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.
Filed under: Iran
♬ 
It seems like almost every other week or so, I will stumble upon another blog that focuses on African music. I would say that its much less frequent for Asian music… Maybe once a month at best. But the lack of blogs or websites or what have you that feature the music of the Middle East never ceases to amaze me. There are a few… But not that many. And of the six or seven I can name off the top of my head, three are dedicated to the music of Iran.
The Golden Age of Persian pop music started as early as the 1950s under the monarchy of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. During his rule, there was an emergence of a new Western-influenced middle class. Soon, record labels started popping up.
The first label in Iran was Ahang (“song”) in 1959 and pressed their records in Germany. Ahang records were distributed by the Beethoven Music Center based on Manuchehri Ave. in Tehran and owned by Karim Chamanara. By the following year, they were issuing more than two hundred records 45 rpm 7″ records. Six years later, the label change its name to Ahang e Rooz (“song of the day”).
Royal Records was probably the second largest label in Iran. They began by releasing more traditional Persian music on 78 discs, then reproducing old recordings in the 45 rpm format. Eventually Royal, as well as Ahang and a handful of other labels, started to release new recordings of different artists and in all genres of Persian music – including the new “Beat music”.
There were a number of Beat groups in Iran, including Flowers, Golden Ring, Littles, Maha Jamin, Ojoobeha (Remarkables), The Rainbow, The Rebels, Shabah. And while there is little information beyond a few photos and sound files, I have read accounts of Ojoobeha riding camels to the stage and The Rebels cruising around Tehran in a black Cadillac convertible. But beyond that… There is not a whole lot. I know that Golden Ring released at least two singles other than the one posted here. They were also the backing band for Aref on some of his earlier singles. The Rebels, also known as The Rebels 5 and The Rebel Kings, released at least three singles – one with a cover of The Beatles’ “I Saw Her Standing There” and another with a version of The Rolling Stones’ “Mother’s Little Helper”. As for the rest, I have only seen one single by each of them.
Surprisingly, there has yet to be a compilation of any of the music, Beat or otherwise, from Iran from this time period on up until the revolution of 1979. I’ve heard rumors that at least three different people that I know of who are working on compilations. But if and when any those will ever see the light of day remains a mystery.
Thanks to Gökhan Aya for translating the Farsi for me.
Catalog number RT 1869 on Royal Records of Iran. No other information available.
Filed under: Guinea
In Guinea, President Ahmed Sékou Touré‘s effort to be rid of all things French produced an amazing roster of A-list talent. The bands cranked out a mix of Manding agit-prop infused with Cuban rhythms and popular Congolese rumba. It was a union blessed by Toure and his political pal Fidel Castro.
The French turned Guinea into one of their most lucrative colonies, establishing a head tax to force Guineans to farm peanuts, fruit and coffee and to harvest rubber, an important resource for France up until the 1920s. Resentment against the French was especially strong in Guinea following the colonial era. Guinea became independent in 1958, the first African nation to do so. A former labor leader and the mayor of the capital, Conakry, Sekou Touré became the president, and under his leadership, the nation voted overwhelmingly not to participate in Charles de Gaulle‘s Franco-African confederation. The price for this act of defiance was high as France retaliated by cutting off aid and support and recalling technical workers. Touré pursued a policy of “positive neutralism” during the Cold War, but with France leading the chorus of nations condemning Touré as a communist, most of his help came from the Eastern Bloc.
Soon after Guinea’s independence, the 25-piece National Orchestra had so many members that they decided to spilt into two bands: l’Orchestre de la Paillote under the direction of Kélétigui Traoré, played in the La Paillote nightclub, and l’Orchestre Jardin de Guinée under the direction of Balla Onivogui, playing in Le Jardin de Guinée. Later the bands were renamed, becoming Kélétigui et ses Tambourins and Balla et ses Balladins.
Manfila Kanté Dabadou, who was the lead singer of Kélétigui et ses Tambourins came from a very musical family. His cousin Soba Manfila Kanté played guitar in Balla et ses Balladin, and two more cousins, Kanté Manfila and Salif Keita, played in the Rail Band from Bamako in neighboring Mali.
Catalog number SLP 45 on Editions Syliphone Conakry of Guinea, released 1974.
Filed under: Philippines
In the early 1960s, as electric instruments and new technology became available, instrumental American and British bands like The Shadows and The Ventures flourished. Filipino instrumental bands arose as well in this period. In 1963, the so-called British Invasion brought bands like The Beatles to mainstream audiences worldwide. Their widespread popularity and their embrace of the counterculture injected the possibility of socio-political lyrics with mature comments on real life into popular music. Immensely influenced by this new breed of British artists, many Filipino bands began adopting similar musical styles. This was the heyday of Pinoy Rock.
Since 1946, the newly independent Philippine state has faced political instability. The late 1960s and early 1970s saw economic development that was second in Asia, next to Japan. Ferdinand Marcos was, then, the elected president. Barred from seeking a third term, Marcos declared martial law on September 21, 1972, under the guise of increased political instability and resurgent Communist and Muslim insurgencies, and ruled the country by decree. Under Marcos’ new control, many musicians left the Philippines to avoid persecution and the music faded away.
The Electromaniacs were founded in 1960 by Gene Generoso, who was the lead singer and played rhythm guitar, lead guitarist Ernie Delgado, Joey Gordon on bass and Lito Toribio on drums. They later replaced Gene Generoso with Chito Perez on rhythm guitar, and they became an instrumental band. Their manager was Jose Mari Gonzales, who was a popular Filipino actor at the time. They were often billed as ‘Jose Mari Gonzales & The Electromaniacs’. They later shortened their name to ‘The Electros’.
They still perform at Pinoy Rock revival festivals in both the Philippines and in the United States.
Catalog number DN-7332 on Dyna Records, manufactured by Dyna Products, Ltd. In the Philippines. No release date listed.
Filed under: Turkey
The music of Turkey includes diverse elements ranging from Central Asian folk music and music from Ottoman Empire dominions such as Persian music, Balkan music and ancient Byzantine music, as well as more modern European and American popular music influences.
The roots of traditional music in Turkey spans across centuries to a time when the Seljuk Turks colonized Anatolia and Persia in the 11th century and contains elements of both Turkic and pre-Turkic influences. Much of its modern popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the early 1930s drive for Westernization.
With the absorbance of immigrants from various regions the diversity of musical genres and musical instrumentation also expanded. Turkey has also seen documented folk music and recorded popular music produced in the ethnic styles of Armenian, Greek, Polish, Azeri and Jewish communities, among others.
Born in Adana in 1936, Erol Büyükburç began his career as what can be called “highschool pop”. Erol mixed more classic Anatolian pop with Western music, with influences ranging from Elvis to The Ventures, and was known for performing commercial ballroom shows. Although his career started before the Altin Mikrofon bands of the late Sixties, and even before Erkin Koray’s first single, Erol is considered kitschy by most collectors of Turkish music and is generally overlooked. Erol passed away in 2003.
The only information that I have been able to find, other than a Turkish Wikipedia entry, is a biography that is in Turkish. There is also a complete discography listing that you can find here. Erol’s song “Hop Dedik” was included on Normal / QDK Media’s “Love, Peace & Poetry – Turkish Psychedelic Music”.
Catalog number XPTX 612 on Pathé / EMI, manufactured by Gramofon Limitet Şirketi of Istanbul. No release date listed.
Filed under: Ghana
Highlife is a dance music that originated in Ghana and spread to most of West Africa, and it represents one of the last century’s first fusions of African roots and western music. Trumpeter and bandleader E.T. Mensah, who was born in 1919 in Accra, is generally credited with the creation of the genre. He formed his first band in 1930s and went on to be crowned the King of Highlife.
The World War II era introduced American swing to the highlife mix, already a blend of Trinidadian calypso, military brass band music, Cuban son and older African song forms. Then with the introduction of the electric guitar and the synthesizer, the music started to incorporate more rock ‘n’ roll elements. By the late Sixties, the influence of the psychedelic music of America and England started to show its influence on the music of Africa.
Pat Thomas was born in Agona, in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. His father who was a music teacher and a mother who was a band leader. Pat has always been in love with music from an early age, and he learned a lot of band organization and music writing from his uncle Onyina who played with Nat King Cole, Miriam Makeba, Ray Charles and Ella Fitzgerald. It was during his stay with his uncle that he learned how to play the guitar and drums.
In the early 70’s he went to Accra to join a band known as The Blue Monks under the leadership of Ebo Taylor. This was the resident band of Tip Toe Nite Club. It was during one of his shows that one Caucasian lady who was in attendance fell in love with his voice and signed him up to go to Côte d’Ivoire to form a group called The Satellites. He later came back to Ghana to form The Sweat Beans Band, which became the band of choice during the Kutu Acheampong Era.
In July of 1976, Pat Thomas was recognized by the Arts Council of Ghana as “Nana Amu Mensah I” for his contribution to music. Also that year, as well as the following year, he was awarded the Vocalist of the Year by the Entertainment Critics and Reviewers Association of Ghana. In 1991 he also won the Album of the Year with his “Sika Ye Mogya” song.
After moving to Germany, and then on to London, Pat eventually settled in Toronto, Canada. But after 15 years, he decided to go back to Ghana, where he still records and performs.
The core members of Pat Thomas’s backing band Marijata were Kofi “Electrik” Addison on drums, Bob Fischian on keyboards and Nate Osmanu on guitar, all of which had been in The Sweat Beans Band. Marijata, as well as Ebo Taylor, were featured on both of Soundway Records’ first and second volumes of the Ghana Soundz compilations.
Catalog number GAPLP 771 on Gapophone Records of Accra, Ghana, pressed in Nigeria. No release date listed.
Filed under: South Korea
♬ 해변으로 가요
Korea is one of the oldest continuing civilizations in the world, founded in 2333 BC by the legendary Dangun according to Samguk Yusa. The Korean Peninsula was first inhabited as early as the Lower Paleolithic. Following the unification of the Three Korean Kingdoms under Silla in AD 668, Korea went through the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty as one nation until the end of the Korean Empire in 1910. After division, South Korea was established in 1948 and has since developed a successful democracy, maintaining a strong alliance with the United States and its allies. South Korea is now working towards a peaceful reunification with North Korea.
There’s not a whole lot of information available about the early days of rock ‘n’ roll in South Korea. Despite having a lengthy article on “K-pop”, Wikipedia has only a brief mentions of “T’ong Guitar” and “Norae Undong”. The Key Boys would fall in to the latter category.
Most of the information that can be found on Korean rock music (in English), is posted at the website for the Psyche Van Het Folk programme from Radio Centraal of Belgium.
There is an older post on the Key Boys HERE.
Catalog number K-APPLE 가 20 on Universal of Korea, released in 1970.
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