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Contributing Author and Record Collector Chuck Small takes us through K-Tel’s Sounds Spectacular, a 1975 collection so stuffed with hits it’s practically bursting at the grooves. From Rubettes’ truncated charm to Gloria Gaynor’s disco fire, it’s a record that both dazzles and occasionally asks, “Really?That edit?”
With a folk-rock scripture lesson on one side and a sonic demolition derby on the other, November 1965 turns out to be one of those months where pop culture accidentally overachieved. It’s all courtesy of Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan, who cheerfully reminds us that the distance between King Solomon and The Who is shorter than you’d expect.
It’s November 1955, and the airwaves are thick with sweat, smoke, and the occasional baritone moral crisis. Three songs: “Sixteen Tons,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Cry Me A River” show that even in Eisenhower’s America, sin and sorrow could still top the charts.
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan sifts through the dust, danger, and dinner-jacketed despair to tell us why seventy years later, these songs still sound alive.
When Musicals Ruled the UK Album Charts
Before The Beatles rewrote the program notes, it was Julie, Yul, and a few enchanted evenings that owned the album charts. In this lively chronicle, Contributing Author JJ Live At Leeds explores the unlikely reign of musicals on Britain’s hit parade, where South Pacific outlasted rockers, crooners, and even Freddy Cannon’s discounts.
‘Dynamic Sound’…Times Two
Soul, schmaltz, and one very questionable strawberry patch: this compilation has it all. Contributing Author Chuck Small unpacks the strange charms of 1974’s ‘K-tel’s Dynamic Sound.’
It’s The Hits Of September-ish 1965!
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan dives headfirst into September 1965, where John Lennon’s coded S.O.S., Wilson Pickett’s dance-floor thunder, and Nina Simone’s biblical firestorm collided.
The Real Truth About The Vapors’ Biggest Song
Pop culture loves a indelicate legend, but Contributing Author Bill Bois sets the actual record straight on “Turning Japanese”, showing how clever hooks and catchy choruses fueled its rise.
Late Career Beach Boys, Vol. II
Contributing Author Stobgopper chronicles the final hurrah in this review of late-stage Beach Boys. Some songs try, most coast, and Pacific Coast Highway closes the set with polite inevitability.
Musician Cara Richard
Catch up with 12-year-old Cara Richard in a TNOCS interview, where every note she plays bubbles with purpose and joy.
Proof positive that passion and talent can’t be measured by years.
The Popular Mix
He knows his way around a pop chart rabbit hole, and this volume lands us right in the middle of a trove of unforgettable duets. The handoffs are smooth, the commentary sharp, and the listening pure pleasure — exactly what we’ve come to expect from Contributing Author Chuck Small .
It’s The Hits Of September 1955!
This week’s time-capsule tour of September 1955 reminds us that pop history is equal parts brilliance, bravado, and beans. Returning after a short sabbatical is Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan, proving that (other than Pat Boone) the mid-50s were anything but dull.
The English Beat’s Accidental DADAAD Classic
What happens when a teenage tuning mistake becomes a rock classic? Contributing Author and Music Historian Bill Bois tells the story with wit, history, and a ringing chord or two.
A piece that hits like “Save It For Later” itself: unexpected, melodic, and unforgettable.
Charting the Highest Notes Ever Sung by Male Singers in Popular Music
Hypoxia never sounded so good: This soaring playlist rockets into the musical stratosphere, leaving you dizzy with delight.
Contributing Author Rollerboogie delivers a note-by-note adventure through the highest male vocals ever caught on record.