Sandie Shaw, "Un Tout Petit Pantin"

When people act like puppets, is it less creepy or more creepy when it's done in French?  You be the judge.

Skeeter Davis, "The End Of The World"

Sure, it's a decent song--but I'm excited that I get to feature someone on the blog named "Skeeter."

The Doobie Brothers, "Jesus Is Just Alright"

This is about the closest I come to going to church.

Chicago, "If You Leave Me Now"

With a room filled with so many vests and beards--as seen through a star pattern, the most advanced editing techniques known to 1977--who would ever want to leave?

Crowded House, "Don't Dream It's Over"

We saw these guys live last night--and they put on a pretty good show.  They don't look terribly different than they do here in 1987, receiving an MTV Music Award from Downtown Julie Brown.

"Tornado"? (Identity/Artist Unknown)

All this says--perhaps fittingly--is "tornado."  A real tornado, however, is less painful and goes away much more quickly.

Lit, "My Own Worst Enemy"

I don't know whether bowling in retro attire has anything to do with getting drunk, driving drunk, parking your car on your front lawn, crawling into your window, and falling asleep with your clothes on--all with little to no memory of any of these events--but it's definitely one of the few sports in which you can legitimately compete and still be intoxicated enough to do any of these things.

Passion Pit, "The Reeling"

So it turns out I've kind of gone batsh*t crazy for what Wikipedia calls "Second Wave synthpop" groups.  Phoenix, Keane, LCD Soundsystem--and Passion Pit, included here--are just a few of the bands that are tickling my iPod's fancy.

Coconut Records, "West Coast"

I really like Coconut Records, and that has nothing to do with the fact that the group is mostly Jason Schwartzman,who has starred in a lot of great movies (most of them, coincidentally, also with great soundtracks).

Bush, "Machinehead"

Anyone remember these guys?  It seemed like every one of the songs on this album (Sixteen Stone) was a huge hit--exactly two months apart from each other.  It went on for, like, two years.  Anyway, good album.

Also, fun note: the group Bush became popular between both Bush administrations.  So... there's that.

Wayne Newton, "Danke Schoen"

Knowing what Wayne Newton looks like now, it's crazy to see him this young.  I suspect he'll look this young again someday, thanks to the miracle of plastic surgery, so it's probably just a matter of time.  Guten Tag!

Anti-Mosque At Ground Zero Music Video

This thing is too ironically awesome to parody.  Despite its godawfulness, it's a fairly catchy tune, maybe even better than Dennis Madalone's "America: We Stand As One."

Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"

I don't know what to make of any of this.  She's coming to Portland on Thursday, and I'm guessing she'll attract the most oddly-dressed people in town--so I'm curious about that.

Buck Owens & The Buckaroos, "Tiger By The Tail"

There's not nearly as much winking involved as when Buck sang "Act Naturally," so that's an improvement.  Eventually I'll find some clips of him and The Buckaroos that aren't set in a fake "Hee Haw" barn--or maybe I won't.  I kind of like what the barn has going on.

Neil Diamond, "Soolaimon"

I was hoping to find a live performance from Neil's "Hot August Night"--apropos, huh?  But that's not an easy task, so I got the next best thing: "Soolaimon."

Africa is warm this time of year, right?  A quick internet search shows that it's going to be in the 80s this week in Nairobi, Kenya--that's warm enough for this video to be relevant.  Soolaimon!

David Hasselhoff, "Hooked On A Feeling"

I just watched the roast of Hasselhoff on Comedy Central--a mostly entertaining scouring of everyone involved, including Lisa Lampanelli..."a carnival bear dressed in a pant suit," according to Jeffrey Ross (and I'm paraphrasing).

Anyway, this video is the 'Hoff to the core, so I'm happy to share it:

Charlie Daniels Band, "Devil Went Down To Georgia"

I wish there was more country music like this.  If Taylor Swift gains 200 pounds, grows a beard, and starts playing a mean fiddle--I might give her music a chance.

Martha & The Vandellas, "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave"

It's getting into the mid-90s here in Portland... that's a normal summer for most people (and actually a cool breeze for some others), but here in the Pacific Northwest that's pretty toasty.  So I've consulted the catalog of Martha & The Vandellas--they're so hot, they're cool!  Or something.  I dunno... it's got the word "heat" in the title.

R. Stevie Moore, "I Like To Stay Home"

He likes to stay home?  Shocker.  I'm sure he stays busy there with his 27 cats.

And how about that drummer, with his various masks.  He must use the cats as his test audience.  "Chairman Meow, you like my elephant trunk mask, don't you?  Of course you do!  I'm going to drum with a spatula and put it on YouTube!"

Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, "Up Where We Belong"

I'm not really a Joe Cocker fan, and I don't know anything about Jennifer Warnes.  But this combo is MAGICAL.

Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros, "Home"

I've tried to submit this to latfh.com, but they haven't posted it yet.  I'm not butt-hurt, but I kind of feel like it's perfect for the site.  Unless Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros are technically gypsies.  I suppose there's a fine line between hipsters and gypsies.  The co-lead singer loses two articles of clothing within the first 90 seconds--I suppose that's a gypsy thing to do.

Loretta Lynn, "Don't Come Home A Drinkin"

I feel like her tone is somewhere between "Please don't come home drunk" and "If you come home drunk, I'ma kill you."  I can't figure out exactly which it is, but given that she has a song called "Fist City," I wouldn't take any chances.

Loggins & Messina, "Your Mama Don't Dance"

Loggins & Messina, you're doing the dancing for all of us.

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, "A Taste Of Honey"

Can I go back in time and play marimba for Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass?  Get Doc & the DeLorean... I'm gonna make this thing happen.

The Hollies, "The Air That I Breathe"

What I like about this song & video:

1. If this video doesn't reek of 1974, I don't know what does.
2. The Hollies.  They're awesome.  And they're underrated.
3. This song is in the movie "The Virgin Suicides"--a great film. It's got James Woods in it.  'Nuff said!

Zamfir Pan Flute Commercial

I'm still waiting for my "Zamfir Plays The Notorious B.I.G." albums; I paid my $12.98 for two cassettes, I expect to get them!

Mitch Miller & The Gang, "Heart Of My Heart"

RIP, Mitch Miller: 1911-2010.  I didn't know much about Mitch, other than he rocked an awesome goatee.

Modern Talking, "Brother Louie"

In the Valley of Fake Tans, these men are kings.

C+C Music Factory, "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"

I randomly heard this on the radio on my way home from work tonight, and I'm pretty sure I committed some traffic infractions with the way I was jamming out during the drive.  Rockin' out to retro!

"My Little Buttercup" from "The Three Amigos"

This is a lot funnier if you've seen the movie, and hopefully you have.  "Eh... Smile"--I literally laughed for days at that.

"It's probably watered down."