Filed under: Côte d'Ivoire
♬ Vla
One of West Africa‘s first recording studios, as well as first record pressing plants, was established in Côte d’Ivoire‘s capital city of Abidjan in the early 1970s. Abidjan quickly became West Africa’s musical hub, with musicians coming from all over the region to record. Côte d’Ivoire had always been receptive to musical styles from outside its borders, as well as being a melting pot of peoples and cultures. Since the country did not go through a war for independence like many other West African nations, the local musicians did not have the same national awakening of pride – which in other countries led to the mix of traditional indigenous music and more urban sounds born out of revolutionary defiance. As a result Côte d’Ivoire did not really develop an internationally recognized signature style of music. But that all changed once Amédée Pierre came along.
Vital Nahounou Digbeu Amédée was born on March 30, 1937 to Pierre and Wassa Nahounou Doudou Séry Bitta in the town of Tabou in south-western Côte d’Ivoire. He was christened Pierre after we was baptized Catholic. The first recorded history of him playing is in an account by René Babi, who wrote: “Ce jeune homme qui ne se séparait jamais de sa guitare, allait agréablement surprendre les couche-tard d’un soir de l’année 1958” – which translates as “This young man who never parted with his guitar, was a pleasant surprise the night owls for an evening of the year 1958.” On August 7th of 1960, Amédée Pierre performed his first concert with his backing band l’ Ivoiro Star at Avenue 3 in Treichville, a neighborhood of Abidjan. Having sung French variety tunes for several years, Pierre decided to rebel against the former colonial power and started composing in the Bété language.
Amédée Pierre became known as “Le Dopé National” – or “The National Nightingale”. He recorded at least 19 singles for the Ivoirienne Safie Deen label, as well as three singles for the Société Ivoirienne du Disque label. He was also featured on the second volume of Antilles Records‘ Assalam Aleikoum Africa series and another compilation called Ivoire Retro. His backing band – l’ Ivoiro Star – also recorded singles for Société Ivoirienne du Disque with singers Armand Pascal Lido and Martial Droubly. One song by of each can be found on the first volume of Assalam Aleikoum Africa. More recently, three tracks were included on Syllart Records‘ African Pearls Vol. 5: Côte D’Ivoire: West African Crossroads. In 2000 he was decorated by Mr. Laurent Gbagbo, President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.
Catalog number NAP.004 on NAP. No further information about this single, or the label that released it, is available.
Filed under: Hong Kong
♬ 一吻定情
♬ 偸心的人
Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah… I was going to make some kind of tenuous connection between studio musicians and elevator music and tie in the fact that I just started reading Joseph Lanza’s “Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong” (Which, so far, is much more entertaining than the last book I read: Simon Reynolds’ “Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984” [Spoiler Alert: Gang of Four were apparently responsible for everything] and way more enjoyable than anything by the coma inducing Peter Manuel¹ {Sorry to wander off in to Rev. Nørb territory here… (And yes, I do realize that 98% of the people who are reading this will not get that reference [And for that 2% of you who were reading MMR in the early 90s – Huzzah and kudos to you.].).}.). But instead, you get this:
Moon Stars were – like their label mates The New Wave – most likely a studio creation of their record label – New Wave Recording Company. If you have any further information, please contact me or leave a comment.
Catalog number NWLP 9, released by the New Wave Recording Company of Hong Kong. No other information available.
¹ Please see Mack Hagood’s comment regarding Peter Manuel below.
Filed under: Algeria
Recently, I was asked: With all of the compilations and blogs out there, do you think that you will run out of music to find? The short answer is ‘Yes’. As it stands now, it is getting more and more difficult. There are only a finite number of records from that time period that were pressed. But what that number is, nobody really knows.
A good example is the Bollywood Steel records. When I put together the compilation for Sublime Frequencies, I thought I had found pretty much all there was to find. I knew that I was missing a record or two, but I think at the time I had maybe 25-30 records. Since then I’ve found at least 60 more – and counting. I bought three yesterday!
Another thing to consider, is that as collectors – I mean archivists – accumulate these records, they hear stuff outside of their original focus. In the process of searching for Thai Beat records, people have stumbled onto Shadow Music, Molam, Luk Thung and the many other wonderful mutations from Thailand. So the number of records out there is not exactly static.
But as more and more folks get clued into these recordings, there are now more people hunting down the original vinyl. And it has gotten quite competitive. When I started this site, there were only a dozen or two compilations and maybe a handful of websites. Now? I cannot even keep track of what’s become available.
The good news is that we are probably going to get to hear those records… Eventually.
Both of these songs were featured on the first volume of the Waking Up Scheherazade compilations. For further information on Les Abranis, as they were to be known after this single – which was their first, please check out the previous post.
Catalog number 11102 on Oasis Disques of Paris, France, released 1973.
Filed under: Sierra Leone
The late 60s were a tumultuous time in Sierra Leone. In the span of two years, there had been three military coups. In 1968, Siaka Stevens assumed power as the Prime Minister, and after the country declared itself a Republic, became the President. During his rule, he was criticized for dictatorial methods of government in which many of his political opponents were executed, as well as for mismanaging the economy. On a positive note, he reduced the ethnic polarization in the government by incorporating members of various ethnic groups into the government.
Sierra Leone’s music is a mixture of native and Colonial influences. A local version of Palm Wine Music – known as Maringa – evolved after Portuguese sailors introduced guitars to the region. Another key ingredient, was the influx of freed slaves that had come from the Caribbean and bringing new music styles from that region – especially Calypso music from Trinidad. During the 1970s, Sierra Leone was not left out of the electric Afropop explosion that was sweeping Africa. The result was a mix of Maringa blended with Funk, Soul, and Congolese Rumba.
I have not been able to find hardly anything on the Afronational Band – also seen as “Afro-National” and “Afro National”. They are mentioned in just about every article on music from Sierra Leone, but beyond that there is not much to go on. If you have any information, please get in touch or leave comment.
Catalog number AFRO 14A / 14B on Afronational of Freetown, Sierra Leone. No release date listed.
Filed under: Singapore
A good friend of mine gives me a lot of grief for posting Christmas music on the site. Besides the fact that he does not care for Christmas music, he says that he think people from “countries outside the US have no idea how Americans celebrate Christmas. They tend to not realize Christmas music is for shoppers at malls.” And for the most part, I have to agree with him there.
At the same time, I find it very odd that musicians from countries where Christianity is not the majority would choose to record these songs. Then again, if you look in the news as of late, you’ll see that the ‘most expensive Christmas tree ever‘ is in Adu Dhabi and that people are starting to celebrate Christmas in China… The religion of Consumerism – and it’s soundtrack – is the gift that keeps on giving.
I have not been able to find anything about The Impossible – who are not to be confused with The Impossibles of Thailand. If you have any information about the band, please get in touch or leave a comment.
Catalog number SMR 111 on Sima Records of Singapore. No further information available.
Filed under: India
When most people think of the Pop music of India, they think of filmi – the music of India’s film industry. But there were a few other options – albeit a very small. There was a Jazz scene in Goa in the 50s and 60s. There were also a number of garage bands around the country like the The Mustangs, The Tremolos and many more who were featured on the Simla Beat compilations that were released in 1970 and 71. And then there were others – like Runa Laila (who was actually from Bangladesh), Nazia Hassan (who was from Pakistan) and Usha Uthup.
Usha Iyer was born November 8, 1947 in Madras (now Chennai), which is the capitol of the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. Her father Sami Iyer, later became the police commissioner of Bombay (now Mumbai). She has three sisters Uma Pocha, Indira Srinivasan and Maya Sami, all of whom are singers and two brothers, one of whom is named Shyam.
Usha’s first public singing occurred when she was nine. Her sisters introduced her to Ameen Sayani, who gave her an opportunity to sing on the Ovaltine Music Hour on Radio Ceylon. She sang a number called “Mockingbird Hill”. Uthup started singing in a small nightclub in Chennai called Nine Gems, when she was 20. Her performance was so well received that the owner of the nightclub asked her to stay on for a week. From there, she went to Calcutta (now Kolkata). It was there that she met her husband Uthup. Usha then went to Delhi, where she sang at the Oberoi Hotel. By coincidence, a film crew belonging to Navketan unit including Shashi Kapoor visited the nightclub and they offered her a chance to sing movie playback. As a result, she started her Bollywood career with Hare Rama Hare Krishna. Originally, she was supposed to sing “Dum Maro Dum” along with Asha Bhosle. However, as a result of internal politicking on the part of other singers, she lost that chance but ended up singing an English verse.
In 1968, she recorded covers of two pop songs in English, “Jambalaya” and The Kingston Trio‘s “Greenback Dollar”, on an EP, which she followed with the album Scotch and Soda. Her backing band on half of that album was called The Flintstones, who she also recorded a double single. Around this time, she often traveled to London. She was a frequent visitor to Vernon Corea‘s BBC office in London and was interviewed on “London Sounds Eastern” on BBC Radio London. Usha visited Nairobi as part of an Indian Festival. Singing in Swahili made her extremely popular, and President Jomo Kenyatta made her an Honorary Citizen of Kenya. She produced a record Live in Nairobi with a local band Fellini Five.
You can find two more tracks off this record over at Waxidermy.
Catalog number S/EMGE 21010 on EMI of India, manufactured & distributed by The Gramophone Company of India Limited in 1975.
Filed under: Israel
This week’s guest post is by Omer Nuriel. Omer is a longtime record collector specializing in Israeli 60’s beat garage psych music: www.israeli-records.com. In his website he tells the story of rare Israeli record pressings. If you have any interesting records or cassettes that you wish to share from some of the countries that we have yet to hear from – or countries that we need to hear more from – please get in touch.
The I. T. C. Sextet EP is one of the most obscure records released in Israel. Because the Sextet guys are not from Israel, it is very hard to dig here for their roots. There is very little information on this private press release, believed to be a mid-late 60’s release.
The six young men whose songs are recorded on this 4 track EP were part of an international studies program that took place at Ort Natanya in Israel. The program trained the students to be instructors for agro-mechanics, mechanics, carpentry and electro-mechanis. They came from Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and many other countries.
At their free time after the studies, these students used to sing and play together and out of these unformal jam sessions The I. T. C. Sextet was formed.
The music of The I. T. C. Sextet was a combination of Rumba, Twist, Cha Cha and Bolero in African style.
This not common in Israel where the dominating music style was more folk oriented at that times (groups like Uzi, The Lions of Juda were considered as underground music).
The rumor of this colourful and unique group playing at the ORT School spread wings quickly and they had some local success in the Natanyah area.
The EP was recorded when the group members finished their studies just before they left for their native countries.
It was privately released in a small edition (no official number but anything between 200-500 copies is reasonable).
All four tracks on this EP are original compositions: Bailar Cha-Cha-Cha (Alphonse) / Lelo Oyo (Paul) / Rumba Mimi (Alphonse) / If Mama Knows (Mintah & Alphonse).
Group members were:
Alphonse Halet – guitar solo
Atto Luc Valere – rhythm guitar
Barthelemy Bacliabio – singer
Paul Makge – singer
Mintah Osei K. – singer
Georges Paraiso – drums
Filed under: Dahomey
♬ Jacques Ou Es-Tu-Alougba Hué
This one is a weird one… From what I can tell, H. C. Clementophe is chanting and singing over a previously released recording by Orchestre Super Borgou. The flip, is the same sort of thing, but over two Orchestre Poly-Rythmo tracks…
What you have is very similar to toasting, which started in Jamaica as early as the 1950s. But, to the best of my knowledge, toasting was done live in the dance halls – and not in the recording studios. I also seriously doubt that H. C. Clementophe was listening to Gil Scott-Heron – who was using a live band… So how did some one in Africa – presumably in the 1970s – pick up on this?
I have to admit, I am a bit suspicious as to the origins of this particular record… I have never seen another record on this label, and there is no indication as to when it was released. If you have any information, please drop me a line or leave a comment.
Catalog number IMEC 0001 on E. M. E. C., manufactured in France.
Filed under: Indonesia
♬ Biduan
Dangdut. Besides be a really fun word to say, it is a music that is byproduct of the cultural collisions of Malay, Arabic, Hindustani, and Western sounds that could only happen in Indonesia. Having emerged in the early Seventies, dangdut has continued to grow in popularity to this day, even spreading to parts of Malaysia and the southern Philippines.
Oma Irama was born December 11, 1946, in Tasikmalaya, West Java. During the height of his stardom in the 1970s, he became the self-proclaimed Raja Dangdut (King of Dangdut) with his group Soneta. He was known by Oma Irama before he made a pilgrimage to Mecca and became a haji. He later took the name Rhoma Irama, which is a shorten version of “Raden Haji Oma Irama” (Raden is an aristocracy title for Javanese and Sundanese cultures).
Irama’s career began in the late 1960s when he recorded solo records and with the group Orkes Melayu Purnama. He sang duets on several record albums with Indonesian female vocal stars such as Inneke Kusumawati, Ellya Khadam, Vivi Sumanti, and the later to be crowned ‘Queen of Dangdut’ – Elvy Sukaesih. Once Oma broke from recording with the Purnama Group, he eventually formed Orkes Melayu Soneta – the first so-called Dangdut group. In fact, Oma established the term “Dangdut” with a song by the same name. Rhoma was also known for adding rock to the music and political content – much of it Islamic – to the lyrics, earning him the ire of President Suharto. Once Soneta was established in the early 70’s, Oma changed his name to Rhoma and went on a decade long run of successful hit records and films – all of which starred Rhoma playing himself while performing all of his hits.
As for Rita… There is no information available.
Catalog number IMR-90056 on P. T. Yukawi Corp. of Bogor, Indonesia. No release date listed.
Filed under: Morocco
On the Wikipedia page for the Music of Morocco, under the tab for Chaabi, it says:
“A sophisticated form of chaabi evolved in the 1970s competing with popular Egyptian and Lebanese music. These chaabi groups consisted of a lute and a hadjuj, with some form of drum. Eventually, new instruments like buzuks and electric guitars were added. The three most important early groups were Lemchaheb, Nass El Ghiwane and Jil Jilala. All three bands featured politicized lyrics that got the songwriters in trouble with the government.”
Although they are listed first, there is no entry for Lemchaheb on Wikipedia…
Lemchaheb was formed in Casablanca by Moulay Chérif Lamrani. Chérif had previously been a band called Sound of Today that performed Moroccan songs with Western instruments. The group was assembled by Mohamed Bakhti – who was a member of Nass El Ghiwane – and was a music teacher. He introduced Chérif to members of a band called Tyour Ghourba (Birds of Exile) from Marrakech. After trying out the names Khatou Khatou (Step) and Les Étoiles Filantes (Shooting Stars), the band finally settled on Lemchaheb – which supposedly translates as either “glowing bars on which bread is baked in the oven” or “torches that mountains inhabitants made to scare animals and keep them far from the village” – in 1973. Chérif, who had been a cartoonist, designed the groups stage outfits and concert posters. Their early tours of Europe were financed by Radiodiffusion Télévision Marocaine. The band went through many line ups, and continued performing up until 2002. Moulay Chérif Lamrani passed away in October of 2004.
These two tracks are known as “takassim” or “solo”. They are the last tracks on Side A and Side B, and are unlisted.
The majority of this information came from the Lemchaheb Blogspot and a fan MySpace page.
Catalog number 2396 202 on Polydor Records of Morocco, released 1978
