CARLO GENOVESI, Baby Luna, 1960
Posted: April 19, 2011 Filed under: 60s, Flexible Records, Italy, Rock´n´Roll Records, World | Tags: Italy, Milano, Rock´n´Roll Leave a comment »
One of the best things about doing a music blog - apart from feedback from readers and artists involved with the records - is when I get sent contributions from readers. This happy little tune and nice scan, I got via email from Frank from Milano, Italy.I love the 50s, and somewhat I’m a collector too: I’m interested mainly in Italian rock’n’roll of the 50s, that except for some names (Celentano amongst all), the rest is pretty obscure. I’d like to donate you a song taken from a flexi-disc.
The year is 1960, the guy who sings is named Carlo Genovesi (I don’t know if he made other records after this) and the song is called “Baby Luna”, and it sounds pretty well.
The same song was performed by a more famous Italian singer the year before, Bruno Martino (who co-wrote this song), and it was more uptempo than this version.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to record and scan this record.
Mille grazie, Franco!
CARLO GENOVESI, Baby Luna, 1960
Frank is also drumming in the great western swing/rockabilly band The Starliters, who will be playing in Berlin on Saturday, May 14th at the Roadrunners Club. I´ll definetely be heading over to the Roadrunners Club! If you´re into rockabilly, come and see The Starliters!
DOMENICO MODUGNO, Marinai donne e quai, 1959
Posted: October 23, 2010 Filed under: 50s, Italy, World 1 Comment »
When I checked Wikipedia I got the information that Domenico Modugno (9 January 1928 – 6 August 1994) was an Italian singer known for his 1958 international hit song “Volare”. It received two Grammy Awards with sales above 22 million copies, and represented Italy in the 1985 Eurovision Song Contest, where it came in third. Modugno was an actor in 44 movies. In 1987 he was also elected congressman as a member of the liberal Italian Radical Paty. But to be honest I had never heard of him before I bought this EP in Lisbon a couple of weeks ago.
Italians had a thing for incorporating rock´n´roll into the orchestra sound. I own a bunch of similar Italian records like this one. Marinai donne e guai apparently is a song from a Italian film. This is a Spanish Telefunken release licensed from the Italian Fonit label.
“Sailors on the quai, don´t look after the girls!”.
DOMENICO MODUGNO, Marinai donne e quai, 1959
DOMENICO MODUGNO, Ventu d´estati, 1959
DOMENICO MODUGNO, La signora a fianco, 1959
LITTLE TONY AND HIS BROTHERS, Lotta Lovin´, 1959
Posted: April 24, 2010 Filed under: 50s, Italy, Rock´n´Roll Records 1 Comment »
Little Tony (Antonio Ciacci) was one of Italy´s most popular rockers. This is a Jugoslav release of their first original Italian EP on Durium. A nice proof that that there were early rock´n´roll releases behind the iron curtain.
Gene Vincent´s Lotta Lovin´done Italian style…
LITTLE TONY AND HIS BROTHERS, Lotta Lovin´, 1959
MARINO MARINI, Caffettiera Twist, 1961
Posted: May 29, 2009 Filed under: 60s, Italy, Twist Records | Tags: Bella Italia, Caffettiera, Dino Risi, Il Sorpasso, O kyrios Pterarhos, Randy Randolph, Thanos Souyioul, The Twist, Vittorio Gassman 3 Comments »
My girlfriend gave me this record for my birthday 10 years ago when I was obsessed with collecting the Twist. She had actually made a trip to a specialist record shop and asked for a Twist record.
Caffeteria Twist is a cover-version of Randy Randolph´s 1958 saxophone-instrumental hit record Percolator. The b-side Mille Luci is my favourite song of all of these songs. I know I´ll be pretty alone with that feeling because it is also the least rockin´one but that song makes me dream of scooters, ice-cream parlors and everything 60´s in Bella Italia…
MARINO MARINI, Caffettiera Twist, 1961
MARINO MARINI, Mille Luci, 1961
In his comment below Ilias just sent these links to some beautiful clips from European films that feature the Twist. The first one is from the Italian film Il Sorpasso directed by Dino Risi starring Vittorio Gassman:
This one is from the Greek film O kyrios Pterarhos (Mr Wing-commander) from 1963. The guy dressed in the Greek Air Force uniform who is dancing with the charming lady is Thanos Souyioul (son of the very famous Greek songwriter Mihalis Souyioul) who died very untimely few years later in a car accident.
Great choices! Thanks a lot Ilias!
JOHN FORTE CON I RECORDMEN, The Madison, 1962
Posted: May 21, 2009 Filed under: 60s, Italy, Madison Records | Tags: 60s Dance Craze, Italy, The Madison Leave a comment »
A Italian version of The Madison sung or rather instructed in English with a thick Italian accent. At the end of the song Johnny sort of gives up and continues in Italian.
I like this cute little piano player on the Microson company-sleeve…
JOHN FORTE CON I RECORDMEN, The Madison, 1962
PEPPINO DI CAPRI E I SUOI ROCKERS, Madison Time, 1962
Posted: May 21, 2009 Filed under: 60s, Italy, Madison Records | Tags: 60s Dance Craze, Italy, The Madison Leave a comment »
Peppino Di Capri was one of Italy`s biggest rockers. His Italian Madison Time is actually a completely different song and it kills the original Madison Time big time!
PEPPINO DI CAPRI E I SUOI ROCKERS, Madison Time, 1962
GIANFRANCO INTRA SEXTET, Hully Gully Tom-Tom, 1963
Posted: May 13, 2009 Filed under: 60s, Hully Gully Records, Instrumental Records, Italy | Tags: Gianfranco Intra, Hully Gully 11 Comments »
Now what kind of music might be on this record? Gianfranco Intra and his orchestra backed Betty Curtis on Al di là in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1961. That`s about all I found out.
Hey Michael, how`s the weather in Milano? Can you find more?
GIANFRANCO INTRA SEXTET, Hully Gully Tom-Tom, 1963
GIANFRANCO INTRA SEXTET, Hully Gully “A” “O”, 1963
I RAGAZZI DELLA VIA GLUCK, Il Contadino, 1967
Posted: May 7, 2009 Filed under: 60s, Beat records, Italy | Tags: Hold On I`m Coming, Sam & Dave, Soul Music Leave a comment »
No particular theme this week, just a bunch of records I bought at the flea-market two weeks ago.
Il Ragazzi della Via Gluck were Adriano Celentano`s backing band from 1966 to 1970 and this is their first single published on Celentano`s own Clan Records. But I didn`t know this when I bought it. 
The Ragazzis don`t exactly look like a Beat group but the song Rock! Il Padre del Beat sounded promising. Well, that turned out to be more of a nostalgic Rock`n`Roll number but the B-side is great: a italian version of Sam & Dave`s Soul classic Hold on I´m Coming …
I RAGAZZI DELLA VIA GLUCK, Il Contadino, 1967
I RAGAZZI DELLA VIA GLUCK, Rock! Padre Del Beat, 1967
About me:
My name is Andreas Michalke. I´m a cartoonist from Berlin, Germany and I like collecting records. Most of the records I find in thrift stores or at flea markets here in Berlin. I like a lot of music but I thought I`d focus on odd German records. Preferably with cartoon covers.
All my scans are high-resolution. If you double-click on them they will get much bigger.
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