The best examples of "cheesy organ" tunes

It sometimes amazes me the kind of arguments people pick here. All I have to say to you is Wow.

 

Sorry but both songs used a Clavioline.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/mar07/articles/clavioline.htm

 

There is a great interview from 1991 Keyboard magazine where Ray makes a couple references to the "cheesy" organ sound.

"That's all I had, I could turn on a vibrato or a tremolo, and pull a couple of drawbraws to make it more bassy. But all I could do was basically a cheesy California organ sound."

Earlier in the article he talks about Lester Bangs referring to the Doors' cheesy organ sound. Ray responds "it's not cheesy, it's California!"

 

I think whoever played organ for Shin Joong-Hyun between 1969 and 1974 is one of the greatest organ players I ever heard on any rock records,period.

 

It's Monterey Cheese, Jack!...

 

that's already been covered in this thread. I'd add that I said various versions of Runaway. A lot of bands did that song and if you guys are trying to tell me you know definitively that never was an organ used in any version, I'll tell you that you're full of it.

 

Several early cuts by Elvis Costello & the Attractions: mainly, Pump It Up.

 

While technically a virtuoso performer on the Hammond B-3 (the least cheesy organ there is) Walter Wanderley was still the king of cheddar, swiss and monterey jack all rolled into one.

 

Paul Revere and the Raiders certainly have a few, like Kicks

 

Jazz???????????? for "cheezy organ"???

A prime source of this stuff is music from the Texas/Mexican border. Accordian was always a big part of the sound, and that sound
translated, after a fashion, pretty well to the electric organ. Hence stuff like I Can Help. Check out Tex-Mex styled bands like
any of Doug Sahm's outfits (well, often that actually IS accordian, but... sometimes it's velveeta organ. Check out Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs.
Check out any of Joe "King" Carasco's outfits. Check out ? & The Mysterians. This is all Tex-Mex derived. Many many more, but you've got the
idea. I'm not intending to reduce the world of Tex-mex related stuff to organ/accordian. (for example, Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison are also
prime examples of the impact of border music on rock & roll). But you'll find a pile of great examples of what you are looking for in this little circumscribed world.

 

A top Boyce/Hart pseudo-garage rocker, but the organ solo is cheese city:

 

Yep, and the first Suicide album.

 

Is that what you consider as cheesy organ music? Then this man is your goldmine...

 

The cheesiest organ playing in any tune that I've ever heard is ...

 

Sir Doug has been mentioned a lot here, but here's a video:

 

And another:

 

Cliff Richard's recording of Elvis's "Angel" (from "Follow That Dream") is a remarkable re-working
of the song with a terrific pounding beat, amazing for the early sixties. But it's always been nearly
ruined for me with the really cheesy organ solo in the middle. What were they thinking? It doesn't
fit the rest of the song....at all. (Must be some kind of British thing...)

 

Did someone say "I love me some cheesy, roller rink music"



Here you go daddy-o

 

Hammond organs don't count for the cheese factor because they're too cool.
When you talk cheese, Vox and Farfisa organs are the ones that ooze.

1. Double Shot Of My Baby's Love - Swinging Medallions
2. Western Union - 5 Americans
3. We Aint Got Nothin Yet - Blues Magoos
4. Bike - Pink Floyd
5. 96 Tears -? and the Mysterians
6. Watching The Detectives - Elvis Costello
7. Keep On Dancin' - The Gentrys
8. This gem (the only cheesy Hammond song) that doesn't need a introduction

 

You might like Kim Choo Ja's version, too. It's recorded better, and it's got a real Doors vibe to it.
Sounds like the same guy.
It's at 12:45 on this album:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdssQRsMyz0

 

That's terrific! How could they have left it off 40 Golden Greats??

Meanwhile, what does everyone think about Swiss Maid by Del Shannon?

 

How'd I forget about this one?
Cheesiest of the Cheesy Cheese...
Underground Sunshine:

 

Del Shannon's "Runaway" (1961) features a Musitron, not a Clavioline.

 

Sixtiesstereo: Thanks for posting Cliffs "Angel". Always one my favorite elvis tunes, but I never heard Cliff do it. a marvelous production by (I guess) Norrie Paramour.