fi mue son thong: sabat mai bon sai siang

artist: ฝีมือศรทอง (fi mue son thong)
album: สะบัดไม้บนสายเสียง (sabat mai bon sai siang)
tracklist:
01. แขกมอญบางขุนพรหม (khaek bang khun phrom)
02. ขอมทรงเครื่อง (khom song khrueng)
03. เขมรขาว (khamen khao)
04. ขับไม้-ขับนก (khap mai, khap nok)
05. มอญอ้อยอิ่ง (mon oi ing)
06. มอญดูดาว (mon du dao)
07. มอญรำดาบ (mon ram dap)
08. ปฐมดุสิต (pathom dusit)
09. บังใบ (bang bai)
10. ตลุ่มโปง (talum pong)
11. แขกสาย (khaek sai)
12. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)

today, light classical sounds from young winners of the golden arrow prize, sponsored by the luang pradit phairo (son sinlapabanleng) foundation. this 1992 cassette released by hand acme supply co., ltd. features champion players of the khim (hammered dulcimer) from years past, performing together under the name, "the artistry of the golden arrow". the line-up features watsawati ngoenwichit (pim), prasansuk sukphadung (ae), chonticha tocharat (chiap), chalirat tocharat (choi), chalinthon tocharat (june), makhawarat bunyasirot (pao), and mathurin roemrut (klai), along with their teachers chaiyaphon chirachitkoson, atsadawut sakrik, and chaiyaphak phatharachinda accompanying them on percussion (thon, rammana, and ching). enjoy!

phongsit khamphi: rao cha klap ma

artist: พงษ์สิทธิ์ คำภีร์ (phongsit khamphi)
album: เราจะกลับมา (rao cha klap ma)
tracklist:
01. แค่นั้น (khae nan)
02. กตัญญู (katanyu)
03. หนุ่มน้อย (num noi)
04. เบื่อ (buea)
05. คนเอย (khon oei)
06. แค่นั้น (khae nan) [backing track]
07. ฝากจดหมาย (fak chotmai)
08. ความเข้มแข็งสุดท้าย (khwam khem khaeng sut thai)
09. เจ้านาย (chao nai)
10. เสือ สิงห์ กระทิง แรด (suea sing krathing raet)
11. เราจะกลับมา (rao cha klap ma)
12. ความเข้มแข็งสุดท้าย (khwam khem khaeng sut thai) [bonus track]

this week, romantic "songs for life" from pu phongsit khamphi! a native of nongkhai, khamphi is a leader of what we might call the 'third wave' of phleng phuea chiwit (if we think of the first wave as comprising the folksy protest groups like caravan, and the second being the more rock-inflected groups like carabao). khamphi combined the harder sounds of the latter with a lighter touch that recalls the former, and moved away from explicitly political lyrics, focusing more on human-interest style storytelling and even somewhat conventional love songs. this album is his sixth, recorded at caravan studios and released on m² in 1994. enjoy!

[as a side note: i was surprised to see that the liners contain a special dedication to former political prisoner surachai saedan, whom khamphi apparently met while performing in khlong prem central prison. a leader of the communist insurgency and a long-time anti-monarchy activist, surachai disappeared in 2018 and is widely presumed to have been murdered while in exile in neighboring laos, fleeing a lèse-majesté charge]

khwanchit siprachan: phleng isaeo

artist: ขวัญจิต ศรีประจันต์ (khwanchit siprachan)
album: เพลงอีแซว (phleng isaeo)
tracklist:
01. อีแซวจะรักใครดี (isaeo cha rak khrai di)
02. อีแซวผัวไทย (isaeo phua thai)
03. อีแซวผัวแขก (isaeo phua khaek)
04. อีแซวผัวนิโกร (isaeo phua negro)
05. อีแซวผัวฝรั่ง (isaeo phua farang)
06. อีแซวผัวเขมร (isaeo phua khmer)
07. อีแซวผัวพม่า (isaeo phua phama)
08. อีแซวผัวจีน (isaeo phua chin)
09. อีแซวรักของพี่ (isaeo rak khong phi)
10. อีแซวขอทานรัก (isaeo kho than rak)
11. อีแซวให้ทานรัก (isaeo hai than rak)
12. อีแซวรักกระปิดรักกระเปิด (isaeo rak krapit rak krapoet)
13. อีแซวความรักไร้เทียมทาน (isaeo khwam rak rai thiam than)
14. อีแซวรักคมเฉือนคม (isaeo rak khom chuean khom)
15. อีแซวรักจริงรักจัง (isaeo rak ching rak chang)
16. อีแซวรักลวงรักหลอก (isaeo rak luang rak lok)

this week, another classic recording of national artist khwanchit siprachan and her troupe preforming phleng isaeo! isaeo, characterized by its swift rhythm and intense wordplay, is a local specialty of central thailand's suphan buri province. the contestants take lighthearted jabs at each other and vie for the most cunning lyrical improvisations over an insistent backbeat. today's cassette includes a long (and quite "politically incorrect") routine detailing khwanchit's experiences with husbands of different ethnicities. i believe she is joined here as usual by her sister khwanchai and their colleagues suchin siprachan and bunchok chanachot. these 4 have trained together since their teens, and their repartee is outstanding.. enjoy! 

thep thunder: chuea mai la

artist: เทพ ธันเดอร์ (thep thunder)
album: เชื่อไหมล่ะ (chuea mai la)
tracklist:
01. เชื่อไหมล่ะ (chuea mai la)
02. แร๊พแขก (rap khaek)
03. คำโบราณท่านว่า (kham boran than wa)
04. ไอ้เซ่อ...จ๊กมก (ai soe... chok mok)
05. ลาวไม่ธรรมดา (lao mai thammada)
06. ดื่มเบียร์แหย่เมีย (duem beer yae mia)
07. ส้วม (suam)
08. ยาเสพติด (ya sep tit)
09. กินฟรี (kin free)
10. นมโค (nom kho)
11. เสียดายวิชชุดา (sia dai witchuda)
12. นักแม่นรู (nak maen ru)
13. ขี้หิด (khi hit)
14. คนหัวล้าน (khon hua lan)

this week, '90s novelty rap & more from comedian thep pho-ngam! born in roi-et but raised in narathiwat, thep got his start doing live voice-over work for the open-air cinema around hat yai, and later joined the troupe of phloen phromdaen during the luk thung star's comedy-oriented "talking-music" phase. he left the group with fellow comedian den dokpratu to form a duo, before finally founding his own eponymous act with chaeng cho-madan and mum jokmok, with whom he pivoted from live acts to film and television. he also had a music career on the side, under the stage-name "thep thunder", and today's cassette is his 1993 debut with onpa marketing co., ltd. he has by no means left comedy at home, however, with the songs being parodies of international pop hits of the day, including rap/bhangra/dancehall crossovers (mc hammer's "u can't touch this", malkit singh's "gur nalon ishq mitha", dr. alban's "no coke") as well as more established classic rock and new wave tunes (santana, deep purple, the romantics, michael jackson, etc.). does the humour hold up? or the production, for that matter? i'll let you decide.. enjoy!

sonphet sonsuphan: karaoke

artist: ศรเพชร ศรสุพรรณ (sonphet sonsuphan)
album: คาราโอเกะ (karaoke)
tracklist:
01. จดหมายตีกลับ (chot mai ti klap)
02. คอยสาวนา (khoi sao na)
03. รักน้องจังเลย (rak nong chang loei)
04. คนถูกแย่งแฟน (khon thuk yaeng faen)
05. นักโทษรัก (nak thot rak)
06. มนุษย์มนา (manutmana)
07. รอพี่ตีสอง (ro phi ti song)
08. รักน้องเมียเพื่อน (rak nong mia phuean)
09. สอบตกอกหัก (sop tok ok hak)
10. เสียไข่แดง (sia khai daeng)
11. แม่มะลิเลื้อย (mae mali lueai)
12. อดทนคือคนไทย (ot thon khue khon thai)
 
this week, a technologically notable entry from sonphet sonsuphan (who we sadly lost early this year). sonphet, as you might guess from his stage name, was a native of suphanburi, the central province that gave us so many golden-age luk thung singers. he had a long career, from ramwong dancer in the '60s to an elder statesman of the luk thung revival in the '90s, though since 2010 or so he had been suffering from serious health troubles. this particular cassette features an interesting innovation that i haven't come across before on cassette (though the trick would later show up quite often on vcd): that is, the backing track and vocal/melodic leads are separated out between the left and right channels. so if you want a "minus one" track for your karaoke performance, merely slide the balance knob to one side; if you want a (mostly) a cappella vocal track, slide to the other! as for the music, it has a classic late-'70s/early-'80s full band sound, with synth leads, a nice disco/bump-ramwong feel, and of course sonphet's one-of-a-kind voice sounding as impassioned as ever. enjoy!

 

dutduean dara: siang krasip chak kliao khluen

artist: ดุจเดือน ดารา (dutduean dara)
album: เสียงกระซิบจากเกลียวคลื่น (siang krasip chak kliao khluen)
tracklist:
01. บัวแดง (bua daeng)
02. ริมฝั่งน้ำ (rim fang nam)
03. เสียงกระซิบจากเกลียวคลื่น (siang krasip chak kliao khluen)
04. กระซิบสวาท (krasip sawat)
05. ฝนหยาดสุดท้าย (fon yat sut thai)
06. คาวหัวใจ (khao hua chai)
07. รักแรมไกล (rak raem klai)
08. มลทินใจ (monthin chai)
09. ฆ่าฉันให้ตายดีกว่า (kha chan hai tai di kwa)
10. ลุ่มเจ้าพระยา (lum chao phraya)
11. ยากจะหักใจลืม (yak cha hak chai luem)
12. ทะเลร่ำไห้ (thale ram hai)
13. อเวจีแห้งดวงใจ (awechi haeng duang chai)
14. โอ้ทูลกระหม่อม (o thun kramom)

this week, an eclectic outing from star dutduean dara! hailing from khon kaen, dutduean got her start when her uncle, musician prasit chamnanphrai of silver sand, petitioned her parents to let her do a recording with him at azona records. she then moved to bangkok and got a regular spot singing at "papa café" on vibhavadi rangsit road, gaining quite a following. thereafter, she was courted by a number of labels and frequently jumped between them, as well as releasing her own records independently. to me she's one of those artists who straddle the (admittedly often nebulous) boundaries of city and country.. while primarily remembered as a luk thung singer, this record features new takes on classic tunes penned by luk krung (and earlier thai sakon) luminaries like uea sunthonsanan, kaeo atchariyakun and narot thawonbut, sanga aramphi, chali intharawichit, sukhon phonphirun, a. kawi sattakowit, kamon thapkhanlai (as well as the more country-ish phaibun butkhan). also of interest is that the music here has, to my ear, a distinctly "chinese" sound, at least via the instrumentation.. unfortunately, the producer/arranger of the session is not credited. i don't think that any of the melodies are based off chinese originals, but if you know otherwise, please correct me. and most importantly.. enjoy!

phirasak baye: liké khiao phet chao sane rueang bap phayabat

artist: พีระศักดิ์ บาเย (phirasak baye)
album: ลิเกเขี้ยวเพชรเจ้าเสน่ห์ เรื่อง บาปพยาบาท (liké khiao phet chao sane rueang bap phayabat)
tracklist:
01. ลิเกเขี้ยวเพชรเจ้าเสน่ห์ เรื่อง บาปพยาบาท ตอน 1 (liké khiao phet chao sane rueang bap phayabat, pt. 1)
02. ลิเกเขี้ยวเพชรเจ้าเสน่ห์ เรื่อง บาปพยาบาท ตอน 2 (liké khiao phet chao sane rueang bap phayabat, pt. 2)

this week, some great street theatre music from liké khana phirasak baye! based, i believe, out of ban pong, ratchaburi, phirasak and his players have been big names in liké for many decades. phirasak himself has appeared on the thai silver screen, and well-known comedian siban super-joke got his start in the troupe. this recording, originally made for silver stereo (though here branded super star), features the play "bap phayabat (sin of vengeance)", and is classic for the style: the acting is flamboyant, and both the singing and piphat backing are on-point. unfortunately this is just tape one of a set, but at least we get to hear the rousing ok khaek intro portion, and nearly an hour of performance. maybe one day i'll track down the rest.. in the meantime, enjoy!

tonchabap 1

artist: various
album: ต้นฉบับ 1 (tonchabap 1)
tracklist:
01. ยากยิ่งนัก (yak ying nak)
performed by ชาตรี (chatri)
02. ดั่งเม็ดทราย (dang met sai)
performed by สุชาติ ชวางกูร (suchat chawangkun)
03. รักครั้งแรก (rak khrang raek)
performed by ชาตรี (chatri)
04. ใจรัก (chai rak)
performed by สุชาติ ชวางกูร (suchat chawangkun)
05. ลองรัก (long rak)
performed by จันทนีย์ อูนากูล (chanthani unakun)
06. น้ำเซาะทราย (nam so sai)
performed by จำรัส เศวตาภรณ์ (chamrat sewataphon)
07. เหมันต์ที่ผ่านพ้นไป (heman thi phan phon pai)
performed by สุชาติ ชวางกูร (suchat chawangkun)
08. ลมลวง (lom luang)
performed by ธีระศักดิ์ อัจจิมานนท์ (thirasak atchimanon)
09. รักฉันนั้นเพื่อเธอ (rak chan nan phuea thoe)
performed by พิงค์แพนเตอร์ (pink panther)
10. เดือนเพ็ญ (duean phen)
performed by คาราวาน (caravan)

this week, a great label sampler of early 80's bangkok sounds courtesy e.m.i. music (thailand) co., ltd., a local branch of the british transnational conglomerate. this compilation brings together a mix of their offerings from the first half of the decade, with an emphasis on soft-rock and a.o.r. sounds, whether from pop groups like chatri and pink panther, phuea chiwit veterans caravan, or solo artists like singer-actor suchat chawangkun, singer-songwriter chanthani unakun, grand ex' alum chamrat sewataphon and relative-unknown folkie thirasak atchimanon. enjoy!

 

oi atchara: talap thong suntharaphon vol. 37 "kunchae chai"

artist: อ้อย อัจฉรา (oi atchara)
album: ตลับทองสุนทราภรณ์ ชุดที่ ๓๗ "กุญแจใจ" (talap thong suntharaphon vol. 37 "kunchae chai")
tracklist:
01. กุญแจใจ (kunchae chai)
02. ที่รักขา (thi rak kha)
03. ประมูลใจ (pramun chai)
04. ป่าช้าใจ (pa cha chai)
05. รอดูใจ (ro du chai)
06. นึกฝัน (nuek fan)
07. เวียนตามกรรม (wian tam kam)
08. มิใช่ดอกฟ้า (mi chai dok fa)
09. ดวงฤทัยเป็นบ้า (duang ruethai pen ba)
10. ใครลิขิต (khrai likhit)
11. รักจ๋า (rak cha)
12. น้ำใจเจ้าแต้ม (nam chai chao taem)
13. สวัสดีบางกอก (sawatdi bangkok)
14. อย่าเกลียดบางกอก (ya kliat bangkok)
sung by ม.ร.ว. ถนัดศรี สวัสดิวัตน์ (m.r. thanatsi sawatdiwat)
15. ราตรีสวาท (ratri sawat)
with วินัย จุลละบุษปะ (winai chunlabutsapa)
16. อ้อยใจ (oi chai)
with เอื้อ สุนทรสนาน (uea sunthonsanan)
 
this week, luk krung classics from oi atchara! oi seems to be one of the more obscure singers in the suntharaphon orbit, despite some very memorable hits; she joined during group's middle period, part of khru kaeo atchariyakun's "stars of tomorrow" project in the late '50s, along with maritsa amatayakun and butsaya rangsi¹, but aside from that i couldn't find a lot of biographical information. she has been out of the music industry for a long time, with word online being that she may live with her daughter in las vegas, nevada in the u.s.a. this collection from metro records features most (maybe all?) of her solo recordings with suntharaporn, plus duets with winai chunlabutsapa and bandleader uea sunthonsanan, and a response song to her biggest hit, sung by m.r. thanatsi sawatdiwat. enjoy! 

fruity: yak bok rak

artist: ฟรุ๊ตตี้ (fruity)
album: อยากบอกรัก (yak bok rak)
tracklist:
01. อยากบอกรัก (yak bok rak)
02. นิยายรักขาดตอน (niyai rak khat ton)
03. สายเกินไป (say koen pai)
04. ขอเพียงเข้าใจ (kho phiang khao chai)
05. ลืมหมดแล้ว (luem mot laeo)
06. พบกันครึ่งทาง (phop kan khrueng thang)
07. ฉันรู้ดี (chan ru di)
08. โปรดรับรู้ (prot rap ru)
09. ทั้งๆ ยังรัก (thang thang yang rak)
10. ใครสักคน (khrai sak khon)
11. เกย์ (gay)
12. นิยายรักขาดตอน [บรรเลง] (niyai rak khat ton [instrumental])

this week, premiere '80s pop-rock duo, fruity! part of the initial roster of r.s. promotion, fruity were initially marketed as an 8-piece combo, but gradually charged configuration, with co-lead vocalists chomphu sutthiphong wattanachang (who also played guitar) and ping somphon pridamanot (who also played bass) becoming the faces of the group. chomphu and ping were notable for their bending of traditional gender roles, with their album art often featuring the two in slightly homo-erotic poses. track 11 describes the ways their "effeminate" behaviour often leads to them being misconstrued as gay (special thanks to my friend jogue for helping me with the context on this!). our cassette today is their 5th, from 1987, with guitar- and synth-driven selections running the gamut from throwback rock'n'roll tracks to ballads and power-pop. enjoy!