Looking for 'Swing When You´re Winning' style music

Everything about the swinging music we love to DJ

Moderators: Mr Awesomer, JesseMiner, CafeSavoy

Locked
Message
Author
patrik
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:15 am
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Looking for 'Swing When You´re Winning' style music

#1 Post by patrik » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:50 am

I am looking for modern (or something equivalent) lindy music in the same style as Robbie Williams "Swing When You´re Winning".

So far I have only found Paul Anka "Rock Swings" and Christina Aguilera "Candyman".

More suggestions?

User avatar
trev
Posts: 736
Joined: Tue Sep 14, 2004 8:20 pm
Location: Perth, Australia

#2 Post by trev » Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:28 pm

I assume you mean pop artists doing [questionable] swing...

Michael Buble
Harry Connick Jr
Rod Stewart :lol:

User avatar
J-h:n
Posts: 193
Joined: Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:09 am
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden

#3 Post by J-h:n » Tue Jun 19, 2007 2:12 am

As far as I remember, Swing When You're Winning was mostly rehashes of Sinatra hits in arrangements fairly close to the originals, so you might want to take a look at those. I think the most swinging Sinatra albums were the ones he did with Billy May, Come Dance With Me and Come Swing With Me in particular. Very orchestrated, but not as complex as the Nelson Riddle stuff. Oh, and the live album with Basie at the Sands, of course, but that's a different animal altogether.

patrik
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:15 am
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

#4 Post by patrik » Tue Jun 19, 2007 3:49 am

trev wrote:I assume you mean pop artists doing [questionable] swing...

Michael Buble
Harry Connick Jr
Rod Stewart :lol:
Yup, pop artists doing swing :D

Oh my, a lot of recordings. Can you give me any hints regarding which CDs that are worth looking for?

User avatar
Eyeball
Posts: 1919
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 5:11 am
Contact:

#5 Post by Eyeball » Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:06 am

Start with Rod Stewart. Anything after that will be an improvement. Almost.

patrik
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:15 am
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

#6 Post by patrik » Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:30 pm

Eyeball wrote:Start with Rod Stewart. Anything after that will be an improvement. Almost.
Thanks, but, can you be a little bit more specific?
Lots of CDs out there...

User avatar
Lawrence
Posts: 1213
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 2:08 pm
Location: Austin, Texas
Contact:

#7 Post by Lawrence » Tue Jun 19, 2007 2:34 pm

Eyeball wrote:Start with Rod Stewart. Anything after that will be an improvement. Almost.
Actually, Rod Stewart has recorded two of my favorite "Grooveish" Lindy songs. Of course, that stems from the backup band and the fact that he chose a Sam Cooke song and a Blues standard to cover, but he did a great job singing them, as well: keeping the rhythm flowing instead of singing over it or interfering with it. "Having a Party" and "Highgate Shuffle."
Lawrence Page
Austin Lindy Hop
http://www.AustinLindy.com

User avatar
OneTrueDabe
Posts: 43
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 12:30 pm
Location: Washington, DC
Contact:

Re: Looking for 'Swing When You´re Winning' style music

#8 Post by OneTrueDabe » Tue Jun 19, 2007 4:46 pm

patrik wrote:I am looking for modern (or something equivalent) lindy music in the same style as Robbie Williams "Swing When You´re Winning".

So far I have only found Paul Anka "Rock Swings" and Christina Aguilera "Candyman".

More suggestions?
So far I've seen three different categories of suggestions:

* Rod Stewart, Queen Latifah, Cyndi Lauper (whose "My Baby Just Cares For Me" is fun) and plenty more have put out the opposite -- contemporary artists singing the standards. Lyle Lovett, for example, did "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and "Blue Skies".

I wouldn't call Michael Bublé a "Pop" singer, BTW; he's a very talented vocalist in his own right. But yeah, he's contemporary...

I'm sure there are truckload of "tribute"-style albums out there -- or, like, Reggae Swing-type CDs -- with all the old familiars, but with a "hip, fresh" flavor.

They Might Be Giants and Alice Cooper BOTH did "The Lady Is A Tramp", and the Psychedelic Furs did "Mack The Knife". Not that I'd recommend DANCING to them, but hey, they're certainly out there...

Sometimes I like to get on AllMusic.com and search by song. I'll pick one of those oft-covered songs and look to see who's performed it; you'd be amazed (and amused for hours, no doubt!)

* The first example you listed, Paul Anka's "Rock Swings", is a (*cough*) "vintage" artist doing contemporary songs. (His cover of Oasis's "Wonderwall" is pretty good, though, I have to admit...)

Along these lines would be bands like "New Morty Show", "Eight To The Bar", and even Pat Boone's "In A Metal Mood" CD. The Pupini Sisters do a cover of Blondie's "Heart of Glass". Pure novelty!

* "Candyman" is different, though -- for better or worse, I happen to like it. It's a contemporary song you can dance to. Granted, it's a blatant rip-off of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy[*], but hey, the kids dig it.

[* - For proof, see my "Boogie Woogie Candyman" Mashup. ]

You could probably start a whole thread with this kind of stuff:

"Tell Me 'Bout It" by Joss Stone; Esthero's "Wicked Little Girls", which samples "Minor Swing"; people used to play "Plenty" by Guru w/ Erykah Badu; "Come Baby Come" by K7; "Switch" by Will Smith; Jurassic 5's "Swing Set"; "Idlewild Blue" or "Call the Law" by OutKast (See Also: "OutKast MacGill -- Idlewild Rhythm"); Madonna's "Hanky Panky" from the Dick Tracy soundtrack; "Boom Shack-A-Lack" by Apache Indian; lots of stuff by Shaggy; Will.i.am's remake of Sergio Mendes's "Mas Que Nada" or Sly and the Family Stone's "Dance to the Music".

The list goes on and on...

These are the songs I tend to slip in about 20 minutes before the end of the night. I don't want to freak out the "normals" who (get this) leave before the dance is over; instead, I reward the die-hards who are on their third or fourth T-shirt.

Yeah, I'm that guy. :-P

--
:- Dabe@Gottaswing.com

User avatar
Eyeball
Posts: 1919
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 5:11 am
Contact:

#9 Post by Eyeball » Tue Jun 19, 2007 6:24 pm

patrik wrote:
Eyeball wrote:Start with Rod Stewart. Anything after that will be an improvement. Almost.
Thanks, but, can you be a little bit more specific?
Lots of CDs out there...

I cant in good conscience recommend anything along the lines of what you are looking for.
It's all ersatz music.
Why take the rest when you can get the best?

User avatar
djstarr
Posts: 1043
Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Seattle

#10 Post by djstarr » Wed Jun 20, 2007 4:29 pm

trev wrote:I assume you mean pop artists doing [questionable] swing...

Harry Connick Jr
... for some reason Harry decided to pop it up for the big crowds; I have several of his early CDs which I'm going to mine one of these days for danceable music; I saw him at Jazzfest this year --- he played a session with Branford Marsalis and Bob French to promote Bob French's new album --- classic New Orleans sound, some tracks great to dance to.

Then I heard his headliner show with the big band.... very poppy. I left half way through.

You might want to check out Harry's latest CD which is a tribute to New Orleans, I think it is called NOLA. I didn't like it, but it was definitely pop swing.

Then of course there is Jamie Cullum, although I haven't heard too much swing from him, it's mostly jazz.

patrik
Posts: 25
Joined: Wed Apr 25, 2007 6:15 am
Location: Stockholm, Sweden

#11 Post by patrik » Thu Jun 21, 2007 3:52 pm

Eyeball wrote:I cant in good conscience recommend anything along the lines of what you are looking for.
It's all ersatz music.
Why take the rest when you can get the best?
What is "the best"? 1920s New Orleans Jazz or something slightly more modern?
There is a lot of junk around too, even from the "correct" period.

OneTrueDabe, thanks for the comprehensive list.

User avatar
Eyeball
Posts: 1919
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 5:11 am
Contact:

#12 Post by Eyeball » Fri Jun 22, 2007 7:48 pm

patrik wrote:
Eyeball wrote:I cant in good conscience recommend anything along the lines of what you are looking for.
It's all ersatz music.
Why take the rest when you can get the best?
What is "the best"? 1920s New Orleans Jazz or something slightly more modern?
There is a lot of junk around too, even from the "correct" period.

OneTrueDabe, thanks for the comprehensive list.
Many things are matter of taste. I have not really enjoyed dancing to great N.O. music. Love to hear it, but I always prefer genuine Swing music played by a vintage (usually) big band.

I dont think there is as much 'junk' from the 'correct period' as you may think. There were many substandard bands, but the music played by the good bands was rarely 'junk', though much of it was not suited to Lindy Hop.
Will big bands ever come back?

Nate Dogg
Posts: 886
Joined: Sat Dec 14, 2002 3:29 pm
Location: Austin, TX

#13 Post by Nate Dogg » Thu Nov 08, 2007 1:02 pm

The quality varies widely (i.e., some of these songs suck), but here are songs in that "might" fit the bill..

Aerosmith - Big Ten Inch Record (2:16)
Ben Harper - Suzie Blue (4:29)
Beyonce - Fever (4:31)
Brian Setzer and Gwen Stefani - You're The Boss (3:43)
Bryan Ferry - The Way You Look Tonight (3:36)
Buster Poindexter - Smack Dab In The Middle (3:55)
Buster Poindexter - Good Morning Judge (3:41)
Chicago - Chicago (3:07)
Christina Aguilera - Candyman (3:14)
D'Angelo - When We Get By (5:44)
David Lee Roth - Just A Gigolo / I Ain't Got Nobody (4:19)
Four Tops - This Can't Be Love
Frank Sinatra and Bono - I've Got You Under My Skin (3:32)
Frank Sinatra and George Strait - Fly Me To The Moon (2:10)
Fun Boy Three With Bananarama - T'aint What You Do (2:51)
Gabin - It Don't Mean A Thing (If Ain't Got That Swing) (Doo Uap, Doo Uap, Doo Uap) (4:49)
George Harrison - Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Unreleased Version) (2:40)
George Michael - My Baby Just Cares For Me (1:46)
Honeydrippers - Rockin' at Midnight (5:57)
Huey Lewis and The News - Shake Rattle And Roll (3:07)
Huey Lewis and The News - Some Kind Of Wonderful (3:06)
Huey Lewis and the News - But It's Alright (2:54)
Huey Lewis and the News - Little Bitty Pretty One (2:05)
Huey Lewis and The News - Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash (2:57)
Huey Lewis and The News - Better To Have And Not Need (3:32)
Huey Morgan and Jools Holland - Fly Me To The Moon (2:27)
James Taylor - It's Only A Paper Moon (2:51)
Jazz Passengers with Deborah Harry and Elvis Costello - Doncha Go 'Way Mad (3:21)
Jim Belushi And Dan Aykroyd - All She Wants To Do Is Rock (2:57)
Jim Belushi And Dan Aykroyd - Greenbacks (3:28)
Jim Belushi And Dan Aykroyd - Swinging Party (2:52)
Joan Jett And Paul Westerberg - Let's Do It (2:23)
Joe Jackson - Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? (4:58)
John Cale - I Wanna Be Around (3:04)
John Lithgow - Everybody Eats When They Come To My House (2:41)
Jools Holland & Mick Mucknall - T-Bone Shuffle (3:01)
Linda Ronstadt - Straighten Up and Fly Right (2:16)
Linda Ronstadt - Can't We Be Friends (2:32)
Lisa Stansfield - They Can't Take That Away From Me (3:16)
Macy Gray - I Want To Be Your Mother's Son-In-Law (2:33)
Madonna - Hanky Panky (3:59)
Mary J Blige - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (5:01)
Muppets - Ma Nah Mah Na (2:52)
Natalie Cole - Straighten Up And Fly Right (2:40)
Pat Benatar - Bloodshot Eyes (2:49)
Pet Shop Boys - Can You Forgive Her (Swing Mix) (4:55)
Pointer Sisters - Jada (4:35)
Quincy Jones - Let The Good Times Roll with Ray Charles, Bono, and Stevie Wonder (2:55)
Renee Zellweger - Roxie (3:22)
Ringo Starr - Night And Day (2:26)
Robbie Williams - Beyond The Sea (52:01)
Robbie Williams - Mack the Knife (3:18)
Robbie Williams - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (2:58)
Robbie Williams - Straighten Up And Fly Right (2:36)
Robbie Williams - Ain't That A Kick In The Head (2:27)
Robert Palmer - Witchcraft (3:17)
Robert Palmer - Goody Goody (2:51)
Sinead O'Connor - Why Don't You Do Right (2:29)
Sting - Spread a Little Happiness (3:27)
Suzanne Summers and the Swing Alive Orchestra - Our Love Is Here to Stay (2:34) - Lawrence Page recomended this one...
Taco - Puttin' On The Ritz (4:39)
Taj Mahal - Keepin' Out of Mischief Now (3:29)
They Might Be Giants - Lie Still, Little Bottle (2:06)
Van Morrison & Linda Gail Lewis - Baby (You Got What It Takes) (3:45)


And from the opposite point of view...

Alien Fashion Show - Detroit Swing City (2:59)
Big Daddy - When I'm Sixty-Four (3:20)
Big Daddy - Ice Ice Baby (2:20)
Big Daddy - I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (3:35)
Dino Martinis - One Hand In My Pocket (3:06)
Dynamo's Rhythm Aces - Born To Run (3:26)
Dynamo's Rhythm Aces - Papa Was A Rolling Stone (3:26)
Dynamo's Rhythm Aces - Dancing In The Dark (4:36)
Dynamo's Rhythm Aces - Kiss (3:22)
Ernestine Anderson - Sunny (3:50)
Ernie Andrews - Fire and Rain (6:37)
Etta James - Miss You (5:59)
Four Tops - This Can't Be Love (2:38)
Frank Sinatra - Mrs. Robinson (2:53)
Frank Sinatra & Woody Herman - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (2:49)
H.B. Radke - I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane Babe (4:14)
Joe Williams - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved Be Loved By You) (2:32)
John Pizzarelli - Things We Said Today (4:16)
Jumpin' Jimes - Rock and Roll All Nite (2:48)
New Morty Show - White Wedding (Rebel Yell) Medley (3:28)
Pat Boone - You've Got Another Thing Comin' (4:19)
Pat Boone - It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll) (4:37)
Pat Boone - Paradise City (4:41)
Pat Boone - Crazy Train (4:32)
Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit (2:44)
Ramsey Lewis - Soul Man (2:49)
Recliners - Hot Stuff (4:23)
Richard Cheese - Down With The Sickness (2:19)

Locked