When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Awesome 1960s

Famous Music Intros: 1963 to 2023

Famous Music Intros: 1963 to 2023

A lot has changed with music over the past 60 years, but memorable melodies will always be a thing. Music teacher Milo Andreo sat down at his electric piano and synthesizer to play the introductions to a single famous song from each year since 1963. Close your eyes and see how many you can name without looking at the titles.

The Bikeriders (Trailer)

The Bikeriders (Trailer)

Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, and Norm Reedus star in this fictional movie about the members of a 1960s motorcycle club and the drama that ensues as the club becomes increasingly violent. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols (Midnight Special, Mud), The Bikeriders rolls into theaters on 12.1.2023.

Advertisement

Retro Tech: Mighty Tiny Record Player

Retro Tech: Mighty Tiny Record Player

Toy companies have always liked making kids’ versions of adult products. After showing off the 2000s Hit Clips music player, Techmoan got his hands on the Mighty Tiny, a 1960s attempt to make a miniature record player. It required a bit of repair work, but he eventually got it to play some tiny vinyl discs. Ohio Art – of Etch-a-Sketch fame – created the gadget.

What Saturday Morning TV Was Like from 1964 to 1976

What Saturday Morning TV Was Like from 1964 to 1976

For many, the 1960 and 1970s are considered the golden age of Saturday morning television. The era gave us weird, wild, and memorable shows like H.R. Pufnstuf, Scooby Doo, and the original Spider-Man cartoon. Johnnyboy792 shared this time capsule of TV shows and commercials that’ll bring back fond memories to Gen-Xers and younger Boomers.

Surf Rider on Harpejji

Surf Rider on Harpejji

The surf rock sound of the 1960s relied heavily on instrumental electric guitar and lots of reverb. Musician Mathieu Terrade performed this enchanting cover version of Surf Rider by The Lively Ones on a different kind of electric string instrument called a Harpejji. Mathieu’s YouTube channel is packed with more great Harpejji covers.

The Best Xmas Toys of the ’60s and ’70s

The Best Xmas Toys of the ’60s and ’70s

Many of today’s popular toys are pretty different from those sold in the 1960s and 1970s. But in this video from Rhetty for History, you’ll see for as many things have changed, classics like NERF, Hot Wheels, and LEGO are still selling well today. And then there’s the Pet Rock.

Popcorn on Church Organ and Drums

Popcorn on Church Organ and Drums

You might not remember the band Hot Butter, but you’ve probably heard their tune Popcorn at some point. The 1969 instrumental track was one of the earliest examples of synth-pop. Elias Niemelä and Suvi Buckman of Drumorg replaced the original’s Moog synthesizer with a church organ and upgraded the drum kit.

Advertisement

The Muppets in Sclrap Flyapp

The Muppets in Sclrap Flyapp

A year before Sesame Street debuted, Jim Henson’s Muppets turned up on The Ed Sullivan Show. The fuzzy, smoke-blowing aliens repeated the phrase “Sclrap Flyapp!” while hunting an elusive snail creature whose only utterance was “Merp.” Yes, it’s as silly as it sounds.

WOLOLOW Futuro House Lamp

WOLOLOW Futuro House Lamp

Architecture and design nerds will recognize the shape of this lamp as the Futuro House by Matti Suuronen. This 1:32-scale version of the UFO-shaped home serves as an art piece and an ambient light. It comes in several lovely colors as well as a slick chrome-coated version, and a special yellow and blue Ukraine edition.

Psychonauts Playing Cards

Psychonauts Playing Cards
Buy

Not to be confused with the game of the same name, Joker and the Thief’s trippy playing cards are a nod to 1960’s psychedelia. Each cardback and face card is illustrated with the kind of artwork you might find on a vintage Grateful Dead concert poster. Choose from Standard or Art of Play editions.

The ’60s Morbid Pop Music Trend

The ’60s Morbid Pop Music Trend

When you think of pop music, it’s usually pretty upbeat stuff, but back in the 1960s, a strange trend emerged – pop songs about tragic accidents and death. Yesterday’s Papers offers an intriguing look back at this unusual fad and some of most popular “splatter platters”. It’s worth watching for Wayne Cochran’s epic hair helmet alone.

The Ultimate Space Race

The Ultimate Space Race

Jake Wegesin of Ambient Press created this wonderful CG short film about the space race of the 1950s and 1960s, offering a playful reinterpretation of the competition between the USA and USSR. Benjamin Widawksi’s music and the accompanying narration perfectly complement the black-and-white animation.

Advertisement

Package Tying Machine

Package Tying Machine

We always enjoy seeing how industrial machines are engineered. In this video from author and maker of things Theodore Gray, he shows off a 1963 Bunn packaging machine that was designed to quickly wrap items with string. What makes it really interesting is how it ties a knot and cuts the twine perfectly every time.

Every Batclimb Cameo

Every Batclimb Cameo

One of our favorite things about the ’60s Batman TV series was the celebrity cameos as the Dynamic Duo scaled a building with their grappling hook. Tommy Westphall’s Snowglobe compiled a reel of the 15 times a celeb popped out of the window. Is it just us, or does the second guy (George Cisar) sound like Peter Griffin?

Martin Metal Atompunk Lamps

Martin Metal Atompunk Lamps
Buy

Dig the look of objects from the early days of the Nuclear Age? UK-based Martin Metal Art creates unique lamps with an Atompunk aesthetic, incorporating objects like 1960s battery chargers, perforated metal, and glass for a great retrofuturist vibe. The Davenset Atomic Reactor is our favorite, but it’s also the most expensive.

Where Is My Mind? Roy Orbison Style

Where Is My Mind? Roy Orbison Style

We’re suckers for The Pixies song Where Is My Mind? and always love hearing fresh interpretations of the track. Vocalist Allison Young teamed up with Postmodern Jukebox to deliver a great cover version with a melodramatic style inspired by the late Roy Orbison, who gave us such great songs like Crying and Only the Lonely.

Own The Munsters’ Drag-u-la

Own The Munsters’ Drag-u-la

While you can’t park it your driveway in time for Halloween, you could still own this awesome bit of pop culture history – the coffin-shaped car that Grandpa raced in an episode of The Munsters. Barris Kustoms built five of these cars in the 1960s to promote the horror-sitcom, and it’s headed to Mecum’s 2022 Kissimmee car auction.

Don’t Speak: 1960s Style

Don’t Speak: 1960s Style

Postmodern Jukebox and vocalist Haley Reinhart turn in a great cover of No Doubt’s 1995 track Don’t Speak, performed with a sultry and soulful 1960s vibe. If you love the style of singers like Adele and Amy Winehouse, you’ll definitely want to give this a listen.

Ride

Ride

(Flashing images) Motorcycles take the spotlight in Paul Bush’s stop-motion short film, which pays tribute to the motorcycle design and culture of the 1950s and 1960s. Bush created the effects by swapping bikes between frames, and featured quite the assortment of motorcycles thanks to Jose Pereira’s Museu das Motas in Portugal.

Last Night in Soho (Teaser)

Last Night in Soho (Teaser)

Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Baby Driver) applies his cinematic magic to this horror film about a lonely design student (Thomasin McKenzie) whose dreams transport her to the 1960s. There, she lives as an alluring lounge singer (Anya Taylor-Joy), and the lines between reality and fantasy start to blur. In theaters 10.2021.

SampleTron 2

SampleTron 2

IK Multimedia’s virtual instrument can replicate the rich and emotive sounds of tape-based samplers like the Mellotron. SampleTron 2 comes with over 400 virtual tape tracks, including choir, strings, brass, organ, piano, bass, synths, and vocoders. You can also load your own samples and run them through the tape sound engine.

Modern Retro LCD TV Cabinet

Modern Retro LCD TV Cabinet
Buy

Etsy seller AstroVintageWood puts modern LCD TV screens and soundbars inside of 1960s-style wooden television cabinets. We love the mid-century modern details like the cloth speaker grille and “Selector” knob on the front. Each set is custom built to order and can be equipped with a 19″, 24″ or 32″ display.

Jefferson Airplane: Korean Style

Jefferson Airplane: Korean Style

We’ve always enjoyed the enchanting musical style of Luna Lee, who reinterprets popular rock music with traditional Korean instrumentation. Here, she takes on the Jefferson Airplane classic Somebody to Love, rocking out as usual on her 12-string gayageum.

ADVERTISEMENT

Home | About | Suggest | Contact | Team | Links | Privacy | Disclosure
Advertise | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Sites We Like

Awesome Stuff: The Awesomer | Cool Cars: 95Octane
Site Design & Content © 2008-2024 Awesomer Media / The Awesomer™