string lam doen: ratthaban yuk phatthana

artist: สตริงลำเดิน (string lam doen)
album: รัฐบาลยุคพัฒนา (ratthaban yuk phatthana)
tracklist:
01. รัฐบาลยุคพัฒนา (ratthaban yuk phatthana)
02. พี่ไถ น้องดำ (phi thai, nong dam)
03. หนุ่มนาข้าว สาวไร่ปอ (num na khao, sao rai po)
04. จอมตื้อบันลือโลก (chom tue banlue lok)
05. อีสานก้าวหน้า (isan kao na)
06. อีสานก้าวหน้า (isan kao na) [instrumental]
07. รออีกหนึ่งปี (ro ik nueng pi)
08. สาวชาวนาหนุ่มชาวไร่ (sao chao na, num chao rai)
09. นาพี่ นาน้อง (na phi, na nong)
10. ผัวแก่ เมียสาว (phua kae, mia sao)
11. หนุ่มนาหนาว สาวขาดรัก (num na nao, sao khat rak)
12. พี่ไถ น้องดำ (phi thai, nong dam) [instrumental]

kind of a strange one this week; from thongchan promotions, we've got 3 modern molam leaving their roots behind to try their luck with the international string style. from yasothon, we have the incomparable dao bandon! from the sam phalang sao group, phimchai phetphalanchai! and lastly, lam phaen star salak silathong rounding out this would-be lam doen supergroup. to be honest, though, the album is kind of a miss for me.. by this point, string had moved away from the blazing disco-funk sound of the 70's and taken up the stilted programmed rhythms & gated snares of the drum machine. the vocalists do acquit themselves admirably considering the material, and some people will surely find this an interesting entry into the molam catalogue. for me, it's evidence that thai supergroups can fall just as flat as the rest of the world's! see what you think!

gunga din / narit ari

this week's post comes courtesy of ian nagoski, founder of canary records and a legend among collectors of shellac. don't miss his new compilation, "brass pins & match heads", or his upcoming 3 cd restrospective of music of the ottoman diaspora in new york city from 1912-1931, due out this fall on tompkins square.

artist: กุงกาดิน (gunga din) / นริศ อารีย์ (narit ari)
album: รักร้อนยิ่งกว่าแดด (rak ron ying kwa det) / สายลม (sai lom)
tracklist:
01. รักร้อนยิ่งกว่าแดด (rak ron ying kwa det)
sung by กุงกาดิน (gunga din)
02. สายลม (sai lom)
sung by นริศ อารีย์ (narit ari)

this record features the talents of thai sakon impresario nakhon thanomsap, performing here as his blackface alter-ego, gunga din. the number he turns in is a unique example of very early thai rock'n'roll, with a melody borrowed from jerry reed's 1957 tune "rockin' in baghdad". the b-side features bangkok crooner narit ari backed by mongkhon amatayakun's chularat band, with which both these singers were closely associated. nakhon thanomsap was credited with discovering & helping along the careers of a number of luk thung's early stars and is a tireless champion for the preservation of thai music from decades past. sadly, his own work is extremely hard to come across these days, possibly due to the politically incorrect nature of his "blacking up". anyhow, quite a find by ian... hope you all enjoy!!

luk thung: classic & obscure 78s from the thai countryside

hope everyone will forgive a moment of self-promotion here:
the album that david murray & i (& many others!) have been working on is finally available on dust-to-digital/parlortone records! compiled from dave's incredible collection of 78s, this album features 14 beautifully-restored classic early-60's luk thung recordings from the likes of suraphon sombatcharoen, waiphot phetsuphan, phloen phromdaen, suchat thianthong & many more! none of these songs have ever been available outside of thailand before (and few have even seen re-release domestically!). they represent a critical moment in luk thung's history, when internationally-minded pop stars began looking to local folk sounds for inspiration. as a result, you'll hear wild accordions & latin horn sections mingling with thai hand drums & finger cymbals, while singers wail & swagger about life's simple joys & struggles. the lp is pressed on high-quality vinyl with a 6-page full-color insert filled with history & images. if you're without turntable, the album can also be got on itunes and amazon! i hope everyone will check it out, i can't recommend it highly enough!

order here!

preview:
Phloen Phromdaen – “Ruedu Haeng Khwam Rak (Season of Love)” by dusttodigital

fa thalai chon: original recordings

artist: various
album: ต้นฉบับเพลง ฟ้าทะลายโจร (fa thalai chon: original recordings)
tracklist:
01. ใครจะเมตตา (khrai cha metta)
sung by เลิศ ประสมทรัพย์ (loet prasomsap)
02. the last rose of summer
sung by marie rappold
03. ฝนสั่งฟ้า (fon sang fa)
sung by เพ็ญศรี พุ่มชูศรี (phensi phumchusi)
04. พรหมลิขิต (phromlikhit)
sung by วินัย จุลละบุษปะ (winai chulabutsapa)
05. งามชายหาด (ngam chai hat)
sung by เพ็ญศรี พุ่มชูศรี (phensi phumchusi)
06. ฟ้างามยามค่ำ (fa ngam yam kham)
sung by เพ็ญศรี พุ่มชูศรี (phensi phumchusi)

here's a quick follow-up to the last post... i don't usually post things i've compiled myself, but i thought some people might be interested in hearing the original versions of the tunes which were so expertly redone for the film fa thalai chon (or "tears of the black tiger"). most of these songs were recorded in the 1950's by the first wave of the suntaraphon stars and showcase the work of legendary composers like uea sunthonsanan, wet sunthonchamon, sane komarachun & others. i've also included a recording of the old irish tune on which the film's original song "kamsuan chan" was based.. the mp3 comes courtesy of ucsb's outstanding cylinder preservation & digitization project. hope you enjoy!

fa thalai chon (o.s.t.)

artist: อมรพงศ์ เมธาคุณาวุฒิ (amonphong methakhunawut)
album: ฟ้าทะลายโจร (fa thalai chon)
tracklist:
01. ใครจะเมตตา (khrai cha metta)
sung by วีระ บำรุงศรี (wira bamrungsi)
02. กำสรวลจันทร์ (kamsuan chan)
sung by เยาวเรศ เมธาคุณาวุฒิ (yaowaret methakhunawut)
03. ฝนสั่งฟ้า (fon sang fa)
sung by กมลวรรณ ทศานนท์ (kamonwan thasanon)
04. พรหมลิขิต (phromlikhit)
sung by นิวัติ เจริญมิตร (niwat charoenmit)
05. งามชายหาด (ngam chai hat)
sung by กมลวรรณ ทศานนท์ (kamonwan thasanon)
06. ฟ้างามยามค่ำ (fa ngam yam kham)
sung by เยาวเรศ เมธาคุณาวุฒิ (yaowaret methakhunawut)
07. โคบาลย่องม้า (khoban yong ma)
08. ใครจะเมตตา (บรรเลง) (khrai cha metta (instrumental))
09. กำสรวลจันทร์ (บรรเลง) (kamsuan chan (instrumental))
10. ฝนสั่งฟ้า (บรรเลง) (fon sang fa (instrumental))
11. พรหมลิขิต (บรรเลง) (phromlikhit (instrumental))
12. งามชายหาด (บรรเลง) (ngam chai hat (instrumental))
13. ฟ้างามยามค่ำ (บรรเลง) (fa ngam yam kham (instrumental))
14. โคบาลย่องม้า (khoban yong ma)

this week, some great retro sounds from modern thai cinema!! wisit sasanathiang's fa thalai chon (renamed "tears of the black tiger" in english) is maybe the best-known thai art film outside of thailand. a tribute to the country's penchant for westerns & melodrama in the 1950's, the 2000 film's vibrant color and stylized violence caught the attention of a number of prominent festivals around the globe. the soundtrack, which won acclaim as well, is composed mostly of re-recorded suntaraphon songs plus some morricone-style incidentals by amonphong methakhunawut, as befits the gunslinger theme. the soft lilt of these old dance hall tunes juxtaposed with intense, bloody gunfights made a big impact on audiences worldwide. this cassette release features the songs on side one, with instrumentals on the reverse. hope you enjoy.. and be sure to see the film, if you haven't!!

phongsi woranut: duan phitsawat

artist: ผ่องศรี วรนุช (phongsi woranut)
album: ด่วนพิศวาส (duan phitsawat)
tracklist:
01. ด่วนพิศวาส (duan phitsawat)
02. วิมานในฝัน (wiman nai fan)
03. อนิจจาความรัก (anitcha khwam rak)
04. อาวรณ์รัก (awon rak)
05. จันทร์ครึ่งดวง (chan khrueng duang)
06. ลานเทลานระทม (lan the lan rathom)
07. ช้ำกว่าตกตาล (cham kwa tok tan)
08. บางสาวไห้ (bang sao hai)
09. คอยพี่กลับนา (khoi phi klap na)
10. คุณพี่ขี่เก๋ง (khun phi khi keng)
11. หากฉันจะรักคุณ (hak chan cha rak khun)
12. ฉันลองใจคุณ (chan long chai khun)
13. ฉันเห็นใจคุณแล้ว (chan hen chai khun laeo)
14. หลอกฉันเข้าอีกแล้ว (lok chan khao ik laeo)

this week, more great songs from luk thung legend and national artist phongsi woranut! phongsi grew up in chainat province, sellings sweets with her mother from a rafthouse on the chao phrya. she started out performing in local street theatre troupes, and rose to fame with her wildly popular responses to the hits of suraphon sombatcharoen, giving luk thung it's first female star. but their friendly rivalry turned serious and phongsi struck out on her own, starting her own band which would launch the careers of many future stars (most notably sayan sanya). the songs on this collection are some of her earliest, recorded between the years 1958 and 1963. very sweet old-fashioned sounds here, enjoy!