Music thread!

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From the 1950s through to the late 1970s, there was a locally produced TV show out of WEWS-5 in Cleveland, called "Polka Varieties." It was aired Sunday afternoons, after the locally produced amateur show, "The Gene Carroll Show."

We had a lovely, lovable, simply wonderful neighbour lady who cleaned and cooked, and looked after my sister and me after Ma went back to teaching. She was with us for years, especially after Dad died....she was originally from the Slovenian region of what is-was(?) Yugoslavia....and she adored Polka. I'm no way a dedicated listener to it....haven't heard a whole song in years, but once in a while, I'll hear a few bars and think of Mrs. F.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Gawd where would I start on this subject?

practically anything from the 80's I love all the music.

Pet Shop Boys
Duran Duran
Spandau Ballet
Dexys Midnight Runners
ABC
Erasure
Frankie Gioes TO Hollywood
Madonna
Dollar
Bananarama
Bucks Fizz
Terence Trent D'Arby
Strawberry Swtichblade
Spagna

The list goes on.
Then the 90s which I can take or leave depending upon what mood im in.

REM
Oasis
Blur
Stereophonics
The New Radicals

Link to what Im listening to on youtube at the min.....

R

 
I enjoy Polka music as well-Wished more of it was played on radio stations.Hate most of the stuff they play-I spent almost 25 years working in a commercial top-40 radio station-so at this point I am sick and tired of late 60's,70's and 80's type music.The mechanical music is a nice change-have lots of records,cassttes,and CD's of it at home.Discovered gold mines of it on YouTube-
"Fairground" organs are generally those used to provide music for fairs and amusement parks.Smaller organs are used to provide music for individual rides-beleive me the band organ music is SO MUCH BETTER on an amusement ride than horribly loud and distorted rock music played thru a crappy sound system some parks now use.The music makes the ride--As Rudolph Wurlitzer used to say(His company was one of the larger builders of band organs in the US)"people will stop-listen and RIDE!"A company is the US makes band organs today-Stinsen Organ Company out of Bellafontaine Ohio.Some park owners have bought their organs to replace an older one or the horrible rock music sound system.Brings rides to life-esp Carrosuels(not sure of the spelling)
Dance hall organs are still used today-esp in Europe-to provide music in cafes and restuarants.wish that was the case here-get so TIRED of the crappy rock background music-many times while eating ask the server to turn it down or off.Dance organs emphasise rythem-they have lots of percussion instruments in them-to try to get people to dance to their music.And dance organs have what is called "Bax","Baxophone"pipes that give a warble like tone.And they also have accordeans on them too.Dance organs are built today by DeCap Herantals out of Belguim.Mortier is another.Decap instruments can be played from the traditional music books or MIDI digital music files.some older ones have been converted to play MIDI.and a few DeCap models can play either MIDI or books.The music books are perforated cardboard strips that are used to provide the music "programming" to play the organ and its instruments.US band organs use perforated music rolls much like a player piano.There should be some cafes and other establishments in the Amsterdam area that should have dance organs-try to seek them out and give them a listen--and for you Polka fans-Dance hall organs can be real "Polka Music machines"there are some examples of them on Youtube playing Polka music.Cafes,Eating establishments in Europe use these organs musch like US eateries use juke boxes.
 
There are no dance organs in Amsterdam for as far as I know, but we have a rich tradition of street organs, especially organs from the Perlee family.

 
Street organs!!Love those too-I am so glad the tradition of Street organs lives on.I have seen the Perlee models on Youtube.Also I like them because they are usually playing "Happy" type tunes.The music makes you feel good and its uplifting.But those organs can sure play some serious music too-and play it well.The Europian organs are much more "expressive" than the American Wurlitzer models-and yes I like those as well.When listening live-often like to rest my hands on the organ to feel the vibration and well as listen.Used to do this when I listened at Glen Echo Park near Wash DC.They used a Wurlitzer 165 for their Dentzel Carrosel.The organ was purchased for the park in the 1930's when the park first opened-My Mom used to listen to that organ when she was a little girl!Also it was restored by Durward Center in Baltimore in the 80's.And the park purchased some music rolls for the organ-to complete their library of music-from a yard sale-the seller sold the rolls-as "player Piano" rolls-50Cents each! also the DC area has a another Carrosel on the mall-it has a Wurlitzer 153 organ.That carrosel was owned by a person I knew-he had a collecxtion of organs and juke boxes-one of his organs was a large Mortier organ he bought from someone in Orlando,Fla.Used to visit him and play it-you would cue up a music book-then run around front to listen.Was fun.Enjoyed that so much.I am surprized Amsterdam didn't have the dance organs.thought they would.
 
I am into this Zen stuff lately ...

When not at my day job - I travel around the country and play this stuff.
Here is a video - I am playing the strange saucer like instrument - It's called a Hang.
A relatively newly invented melodic drum.
It's pretty tactile and relaxing...

 
I had Lawrence Welk's "Beer Barrel Polka"/"Pennsylvania Polka" 45 in my juke box for many years. I think he finally got booted by Ricky Nelson's "Travling Man" a while back and is currently out of rotation.
 
I love polka music

Well being half polish, from my mothers side, we always had polka music playing in the house. She would put 3 or 4 albums on the Heathkit console my dad and I built and crank it up and then start cleaning the house. Oh the memories of her brothers and sisters and their husbands and wifes dancing in our dining room. They would push the table and chairs aside and plenty of room for dancing. My grandfather came from Poland. After his passing and my parents I inherited all the albums. Some are in polish and some are in english. I still play them from time to time and it brings either a big smile to my face or tears from the memories. Nothing like a good polka to get your feet tapping.
Jon
 

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