OLD SCHOOL #42 Flying Saucer Rock & Roll

^{WHEN we start seeing UFOs, unidentified flying objects, it’s a confirmation for what kind of times we live in.}

^{Anytime world headlines lead off with flying saucers, you can bet the world is in a bit of a slump. Long ago comets lit up the plague filled skies, and everything or everyone was an omen or a misfit.} 

^{If the times were sketch, trouble coming every day like Frank Zappa used to say, the more likely we got close encounters of the first, second, and third kind,}

^{Sightings picked up shortly after World War II. A famous  Flying saucer allegedly  crashed near Roswell NewMexico, making it a desert tourist attraction long before Burning Man.}

^{From 1947 to 1969 the Air Force investigated 12,618 sightings.}

^{Since March of 2021 the office of the Director of National Intelligence has logged 350 new reports of UFOs.}

^{Since last week, when we took out an alleged Chinese weather balloon, sightings of mysterious objects have increased. Reacting like good Americans, we are shooting them down and will ask questions later.}

^{But there was a time when such sightings inspired music. Being a podcast that orbits a more innocent time, Retrofit Old School has gathered a trove of tunes, mostly from the 50s and 60s, about vehicles that came to earth and  got so disappointed they tried to get refunds from Southwest Airlines.}

^{Stay tuned, within the walls of this timeless capsule are some wack gems. Novelty songs destined for the cut out bin.  Out of this world reverberations from Fender Stratocasters. Judy Garland at the Cocoanut Grove. Creedence Clearwater, Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Riley and His Little Green Men are all aboard.} 

^{The UFOs are coming, Mars is about to attack, Livestock lookout. The alleged aliens have come in peace or they have come to probe. Whatever. Our best line of defense is Old School number 42 from Area 51. Flying Saucer Rock and Roll.}

Note from beyond. Embedded in the playlist are full length colorized versions of Earth vs the Flying Saucers and Plan 9 from Outer Space.

We come in peace to serve mankind

^{The Flying Saucers BUCHANAN AND GOODMAN 1956}

^{Flying Saucers Rock and Roll BILLY LEE RILEY AND HIS LITTLE GREEN MEN 1957}

^{Two Little Men in a Flying Saucer ELLA FITZGERALD 1952}

^{Flying Saucer MILT JACKSON 1965}

^{It Came Out of the Sky CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL 1969}

^{The Flying Saucers Pt 2 (Back to Earth) BUCHANAN AND GOODMAN 1956}

^{When You See Those Flying Saucers THE CHARLES RIVER VALLEY BOYS 1963}

^{UFO Has Landed in the Ghetto RY COODER 1982}

^{Flying Saucer Boogie EDDIE CLETRO 1952}

^{Flying Saucer Attack THE REZILLOS 1978}

^{Flying Saucer The Second DICKIE GOODMAN 1957}

^{Have You Seen the Saucers? JEFFERSON AIRPLANE 1968}

^{Purple People Eater SHEB WOOLEY 1958}

^{Purple People Eater JUDY GARLAND 1959} 

^{Mr Spaceman THE BYRDS 1966}

^{Waiting for the UFOs GRAHAM PARKER 1979}

^{Flying Saucer The Third DICKIE GOODMAN 1959}

^{Arriving UFO YES 1978}

^{Zero Zero UFO THE RAMONES 1989}

^{Flying saucer LITTLE WALTER 1956}

^{Rapture BLONDIE 1981}

^{The Old School Magic Trick Bus is drawing closer to Devils Tower Wyoming.  We want to literally rap up this episode around the turn of the decade from 70s to the 80s.  Not confirmed of course, but it is believed a small group of aliens were responsible for angling the music industry in a different direction, probably as a response to all these weird songs.}  

^{Not verified but it seems very possible that aliens were responsible for Deborah Harry and her Blondie guitarist David Stein were beamed down to the first rap performance they ever attended featuring Fab 5 Freddy. They were inspired to write Rapture for their Autoamerican album. As a single in 1981 it became the first song featuring rapped vocals to appear on the US charts. The video became the first “rap” big quotes clip to appear on MTV.  So when you are turning in your homework, don’t say Blondie made the first rap record, say the Aliens pushed her in a certain direction and left the world confused, but with a better beat.}

“The past is a blast.”

This podcast is produced for educational purposes. Any and all music heard in this program resides within the public domain, is licensed through the podcast carrier, or is used within the guidelines of fair use provided for in Section 107 of the copyright act of 1976. If you feel your music should be omitted from any show, send a written request to retrofit@substack.com.

Old School is brought to you by Retrofit, a private newsletter to which you can subscribe for free of by donation at retrofit.substack.com.  I’m Professor Mikey, thanks for listening.