Retro Video of the Day - Rockit / Holiday

Herbie Hancock is an accomplished Jazz keyboard player who in 1983 released a real groundbreaking track that changed a few things. "Rockit" from his Futureshock album was a very unique sounding song but what took it over the top was the futuristic and slightly disturbing video and the use of a technique that would eventually be better known as "scratching" as well as other turntable techniques. Many scratch DJs that made it big in the 90s and today cite Rockit as the record that turned them on to the turntable as an instrument.

The video was directed by Godley & Creme who were two of the creative minds behind the group 10cc and had a number of hits of their own during that time. The video won numerous awards including five MTV video music awards in 1984.

It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play for three weeks until it was knocked of by a song by a new artist you may have heard of - "Holiday" by Madonna.

Retro Bonus !

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Royal Wedding Retro Copycats

Time and time again there is evidence that nothing is new. It's all been done before. Everything is a remix. There are very rarely new and original ideas. Need more proof ? Check out the picture below of the recent Royal wedding of Will and Kate and the other classic Royal wedding in Cinderella which was a Disney movie from 1950. Honestly, you'd think the British Royal family could come up with an original thought !!

New Site

Just a heads up, the blog has now moved to a more modern WordPress site over at https://retroguyswonderland.com Site is up and under slight construction. New posts coming soon! - Retroguy's Son (The SysOp)

R.I.P. Sir Roger Moore (1927-2017)

It's a sad day for Bond fans with the news of the passing of Sir Roger Moore at age 89 after a short battle with cancer. The charismatic actor wore the 007 mantle for seven films playing the super suave British secret agent, James Bond from 1973 to 1985, replacing Sean Connery and went on to be the longest serving Bond to date. Roger had early success on television portraying Simon Templar in the "The Saint" and that role groomed him well for taking over the 007 franchise. He did have quite the television resume before taking on films including roles in "Ivanhoe", "The Alaskans" and "Maverick" and with Tony Curtis in "The Persuaders". His big break came in 1973's "Live and Left Die" that launched Moore's Bond. Roger brought a smoother more gentlemanly vibe to the role compared to Sean's rough and tumble Bond. The mix worked well and it brought a new standard to how Bond would be played in future films....

Earth, Wind and Ozzy !!

There is no doubt that the advent of technology has produced many amazing things that most of us never saw coming or would ever think was possible. Furthest from anyone's mind would be the mashing of two polar opposite musical styles of heavy metal and funk. Not possible you say? Check out the fine work by DJ Cummerbund as he seamlessly combines the heavy metal madness of Ozzy Osbourne with the super slick, funky rhythms of Earth, Wind and Fire to produce a mashup of Crazy Train and September. Ain't technology grand??

Retro Video of the Day - Domino Dancing

I remember first spinning the original West End Girls track on a white label and thinking that this was completely fresh (how long has it been since you used that word in that context?) and probably the start of a new and prominent trend in dance music. Whether you called it Electro-Pop, Electronica, EuroBeats, or crap, it was undeniable that pop music was moving away from strictly guitars and experimenting with new electronic sounds that ushered and defined what '80s music was all about. The Pet Shop Boys have always been on the forefront of that movement and have continually put out new music over three decades. Domino Dancing, released in 1988, really helped them cross over to a wide range of audiences. It reached #5 on the U.S. Billboard Club Play listing and cracked the Top 10 of almost all the countries it was released in. Extra Retro Bonus !

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