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01. Music Reference AMG: All Music Guide
Possibly the best general rock/pop reference guide on the Net. It's not infallible, but it's an obvious place to start when researching musicians. 45cat
An indespensable reference source. Data for thousands of singles, most of them from UK or USA, familiar and obscure, many with label shots. If you're lucky there'll be some supplementary information in the Comments. PopMusicInfo.com
Useful database searchable by artist, record or song. At the moment the focus is on the 60s in Britain, the US and Sweden. Billboard magazine: Back issues
Seems too good to be true, but you can search and read complete back issues of Billboard going back to 1940 at Google Books. The Originals
Updates, in English, to Belgian researcher Arnold Rypens's book about original versions. By now the updates are a large resource in themselves. Spectropop
Authoritative reference site and portal for 60s pop, supplemented by a well-informed forum at Yahoo! Groups (see below under 14. Forums). Music Pop Hits
Known to its friends as MPH: listen to oldies from all over the world. Treasure trove for research or amusement. Album discographies at Softshoe Slim's Music Matters
Click on "Album Lists" to find album discographies for hundreds of artists from the 50s to the 00s. Put together by Andy Simons. BMI; ASCAP; and SESAC
Search for details of songwriting credits for almost any American song at these performing rights organisations. For the Australian equivalent, see APRA below. US Copyright Office: Books, Music, etc.
Online database covers 1978 to the present, although you might find earlier works if the copyright has been renewed since 1978. IMDb: The Internet Movie Database
"Earth's Biggest Movie Database" Rockin' Country Style
Terry Gordon's indispensable "Discography of Country Rock & Roll and Related Records, 1951-1964". Covers many obscure records unlisted elsewhere. GEMM
Huge recorded music mail order portal, offering access to millions of items. Great for finding obscure recordings to buy, but also a useful reference source. Tom Simon's Rock-and-Roll Page
Actually a number of pages featuring concise summaries of the careers of about 150 pop and rock arists. Artists' Biographies at Black Cat Rockabilly
Not just rockabilly, either: brief bios of numerous rock, pop and country artists, collected from the Net. 45-rpm.org.uk
Excellent database and background information on British singles, as well as discographies for obscure artists. Discographie Rock 'N' Country
Useful site that includes discographies for some hard-to-find artists. Discogs.com
Growing collection of discographies and annotations, based on user submissions. British Beat File at Stroll On
Click on 'Index' to browse discographies of 60s British artists. Many of these you won't find anywhere else on the Net. Pete Hoppola's Wang Dang Dula
Site from Finland, in English, full of data and background on rock'n'roll, blues, Nordic scene. Sheet Music at MusicNotes.com
Searchable by several criteria, including Composer. Sheet Music at Kay's Music Australia
Useful site that gives notes from sheet music on sale. VinylTap
UK record store with lots of label shots at the site. Contemporary Musicians
Substantial biographies at Answers.com. (The source is the Gale Group book by Michael L. LaBlanc et al.) Also at musicianguide.com Internet Broadway Database
Detailed listings of productions, scores and people. Search by several criteria. American Bandstand Episode Guide
At tv.com. Lists the guests and what they performed. eBay
Surprisingly useful to the researcher, particularly as a source of label shots. BulkResource.org: Copyright
Raw data from US Copyright Office Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Concise A-Z by Donald Clarke with nearly 4000 entries, an online update of Donald's "Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music" (1989, now out of print). StarClusterMusic.de
Nicely organised chronologies of individual members of a handful of bands - America, Badfinger, Beatles, Bee Gees, Byrds, Eagles and Tin Tin - plus a country artist called Leroy "Mack" McNees. Looks like a work in progress, but what's there is fine. Tunecaster
User-friendly database, still under construction, of hit records from the 50s to the 00s, complete with audio samples. Site by Gil Brothers. Forgotten Hits
"An Oldies Music Newsletter where fans share their musical memories right alongside those of the deejays who help to keep all of this great music alive and many of the artists who created much of this great music in the first place." 02. Australia and New Zealand The First Wave: Australian Pop and Rock 1955-1963 The Second Wave: Australian Pop and Rock 1964-1969
Discographies of singles released in Australia 1955-1969, compiled by ScreenSound Australia. NB: Links will download/open .pdf documents. Milesago
The standard reference source for Australasian pop music and culture. APRA
The Australian Performing Rights Association. Database is searchable by song title to find songwriters and performers. Howlspace
Valuable Oz & NZ music reference site, covering several decades up to the present. Bruce Sergeant's New Zealand Music: 60s, 70s, 80s
The standard reference site for NZ music. Midoztouch: Australian and NZ Music from the 60s, 70s and 80s
Midoztouch is a repository for lost Aussie albums of the past, no longer available commercially, but downloadable here. Click on Resources > Downloads and select a decade. (You'll need an rar extractor to unpack some downloads: see down this page under Software.) Primitif Sounds
"Forgotten musicians of '60s Brisbane, Australia": latest project by historian of obscure Aussie music Andrew Ainsworth. You'll find information here that you won't find anywhere else. Ozzie Music Man
Mp3 blog includes many rare Aussie tracks of the past. NZ sounds at Ian's igJukebox
Irresistible selection of New Zealand 45s in mp3 format. Part of igMusic: stick around to explore the rest of the site. MPH: audio library of Aussie and world oldies
Treasure trove of audio, much of which you won't find anywhere else, online or on disc, including rarities from Australian artists of the past. [MPH = Music Pop Hits.] Psychlist: Australian singles 1966-1972 Psychlist: NZ singles 1966-1972
[Archived version: original siite offline June 2011] Selective but useful discographies of Australian and New Zealand 45s. Australian Rock Database
Aussie music reference site run by a bloke in Sweden. (True! His name is Magnus Holmgren.) RareCollections
Jordie Kilby's podcast from ABC Radio in Canberra looks at "lesser known names and stories in Australian music". Rev Black & The Rockin' Vicars
Terry Stacey's definitive history of the Wollongong band, including a discussion of the connection with the UK band of the same name. Go-Set
Masters thesis by David Martin Kent on the weekly Australian pop newspaper, 1966-1974 (.pdf files.) A unique resource. LosTraxx Records
"Discovering & Releasing Lost Live Recordings of Popular 60s & Early 70s Bands." Lucky Starr
Latest on the original 'I've Been Everywhere' man. Chapter III and Peter Wright
Jeff Black's definitive account of 60s Toowoomba stars Chapter III and Peter Wright. Peter's Festival single "House of Bamboo" is a cult classic, and Chapter III (then The Defenders) ended up in NZ for a while, becoming regulars on TV's "Clickety Click 66" and recording as Hubb Kapp and The Wheels. Hans Poulsen and 18th Century Quartet
Detailed bio of Hans and the band from 1963, now offline but cached here at the Internet Archive. Dave Allen of Flake: Burning Mountain Studio
Blog by Sydney flautist and saxophonist Dave Allen from Sydney band Flake. Follow the link there to Dave's pages on Flake history. Max Merritt
As the homepage says, "a legend in Australasian music over the past four decades". Nice-looking site with detailed biography. Peter Doyle
Tribute to the Melbourne singer is a comprehensive and user-friendly site, covering his wide-ranging career which included stints in The Virgil Brothers and The New Seekers. Highly recommended. Bibliography of Australian Popular Music (pdf file). Oz Hitztory Blog
"Story of the Australian pop charts" from 1940. Fhoenix Rising: Rare (Australian) songs
Cameron Fahey's excellent Fhoenix Rising messageboard seems to be offline permanently, but here's an offshoot with some mp3s of hard-to-get Aussie oldies. While you're there, check the link to the messageboard just in case it's been restored. Johnny Cooper
Neat, informative site of Melbourne rocker from the 60s. King of Pop awards (Australia 1967-1978)
Milesago explains. (Queen of Pop was added later.) Billy Thorpe UK & USA chart runs at UKMIX forum
'Over The Rainbow' underbubbling in the UK, May 1965 Cybotron
Progressive Melbourne electronic band, formed 1976, featuring keybooardist Geoff Green. Wildwood
Site by friend of PopArchives Terry Stacey, about his early 70s band Wildwood ('One Bad Thing' 1971), plus other tantalising glimpses of the Sydney music scene of the day. The Birth of Kiwi Rock 'n' Roll
Johnny Cooper – 'The Maori cowboy': page at NZ History online The Marksmen and Imagination
Site by Terry Stacey about Wollongong band, later based in Sydney. Newcastle Bands Database
Unique record of numerous bands from Newcastle NSW. John J. Francis
Authorised site of the Newcastle-Sydney musician (Play Mumma, Sing Me A Song) and 2JJ announcer is a "cyber busking site" with downloads of JJF's music available. Railroad Gin
Legendary 70s Brisbane band fronted by Carol Lloyd seems to be poorly documented on the Net, but this modest tribute site fills the gap with band history and a discography that takes in the later Carol Lloyd Band.. Mulwala Rock Festival
Twenty-eight photos by Joseph Oros of the 1972 festival at Mulwala, NSW. Pages at MusicAustralia.org Helen Grover's Laughter Strategies
If you know Noeleen Batley's 1960 hit 'Barefoot Boy' you may be interested to see what became of Helene Grover, who wrote the song as a 16-year-old. Oral History of Brisbane Music
Eyewitness accounts of Brisbane concerts from 1942 to the present: Railroad Gin, Purple Hearts, Bowery Boys, The Saints, Jon Blanchfield plus many other local and overseas artist Soul Records: Australian Releases
Page at Northern Soul site Anorak's Corner featuring releases of soul records on such Aussie labels as W&G, Astor and Festival. Marty Rhone
Check out the latest from still-active 60s singer-songwriter-actor Marty Rhone ("Denim And Lace", "Mean Pair Of Jeans"). Tom Mix Oz Music
Aussie music from "rare and obscure vinyl", digitalised and downloadable. Friday On My Mind
Digitalised and downloadable "Aussie vinyl out of print CD's and Cassettes" plus artwork. Studio Picture Book
Behind the scenes with Sydney studio musicians, mainly from the 70s on. Pages at the Studio Connections website. Rock On Vinyl
Music blog with much Australian content, digitalised from vinyl and downloadable. Highly recommended. (You'll need an rar extraction program: see below under 21. Software.) 03. Writing: Reviews, Commentary, Webzines... Charles G. Hill's Chaz Music Room
Informed and witty musical commentary ranging from Lesley Gore to Gorecki. PopArchives: The Blog
My repository for writing that doesn't fit into this site. It's still mainly about music, but it ranges more widely, into other countries, genres, media and decades. Richie Unterberger
Feature-packed website of the prolific music and travel writer, a senior editor of the All Music Guide. Rock's Backpages
Extensive rock journalism archive run by Barney Hoskyns. It charges a subscription fee, but the quality is good. Perfect Sound Forever
Wide ranging online music magazine. Pitchfork Media
Savvy online magazine with news and reviews of current music. Julian's Rock Lists
Lists from magazines such as MOJO and Rolling Stone: 100 Greatest Singles, Best Songs of the Year etc. Metacritic: Music
Gives an overview of critiques from a number of publications, assigning them a score out of 100 (something like Rotten Tomatoes does with movies). Other areas covered include movies, books and TV. The Lively Set
Bright and informative online journalism about 50s and 60s pop culture, including some lesser explored topics. Urban Legends: Music
At Snopes.com, the standard urban legends site. Soundscapes
Wide-ranging, analytical music and media webzine with articles in Dutch and English. Mclane & Wong
Californian entertainment lawyers' site includes pop music articles & interviews as a bonus: Norma Tanega, The Buckinghams, New Colony Six... Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews
User-friendly album review site covering the 50s to the 00s. PopMatters
Eclectic online pop culture magazine with reviews and commentary covering several media. The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005
Cat called Crowbarred is determined to count down to #1 (he was somewhere in the 500s in January 2008). Full of info & opinions, a great argument starter. Freaky Trigger
'The Online Culture Collective': covers a range of media with thought-provoking commentary. PennyBlackMusic
Indie review 'zine. Some of the links don't work, but they've recently switched URLs, so maybe they'll get it together soon. Filter Magazine
Contemporary music magazine. Chris Hunt
Site of British music journalist. 100 Essential Jazz Albums
List at 'The New Yorker' by David Remnick PopMatters
Pop culture ezine Robert Farnon Society: Legends of Light Music
Named after light music composer Robert Farnon, the site has biographies of numerous composers including Frank Pourcel, John Barry, Andre Kostelanetz, Roger Roger, Cyril Stapleton, Ron Goodwin, Mantovani, Leroy Anderson... Indispensable. Collins Crapo's oldies site
Commentary and lyrics for key songs of numerous artists. Sha Na Na and the Invention of the Fifties
Insightful piece by George J. Leonard about our reinvention of the past. Article at "Columbia College Today". Crawdaddy!
Famous American music magazine, now folded, lives on as a website, a project of WolfgangsVault.com Only Solitaire: George Starostin's Music Reviews
Thoughtful, well-informed reviews by Russian linguist Georgiy Starostin, covering an impressive range of artists from the rock'n'roll era to the mid-00s. No longer updated, but this is a valuable resource as it stands. 04. Specialist: Songwriters, Producers, Genres... Kees van der Hoeven's John D. Loudermilk site (www.ihesm.com)
Everything you'll ever want to know about the legendary singer and songwriter. A list of 160 versions of "Tobacco Road"? No problem! Rockin' Country Style
Terry Gordon's indispensable "Discography of Country Rock & Roll and Related Records, 1951-1964". Covers many obscure records unlisted elsewhere. Brian Lee's Color Radio
R&B and Doowop-oriented site based around Brian's radio program on KVMR-FM in California. Loads of vital information about lesser known artists, including The Rebels ("Wild Weekend") and Mickey & Sylvia ("Oh Yeah Uh Huh"). British Songwriters: The Dominant Dozen
My page on the Carter-Stephens song 'Knock Knock Who's There?' has information and links to do with the twelve or so songwriters whose songs were rarely off the charts in the second half of the sixties and much of the seventies. Magic Town
Japanese site by Hiroto Yanagida with discographies in English for songwriters Barry Mann, Jimmy Webb, Tony Hatch, Mark James and Brian Wilson. Vanda-Young Discography
Page at Magnus Holmgren's Australian Rock Database. Graham Gouldman Things
Site by John Bruinsma devoted to the 10 CC member and ubiquitous 60s songwriter ('You Stole My Love', 'No Milk Today', 'Heartful Of Soul', 'For Your Love', 'Bus Stop'...) Brum Beat: West Midlands Groups of 1960s
See the Main Index for such Birmingham area bands as The Move, The Uglys ("Wake Up My Mind"), The Applejacks and The Senators ("She's A Mod"). Wang Dang Dula! by 'Butcher Pete' Hoppula
Entertaining and informative site from Finland that reflects Pete's unique take on rock 'n' roll, R&B, country and instrumental artists. Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil song list.
At the official site of the major songwriting partnership, Mann-Weil.com. Bert Berns (aka Bert Russell) at Sloopy II Music
Check out the discography of this giant amongst producers and songwriters to see the extent of his work: "Here Comes The Night", "Hang On Sloopy", "Twist And Shout"... the tip of a spectacular iceberg. Soulful Kinda Music
Web presence of the British print magazine includes over 400 artist discographies and over 150 label discographies. Soulwalking
British soul site packed with features, including over 1,000 artist biographies. Well worth browsing. Phil Spector discography at Spectropop: the 45s Phil Spector discography at Spectropop: the LPs Country Music Discographies
Frequently updated Czech site by Petr Vitous and others featuring album & singles discographies for a few hundred country artists. How to Dance Properly
At zefrank.com. Well, he makes me laugh, anyway. Instromania
French site dedicated to instrumental pop all over the world. Click on 'Pays' (= 'Countries') to see what they have on Aussie bands: you'll be surprised. The P. F. Sloan Website
Site by David Ridges about the legendary singer-songwriter-poet-etc. All the discographies, related information, and lots of P. F. Sloan's own words. Van Dyke Parks
Immaculate site, navigates like a breeze: explore the career of this multi-talented and prolific writer, musician, arranger and producer. Bubblegum Machine
Two hundred mp3s of pop gems, rarities and oddities, with entertaining and informative commentary by Martin Lampen. Say no more! American Song-Poem Music Archives
Site by Phil Milstein dedicated to those curious records self-financed by hopeful amateur lyricists responding to magazine ads. Strange and intriguing. Song-Poems: Songs from the Common Man
Article at PBS about amateur lyricists and their self-financed records. Soul at The Ritchie Hardin Network
Reliable, feature-packed soul and Motown site. Northern Soul at Anorak's Corner
Full of label scans, discographies and other soul delights. Glitter Suits & Platform Boots
Information-packed site by Alwyn W. Turner, full of delights, focusing on early- to late-70s pop. The British Beat Boom
Useful biographies and discographies of numerous artists, some obscure and not found in such detail anywhere else. Spencer Leigh's On the Beat
Merseybeat site by BBC Radio Merseyside broadcaster. The Voice of Tony Burrows
Site by Hiroshi Asada about ubiquitous British session singer Tony Burrows also looks into such songwriters as Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, Tony Macaulay and John Carter. Family Tree: Tony Burrows, Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway...
...Old Uncle Tom Cobleigh and all. A unique map of the career of Britain's most successful session singer. Marv Goldberg's R&B Articles
Learned stuff, lots of artists covered. Much of this you won't find anywhere else. Tony Hatch
Official site of the British songwriter, arranger and producer includes a long list of his songs, showing collaborators and artists. Gibb Songs
Joseph Brennan's invaluable site has chronologically arranged and annotated discographies of songs recorded or composed by The Bee Gees, including unreleased sessions and 'songs the Bee Gees gave away'. Artie Wayne
Longtime - and still active - songwriter, producer and singer, best-known in Australia for '4,003,221 Tears From Now' (Judy Stone), 'From The Inside' (Marcia Hines) and 'Go To Him' (Ray Brown). No Relevance
Album cover art has been, um, well-covered elsewhere, but this is an online exhibit of 45 rpm record label design. ManchesterBeat
This has the Manchester scene well covered, from the early sixties on. 958 Songs Written by The Bee Gees
List of every Bee Gees composition at the Bee Gees Rarities website. A continual work in progress, it was actually up to 971 songs when I last checked, and may have grown more when you get there. ClassicRockPages.com
60s and 70s rock and psychedelia. Space Age Pop
Your parents' old instrumental LPs, now with new cult status! No, seriously: a superb site covering the intricacies of Lounge, Exotica, Jet Set Pop and other sub-genres. John Barry: A Life In Music
Fansite for the distinguished British composer of film music. Classic and Opera Music Used in Movies
Uncluttered, content-rich site browsable by several criteria. The Cyber Hymnal
Over 5000 hymns with composer biographies, midi audio files, scores and lyrics Al Kooper
Multi-skilled musical great: think 'Blonde On Blonde' and Blood Sweat & Tears just for starters. Rockabilly Hall of Fame
Treasure trove of news, articles and biographies. The Jazz Archive Site at RainerJazz.com
Databases, discographies, collectors' resources, articles... and much more. The Big Bands Database Northeastern Record Labels at Paisleyhaze.com.
Valuable work in progress that aims to document independent labels from the USA's Northeast, including New York City and suburbs. Artie Kornfeld
Writer-producer, arranger, recording artist (The Changin' Times), Vice President (Rock) at Columbia Records, initiator of Woodstock, friend of PopArchives... Museum of Bad Album Covers
When they say bad, they don't mean BAD! They mean, like... bad. And very funny. Cha Cha Charming
"A journalistic tribute to girl-powered pop, past, present and future": visual and informational delight by Sheila Bugel. American Popular Music Before 1900
Chronologically arranged links to sources. Site of Kingwood College Library. African American Spiritual and Gospel Music
Flowchart by Michael Tanner showing the influence of spiritual and gospel music on secular genres, from blues and ragtime right through to rap. The Art of the Negro Spiritual
Site by researcher and soprano Randye Jones. Alan Freed
The original rock'n'roll disc jockey. A highlight is the archives section, with .pdf files of complete programs from Freed's live shows. Rare and Northern Soul singles at NorthernSoul45s.co.uk
A feature of this site is the clear, readable label shots and the audio samples. Nick Lampe
The life and career of the New York singer-songwriter, as briefly outlined by me in a blog post. (This may be the definitive account.) The Songs of Bonner & Gordon
For a start, how about... 'Happy Together', 'She'd Rather Be With Me', 'She's My Girl' for The Turtles and 'Cat In The Window' for Petula Clark? British Rock & Pop Links
Collection by Mike J. Smith at his British #1s website. Jimmy Riddle and the Lost Art of Eephing
Story from PBS backgrounds the song 'Little Eephing Annie' John Manship Records
British dealer specialising in rare soul vinyl. Soulful Detroit
Northern Soul site with focus on Detroit, including an active forum and general Northern Soul background stories. One of the best-looking sites on the web. Probe is Turning-on the People!
Unexpected and fascinating collections of mp3s from remote corners of the pop world. Eclectica deluxe from Phil X Milstein. John Cameron
Interview at Vinyl Vulture with the prolific composer, arranger and conductor known for his film scores and recordings of Library Music. Links to Cameron's own site. Library Music
[Archived page at Internet Archive] Comprehensive primer on The World of Library Music (and, no, it's not music played in libraries). Outsider Music: 'Songs in the Key of Z'
The site promotes Irwin Chusid's book, but it includes useful links and features including one about 'The Human Horn', scat singer Shooby Taylor. MajorSongs: The Songs of Carl Sigman
Site devoted to the works of celebrated lyricist (and sometimes composer) Carl Sigman. He wrote the words to 'What Now My Love', You're My World', 'Answer Me' and 'Ebb Tide', for example. Fin-O-Billy
Site by Tapio Vaisanen includes sessionographies of key rockabilly artists. GeorgiaSoul.com
Georgia R&B and Soul Records: labels, articles, artists, reviews... Shades of Blue at RhythmAndTheBlues.org.uk
"...a personal commentary on the great blues and authentic soul music produced from the 1940s to the present day" Mudcat Cafe
Huge folk music resource. Includes the erudite Mudcat Forum. Garage Hangover
Superb blog-style site with audio and commentary on numerous garage bands, mainly obscure. I've given you the link, get over there now, it's great. Terry Gilkyson
Gilkyson and fellow members of The Easy Riders wrote several classic songs including 'Memories Are Made Of This', 'Marianne', 'Greenfields' and 'Everybody Loves Saturday Night'. This excellent biography is at the website of Terry's daughter Eliza Gilkyson, herself a singer-songwriter. JazzDiscography.com
Excellent discography site showing "detailed session listings, ...index of compositions performed, an index of issues, and an index of musicians." Built using Brian, the discography software developed by Brian Rust (downloadable from the site). Dick Holler
For starters, he wrote 'Snoopy vs The Red Baron' and 'Abraham, Martin & John'. True! Jeff Barry Song Database
Sparkly list of songs by Jeff Barry, songwriting great and partner of Ellie Greenwich (1st page of 2: check out the rest of the site for more Jeff Barry resources). The Songs of Jackie DeShannon
Peter Lerner's list of Jackie's compositions showing who recorded them. Cliff Richard Song Database
Sessions, songwriters, producers, releases... Thorough coverage of Cliff's career(s) over the decades. Magic in the Air
"British psychedelia and beyond..." Marmalade Skies
"the home of British psychedelia." Includes a feature on Australian psych pop. Carole King compositions
Song list at CarolKing.com. The Rhythm & Blues Foundation
"Founded in 1988, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation has been the only independent nonprofit service organization solely dedicated to the historical and cultural preservation of Rhythm & Blues music." Northern Soul New Zealand
NZ-based site about British music and social phenomenon Northern Soul. This is is a treasure trove: check out the Music & Images pages. mp3z2cd
"Northern Soul, 60's and 70's music tracks database." Don't miss it. Burt Bacharach Discography
At Bacharach unofficial site A House Is Not a Homepage, BacharachOnline.com Burt Bacharach Database
"1751 artists who have recorded 656 songs written by Burt Bacharach, plus 114 songs produced and/or arranged by Bacharach written by others." Hal David Song Lists
Page at HalDavid.com. Follow links to comprehensive repertoire and discography. John Barry
Unofficial but attractive, comprehensive site dedicated to the British film composer. Leiber and Stoller song list
Now offline: this is at the Internet Archive. Ronnie Allen's Radio Page at Jersey Girls Sing!
Numerous archived interviews with oldies artists, downloadable in mp3 format. Unique material. The Phil Spector Record Label Library
Comprehensive collection of label and sleeve shots of Phil Spector-produced records Hawaiian Music Museum
Discussions on mainly traditional Hawaiian music topics. NorthernSoulMusic.co.uk Heavy Metal Umlaut
Amusing and scholarly Wikipedia article about the two dots used above letters in heavy metal band names. Doo-wop Groups & Discography
Personnel and single discographies of numerous Doo-wop groups, updated often. Plenty of obscure groups included at this French blog. HoyHoy.com: Rock Before Elvis
Site by Morgan Wright: "Rock and Roll / Rhythm and Blues from 1948 to 1953" The Vocal Group Harmony Website
"Information about the rhythm & blues vocal groups of the 1930s, 1940s & 1950s and their recordings" R&B Vocal Groups of the 1950s
Label scans and background on selected R&B groups. JazzStandards.com
Background and analysis of songs from the golden age of songwriting Canadian 60s Garage Bands
"Canada was a hot bed of teen-age rock'n roll action... Canada was where it was at... unbeknownst to the rest of the world!" Solid!
"The encyclopedia of big band, lounge, classic jazz and space-age sounds.' The Doo Wop Society of Southern California
The Society was wound up in 2007 but the website remains as a useful resource, especially on some lesser-known artists and sidelights of doo-wop. The Roger Cook & Roger Greenaway Ultimate Discography
Includes audio clips for many songs. The Classic Bubblegum Music Page
More a site than a page, by Andrew Bergey. The ModPopPunk Archives
"PowerPop - Punk Rock - Mod Revival bands biographies, discographies.., mid-70s to mid 80s." Includes lots of audio files. Photo Flashbacks: The Doug Hartley Collection
"Rare performance photos of the Rock and Roll music scene in the Phoenix, Arizona area during the late 1960s" Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
Let's see... Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Buddy Guy, Mahalia Jackson, Pete Fountain, Dale & Grace, Fats Domino, Dale Hawkins, Clarence Henry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Johnny Rivers, Percy Sledge, Irma Thomas, John Fred... The Interlude Era
Webzine dedicated to "Pop Music's 'golden decade' from the fall of the Big bands to the rise of Rock and Roll (1946-1955)" Ray Pizzi of The Rondels
Yes, there was "Back Beat #1" (1961), but check out the extraordinary career of the Rondels' sax man. British Hit Songwriters
Essential and comprehensive data on the names in the small print on British hit records. Excellent resource by Stuart Devoy. Soul Source and Refosoul
Soul resource includes forums and a huge audio playlist of rare tracks. The audio is under the "Refosoul" tab. Sign up to get the full benefit. Year of the Blues: features
Useful resource from 2003 commemorating composer W.C. Handy's first, historic encounter with the blues in 1903. Tamworth Bands: History 1960-1990
Tamworth UK, in the Birmingham area (not Australia's Country Music Capital). 05. Originals and Covers The Originals by Arnold Rypens: the updates
Updates, in English, to the authoritative Belgian book about original versions. Even if you don't have the book the updates are worth browsing, and you can ask questions at the forums. Cover-Versionen at Coverinfo.de
Oriented towards German market, but very comprehensive database. The Covers Project
Comprehensive site, including "cover chains" which link several artists through their cover versions: a sort of Six Degrees of Separation through songs. Second Hand Songs: A Cover Songs Database
Uncluttered database lists over 7000 original songs, over 20000 recordings altogether. There are also several active forums. The Originals Project
User-friendly site by Dick Rosemont tracing "the earliest recordings of popular and hit songs". 1st and 2nd Labels at Color Radio
Fascinating page by Brian Lee with label shots of original issues - often on small, obscure labels - alongside their reissues, often on major labels. Pop Meets the Classics
Site by Ostin Allegro explores pop songs (1955-now) that are based on classical music works. A valuable resource, fascinating to browse, and you'll probably find some surprises. Highly recommended. Gerard's Original Site
Lots of original versions, with audio and background notes. The Compleat Beatles Covers
Beatles songs by others, and others' songs by the Beatles. The Beatles from Others (Songs covered by the Beatles) The Beatles for Others: the Giveaways (Beatles songs covered by others)
Two neat lists by Snellius at Rate Your Music, including sleeve/label shots. French versions
Long discussion thread at "45 tours de rock francais" lists many English-language songs that were recorded in French during the 60s. Elvis Presley: The Originals
David Neale traces the original versions of about 500 songs recorded by Elvis. 06. Chart Sites ARSA: Airheads Radio Survey Archive
Neat, searchable archive includes surveys and scans from a number of regions in the USA. Charts are posted by users: they're not comprehensive, but they give you many glimpses of regional US charts for various weeks. Australian charts from Go-Set Magazine
All the weekly singles and album charts 1966-1974 as published by teen music mag Go-Set, plus end-of-year charts and other statistics. A unique resource compiled by Barry McKay. Cash Box Top 100 Singles archive
Randy Price's site is back online. Archie Gramble's Top 100 Songs Database
[No longer online: link is to archived version.] This link is to the 60s page, but the whole site lists every Top 100 (USA) song from 1955 to 1999. Follow the links to the period you're looking for. Swiss Charts (+ links to other countries)
Highly recommended, useful as a resource apart from Swiss chart data: lists non-charting records as well. Oh, and Farnham's "You're The Voice" at #3! Also links to similar sites for other countries, now including AUSTRALIA and NEW ZEALAND. Australian Chart Directory
Scans and label shots for a selection of (mainly) radio station charts, 1958-1990. Valuable resource by jwjstone at RateYourMusic.com EveryHit.com
Elegant searchable database of Top 40 UK hits, 1952-present. You'll love it. South African Charts at SA Rock Lists
Some SA chart statistics from 1958 to 1989. Canadian charts 1961-1986
This site was resulting in anti-virus warnings but it looks okay now. Vancouver charts
60s radio station surveys from CKWX, CFUN and CKLG. Excellent presentation, highly recommended. Chartwatch
British chart site with data from 1952 to present. Classic Top 30
Historic charts, mainly 60s-70s, from half a dozen US radio stations. Billboard chart data at Bullfrogspond.com
Chart data 1890-2011, spreadsheet from Billboard sources: go to Downloads Chart Stats (UK)
"archive of the UK singles and albums charts with complete weekly listings... from the 1950s to the present UK Chart Links
Another page at the above site: links to a number of UK chart-related sites. A Half Century of British Number Ones
Site by Mike J. Smith has annotated listings from 1950s to 2000s, and a great collection of links. Billboard Top 10 Singles at Oldies But Goodies
Neat Japanese site lists all Top 10 singles in chronological order, 1960-1989. The nice thing is the inclusion of songwriters for each song. Australian #1s
Chronological list from 1955. Not sure what source it's using, but it's a nicely set out site with lots of nostalgia value. Includes links to a similar Dutch site. It's Time
Website of Barry McKay's radio program includes retrospective Australian weekly charts. Australian Chart History
[Offline; link to archived page]. Research project by Daniel Lowe, who once worked for the Australian Music Report. This is the definitive history of Australian charts and their sources, from radio station playlists (and "the opinion of the individual music director of the radio station") to the hard sales figures used today. Worldwide Charts at Tsort.info
Huge compendium of chart data, including vintage charts generated by Steve Hawtin et al, using data from several sources The Irish Charts
Eire charts from 1962. Dean Scapolo's NZ Chartbooks
Blog by the compiler of the New Zealand chart books. British Charts 1963-1966
Top 30 week by week. Radio London Fab Forties
Complete weekly charts of the pirate radio station from January 1965 till August 1967, with entertaining and informative commentary. Part of the Radio London site [radiolondon.co.uk]. Radio Caroline charts
British pirate station's charts 1964-1968, now at the Radio London site. Still some gaps: a work in progress. Includes a chronology of the station. Hit Parade Italia
Archived Italian chart data over several decades with good background. Charts All Over The World at Latvian Academic Network
LaNet.lv's big collection of links to current charts. Scroll to bottom of page for links to archived charts. Charts-Surfer
German site allows search of charts from several countries (individually or all at once) going back to the 50s. Lever Hit Parades (NZ) 1960-1965
Top 8 used on commercial radio, based on some kind of listener survey. Weekly charts, searchable, at Flavour of New Zealand. Listener Magazine charts (1966-1970)
Another NZ poll-based chart which preceded the use of sales figures from 1970. Weekly charts, searchable, at Flavour of New Zealand. Australian #1s
Chronological list from 1955. Not sure what source it's using, but it's a nicely set out site with lots of nostalgia value. Includes links to a similar Dutch site. Canadian chart archive (RPM)
Searchable archive of weekly charts from Canadian magazine RPM, beginning in 1964 Mike's Top 40 Radio Charts
Mainly 60s charts from all over the US European charts at OldiesHitParade.de
Includes #1s and end-of-year charts for several countries, as far back as the 50s. 07. Books AbeBooks
Highly recommended: Search and order from thousands of booksellers around the world, including Australia. Covers "new, used, rare, and out-of-print". I've located many out-of-print music-related books through this site. [ABE = Advanced Book Exchange] Who's Who Of Australian Rock
Standard reference book on Australian rock and pop, now into its 5th edition, by Chris Spencer, Zbig Nowara & Paul McHenry. Gavin Ryan's Chart Books for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Charts compiled using all available charts for Australia's five largest cities. The source of chart positions for this site. Australian Chart Books
David Kent's two volumes offer national charts from 1940-1969 (newly published) and 1970-1992. New Zealand Chart Books
How to order Dean Scapolo's New Zealand chart book. Melbourne chart book by Thomas J. Guest [EMAIL LINK]
Click on the link to email the publisher of "Thirty Years of Hits 1960-1990", the original Melbourne chart book. He'll tell you how to order a copy of this privately published book. 'The Book': Sydney charts 1956-2005
The original Sydney charts book, 7th edition, published by Top 40 Research. Australian Music Books
Adelaide bookseller with a wide range of books on Australian music and a reliable mail order service. Stock includes Moonlight Publications' books and Gavin Ryan's chart books. Festival Label Singles Discography
George Crotty's booklet lists all singles issued by Festival (including numerous Australian issues of US labels) 1961-1969. (Link to Australian Music Books.) Australian Rock Discography
Five decade-by-decade volumes by Chris Spencer, covering 1956 to 1994. The first four volumes (to 1989) give album track listings. Cover Me
Paul McHenry's book works on the opposite principle of this website: it focuses on original Australian records from 1958 to 1998 that have been covered or remade in Australia and overseas. The Bomp Bookshelf
Recommended rock music history books, with links to Amazon where available. All Music Guide to Rock
Big, fat companion book to the AllMusic Guide website. The organising feature is the album review, but there is plenty of history and biography as well. All Music Guide to Country
Apart from being an excellent guide to Country music, there was so much shared territory between rock'n'roll and Country that there is information here that may be missing from standard rock/pop reference works. Highly recommended. Popular Music Perspectives: Ideas, Themes, and Patterns in Contemporary Lyrics
Complete scanned text of a book by B. Lee Cooper. You'll have to work hard here: each page is opened as an RTF Word document. The contents are at 00000005.rtf. The Great Rock Discography
M.C. Strong's mighty volume of discographies, now into its 7th edition: indispensable. Moonlight Publications
Publisher of a wide range of books on Australian pop music. Also available through Australian Music Books (see link above). The Originals by Arnold Rypens: The Book
Dutch-language Belgian reference book tracing the history of over 7,000 (mainly English-language) songs. The song lists are readable to a non-Dutch speaker, although the notes which accompany many entries are not. The book's updates, online at www.originals.be, are accessible in English and are alone worth a browse. 08. Some user-friendly sites about musicians The Five Americans
Uncluttered, to the point, easy to navigate, and you can even download mp3s of three of the band's hits. Official Albert Hammond Website
A lean, clean, no-frills site with thorough discographies. You probably know more of his songs than you realise. Rick Nelson: The Official Website
Tastefully designed, full of features but well organised, and easy to navigate. The discography section is a delight. Honeybus Home Page
Honey-and-yellow site, dedicated to the British band under-appreciated in their day, looks good enough to eat. The Band
Comprehensive site by Jan Hoiberg. As the home page says, it's the definitive source on the Web. Byrdwatcher
Packed but user-friendly site by Tim Connors: everything you'll ever want to know about The Byrds. Van Morrison: van-the-man.info
Beautifully laid out and organised, this is the Van site for completists, but then, his fans tend to be that way, don't we? The Nick Drake Files
Modest-looking but comprehensive site about the British singer-songwriter many of us missed the first time around. Union Songs: Benny Anderssen and Bjorn Ulvaeus
More information about Benny & Bjorn of ABBA than I'll ever need, but it's well worth a visit to see how a well-designed fansite can look. Righteous Brothers Discography
Neat and complete: definitive site, compiled by Peter Richmond. Includes Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield discographies and many label and sleeve shots. The Monks
Ahead of their time, 60s garage/freakbeat/unclassifiable band formed in Germany by ex-US servicemen. Gary Shearston
Informative and to the point, with excellent recording notes and an eye-opening bio by Zbig Nowara. Peter Doyle
Uncluttered, comprehensive site about Melbourne solo artist, Virgil Brother and New Seeker. Highly recommended. Gilbert O'Sullivan
This is one of the best artist sites I've seen: it's a joy to navigate and read. Official site of the individualist Irish-born singer-songwriter, a chart-topper worldwide in the 70s, still working but overlooked by too many these days. Pernice Brothers
Nice music, nice people, nice site. Emitt Rhodes
Comprehensive site dedicated to the now obscure pop singer-songwriter whose self-titled 1970 album evoked comparisons with Paul McCartney. Nino Tempo & April Stevens
The long and varied careers of brother and sister best known for "Deep Purple", "Whispering" and "All Strung Out", but there's much more. Dick and Dee Dee
Nice-looking, user-friendly site by Dee Dee Phelps of the 60s vocal duo ('The Mountain's High', 'Thou Shalt Not Steal') 09. Radio history Pirate Radio Hall of Fame
You'll be surprised at how many of the pirate deejays were Aussies. Includes numerous audio clips that evoke the atmosphere of commercial pop radio of the sixties. The Reel Top 40 Radio Repository
Meanwhile, in America: hours of audio clips (known as "airchecks" in the business) featuring famous and lesser-known disc jockeys from all over the US. NOW REQUIRES $US12.00 ANNUAL FEE. If you're not in the USA, put in a US state (any state) for your address, or you won't be able to proceed. 5KA Adelaide Airchecks (archived site at Pandora)
Don't miss this: audio clips from the 50s, 60s and 70s, featuring many well-known announcers recorded on air. Also includes jingles and commercials. Pure nostalgia! Radio London
Web home of 60s pirate radio station, including links to other pirates and the Radio London Fab 40 charts from the 60s. Jingles Shrine: Aussie Radio Jingles (archived at Pandora)
Classic site featuring audio files of historic radio jingles is now offline, but it's archived at Pandora. Where else can you hear Doug Parkinson singing '3AK, where no wrinklies fly'? Australian Radio Callsigns: Hidden Meanings
They're not all hidden: 3SH Swan Hill is fairly obvious, but what about 2SM or 3DB? Radio files at Bluehaze Multimedia
A treasure-trove of Australian and British audio clips (mp3 & RealAudio) put together by Tony Sanderson, including entire programs from 3AW and 3DB going back as far as the 40s. Packed with background information too. On the Air: Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio
1999 book by John Dunning, full text online at Questia.com Australian radio stations
Full lists are available from this Australian Government site. John Pearce: 'For The Love Of Mike'
Memoir of Australian radio by John Pearce. Lots of great stories about his early days in radio at stations that included 2QN Deniliquin and 3SH Swan Hill. [Original site offline: link is to Internet Archive] It's Time
Barry McKay's syndicated radio program based around David Kent's Australian charts. Chickenman
The story behind the late 60s radio serial ('He's everywhere! He's everywhere!') created by Chicago radio man Dick Orkin. Follow the link to Dan O'Day's Chickenman page to hear Episode 1 and order the complete Chickenman. Radio Rewind: BBC Radio 1
Retrospective of BBC pop radio station launched 1967. Includes mp3 airchecks (free registration required). Glenn Gould speaks about Petula Clark
Radio program from 1967: classical pianist Glenn Gould talks about his love for Petula Clark's records. KTKT Tucson AZ Microphones
Not just radio, but historic microphones in loving close-up and in context. KCRJ Jerome AZ (1928-1944) RadioGOLDINdex
Database of historic radio programs. Frank Avis's Memoirs of 42 Years in Radio
Frank Avis started at 2MG Mudgee in the 1950s, and his memoirs, in blog form, were up to 2DAY-FM in the 80s and 90s last time I checked. United States Early Radio History
Comprehensive site by Thomas H. White covers 1897 to 1927. Rock Radio Scrapbook
Radio history and audio "from Canadian and US stations The Golden Age of Top 40 Radio". WLAC Nashville
Key station in the history of rock'n'roll. American Radio History
Invaluable resource by David Gleason includes scans from original publications such as Broadcasting Yearbook and Broadcasting Magazine. 10. Labels Label discographies (45s) at Global Dog Productions.
Indispensable. As well as US labels, includes sections on Australian, Canadian and British labels. Soul labels at Soulful Kinda Music
Over 150 soul-oriented labels listed. British labels at DragonDiscs
Almost complete discographies for several labels including HMV, Apple, Deram and Top Rank, plus EP lists for four labels. Online Discographies Project
Site by Ty Settlemier listing 78s by label, going back as far as 1908. Rockin' Country Style: Label Listings
Label discographies for "Country Rock & Roll and Related Records, 1951-1964" (see the 'Criteria for Inclusion' page). Many of these companies were small, obscure regional operations. Both Sides Now: Album Discographies
Extensive discographies of LPs from numerous US labels, including track listings and label histories. Singles discographies are an exception but there are a few here as well (see below). Brian Lee's Color Radio: Cat, Debra and Domino label shots
The numerous label shots for artists are a highlight of Brian's site, but here he focuses on some specific labels. (While you're there, don't miss the '1st & 2nd Labels' page.) Chicago labels at the Red Saunders Research Foundation
Discographies with selected label shots for over twenty Chicago labels, focusing on post-war jazz, R&B and blues. Labels include Arisocrat, Chess, Checker and Vee-Jay. South African labels at SA Rock Lists
Includes South African RCA, Immediate, Fontana, Pye, Rave. Colgems Discography at Mr Zero's Monkees Page
Not just the Monkees: Lewis & Clark Expedition, Jewel Akens, Sally Field... Soul Label Scans at Anorak.
Well over 4000 scans of soul singles, last time I checked. Eastalgia.com: Soviet-era Eastern European Labels
Album discographies, most of which you won't find anywhere else. Site by Valdas Bytautas in Lithuania. Bell Records
Site about New York budget label, incudes discography. Casablanca label
Label founded by Neil Bogart: album and singles discography 1973-1985. Northeastern Record Labels at Paisleyhaze.com.
Valuable work in progress that aims to document independent labels from the USA's Northeast, including New York City and suburbs. Singles discographies at Both Sides Now
Most BSN lists are albums only, but this Google results page shows some exceptions. Includes Swan, Dunwich, Cadence... Dimension Sun Records, Memphis
Numerical listing of singles at Black Cat Rockabilly. Odd and Favourite Labels
A long thread, packed with label scans, at one of Whirligig's forums. Detroit labels at Seabear Studios.
Label shots and discographies of numerous labels, including Motown and its subsidiaries. Excellent site by L.G. Nilsson. Charisma Label
British label, 1969-1986. Mercury
Site by Matsubayashi 'Shaolin' Kohji, packed with information about Mercury Records, much of it based on the web owner's collection. Australian label shots
Part of Cameron Fahey's FhoenixRising messageboard: a unique collection of Aussie label shots. Minor French labels
Part of the french singles site '45 tours de rock francais'. Browse labels at Discogs.com
Incomplete (really an index to Discog.com's listings, organised by label) but still useful. Australian label histories at MilesAgo
Well-researtched accounts of numerous local labels, from the famous to the obscure (Pakktel?). US labels at Butcher Pete's Wang Dang Dula
Discographies of over 20 labels, mainly late 50s to early 60s, including Ace, Del-Fi, Hi, Sun and Swan. Stick around for the rest of this unique site. Label shots at RainerJazz
78s from Brunswick, Bluebird, Paramount... many others. British labels at Mods website.
This site features several labels that released international records of interest to the Mods. Included are British-issue discographies for the Stateside, London, Bluebeat, Sue and Tamla-Motown labels. Label scans at Oldies Teen Sound Loma Records discography
Complete discography of Los Angeles label, 1964-1969: " 'uptown' soul, blues, R&B, and popular music subsidiary of Warner Brothers." 45-sleeves.com
"UK, US & OZ 45 RPM record labels and their company sleeves: a guide to find the correct sleeves for your 45 RPM singles." 11. Buying Australian music Amazon.com
I hate to say it, but you'll often find even obscure Australian music here when you've given up on the local stores. GEMM
Portal to numerous record dealers around the world. Not an Australian site, but you'll find many Aussie records and sellers here. eBay Australia
If you don't find what you're looking for, set up a Favorite Search and they'll let you know if it comes up later. Canetoad Records
[I'm not sure whether this site is fully functional, January 2012] Australian reissue label featuring many hard-to-get items from Australia, New Zealand and beyond, obscure and mainstream. Chaos Music
Mainstream Australian online music & DVD store. Search music by artist, title or song. Plastic Passion
Vinyl and CD store in Western Australia with online catalogue. Batman Records (and Books)
Famed Melbourne second-hand store, established in the 1930s, now operates by mail order only. Stock includes 45s, LPs, 78s, cassettes and books. Vinyl Solution
Melbourne online dealer sells CDs, records in all formats, memorabilia and accessories. Red Eye Records
Sydney record dealer: recently found a hard-to-get LP for a friend of PopArchives, so they're probably worth a try. Record King
[FYI: This Wollongong NSW online store has closed.] Wonderland Records (New Zealand)
Online store for record, CD & tape dealer in Wainuiomata. OzRecords.com
Online sellers of independent Australian releases. The Country Music Store
Highly regarded specialist shop in Charlotte Street, Brisbane also does mail order. Reissues at Aztec Music
"The primary focus of our label is to reissue classic Australian titles from the early 1970s thru to the early 1980s" Craig Moerer - Records by Mail
Vinyl dealer based in Portland, Oregon runs a reliable and fast mail order service that offers a couple of million titles, including some from Australia. Alibris
US portal for sellers of used music, movies and books. Gum Tree Music
Mail order country music store in Brisbane Oz Music Online
"New and used CD's, Vinyl Records and Music Memorabilia" 12. 78s and Cylinders Vinyl Record Collector Resources
Page of links at KIX Software. Search tool for Online Discographies Project
Quickly search the site below. Provided by HonkingDuck.com. Online Discographies Project
Label discographies of 78s. Tyrone's Record and Phonograph Page
And don't miss the extensive Links page. NZ 78s University of Washington Music Library
Huge list of links related to 78s and other early recordings. Listen to Old Time Music from 78s at HonkingDuck.com
Hundreds of 78 rpm records in streaming RealAudio. Post-war Chicago at the Red Saunders Research Foundation
Well-researched celebration of post-war Chicago jazz, blues and R&B, with features on artists and a number of Chicago labels (Chess, Vee-jay, Aristocrat...). Numerous discographies and label shots. The Truesound Online Discography Project
Documents the Acoustical Era (1888 - 1930): early discs and cylinders recorded without electronic amplification. The Roots Music Listening Room
A treasure trove of blues, roots and gospel mp3s at 32kb/s. Try 'Stop And Listen Blues' by The Mississippi Sheiks. Then go on to 'Big Road Blues' by Tommy Johnson. Do I see a smile of recognition? (Part of this section is password protected: you can email for a password.) Juneberry78s.com: Early American Roots Music
Resources for collectors of 78s. Includes the Roots Music Listening Room Cylinder Preservation and Digitalization Project
Website of the University of California at Santa Barbara has details and audio files on cylinder releases. Mainspring Press
Publisher's site includes online resources. Tim's Phonographs and Old Records
Entertaining and informative site by collector Tim Gracyk, now at Gracyk.com 13. Countries Netherlands: Alex Gitlin's Nederpop Encyclopedia
You may know more of these artists than you realise: try Shocking Pink, Golden Earring, George Baker Selection, Tee Set and, er... Stars on 45. France: Songwriters
Biographies and discographies for over sixty French composers and lyricists at Les Auteurs et Compositeurs de la Chanson Francaise France: InfoDisc
French discographies (French and non-French artists), listed by artist A-Z, including chart positions. (Some other parts of this site are pay-for-view.) France: Teppaz and co - le site des annees 60s
French 60s site featuring the "ye ye" phenomenon (click on biographies). South Africa: Rock Files
First port of call for comprehensive treatment of South African pop history. South Africa: Rock Lists at South Africa's Rock Files
Includes charts, discographies, trivia. A one-stop site for South African recording history. Eastern Europe: Soviet-era Labels
Eastalgia.com, a site by Valdas Bytautas from Lithuania featuring pop albums on several Eastern European labels, many from the 70s and 80s. Germany: GEMA Repertoire Search
English-language search at German performing rights organisation. Switzerland: SwissCharts.com
More than just a chart site. Good portal into European pop. Belgium: The Belgian Pop & Rock Archives France: The Ye Ye Girls Index
Bios of singers in the French ye ye genre of the 60s. [Archived version of defunct website] France: 45 tours de rock francais
French 45 r.p.m. singles from the 60s, 70s & 80s. Includes label and sleeve shots. Check out the forums while you're there. France: SACEM
Search the French performing rights body for composer or title. This is the French equivalent of APRA, BMI or ASCAP. Ireland (Eire): The Irish Charts
Irish Recorded Music Association site covers the charts in Eire from 1962. Searchable, nice site. Europe: ReadySteadyGirls.eu
"Girl" singers and groups from Britain, France, Germany & Italy. Bios and streaming audio. Italy: Hit Parade Italia
Organised around chart data, but good background on artists and songs is included. France: EncyclopeDisque
Online encyclopedia of French-language 45 rpm singles. Netherlands: Nederbeat
Dutch pop music of the 60s. Canada: Encyclopedia of Music in Canada Canada: Pop Music Encyclopedia Canada: Disc-O-Logue
Catalogue of French-language songs at the National Library of Canada. Covers records available in Canada, 1962-1979. Canada: CMRRA
Canadian music licensing agency. Ireland: IrishRock.org
Irish groups of the 60s & 70s, Irish punk & new wave... Ireland: Irish Showbands
"...showbands, beat-groups and memories from the Ireland of 1955 - 1975" Argentina and Uraguay: The Magic Land
Online content from the book The Magic Land, "a guide to Beat, Psychedelic and Progressive Rock music in Argentina and Uraguay between 1966 & 1977". France: "French Pop: Goldmine of Style"
Article by Tor Midtskog [archived, original no longer online]. Yugoslavia: Jugobeat
Yugoslavian punk and beat site. [No longer online: link to archived version] 14. Forums Spectropop Discussion Group
Many members are industry insiders who worked on the great pop records of the 60s, but any fan of (mainly) 60s pop is welcome. This is one of the most civilised and informative pop forums on the Net Rock&Roll Scars at Yahoo! Groups
Well-informed and lively discussion about Australasian pop & rock music. New Zealand Music - The 60s and 70s Forum
Discuss or ask about NZ music at this wide-ranging forum site. Participants include NZ music expert Bruce Sergeant and NZ chart compiler Dean Scapolo. An essential NZ music site. MPH at MSN Groups
Forum of the excellent Australian music site MPH. Mudcat Discussion Forum
Learned discussion on folk/traditional music at Mudcat Cafe Musical Taste
User-driven site about favourite songs. Second Hand Songs Forum
Discussion boards at the cover version site. UKMIX Forums
"UK's online music community". Check out the Chart Analysis forum in particular. Multiply.com
File-sharing, blogging and discussion site. Highly recommended, although it might take you a while to figure out this unique site. 15. Music Blogs and other miscellanies Probe is Turning-on the People! The Hype Machine: Audio Blog Aggregator G2P: locate "open directories or otherwise shared files" Left and to the Back Spin the Groove: vast online audio library Garage Hangover Office Naps relaxmusic Planet Mike Lost Bands of the New Wave Era Soul Sides: Music For Rhythm Addicts Some Velvet Blog Diddy Wah Funky 16 Corners gorilla vs bear Soul Detective Home of the Groove Nerd Litter Jazzheads Rock On Vinyl Space Age Selection TAM TAM & Melodie Ear Fuzz Keep The Coffee Coming Living in Stereo More's final album (2001). FreeIndie.com The 'A' Side The 'B' Side Sir shambling's Deep Soul Heaven I Guess I'm Floating Stepfather of Soul Tape Findings Book Club Records honey where you been so long? (pre-war blues) Fingertips: The Intelligent Guide to Free and Legal Music Motel de moka Music for Robots The Yellow Stereo The Wireless The Vinyl District (TVD) Said the Gramophone Music You (Probably) Won't Hear Anywhere Else MPH Music downloads guide at The Guardian Rockin' Mama: oldies in RealAudio format There's Always Someone Cooler than You: A Cosmic American Music blog Postmodern Sounds in Country and Western Music songs:illinois NineBullets.net Fhoenix Rising: rare Australian tracks Twangville Downloads Northern Soul NZ: Music files ninebullets.net DeaconBlues1103Femmes Songza: "music search engine and internet jukebox" G2P: locate "open directories or otherwise shared files" Loki's Lounge: Soul & Funk Boogie Woogie Flu Be Bop Wino The ModPopPunk Archives: sound files Wanna Play Records? Schadenfreudian Therapy O Song! Bubblegum Machine The Doo Wop Jukebox Ozzie Music Man TomMixMusic2 Tom Mix Oz Music 16. Sites about just one song Louie Louie The Popcorn Song American Pie Classical Gas Radar Love A Whiter Shade Of Pale
The site is defunct, but here's the archived page listing 255 versions. 17. Songs that sound like other songs Plagiat-Pranger: Die Songahnlichkeitsliste
Song similarities, intentional and coincidental. Similar-Sounding Songs
Lists and commentary by Thomas Irvin Disturbingly Similar Songs
List of soundalikes with mp3s. Now offline, link is to the archived page at Internet Archive. Columbia Law School Music Plagiarism Project
US music copyright infringement cases, successful and failed. Oasis Magpie
Page about Oasis songs and the songs they sound like. No longer online, but archived here at Internet Archive. 18. Cheapo Labels (Budget Soundalike Records) Embassy
Michael White shares his research about UK cheapo label Embassy (forum at Vinyl Vulture). The Hit Records Project
Discography and notes for famous Nashville cheapo label Hit, including discography. Golden Fleece Top Hits
Label shots of several Golden Fleece Top Hits 45s from Australia (reissues from Embassy, UK) posted by John Maloney to Odd Labels forum at Whirligig. Levy's Sound Studios
Bill Johnson's memoir of his days at the studios that produced the Embassy soundalike budget singles. The Top of the Pops albums
British soundalike albums 1969-1976 (not the TV show). Tony Rivers on Top of the Pops
British musician recalls his days recording soundalikes of current hits for the Top of the Pops series. My blog posts on budget labels
Not the definitive source, but you'll find some links for further reading. Includes infoemation about Golden Fleece, the Australian budget label sold through service stations. Cheapo Labels Group
Forum at Yahoo! Groups isn't very active right now, but the home page has a useful list of about 40 cheapo label names. Herbert Hunter/Leroy Jones
Discography at Soulful Kinda Music of singer who covered soul tracks for Nashville budget label Hit. Johnny Worth (Les Vandyke) single on Embassy
Renowned British songwriter who recorded a single for Embassy. Page at www.45rpm.co.uk includes bio and label shot. Soul sides on Hit and Spar
Post by Jeff Lemlich at Bomp Digest. Elton John's Cheapo Covers
Review by Richie Unterberger about "Chartbusters Go Pop!", the CD reissue of soundalike tracks recorded pseudonymously by Elton John 1969-70. 19. Lyrics SongMeanings
I don't usually recommend lyrics sites (it's better just to use Google) but this one's different: no junk, easy to read, and it's also a forum for commenting on and discussing lyrics. 20. Internet radio Gulch Radio
My favourite radio station, from Jerome, Arizona. The Gulch has a transmitter up on Mingus Mountain on 1670AM, but you might prefer to listen online as I do. Great, eclectic playlists. (Try Shoutcast Radio on WinAmp, or visit the website.) Also known as Ghost Town Radio or KCRJ. UnderCurrents with Gregg McVicar
"American music with a passport" Listen from the website, also syndicated to 30 stations including Gulch Radio. Australian music station at Loudcaster
"60s 70s 80s Great Rare and Well Done Australian/NZ music" by egroegg. Associated with Midoztouch Australian music site. MVYradio podcasts
Try the excellent "Blues at 8", for example. BBC Radio Player
Browse the huge list of music programs from all the BBC networks. Soul Melting Pot at Northern Soul New Zealand Radio Paradise
Online radio station with terrific eclectic playlist. Highly recommended. Secret Museum of the Air with Pat Conte and Citizen Kafka
Arcane music history. Archived from a defunct WFMU program 2000-2002 21. Software JJ mp3 renamer
Change file names and tags on mp3s. Easier than messing with individual files: open several at once. FREE Mp3 Trimmer
Clip seconds from start or finish of an mp3 and fade in or out as you wish. FREE, but upgrade to handle larger files. Winamp media player
My favourite program for playing music and videos on my computer, but there are others. It's FREE, but upgrading to the Pro version allows ripping and burning. RealPlayer Alternative
Alternative to Realplayer for those who prefer it. FREE Rippers and Encoders at Download.com
Browse programs for making mp3s or wav files from CD tracks. CD & DVD Burning Programs at Download.com
Browse programs for burning your own CDS. Media players at Download.com
Browse programs to play audio or video on your computer. OldVersion.com
'Because new is not always better': download previous versions of software. Free RAR extractor: The Frog
User friendly tool, used to access compressed RAR files. (Essential if you're downloading from Midoztouch!) 22. Beatles Beatles songs covered by others Steve's Beatles Pages Songs The Beatles Didn't Do: site by Joseph Brennan Beatles Songs: Index to Wikipedia articles The Beatles from Others (Songs covered by the Beatles) The Beatles for Others (Beatles songs covered by others) DM's Beatles Site
Highly recommended. Beatles Discography (UK & USA) at NNNB Dave Rybaczewski's Beatles Music History
"The in-depth story behind the songs of the Beatles" 23. Audio Archives (78s & cylinders) 78s at HonkingDuck.com (Real Audio) Max Hunter Folk Song Collection (Real Audio, MIDI and AIFF) Red Hot Jazz Archive (Real Audio) Roots Music Listening Room (mp3) Digital History (mp3) Dismuke's Hit of the Week (Real Audio) Cylinders at University of California, Santa Barbara (mp3 or wav) Virtual Gramophone: historical Canadian recordings (mp3) Jazz Old Time (Real Audio/mp3; listen free, subscribe to download) Turtle's 78 rpm Jukebox
Old - very old - records as mp3s. 24. Sampled songs and their samplers Julien's Originals - Samples
"Jazz, Funk, Soul, Disco joints sampled in House, Hip-hop, and others." Includes mp3s of the originals. SEE ALSO: Julien's Originals - Covers
"Some covered or plundered originals." Sampled Hits at GeoffTech.co.uk
List of samplers and sampled, with audio clips. List of Sampled Songs at Wikipedia
Alphabetical list of sampled songs. Hip-Hop Music Samples and Originals
Hear both in Real Audio. Page at Hip-Hop Database. The-Breaks.com
Big samples reference database, browsable by genre and searchable by several criteria. What! Stop! I've heard that song before
Audio files of samplers and sampled, side by side, at Rhapsody.com Xampled: Sample Spotters
Or, Who's Sampling Who in What Songs? The list of James Brown songs that have been sampled goes on forever. What's The Most Sampled Song Ever?
James Brown - 'Funky Drummer'? How about The Winstons - 'Amen Brother'? Most Sampled Beat Ever
More on The Winstons. 25. Album or CD covers AlbumArt.org 26. Country Music Country Music discographies
Site by Petr Vitous has discographies (albums and singles) as well as biographies, lyrics and sleeve shots, covering numerous Country artists. The Country Startpage
User-friendly portal to Country music sites all over the world. Huge list of links to artist and general sites. Pretty terrific, I reckon. Discographie Rock 'N' Country
Useful French site (with plenty of English) that includes discographies for some hard-to-find artists. Sharon's Aussie Country Links Page
Huge, well-organised collection of categorised links. Artists A-Z at Great American Country
Includes biographies, links, news and photo galleries. Site of US pay-TV channel has a commercial feel but it is attractive and user-friendly with some solid content. Rockin' Country Style
Terry Gordon's indispensable "Discography of Country Rock & Roll and Related Records, 1951-1964". Covers many obscure records unlisted elsewhere, many with audio clips and label shots. Country Music Hall of Fame
Run by the "non-profit, educational Country Music Foundation". Check out the Inductees List from the sidebar. History of Country Music
Primer at Roughstock.com ItsCountry.com.au
Comprehensive and informative Australian site that keeps in touch with current events on the country scene. Urbane Cowboys: alt.country in the 90s
Masters thesis by John Molinaro goes into the history of alt.country History of Alt Country
Jeff Wall: "Alt Country ain't new... It was happening back in the late 30s." Joe Sixpack's Incomplete Guide to Alternative Country
Album reviews, part of Slipcue.com by San Francisco Bay Area DJ & writer Setting the Woods On Fire
Music blog around Country genres old and new, though not exclusively. (The title is from a Hank Williams song.) Postmodern Sounds in Country and Western Music
Go figure... or just listen to the mp3s. Alternative Country at InsurgentCountry.net
Links, reviews, resources. No Depression
The Americana-alt.country magazine folded in 2008 but persists as a website and a bi-annual bookazine. Twangville
"Music with a touch of twang. Alt-Country, Americana, Indie, Rock, Folk & Blues as therapy for mind and soul." Gum Tree Music
Online country music CD store based in Brisbane. The Country Music Store
Online mail order catalogue of specialist country music store in Charlotte Street, Brisbane. HillbillyMusic.com
You want obscure..? 27. Local Heroes Kate Miller-Heidke
Brisbane singer-songwriter who inspires cult-like fandom around the country. Transport
Near-legendary Brisbane band includes KMH band members Keir Nuttall and Steve Pope, along with Scott Saunders and Nathan Moore. The Horse You Rode In On
Brisbane's premier alt.country band: loads of fun and first class musicianship. More
Toowoomba-Brisbane band 1993-2001 (Keir Nuttall, Phil Lepherd, Lachlan Brown and others). Follow the link to free download of their last album. The Seks
Funk, soul and Brooksy, from Brisbane. The Goodwills
Bob & Laurel Wilson: musicality from Maleny with a folk sensibility, and lyrics you can listen to. 28. Historical Newspapers Online Australian Newspapers 1803-1954
Facsimiles of selected Australian newspapers from the National Library of Australia. Free. Papers Past (NZ)
Newspapers and journals from all parts of New Zealand, 1839 to 1920. Digitised collection from National Library of New Zealand. Free. Winona Newspaper Project
Three late-19th and early-20th century newspapers from Winona, Minnesota, a project of Winona State University. Free. Chronicling America
Searchable facsimiles of selected historical newspapers from several US states. From Library of Congress and National Endowment for the Humanities. Free. Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Digitised pages from 1841 to 1902. From Brooklyn Public Library. Free. Northern New York Historical Newspapers
Numerous digitised newspapers from Northern New York Library Network. Free. Newspaper Archive
Huge collection of mainly US newspapers. Paid subscription required. 29. Old radio jingles 5KA Adelaide
5KA jingles from the 60s and 70s. [Page at Pandora Archive.] WABC New York
Jingles from the 50s to the 70s at Musicradio 77 (now NewsTalkRadio 77). Page at tribute site Musicradio77.com. Jingles audio at Norman Barrington's Radio Pages
Includes British pirate stations, BBC and numerous montages. Pirate radio jingles
Jingles and airchecks from Swinging Radio England, Caroline, Luxembourg, Radio 227... Page at SixtiesCity.com
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