Posted on: July 19, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

In support of PF Flyers’ archival release of the 1956 Bob Cousy All-American low top, the iconic sneaker brand has partnered with Los Angeles-based Dangerbird Records to create modern renditions of four classic tracks from 1956. Proof that cool ages rather well. The tracks can be streamed/downloaded at: http://www.pfflyers.com/dangerbird as well as below.

DARKER MY LOVE – “THE FOOL”
RECORDED IN ’56 BY SANFORD AND CLARK

Back in 1956, “The Fool” made Country, R&B and Billboard 100 charts with its haunting expression of lost love. Written by Lee Hazlewood (later one of Frank Sinatra’s producers), rockabilly artist Sanford Clark’s single hit featured Art Casey’s slapback guitar work, a reverb felt throughout rock music. L.A. indie rock band Darker My Love revives the riff with a languid pace marked with tambourine clinks evoking chains of eternal regret.

Darker My Love – “The Fool”

EULOGIES – “LOVE IS STRANGE”
RECORDED IN ’56 BY MICKEY & SYLVIA

For the Cousy Cheap Calendar Printing project, Eulogies wanted to do a duet with Film School’s Lorelei Plotczyk and this song was an easy choice. It was new to the band but Lorelei knew it very well from watching “Dirty Dancing” over and over again as a young girl. The original from 1956 was recorded by R&B duo Mickey “Guitar” Baker and his former pupil Silvia Van der Pool Robinson, who later co-founded the record label Sugar Hill Records.

Eulogies – “Love Is Strange”

THE ONE AM RADIO – “WAYWARD WIND”
RECORDED IN ’56 BY GOGI GRANT

Artists from Patsy Cline to Sonny & Cher covered “The Wayward Wind,” but Gogi Grant’s record topped the charts for eight weeks in 1956. The song fits The One AM Radio’s recurring theme of the isolation of wanderlust like a fellow traveler. Hrishikesh Hirway notes, “I’ve always felt a lot of resonance with this story, someone constantly adrift despite his best intentions, and I was excited to do my own take on it.”

The One AM Radio – “Wayward Wind”

DAPPLED CITIES – “GREEN DOOR”
RECORDED IN ’56 BY JIM LOWE

The original had a sweet 50s sock-hop spirit but the exuberance of Australia’s Dappled Cities drives the new Green Door to the place where quirky, off-kilter pop plays best. “We really loved the spookiness of the lyrics and exaggerated that in our own version by whispering the words, and then just threw on some crazy Joe Meek organ sounds, an offbeat drum part and voila! “Green Door” reincarnated.

Dappled Cities ” Green Door”

DANGERBIRD RECORDS

Based in Los Angeles, Dangerbird Records is the thriving label home to Darker My Love, Eulogies, The One AM Radio and Dappled Cities, in addition to 2007 indie success stories Silversun Pickups, Sea Wolf, La Rocca and former Jane’s Addiction co-founder/bassist Eric Avery. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Castelaz and Eulogies frontman Peter Walker in 2004, it was recently nominated for “Alternative Label of the Year” by industry trade Radio and Records.

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