Chronos is the first in my weekly mix series featuring 45s played at 33 1/3 speed. In this series, I share the goofy joys of slowing down both timeless classics and time-bound curiosities to yield what are often humorous and sometimes strikingly beautiful results. We’ll start off this week with a little tour of the ’60s.
- Be True To Your School (45-33) | The Beach Boys
1963
Think: friendly douche bag as you “ra ra” along with the boys. - Set Me Free (45-33) | The Kinks
1965
The sinister, outsider stance often taken by the Kinks is amplified by the reduced speed. - These Boots Are Made For Walking (45-33) | Nancy Sinatra
1966
That little “Ha!” that Nancy does kills me every time. - Uptight (Everything’s Alright) (45-33) | Stevie Wonder
1966
Young Stevie has that high-end vocal that comes across pretty alright as a 45-33, with just maybe a smidge of Notorious B.I.G.’s “plummy, wheezy, humid” sound, as described in NPR’s 50 Great Voices series. - Tears Of A Clown (45-33) | Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
1967
Another high-pitched male vocal from Smokey, this time with some sort of New Jack swagger in the beat. - Respect (45-33) | Aretha Franklin
1967
Unexplained, you might just fool a friend into thinking this is just a regular, unheard cover by a male soul singer. - D-I-V-O-R-C-E (45-33) | Tammy Wynette
1968
Tammy has been transformed into the stereotypical yokel! - Going In Circles (45-33) | The Friends Of Distinction
1969
Also featured on “Collected 2014-Q3”, this is my “time is a flat circle” deep dive theme song.
