my young life.

Even now hearing 'Talking Book' takes me back to some of the hardest times of my life, and reminds me I got through it.

If you can't see the video, click here

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