Filed under: Singapore
The Stylers were from Singapore.
Singapore is an island nation located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and is one of the few remaining city-states in the world and the smallest country in Southeast Asia.
When the main island was colonized by the British East India Company in 1819, it contained a fishing village sparsely populated by indigenous Malays and Orang Lauts at the mouth of the Singapore River. The British used the position as a strategic trading outpost along the spice route. It became one of the most important commercial and military centres of the British Empire and the site, in 1942, of what Winston Churchill called “Britain’s biggest defeat” at the hands of the Japanese. Occupied by the Japanese Empire during World War II, it reverted to British rule in 1945 and was later part of the merger which established Malasia in 1963. Less than two years later it left the federation and became an independent republic on August 9th, 1965. The new republic was admitted to the United Nations on September 21 that same year.
Although these songs are from their first single, The Stylers would eventually join the list of ‘Non-Stop Music’ bands like The Silverstones, Tony & The Polar Bear Five and The Travellers. I pestered Mack over at FarEastAudio to give me a brief history on the Non-Stop Music craze:
Non-stop instrumental dancing records go at least as for back as the 1950s orchestral work of Germany‘s James Last. Non-stop ballroom has had a lasting influence in East and Southeast Asia. (In the mid-1990s, I purchased a wonderful cassette in the Philippines called “Non-Stop Cha Cha Extravaganza,” for example.) However, it is the Asian version of the “A Go-Go” pop medley sound that has captured the imaginations of Western record collectors in recent years. Influenced by instrumental rock groups from the US and UK, the 60s teen scenes of Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore produced numerous dancing albums. These albums often retained the ballroom sensibility of listing the intended dance styles next to the track titles (A Go-Go, Blues, Fox Trot, Cha Cha, etc.), but relied on a rock line-up of bass, drums, guitar and organ. As for the songs performed, Western pop hits, regional pop hits and even traditional folk melodies were all fair game.
By the 1970s, surviving instrumental bands like The Stylers seem to have gotten more ambitious, incorporating into their albums film themes, sound effects, “hi-fi” production values, and musical elements of the emerging disco sound. By this point, non-stop instrumental albums were less a teen dance phenomenon than they were fodder for the high-end stereo equipment of Asian audiophiles.
In 2003, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) commissioned a six-part series documentary for televison 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.
Catalog number SE 1010 on Polar Bear Record of Singapore. No release date given.
Filed under: Singapore
I can’t tell you that much about The Tropicano, except that they were from Singapore. This is the only single that I have seen by them. If you have any information, please contact me.
In 2003, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) commissioned a six-part series documentary for televison 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.
Catalog number NFEP – 5012 on Play Boy label, which belonged to the Ngee Fat Record Company of Singapore. No date listed.
Filed under: Singapore
The Vampires were from Singapore.
Singapore is an island nation located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and is one of the few remaining city-states in the world and the smallest country in Southeast Asia.
When the main island was colonized by the British East India Company in 1819, it contained a fishing village sparsely populated by indigenous Malays and Orang Lauts at the mouth of the Singapore River. The British used the position as a strategic trading outpost along the spice route. It became one of the most important commercial and military centres of the British Empire and the site, in 1942, of what Winston Churchill called “Britain’s biggest defeat” at the hands of the Japanese. Occupied by the Japanese Empire during World War II, it reverted to British rule in 1945 and was later part of the merger which established Malasia in 1963. Less than two years later it left the federation and became an independent republic on August 9th, 1965. The new republic was admitted to the United Nations on September 21 that same year.
In 2003, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) commissioned a six-part series documentary for televison 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.
As for The Vampires, I have not been able to find any information. I do know that they did release a second single as Dorothy & The Vampires on Philips Records.
Catalog number STL 222 on Satellite of Singapore. No other information available.
Filed under: Singapore
♬ Golden Dragon Greeting The New Year
I can’t tell you that much about The Tones, except that they were from Singapore. I had originally thought that the name of the band was The Music of White Crane & The Tones due to the cool guitar logo, but I have since seen other records by them and realized that White Crane was the name of the record lable.
In 2003, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) commissioned a six-part series documentary for televison 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 have any information, please contact me.
Catalog number PH-2067 on White Crane Records of Singapore. No other information available.
Filed under: Singapore
I can’t tell you anything about Yvonne or her backing band The Sparklers, except that they were from Singapore.
In 2003, Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) commissioned a six-part series documentary for televison 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 have any information, please contact me.
Catalog number MEP 8003 on Magpie Record (that’s right, singular…), manufactured by EMI Australia Limited. No other information available.
Filed under: Singapore
The Impianbateks were not from the Middle East, as the cover may have led you to believe… They were actually from Singapore.
Arabic culture has a large influence on the cultures of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
I tried translating this using an online Malay to English translator, but didn’t get very far before I threw in the towel. I do know that this band is comprised of what was previously two bands: D’Impians and The Bateks. I have seen one other single by them, but it was not in Arabic.
Here are the liner notes, for those of you who know Malay…
Sunggohpun lagu2 “The Bateks” sering kedengaran di-udara, ahli2-nya sudah berpisah di-sebabken oleh sa-suatu yang tidak dapat di-elakkan. Tetapi dengan ada-nya, semangat seni di-sanubari dua daripada ahli nya, mereka menyesuikan diri mereka dengan kumpulan “D’Impians” yang mempunyai chiptaan-chiptaan lagu dan gaya menyanyi tersendiri. Pada awal’tahun ini tertubohlah suatu pancharagam. Yang di-beri nama “Impianbateks”.
If you can make heads or tails of that, let me know… Also, If you have any information, please contact me.
Catalog number CEP 3005 on Cosdel Records of Singapore. No release date listed.
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