One of the saddest thing about our move from records to tapes to CDs to digital is that so many great singers, songs and songwriters have gotten lost in the shuffle. Sure, you can find most things now with a quick Googling, an online swipe of the credit card, and voila! But as a music lover, there is a certain thrill of the chase that has been lost, and unfortunately, the recordings that didn’t manage to make the leap into the digital future are even harder to come by these days.
And so, one of the things I love most about Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys is that they’ve brought so many great songs of the roaring twenties kicking and screaming (and sounding amazing) into the new millennium. These are incredibly talented modern musicians doing fantastic renditions of songs that might not otherwise be heard anymore. Hooray!
Case in point: the fantastically naughty “How Could Red Riding Hood (Have Been So Very Good)” from their album ‘Janet Klein’s Scandals: Living In Sin’. Recordings of this song are hard to find, even via the internet, and it’s a shame, because it is fabulous. And filthy! In a fantastic way. First published in 1926, it was one of the first songs to be banned from radio play due to its suggestiveness. And… um… no wonder:
Father and Mother… she had none. So where in the world did the money come from? Please let me ask it : who filled her basket? The story books, they never tell…. Now they say that she found a great big wolf in Granny’s bed… And he had a great big sunbonnet pulled down over his head… …but you know and I know what she must have found instead! How could Red Riding Hood have been so very good And still keep the wolf from the door?
Ahem.
So yes, I’m a big fan of all of Janet Klein’s albums, both for her song selections (and there are COUNTLESS gems, seriously, it is like a nonstop gem factory) and the music itself: she plays a mean ukelele, and is backed by incredible musicians. Their albums are wonderful all by themselves, but they’re also the perfect gateway to lesser-heard music of the 20s and 30s: an ideal way to discover new songs and create a jumping off point to search out original artists and recordings.
This post includes one or more affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking through, we may receive a small commission from the designer, retailer or shop (thanks!) More info here.
The soft luster of white satin is exquisitely set off by pearl trimming in this Lucile-Paris wedding gown. Lucile suggests a striking innovation in bridal hosiery- Fanchon, faintest, most delicate flesh-pink, rather than white. Perhaps the most unusual of the new hosiery shades sent from Paris by Lucile is Fleur de Lis, the creamy ivory …
A couple things become immediately clear from this Bonwit Teller ad (pulled from a 1929 issue of Vogue Magazine). First of all, there is no downside to the drama of a long, gorgeous cap veil. Even with (maybe especially with) the sleek lines of a 20s style wedding dress. Secondly, can we bring back “gowned” …
In today’s installment of Art Deco Hollywood, we bring you the incredible style and grace of 1920s icon Anna May Wong. A beauty and talent by any standard, she was also the first Chinese American movie star, making her way in Hollywood (and internationally) in a world where she faced constant typecasting and discrimination, …
Love this vintage ad for many reasons, not the least of which is how absolutely timeless the copy is. You’d think it would be outdated, but the pitch still works! Obviously also love that gorgeous bride with her cap veil and debonair groom.
1920s Music | Janet Klein + Her Parlor Boys
One of the saddest thing about our move from records to tapes to CDs to digital is that so many great singers, songs and songwriters have gotten lost in the shuffle. Sure, you can find most things now with a quick Googling, an online swipe of the credit card, and voila! But as a music lover, there is a certain thrill of the chase that has been lost, and unfortunately, the recordings that didn’t manage to make the leap into the digital future are even harder to come by these days.
And so, one of the things I love most about Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys is that they’ve brought so many great songs of the roaring twenties kicking and screaming (and sounding amazing) into the new millennium. These are incredibly talented modern musicians doing fantastic renditions of songs that might not otherwise be heard anymore. Hooray!
Case in point: the fantastically naughty “How Could Red Riding Hood (Have Been So Very Good)” from their album ‘Janet Klein’s Scandals: Living In Sin’. Recordings of this song are hard to find, even via the internet, and it’s a shame, because it is fabulous. And filthy! In a fantastic way. First published in 1926, it was one of the first songs to be banned from radio play due to its suggestiveness. And… um… no wonder:
Father and Mother… she had none.
So where in the world did the money come from?
Please let me ask it : who filled her basket?
The story books, they never tell….
Now they say that she found a great big wolf in Granny’s bed…
And he had a great big sunbonnet pulled down over his head…
…but you know and I know what she must have found instead!
How could Red Riding Hood have been so very good
And still keep the wolf from the door?
Ahem.
So yes, I’m a big fan of all of Janet Klein’s albums, both for her song selections (and there are COUNTLESS gems, seriously, it is like a nonstop gem factory) and the music itself: she plays a mean ukelele, and is backed by incredible musicians. Their albums are wonderful all by themselves, but they’re also the perfect gateway to lesser-heard music of the 20s and 30s: an ideal way to discover new songs and create a jumping off point to search out original artists and recordings.
This post includes one or more affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking through, we may receive a small commission from the designer, retailer or shop (thanks!) More info here.
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