Filed under: Ghana
Polydor of Ghana, as far as I know, only released a handful singles. But just about all of those records are killer:
➣ Adam’s Apple • “Adiomi Owusu” / “See Sane”
➣ The Barbecues • “Otswe ‘Nu” / “Aya Lolo”
➣ The Big Beats • “Kyenkyema” / “Mi Nsumõõ Bo Dõnn”
➣ The Big Beats • “Afro-Pride” / “Kwemo Nahi”
➣ Germaine Jourias & Wilkomen Dance Band (from Togo) • “Ave Maria” / “Dzobe Nyui Nawo”
➣ The Psychedelic Aliens • “Blofonyobi Wo Atale” + “Hijacking” / “We’re Laughing” + “Extraordinary Woman”
➣ The Magic Aliens (what The Psychedelic Aliens changed their name to after a line-up change) • “Gbe Keke Taoɔ” / “Gbomei Adesai”
➣ The Magic Aliens • “Homowo” / “Okpongo Ni Tsitsi Emo Le”
➣ Orchestre Abass (Togo) • “Awula Bo Fee Ene” / “Samarin Banza”
➣ Orchestre Abass (Togo) • “Operation Bye Bye” / “Haka Dunia”
➣ Orchestre Abass (Togo) • “Bayiwan Ala” / “Mankan Na Obo”
➣ Segun Bucknor & His Revolution (from Nigeria) • “La La La” / “Poorman No Get Brother”
➣ Uppers International (which included members from Tall Emma & His Skippers) • “Dankasa” / “Neriba Lanchina”
Given that Polydor was somewhat of a major label, the fact that not many of these gems turn up is utterly baffling. I am guessing they must not have pressed up that many of these singles – which is a crime. The few that do see the light of day are usually pretty beat – like this copy. If Polydor of Ghana did put out any other records, I would love to hear them. If they’re anything like the ones listed above – they’re probably pretty amazing.
The A side to this single – “Aya Lolo” – as well as two tracks by The Big Beats and one by The Psychedelic Aliens can be found over at the legendary Voodoo Funk.
If you have any further information on The Barbecues or Polydor of Ghana, please contact me or leave a comment.
Catalog number PLD 2080105 1F on Polydor of Ghana. No other information available.
Filed under: Thailand
By now, most of you should know Suang Santi…
In the last few years, he has appeared on a few Thai compilations – most notable being Finders Keepers‘ Thai? Dai! The Heavier Sound of The Lukthung Underground, where his name was transliterated as “Sroeng Santi”. The Black Sabbath inspired “Kuen Kuen Lueng Lueng” on that compilation is worth the price of admission alone. You also get “Dub Fai Kui Gun” and “Nam Mun Pang” – both of which had appeared on two of ZudRangMa‘s compilations – which are quite heavy as well. But this track is a bit different…
Whereas Suang Santi’s backing band – “The Suang Santi Band” – borrowed the opening riff from “Iron Man” on “Kuen Kuen Lueng Lueng”, here the intro is sampled directly from Ennio Morricone. The soundtrack music from Sergio Leone‘s “Man with No Name Trilogy” was quite popular throughout Asia, and was released in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. A vast majority of those records were not properly licensed, and some were even credited to Clint Eastwood instead of Ennio Morricone. The soundtrack was also covered by a number of bands, including Hong Kong’s Man Chau Po Orchestra and Singapore’s The Stylers, to name a few.
According to Monrakplengthai, Suang Santi had originally started out as a boxer before getting into the music business. He pioneered a crossover style of luk thung and heavy funk rock which few others attempted, and won success not only with his own recordings but songs he penned for others. Unfortunately, Suang Santi was killed in a car accident in 1982 while on tour at the age of 37.
The first couple verses of the song basically describe the hero, who is compared to Charles Bronson (“Once Upon A Time in The West“), Alain Delon (“Zorro“) and “Ringo” (“A Pistol for Ringo“). As the song continues, Suang asks: “Where does this mystery man come from, does anyone know?” Then you hear the gruff, accented voice ordering laap, khao nieow and lao khao (typical Isaan food and drink), and Suang remarking upon it. That this man is obviously from Isaan is what listeners are meant to take away. Isaan, the northeast part of the country, is often viewed as Thailand’s “Wild West“, and cowboy culture has a notable following there. Bangkok people often derive amusement from Isaan stereotypes.
This song has a “Part Two” that was included on Suang Santi last album 1 2 3 Duan Song Thaeo.
Much thanks to Peter Doolan for the information and translation.
Catalog number MN 146 on ตรากระต่ายคู่ (Tra Kratai Kkhu) or Pair of Rabbits Brand of Thailand. No release date listed.
Filed under: Morocco
Naima Samih (نعيمة سميح) was born in the Derb Essultan suburb of Casablanca, Morocco. She has been referred to as “Edith Piaf of Morocco”. Naima Samih was one of the first female singers to gain prominence in the late Sixties and early Seventies when the field was generally limited only to men.
She began singing at the age of nine, leaving school to pursue a career in music. In the early 1970s, Naima Samih participated to Abdelkader Rachdi talent show « Mawahib » winning applause from both the jury and the audience. During her career of over three decades, she has collaborated many Moroccan songwriters and composers – including Abdou el Omari.
The song “Zifaf Filfada” – which was also arranged by Abdou el Omari – was included on the second volume of the Waking Up Scheherazade compilations.
Catalog number GB171 on Disques Gam of Casablanca, Morocco. Released 1977.
Filed under: Tanzania
Taarab is a music genre popular in Tanzania, as well as neighboring Kenya. Much like Dangdut music of Indonesia, you can hear the Arabic and Indian influences that are a result of the cross-pollination with trade routes across the Indian Ocean.
Taarab is believed to have originated in Egypt, with their film orchestras provided an important model in the ’50s. More recently, Egyptian and Lebanese pop and especially Hindi film music have influenced the music’s melodies and vocal styles. Taarab songs explore romance and marriage, though their stylized Swahili poetry can suggest political interpretations. The instrumentation can include African drums, tablas, dumbek, riq, oud, qanun, taishōgoto, as well as organ and accordion. There is also usually guitar and bass, but often get lost in the mix with the violins and cellos.
The only information that I have been able to find on J. K. T. Taarab, is that they were from Tanzania’s capitol, Dar es Salaam. For more information on Taarab music, check out Likembe – where you can find some tracks by Jasmin Musical Club and Shani Musical Club, as well as a few others – and Afropop.org.
Catalog number AHD (MC) 034 on FLATIM Records / Ahadi Productions of Nairobi, Kenya. No release date listed.
Note: The song Mcheza Bao is cut short due to the fact that the side of the cassette ends before the song does.
Filed under: Mongolia
Soyol-Erdene (Соёл-Эрдэнэ) were, and apparently still are, the first rock band of Mongolia.
The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan in 1206. Following the collapse of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols returned to their earlier pattern of constant internal conflict and raiding of the Chinese borderlands. By the end of the 17th century, all of Mongolia had been incorporated into the area ruled by the Qing Dynasty. After the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, Mongolia declared independence, but had to struggle until 1921 to firmly establish independence from the Republic of China. As a consequence, it came under strong Russian and Soviet influence. In 1924, the Mongolian People’s Republic was declared, and Mongolian politics began to fall in line with the Soviet politics of the day. After the fall of the Iron Curtain in late 1989, Mongolia saw its own Democratic Revolution in early 1990.
Soyol-Erdene was established in late 1971. The Minister of Culture of that time, famous novelist Chadraabaliin Lodoidamba called four young musicians and said: “England has a band The Beatles of four young men. Why shouldn’t we have a similar band?” The four young musicians, who had recently graduated the School of Music and Dance in Ulaanbaatar (now called College of Music and Dance) as yatga (ятга) players, established a rock band. The members were Tserenbat (drums), Erdenekhuyag (guitar), Batsaihan Jamyan (bass) and Naranbaatar Badamgarav (keyboard). The first compositions of the band were Mongolian folk songs in a rock style arrangement. They often used poems of famous Mongolian writers. In fact, the name “Soyol Erdene” – which roughly translates as “cultural jewel” – is the title of a melodious popular song of 1920s which the band played on an electric guitar. During Soviet rule, the band worked under the administration of the State Philarmony which also supervised the Mogolian symphony orchestra as well as Mongolia’s other rock band – Bayan Mongol Variety Group. The band was often criticized by the MPRP Censorship Board for the promotion of the Western musical style and Western fashion.
Soyol-Erdene are supposedly still active. They have a MySpace page, although it has not been updated in sometime.
Catalog number C90-15961-2 on the Soviet state-owned and operated Μелодия (Melodiya) label, released in 1981.
Filed under: Kuwait
Wow. A year later. Sorry for the long delay…
The traditional music of Kuwait had been well documented up until the Persian Gulf War, when Iraq invaded the country and destroyed much of their archives. Nevertheless, Kuwait has retained a vital music industry, both long before the war and after. Kuwaiti music reflects the diverse influences of many peoples on the culture of Kuwait, including East African and Indian music.
Most of the citizens of Kuwait know Firqat Al-Telvizyon as “The TV Band”. They are the official band of Kuwait Television, in conjunction with the Ministry of Information. Their purpose is to record and perform all genres of folk music in order to preserve Kuwait’s musical traditions. Although the band members have changed over the years, they are currently still active and have a vast discography.
Thanks to Fatima Al Qadiri for the translation and information.
Catalog Number 03 BUZ 26 on Bou Zaid Phone of Kuwait. Released 1980.
Filed under: Ethiopia
♬ Tezeta
Five years ago, I decided to purchase the domain radiodiffusion.net after my old site got mentioned on Boing Boing and crashed from the traffic. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. A good friend of mine even tried to talk me out of it. But here we are, and I still am pretty clueless as to what I am doing or where I am going with this unruly beast of a site. What started out as a little web page for a handful of friends, now gets about 400 to 500 hits a day.
The original intent, or should I say the inspiration, was just that there were practically no web sites out there where you could hear this stuff. And it seemed like the few that did exist, only used RealPlayer – and who wants that headache? I started this because there were, and still are, hundreds of records that I just wanted to hear. I didn’t need to hear the whole thing – just enough to get an idea of whether or not it was worth tracking down.
At the time, there were only a handful of compilations and reissues available. There was nothing from Iran. Since then, there’s a whole label dedicated to music from that time period as well as a few other great compilations. Angola, Burma, Iraq, Pakistan and Vietnam were all completely off the radar. Now those countries’ – as well as many others’ – musical histories have been unearthed and are now readily available to be heard. This – plus the many other amazing music sites that have sprouted up since – has turned many fellow music fiends into collectors, seeking out these records.
But what else is there to say that has not already been written about Ethiopian Jazz or Khmer Pop? And more eloquently than my own ramblings, I might add. Both of those countries have compilation series whose volumes number up into the twenty some odds now. Or how about Thailand? How may compilations have been issued? I can name at least fourteen just off the top of my head. Add in the mind boggling Monrakplengthai, and you pretty much have what seems like the entire recorded history of that country. And Turkey? Nigeria? Indonesia? Benin? It goes on and on.
Unfortunately, one thing has become clear – Radiodiffusion Internasionaal can not continue on as it has. I’ve painted myself into a corner, metaphorically. I mean, there are plenty of records – and cassettes – that are left to post. But the ones that I really want to write about, I have not been able to get my hands on. So, I have been tying to figure out how to take this site in a slightly different direction. I just have not figured out what that direction is… Yet.
In the meantime, got any suggestions?
For information on Menelik Wossenachew, please see the previous posting HERE.
Catalog Number AE 350 on Amha Records of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Released 1972.
Filed under: Burma
♬ Salt Bottle and The Three Mangosteens [side one]
♬ Salt Bottle and The Three Mangosteens [side two]
When most people think of radio dramas, black and white images of families sitting around a huge old radio come to mind. In regions were televisions were not readily available and movie theaters were few and far between, these programs were the main source of entertainment – outside of music. But whereas their production here in the States has just about become non-existent, they still are produced in many other countries across the globe to this day.
In Burma, one of the most popular characters was, and still is, detective “SarPalin” Hnin Maung – who was created by Min Thain Kha / မင်းသိင်္. The detective was given the nickname “SarPalin” – meaning “Salt Bottle” – because it was essential that he be assigned to every case to solve as salt is essential to every dish to make it taste right. The character has been featured not only in radio dramas, but also in books and at least one film.
Many thanks to Ni Ni Aye for the information and translation.
Catalog number and label unknown.
Warning: These tracks have been converted to mono to reduce the file size, but are still quite large and may take some time to download.
Filed under: Pakistan
“Why do you like this stuff?”
“How did you find out about this?”
“Why do you care?”
I get asked those questions all the time. Just about every musician from Pakistan that I corresponded with over the last few yeas has asked that.
I have always been a big fan of instrumental guitar music. I took – um, I mean borrowed – my mother’s Ventures records when I went away to college. When you add in the cultural influences in Pakistan – being situated between Afghanistan, India and Iran – you end up with a sound that was, and still is, unlike anything heard anywhere else on the planet.
But I had no idea any of this even existed a few years ago, not until I got a CD-R from a guy named Henri in Holland. On that disc, were three of the four tracks from The Panthers‘ Folk Tunes of Pakistan on Electric Sitar and Western Instruments e.p. Not too much later, I stumbled upon 4 Folk Tunes of Pakistan by The Fore Thoughts. By about the time I got my paws on The Mods‘ Folk Instrumentals of Pakistan, I knew I was on to something. But I am sure you are wondering – Why folk tunes? I never did get an answer to that one…
Very little is known about The Aay Jays. This single was the band’s only release. The band was featured on the first two volumes of Pakistan International Airlines‘ In Flight Music series, the second of which included the song “Balley Balley”, which was does not appear on this single. The Aay Jays – as well as The Abstracts, The Blue Birds, The Bugs, The Fore Thoughts, The Mods and The Panthers, Nisar Bazmi and Sohail Rana – are featured on Sublime Frequencies‘ latest release: Pakistan • Folk and Pop Instrumentals 1966 – 1976. The double gatefold LP features 22 tracks, sourced straight from the original EMI Pakistan masters. For information on the record release party, you can go HERE.
Many thanks to Marthy Coumans for the vinyl transfer and cover scan of this single.
Catalog number EKCE 20023 on EMI Pakistan, released 1973.
Filed under: Iran
♬ گل مریم
Giti Pashaei (گیتی پاشایی ) was born on June 13, 1948 in Tehran, Iran. She apparently inherited her passion for music from her grandfather, Jafar Mansoori, who was a well known poet and musician. Her early life was spent attending the master-classes of such musicians as Faramarz Paywar, Mahdi Foroogh and Mahmoud Karimi. Giti continued her education in New York, where she earned a degree in architecture from CUNY. She also studied “orchestration and harmony” while in Seattle, Washington.
Giti would go on to become one of the most popular Iranian singers. Her biggest hit was the song “گل مریم” – “Gol-e Maryam” or “Maryam Flower” – which was released in 1971. But the Iranian Revolution put an end to her singing career in 1979, since women were now forbidden to sing in public. She made the transition to composer, and scored soundtracks for a number of Iranian movies – many of which were directed by her husband, Masoud Kimiai. She also acted in a handful of films as well. In the late 1980s she moved to Hamburg, Germany where she researched Western Religion and Baroque Music. After moving back to Tehran, Giti died of cancer on May, 7th of 1995. She was buried at Behesht-e Zahra.
Thanks to Ramin and Jesse Kaminsky for helping with the translation and information.
Catalog number ۱۵٢٧٧۴ on Apolon of Iran, released 1971.
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