saman hongsa: molam sammapi

artist: สมาน หงษา (saman hongsa)
album: หมอลำสัมมะปิ (molam sammapi)
tracklist:
01. หมอลำสัมมะปิ ตอน 1 (molam sammapi, pt. 1)
02. หมอลำสัมมะปิ ตอน 2 (molam sammapi, pt. 2)

this week we will hear from molam saman hongsa & his fantastic group of isaan entertainers! saman, from ubon ratchathani, is one of the greats in the world of lam performers. he's known to some degree outside of thailand as the leader of the isan slété group, who recorded & toured through the u.k. in the late 80's. within thailand, however, he's probably best remembered for his string of comedy albums, one of which is presented here. this tape is great, because to me it captures the feeling of a typical molam performance.. not strictly musical, but more like a variety show, with comedic skits and banter woven seamlessly between the songs. comedians from the phetlaemthong troupe (inculding "pan", "choi sa" & bunthaeng khenthongdi) jibe with the audience while molam saman & kai chomtalok engage in clever wordplay and skillful vocalizations. the band is great as well, phin & khaen, bass & drums, all ready to whip the audience into a dancing frenzy when the time comes. enjoy!

loy krathong

this week's post comes to us courtesy of norwegian record collector gojira... he specializes in popular music across asia, from turkey to thailand, and he's just started his own great blog, stereomono!

artist: various
album: loy krathong
tracklist:
01. loy krathong
sung by ดอน สอนระเบียบ (don sonrabiap)
02. loy krathong
sung by ฉันทนา กิติยพันธ์ (chanthana kitiyaphan)

in late november (specifically, the full moon night of the 12th lunar month, this year the 21st), thailand celebrates loi krathong, a brahmin festival where little rafts made to resemble lotus flowers are loaded with candles & floated downriver for good luck, an offering to the river goddess ganga. the holiday is a big hit with locals & foreign visitors alike, and as such, there is a catchy theme song to go with it! the original is a ramwong from the 50's by the suntaraphon big band, but here we've got two peppy string versions, sung in charmingly halting english by 70's disco stars don sonrabiap & chanthana kitiyaphan. enjoy! and suk san wan loi krathong!!

shadow prayuk

artist: various
album: ชาโดว์ประยุกต์ (shadow prayuk)
tracklist:
01. พม่ารำขวาน (phama ram khwan)
02. แขกต่อยหม้อ (khaek toi mo)
03. ต้นบรเทศ (ton borathet)
04. ยะวา (yawa)
05. สร้อยแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
06. นางนาค (nang nak)
07. กระแต (kratae)
08. กลองยาว (klong yao)
09. กราวกีฬา (krao kila)
10. สีนวล (si nuan)
11. สุพรรณหงษ์ (suphannahong)
12. ไทรโยค (saiyok)
13. มอญกละ (mon kla)
14. ลาวกระทบไม้ (lao krathop mai)
15. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน (lao siang thian)
16. ลาวคำหอม (lao kham hom)
17. ซัดชาดรี (sat chatri)
18. ลาวแพน (lao phen)
19. ลาวครวญ (lao khruan)
20. นกขมิ้น (nok khamin)

tracks 1-5, 7-8, 12, 17: พี.เอ็ม.พ๊อกเกทมิวสิค (p.m. pocket music)
tracks 6, 10-11, 13-16: จอนนี่ส์กีตาร์ (johnny guitar)
tracks 9, 18-20: เดอะซันออฟพี.เอ็ม. (the son of p.m.)

this week we'll hear from some of thailand's fantastic shadow bands & their surf-rock rollicks through the classical repertoire! the shadow movement was the brainchild of maestro phayong mukda, who had already begun experimenting with updating thai classical melodies to a latin/big band format. to complement the changing live music scene of 1960's bangkok, which was moving from spacious dancehalls into more intimate nightclub settings, phayong saw a need to condense his modernized ensemble. following a wildly successful asian tour by cliff richard & the shadows, phayong settled upon a similar combo of electric guitar, organ, bass & drums, and to emphasize the compact nature of the group, he called them "pocket music" (which also happened to be his own initials!). he gave his adoptive "son" khabuan mukda the lead organ slot, backed by chakkrin rasana on guitar & don sonrabiap on the drums, though chakkrin soon left to join rival organ star noppharat thiposot's band, johnny guitar. p.m. went through several more line-up changes, first expanding to 7, then settling down to 5 as backers for drummer-turned-frontman don sonrabiap in the 70's. shadow music seems all but forgotten in thailand, but you can find lots internationally, either anthologized by sublime frequencies or online at radiodiffusion internasionaal, as well as in a great recent post at brain goreng... enjoy!!

rungruedi phaengphongsai: phuea thoe chan thon dai

artist: รุ่งฤดี แพ่งผ่องใส (rungruedi phaengphongsai)
album: เพื่อเธอฉันทนได้ (phuea thoe chan thon dai)
tracklist:
01. เพื่อเธอฉันทนได้ (phuea thoe chan thon dai)
02. เธอไม่สงสารฉันหรือ (thoe mai songsan chan rue)
03. เฉือนหัวใจ (chuean hua chai)
04. เธอคือดวงใจ (thoe khue duang chai)
05. หน้าไหว้หลังหลอก (na wai lang lok)
06. เธอรู้หรือเปล่าว่าฉันแค้น (thoe ru rue plao wa chan khaen)
07. ชีวิตคนเศร้า (chiwit khon sao)
08. ปลงเสียเถิดความรัก (plong sia thoet khwam rak)
09. ใจหวนครวญรำพัน (chai huan khruan ramphan)
10. เพราะเธอเป็นคนทำ (phro thoe pen khon tham)
11. โจโจ้ซัง (cho cho san)
12. นักรบชายแดน (nak rop chai daen)
13. บันทึกดวงใจ (banthuek duang chai)
14. คำปฏิญาณ (kham patiyan)

this week, we'll be treated to the smooth, orchestral lounge stylings of rungruedi phaengphongsai! rungruedi was born in bangkok and enjoyed a privileged upbringing; at age 19 her parents sent her to live with the suntaraphon big band, to pursue her love of singing. she excelled in the group, and was set to be the leading lady of suntaraphon's 70's incarnation, but after 3 years singing with the group, rungruedi decided to strike out on her own. she became a fixture in bangkok's nightclub scene, and took to singing enka & otherwise japanese-themed material for the benefit of foreign clientele. this tape features some excellently produced, string & horn-infused schmaltz, with flourishes of thai & japanese folk sounds. her little dog, unfortunately, makes no contribution. enjoy!!