So, as I said I'm DJing my parent's 50th wedding anniversary this weekend. I don't know what's more remarkable, that they're celebrating a 50th, or that they asked me to DJ the party. My parents always berated me for wasting so much money on music. But now it's that very record collection that's saving them some money.
I decided to stick with period music from the time they got hitched, the mid- to late-'50s: rock and roll, country, some rhythm & blues, and the like. One Rhino compilation in particular has come in handy: Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of '50s Rock. Although the "loud" and "out of control" portions of the box set will not, for the most part, be making an appearance at the shindig, many of the comp's artists -- from Buddy Holly to Bobby Darin to Fats Domino -- are the perfect sort of tunes to play for 60- and 70-somethings like my 'rents and their friends and family.
One particular outtake struck a chord with me. I hadn't heard The Viscounts' 1959 cover of "Harlem Nocturne" in a while. It's a fabulously cheesy, blow-slow tune with a distinct back alley feel, making it the perfect song to not play at my parents' party. But I gotta share it with you. Dig the radio promo tacked on to the end of it!
The Viscounts - "Harlem Nocturne"
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