Filed under: Singapore
♬ a) New Year’s Greeting / 王小二拜年 b) Happy New Year / 賀新年
♬ a) Congratulations / 恭喜恭喜 b) Winter Jasmine / 迎春花
The Travellers were from Singapore. They were part of the Non-Stop Dancing Music scene that also produced The Stylers.
My first introduction to The Travellers was on the questionable compilation entitled “G. I. Funk” on the Payback Recordings label. The song was listed as “Slow Soul” (It was also included on the “Dusty Fingers Vol. 12” compilation, released by Strictly Breaks). Who ever transferred the song, did not bother to learn the real name of the song, instead only listing the track by it’s dance style. On the Non-Stop Dancing Music records, medleys of songs are group by their dance style, A Go-Go, Cha Cha, Bolero, Fox Trot, etc. But the title of the song is actually “Smiling Face, Flushing Heart”.
I have not been able to find hardly any information about the band. I do know that they, as well as The Stylers, would occasionally back singers like Chang Siao Ying on their recordings. But other than that, there is just a few sites with their records here and there.
In 2003, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) commissioned a six-part series documentary for television on the Singapore music scene from the 1960s to the present day, entitled Jammin’. If anyone knows how I could get a copy of that documentary (especially the first two episodes), I would greatly appreciate it.
If you any information about the band, please contact me.
Catalog number MEP-9048 on Victory Organisation of Singapore. No release date listed.
Filed under: India
♬ Santa Clause Is Coming To Town
Even though it is sometimes referred to as Hindustan, not everyone in India is Hindu. Granted, over eighty percent is Hindu, and another thirteen percent are Muslim. As of a 2001 census, only 2.341% are Christian. But, that’s still over twenty four million people. That being said, India is not exactly the first place that pops into your mind when it comes to Christmas Music.
All I have been able to find out about Jayram Acharya, is that he released an album entitled “Sitar Goes Latin” with Enoch Daniels (who is credited for the arrangements on this record) in 1969. Also, a single with “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town“ and “White Christmas“ was recently issued on the British Jazzman label.
Here are the liner notes to the record:
Come December, a strange spirit pervades in every corner of the globe – the spirit of Christmas. The universality of this spirit brings us closer to the oft dreamt concept of one world.
An integral part of Christmas is the Christmas music which, over a period of centuries, has also acquired global popularity.
Four of the most popular Christmas songs which, centuries ago, originated in the Western World, are presented on this disc on a musical instrument of India, the sitar, which is also originated centuries ago. While the Christmas songs reached India several centuries ago, it is only now, several centuries later, that the sound of sitar has reached the Western World and is considered the most exciting sound of today.
Christmas music on the sitar – a memorable presentation for a memorable occasion.
Catalog number EMOE. 503 on Odeon / The Gramophone Company Ltd., released 1967.
Filed under: Israel
Up until 1967, Israeli popular music was largely based on Russian Folk Music, French Chansons, Argentine Tango and more “Easy Listening” fare. But all of that changed after the Six Days War in June of 1967, when students, tourists and volunteers began to arrive in The Holy Land, bringing with them musical equipment, record collections and most importantly hippie culture. The result was an emergence of a number of Beat groups who had their first opportunity to perform in a small but lively discothèque scene.
The Styles were founded the following year in 1968 by Itzhak Klepter (who had played in The Churchills), Avi Karpel (from The Spiders – no relation to The Spiders from either Japan or Singapore) and Meir Israel (The Monks – and no, not The Monks as in “Black Monk Time“). Their first performance was at the 1968 Battle of the Bands, along with The Blue Stars, The Fat & The Thin, The Mosquitoes, The New Stars and Tel Aviv Express. The Styles were the only band to sing in Hebrew at the event, where they took third place. First prize went to The New Stars and their lead singer Uzi Fuchs (a.k.a. Uzi Fux). After leaving The New Stars, Fuchs sang for The Fat & The Thin briefly before joining The Styles in 1969 – thus becoming Uzi & The Styles.
That same year, a British group called Revolver (no relation to the current band by that name) came to Israel on tour. After which their keyboardist Abe Orchover and songwriter Tony Price decided to stay behind and join the band. The two Englishmen were the main influence over the band’s material and soon they recorded Manfred Man‘s “Daytime Nighttime” which became a big hit. They followed that with a three song EP with “Morning Train”, “Someday” and “Where Were You Last Night?” – all of which were hits. Due to the EP’s success, it was licensed as a single to record labels outside of Israel, in Belgium, England, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and the United States.
In 1970 they recorded their first and only album, “Friends“. The album was recorded and sung in entirely in English, and is still considered one of the greatest albums in Israeli music history. But, the band broke up soon after the album was released. In 1990, They played a single reunion show in Israel.
Catalog number 07.769 on Belter of Spain, released 1970.
Filed under: Thailand
Occasionally I will come across a record that produces more questions than it answers. This album definitely falls into that category…
I often wonder who was the intended listener? Who was it that ‘They’ – ‘They’ being the record company or musician or the powers that be – thought would want to buy this record? Was it intended for tourists or the local populous? Was it even available in Thailand, or was it only released somewhere else, in another country? Who knows?
The real puzzle is that one side of the cover is entirely in Thai, while the other side is in English with Chinese subtitles. There were only two phrases that were on the front that are not on the back: สงวนลิขสิทธิ์ , which translates to “copyright reserved” and วงดนตรี มาริเนอร์, which – to the best of my knowledge – translates to “Orchestra Maaríner”.
I have not been able to find any information available about Orchestra Maaríner – if indeed that is the correct name. When I got this record, I did not know what to call it. So, I opened up the Unicode character pallet, and tried to recreate the Thai text – with full knowledge that it was probably wrong. When I did not hear back from the person who usually translates Thai for me, I figured I would just try and see what the Thai to English translator had to say with the words I had pieced together. And it worked! Well, at least three of the four words that I tried to translate. I am still not too sure about that “Maaríner” bit… The record was most likely recorded by studio musicians and manufactured in Singapore. If you any information about this record, please contact me.
Catalog number LST-121 on Mervels Records, although the other side of the cover says Lily Records Company. No other information available.
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Since this posting, I have been contacted by Peter Doolan, who curates the blog Monrakplengthai. Here’s what he had to say:
… The song you posted (and the title of the album) is “สาวบ้านแต้” (Sao Ban Tae). It was a very popular Ramwong, or rural folk-style dance which, if I’m not mistaken, is from a 1968 film of the same name. It was originally sung by เลิศ ประสมทรัพย์ (Loet Prasomtarap) and ศรีสุดา รัชตวรรณ (Sisuda Rattawan), two prominent singers of the famed Suntarapon big band. Needless to say, this is not the original, and your hypothesis seems likely to be very close to the mark! The arrangement sounds not-very-Thai (particularly the flute and string), although there is what sounds like a khim (Thai hammered dulcimer) in the background. Overall, this seems to be one of the many “Melodies of _____” sort of instrumental records floating around in that era (Rene Paulo springs to mind…). Very nice band though… Oh! and if you hadn’t figured out, มาริเนอร์ is the Thai transliteration of the English word ‘mariner’. I’ve never heard of this orchestra! You can listen to the original here.”
Filed under: Zaïre
♬ Save Me
♬ Sookie
Docteur Nico & L’Orchestre African Fiesta were from Zaïre, which is now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Hailed throughout Africa as “Le Dieu de la Guitar” (“The God of the Guitar”), Nicolas Kasanda wa Mikalay was born on July 7th, 1939 in Mikalayi in the Kasai province of what was then the Belgian Congo.
In 1950, at age 11, Nico was introduced to Opika Studios by his cousin Tino Baroza and older brother Mwamba Déchaud who were session musicians there. At 14, he joined Joseph “Grand Kalle” Kabaselle‘s African Jazz. In 1957 he took up electric guitar and can be heard playing electric guitar on ‘Sophie Ya Yotema,’ recorded in 1960. In 1961 he temporarily split with Kabaselle and formed African Jazz Aile Nico before returning to Kabaselle in 1962 and 1963. Young Nico graduated with honours from high school and went on to college, while keeping his night job as Leopoldville‘s hottest young guitarist. He taught auto mechanics at the Christian Brothers school in N’djili district, Kinshasa, which earned him the nickname ‘Docteur’.
Nico quit teaching and broke away from African Jazz to form L’Orchestra African Fiesta in 1963 with Tabu Ley Rochereau, brother Déchaud, Kwamy, Mujos, Depuissant on conga and bassist Joseph Mwena. The band was joined by Roger’s brother Faugus Izeidi on third guitar, with both Dominique “Willy” Kuntima and Jeef Mingiedi on trumpet. Rochereau split two years later in 1965 to form African Fiesta National.
In 1969, the entire band, except his brother Déchaud, walked out Nico because they felt they weren’t getting their due. The Docteur quickly assembled a new band that included Josky Kiambukuta and Lessa Lassan on vocals. Bopol Mansiamina joined on guitar in 1970 and they kept it together for a few more years.
Success eluded Docteur Nico. He withdrew from the music scene in the mid 1970s following the collapse of his Belgian record label, and made a few final recordings in Togo. He drank heavily, leading to his early death in a Belgium hospital on 22 September 1985.
The two songs here, are credited to Bovick (a.k.a. Bovick Ye Bondo) who was also known to record with Verckys Kiamuangana Mateta’s Orchestre Vévé. He sang on their version of the Shocking Blue song “Venus“.
There is a complete discography for Docteur Nico here.
Catalog number SAF 50007, Sonafric records of Paris, France. No release date given.
Filed under: Pakistan
Where as the music of Bollywood has only just started to break into the mainstream here in The West, the music of Pakistan’s film industry – sometimes referred to as “Lollywood” – is often overlooked. Much like their neighbors in India, the music plays a significant part of the film.
After the partition of India, the city of Lahore was the only film production center in the newly-founded Pakistan. The first film was titled Teri Yaad, and was released on August 7th, 1948. Since then, film production studios have been opened in the cities of Karachi and Peshawar.
The film Do Raha was originally produced in 1952, and then remade in 1971 with a new score from Sohail Rana – although all of the information that I have been able to find (other than what is printed on the label of this record) says that duo of Sapan Chakraborty and Jagmohan Bakshi scored the film and that the film was supposedly produced in India.
The Bugs probably were not a real band. They were most likely a studio creation, that may have even been part of the film. As far as I know, this is there only release – and they are only featured on one side. The flipside is the original version of the theme song from the film.
If you any information about the band, please contact me.
Catalog number 7KCE-5000 on Columbia Records of Pakistan. No other information available.
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Since this posting, I have been contacted by Jimmy Jumshade, who was the drummer of the band. Here’s what he had to say:
Thanks for writing and your research into that Era! Indeed those were the most fantastic days of Pakistan when Pakees were not over-dosing on Religion! We did make a couple of recordings at the only record Company then, I forget it’s name (HM something).
At that time the only 4/5 star Hotels in Pakistan (InterContinental) opened and they only exclusively engaged foreign bands, mainly from Italy. We were the first local band hired to perform at that chain.
We did instrumentals and also songs of that day. Mainly The Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Animals, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Shadows, The Ventures, Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdink, Gerry & The Pacemakers, The Eagles and some Pakee folk songs / instrumentals.
You got the bands at that time right. There also were “THUNDERS”… Of course The Four Thoughts were very, very talented and popular, I saw several times, Benazir dancing to them at the famous Disco in Metropole Hotel. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was one of our fans. So was Yahya Khan and his son. So was Marlon Brando who was thrilled at our performance, when he visited Pakistan…
The four members of “THE BUGS” were:
Farooq Fatah: Lead Guitar (Now in Toronto)
Ayaz Fatah: Rhythm Guitar (alive and well in Toronto)
Afzal Javeri: Bass Guitar (Who died about a decade ago)
Myself: Drummer (settled in Dallas, Texas)
Amazing time we had like Rock Stars. We also travelled to the music and art loving people of that time East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) where we were welcomed like heroes and we had the best time of our music days… We were good friends with late Waheed Murad and others of the film lndustry and all Pakistanis loved and enjoyed our “make-u-dance” music not only foreigners. We had a large following of Swedes, in Lahore. We also performed at Shahbagh Hotel, Flashman’s at Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Faletti’s in Lahore.
Filed under: Malaysia
When I finally decided to start hunting down the vinyl that would eventually become this website, this record was in the first batch, along with a S. Hazarasingh record and a very odd album of Thai Modernized Music… Actually, that’s a lie. My first batch of records were three Chang Siao Ying albums. I don’t count them, because I no longer have those. But this was definitely the first seven inch single of non-Western pop music. And as you can tell, I bought it solely for the cover.
The seven inch single has to be the perfect format. It’s short and to the point. If you are musician and you are only going to be able to record two (maybe three or four) songs, you’re definitely going to pick you’re ‘A’ material. And the cover… I think some of the greatest artwork ever conceived has measured only seven by seven inches square.
In this day of mp3s and i-tunes, the long playing album seems to be losing the battle. There appears to be a shift back to the single, now that the record companies have figured out a way to sell you just one song (with no manufacturing expenses). To be honest, I have never really been a huge fan of the LP. On most albums, there is always some filler. Maybe it’s because I have such a short attention span, I don’t know. And the advent of the CD player only made skipping those songs that were only “so-so” into a nervous twitch. Next.
As for A. Romzi dan The Hooks, they were part of the “Pop Yeh-Yeh” movement of Malaysia and Singapore at the time. They recorded a handful of singles, this one being their first and most popular. A. Romzi later became a solo artist, and released records into the Seventies.
Catalog number EGEP. 626 on Parlophone / EMI of Singapore, released 1967.
Filed under: Egypt
Belly Dance is a Western name for an Arabic style of dance developed in the Middle East. In Europe, it is sometimes called “Oriental Dance”. Similarly, In Turkish it is referred to as “Oryantal Dansı” (“Dance of the East”). Some American devotees refer to it simply as “Middle Eastern Dance”. In the Arabic language it is known as Raqs Sharqi رقص شرقي (“Eastern Dance”) or sometimes Raqs Baladi رقص بلدي (“National” or “Folk” Dance). The term “Raqs Sharqi” may have originated in Egypt.
Hassan Abou Seoud was from Egypt. Like many other Egyptian musicians of the time, he left for Lebanon in the early Seventies. There, he got his start playing accordion with Omar Khorshid at a night club in Beirut. He also was known to have done some recording with Farid al-Atrash, as well as others.
He moved back to Egypt after the beginning of the Lebanese civil war in 1975 , where he started writing compositions for Sha’abi singer Ahmed Adaweyah. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Paris and formed his own orchestra, working in Arab night clubs there. He eventually moved into management, discovering and encouraged many artists.
Once again returning to Egypt in the late Eighties, he began composing music for films. He then became the president of the Egyptian Musicians Syndicate in mid Nineties, which he held that position until his death in 2006.
Thanks to Hany Zaki for the information.
Catalog number VOS 10015 on Voice of Stars of Lebanon, pressed in Greece. No release date listed.
Filed under: Eritrea
♬ Negash Tekie • Atibreie
♬ Mulugeta Tlahun & Negash Tekie • Yewyen Abebaie
There have been quite a few times in the past year, when I have considered throwing in the towel and calling Radiodiffusion Internasionaal quits. I’ll admit that there has a been a few records that I have posted that I haven’t been all that crazy about. And there’s been more than a handful of posts that have been cranked out in thirty minutes or less… The time and money… It gets to be a bit much. Then, a record like this falls into my hands.
After I managed to get my eyeballs back in their sockets and scraped my jaw off of the floor… I was reminded of why I do this. This is what it is all about. Right here. Two sides of pure joy.
Reality begins to set back in, and the questions start to come… Who were these people? Who concocted these otherworldly sounds from the intersection of The Modern and The Traditional? The mysteries that a record without a sleeve poses… I cannot deny that there is an almost fetish allure of non-Latin characters… What language is that? What does it say?
Of course, there is almost no information available. All I can tell you is that Negash Tekie performed in London in 2002 at a benefit for Eritreans for Human and Democratic Rights. But for Mulugeta Tlahun… I got nothing. I do know that the type along the bottom of the label reads: “Ye Eritrea Te. Gi. (Teklay Gizat) Police Muziqa Kifil” which translates as “Province of Eritrea Police – Division of Music”.
As for the label, Emporio Musicale, I am assuming that the person responsible is “Cav. E. Cipriani” (since Eritrea was ruled by Italy from 1890 to 1940) and that he (or she) was based in the capitol city of Asmara. But that’s just a guess… The only other record I have seen on this label, was in rough shape.
If you have any information on either of these artists, or any of the other records that were released on this label, please contact me.
Thanks to Adamantios Kafetzis and Peter Piper for getting the Tigrinya translated for me.
Now back to chasing the vinyl dragon…
Catalog number ER 5 / ER 6 on Emporio Musicale of Asmara, Eritrea. No other information available.
Filed under: Singapore
The port of Singapore was, and still is, an active hub for international travelers and merchant marines, who bringing with them their favorite pop records from around the world. During the Vietnam conflict, American soldiers brought the sounds of rockabilly from the stateside while the British nationals in camp at RAF bases introduced the British Invasion bands. The area was fertile ground.
The Shadows played their first concert in Singapore in late 1961, which marked the beginning of the Beat group era with bands who were strictly instrumental. Most times, singers were only an addition to the band. After the arrival of The Beatles in 1963 gave birth to “Malay Pop Yeh-Yeh” – a term derived from the song “She Loves You (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah)” – and changed the emphasis from the instrumental band scene to self-contained units with singers and musicians
I have not been able to find any information about The Spiders. Of course, these are not The Spiders from Japan. And, as far as I know, this is the only record that they released.
As for Santana… They were apparently quite popular in South East Asia. Their Latin influenced rock with its use of cowbells and timbales, mixed right in with the Non-Stop Dancing / A Go-Go music that was popular in Singapore in the 1970s. Although Santana did not originally write this song (or “Black Magic Woman” – which is the very next track on this record) covers of their versions of these songs were common.
In 2003, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) commissioned a six-part series documentary for television on the Singapore music scene from the 1960s to the present day, entitled Jammin’. If anyone knows how I could get a copy of that documentary (especially the first two episodes), I would greatly appreciate it.
If you any information about the band, please contact me.
Catalog number JR 302 on Jubilee Records Trading Co. of Singapore. No release date listed.
Radiodiffusion Internasionaal Annexe 
