Filed under: Malaysia
A. Zanne and his band Fifty Fifty – also seen as Fifty 50 and 50×50 Muar – were from Muar, Malaysia. They recorded two singles. But beyond that, I’ve got nothing.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
CSatalog number T.T.C. 1016 on Tatex Record of Malaysia, released 1969.
Filed under: Peru
Los Atomos de Paramonga were from Paramonga, Peru. They released six singles during their tenure, all for the Discos Sono Radio label which was based in the capital city of Lima. They were included on VampiSoul’s Cumbia Beat Vol. 1 and Analog Africa’s Saturno 2000 compilations. But beyond that, I have not been able to find much else about them.
When I originally started this blog, the original idea was to find indigenous music that had been contaminated by Western music – primarily rock ’n’ roll. But it’s records like this – a cumbia band trying to sound like like they’re from the Middle East – that I never considered. It hit me when I found a Mexican wrestler movie poster from Egypt. That’s when I realized that there were cultural influences from all over that have been cross-pollinating with other cultures around the world.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
CSatalog number 13270 on Discos Sono Radio of Peru, released 1974.
Filed under: Sudan
Abu ʾAraki al-Bakhīt / أبو عركي البخيت was born in Wad Madani, Sudan. His family later moved to Omdurmán.
At the beginning of the 1960s, al-Bakhīt moved to the capital city of Khartoum to begin his music career. He gained popularity on Sudanese radio, television and in the local press, including the weekly “Hana Um Radman” magazine, which was issued by the Sudanese Ministry of Information and Labor at the time.
He recorded five singles and at least two cassettes for Munsphone and at least two more cassettes for Hassad Music – both based in Khartoum.
Catalog number ٥٠٣-٧٥١٥٢ on Munsphone of Khartoum, Sudan. No release date listed.
Filed under: India
♬ Kar Le Pyaar Kar Le Ke Din Hai Yahi
Of all of the Bollywood Steel Guitar singles that I have – and I have A LOT – this one might be the most obscure. The only information I have been able to find on this record is what little the sleeve has to offer, which isn’t much. The song titles are not even listed, not even on the record itself.
Luckily, the song is a fairly well know Bollywood tune: “Kar Le Pyaar Kar Le Ke Din Hai Yahi” sung by Asha Bhosle from the 1969 film Talash.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
Many thanks to Florian Pittner for playing “Name That Tune” for me.
Catalog number 134 on Bharati Record of Calcutta – now Kolkata – India. No release date listed.
Filed under: Republic of the Congo
Finding records from the Republic of the Congo has been a challenge ever since I started this site. The only other record that I’ve posted from there was actually a studio project from Belgium.
Orchestre Super Comirail de Makabana were, as their name implies, from Makabana. They released two singles on their own label and one on the Parisienne label Soul Posters.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
Catalog number SC B 1 on Super Comirail. No release date listed.
Filed under: Thailand
♬ Rose in Your Hands / กุหลาบในมือเธอ
The I. S. Combo started in Bangkok, Thailand in 1962. The following year, they changed their name to Silver Sand / ซิลเวอร์แซนด์ – also seen as Silversand.
They produced two instrumental singles – the first which was released in 1966 – before singer Sirima Sunthonrangsi / สิริมา สุนทรรังษี joined the band. They would go on to record two more singles and two more albums before disbanding in 1979.
Some of you may recognize the cover. It was used on the first volume of the Thai Beat A Go Go series from Subliminal Sounds.
Catalog number 45-920 on Sri Krung / ศรีกรุง of Thailand. No release date listed.
Filed under: Iran
This is the sole release by Gypsy Group – also seen transliterated as Kolina Group. The singer / composer was William Khenno who also wrote songs for Googoosh, Fereydoun Foroughi, Ramesh and more.
If you have any further information about this artist or anything else about this recording, please leave it in the comment section below.
Catalog number AR-2328 on Ahang Rooz or Tehran, Iran. No release date listed.
Filed under: Tanzania
Sunburst was founded in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1970 by by guitarist Hembi Flory Kongo – who was originally from Zaïre. After playing the city’s clubs, they were introduced to a larger audience via a live session for the state-owned Radio Tanzania. They eventually went to Kenya to record their first two singles.
In 1974, Sunburst met Zambian musician Rikki Ililonga from Zamrock group Musi-O-Tunya and he invited them to Zambia. Meeting their later manager, Peter Bagshawe, they embarked on an ill-fated tour with Kenyan funk band Matata before working on a first full album in 1976 in Lusaka with new band members. After the release of the album, they recorded three more singles for the Tanzanian state label Tanzania Film Company and then called it quits.
Strut reissued their album Ave Africa. The release includes all of their singles and radio sessions.
Catalog number FWBO 9301 on RCA Victor of France. Released 1973.
Filed under: Vietnam
Đinh Văn Dậm was born in 1929 in Bình Đăng – now known as Binh Hưng – Vietnam. At the age of 3, he became blind due to smallpox. His parents changed his name to Văn Vĩ after the Chinese herbalist that was treating him for smallpox gave him the nickname.
As early as seven years old, he was playing the đàn nhị but soon after switched to guitar. By the time he was sixteen, he was performing regularly in opera troupes – as well as Saigon’s nightclubs.
During an opening performance of Bên Cầu Vọng Thê by his opera troupe, lead actor Hùng Cường failed to sing a verse. He accused Văn Vĩ of deliberately disrupting him and used a sword to puncture the speaker of his amplifier and kicked it to pieces, loudly insulting and threatening to hit Văn Vĩ. As a result, Văn Vĩ hired a bodyguard named Nguyễn Mỹ – who Hùng Cường physically kicked off the stage at another performance. Eventually Hùng Cường was forced to apologize to Văn Vĩ he and bought him a new amplifier.
167.466 on Continental of South Vietnam. No release date listed
Filed under: Bangladesh
♬ Ore Saleka Ore Maleka / ওরে সালেকা ওরে মালেকা
Mahbubul Haque Khan – better known as Azam Khan / আজম খান – was born in Dacca, East Pakistan – now known as Dhaka, Bangladesh. Khan, together with pop music contemporaries Fakir Alamgir, Ferdous Wahid, Firoz Shai, Najma Zaman, and Pilu Momtaz is credited with pioneering and popularizing Bengali pop music.
After fighting in the Liberation War, Azam founded the band Uchcharan / উচ্চারণ in 1972. Uchcharan are considered the first pop band of Bangladesh. This single was their first release. In 1993, Azam performed an updated version of the song in the Bangla film titled Godfather.
Catalog number ১২১০৩৯ on Dhaka Records / ঢাকা রেকর্ড of Bangladesh. No release date listed.
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