Trippy

Dude, this stuff is f'ing trippy!

Think Animal Collective and Abe Vigoda came up with the ultra-fast delayed guitar? Listen to "Baby Sittin'" by Bobby Angelo, 1961 (not too mention the pretty, uh...sketchy lyrics...I'd call 'em bold, but I mean...telling a girl to come with you babysitting so you can hook up while the baby's asleep?...I won't judge, I suppose, I didn't live back then...).

How 'bout continuous layering of weird, reverberating percussion and weird-sounding guitars being sung over by an undeterminable number of swooning voices harmonizing with each other? Try "I Have a Boyfriend" by The Chiffons, 1963.

When I was little, I used to always think it was funny how that guy in "Runaway," 1961, made his voice go so high and that it was weird the way the song changed so jarringly from happy- to sad-sounding (which I now know is major to minor...but still call happy- to sad-sounding), but just assumed that's what music was like back then and it was normal. No!! That was weird as hell back then, too! And new! (In the U.S. pop music scene, that is).

I have a feeling I can, and am going to, learn a lot.

P.S. I just heard "Surfin' Bird," 1963, by The Trashmen for the first time in a while (I didn't actually know who did it before, I thought it was the Big Bopper. If you don't know, just think: "Buh-buh-buh-bow-bow-bow-buh-buh-oo-ow-ow! Bird's the word, buh-buh-buh-bird's the word." You've probably heard it before.). Has anybody reading this actually listened to this entire song before?! Including the middle section where it's just the singer freaking the heck out?? I can't believe this song even got played on the radio.