khana thongmi phatthana: mae nak phra khanong

artist: คณะ ทองมีพัฒนา (khana thongmi phatthana)

album: แม่นาคพระโขนง (mae nak phra khanong)

tracklist:

01. แม่นาคพระโขนง ตอน 1 (mae nak phra khanong, pt. 1)

02. แม่นาคพระโขนง ตอน 2 (mae nak phra khanong, pt. 2)

with halloween coming up, it's time for some isan style campfire tales!  mae nak phra khanong is probably thailand's most famous ghost story; based on actual events, the story concerns the tragedy of a young wife who dies in childbirth while her husband is off at war.. the war ends and the husband returns to live with his family, not realizing that they are both long dead.  friends try to warn him in vain that he is living with ghosts, only to meet with horrible fates shortly after.  eventually the husband realizes the truth and runs to the shelter of the local temple, while his wife's ghost continues to terrorize the community.  the spirit still attracts devotees to her shrine off bangkok's th. on nut, where they leave clothing, toys, art or what-have-you for her & her child.  on this cassette, our molam are mr. thongmi malai & ms. nit sotsi from yasothon, backed by the thongmi phatthana band.  great stuff!

preview:

  MRPT157 by monrakplengthai

waiphot phetsuphan: la buat 20 pi thong

artist: ไวพจน์ เพชรสุพรรณ (waiphot phetsuphan)
album: ลาบวช 20 ปีทอง (la buat 20 pi thong)
tracklist:
01. ไวพจน์ลาบวช 21 มิถุนา (waiphot la buat 21 mithuna)
02. ไวพจน์ลาบวช (waiphot la buat)
03. ต้นฉบับลาบวช (ton chabap la buat)
04. โห่ 3 ลา ไวพจน์กลองยาว (ho 3 la, waiphot klong yao)
05. เบิกบายศรี (โห่ ลา) (boek bai si (ho, la))
06. ทำขวัญนาค (tham khwan nak)
07. บวชพระดีกว่า (buat phra di kwa)
08. กล่อมใจนาค (klom chai nak)
09. ก่องข้าวน้อยฆ่าแม่ (kong khao noi kha mae)
10. แหล่ลำนำอิสาน (lae lamnam isan)

any fan of vintage thai music ought to know the word ton chabap... meaning "original", this is typically a sure sign that you'll be getting the old-school sounds you're after, not re-performed or adulterated with new bass lines, drum machines or so on.  except in this instance.  i was probably too excited by waiphot's fancy robe & bald pate that i didn't read closely enough, as it turns out the cover (rather honestly) advertises "original lyrics" only!  but the biggest surprise of all?  i don't mind in the least.  that's because on this time the new sounds come courtesy of a full isan music combo... that means electric phin shredding, classic northeastern bass & liberal use of cowbell.  as far as i knew waiphot had never performed in this style, so enjoy this rare look into his classic lae tracks, isan-ified!

preview:
  MRPT156 by monrakplengthai

rock ah yah: hong nam krathoei

artist: ร๊อคอ๊ะย๊ะ (rock ah yah)

album: ห้องน้ำกระเทย (hong nam krathoei)

tracklist:

01. โฟวินเหยียบดัง (four wheel yiap dang)

02. ห้องน้ำกระเทย (hong nam krathoei)

03. ต่างคนต่างเศร้า (tang khon tang sao)

04. สิ้นแล้วสัญญาใจ (sin laeo sanya chai)

05. ฝากคำไปนำฟ้า (fak kham pai nam fa)

06. สาวอึ่ง (sao ueng)

07. ส่างอ้ายเถาะ (sang ai tho)

08. สู้เพื่อเรา (su phuea rao)

09. คุมโปงคอยนาง (khum pong khoi nang)

10. จ.ม. รักนักจัดรายการ (cho.mo. rak nak chat rai kan)

11. แหล่รักเรือล่ม (lae rak ruea lom)

12. หนุ่มซอรอแฟน (num so ro faen)

13. จำจองใจ (cham chong chai)

14. สาวใจดำ (sao chai dam)

1-4: สนุ๊ก สิงห์มาตร (sanuk singmat)

5-8: สมนึก มีแก้ว (somnuek mikaeo)

9-11: ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ มิตรอรัญ (saksit mitaran)

12-14: เสน่ห์ มนต์อีสาน (sane mon'isan)

the group is rock ah yah! from yasothon, consisting of 3 relative-unknowns and 1 super-known.  the odd man out, of course, is sanuk singmat and if you were in thailand at any point around 2010, then you heard his song "luk thewada".  the song became an anthem concerning the perceived spoiled youth of thailand, pillorying interest in motorbikes & cellphones over tradition.  today's tape, the lead single of which carries similarly topical commentary mixed with humor ("transexual bathroom") seems to have made less of a lasting impact.  nonetheless i think it's great: exemplary & stylistically diverse molam - luk thung from 2001.  featuring music from masters sawat sarakham & sawai faidam, the sound is just the right proportion of live instrumental precision to electronics.  enjoy!

preview:

phumphuang duangchan: x.o.

artist: พุ่มพวง ดาวจันทร์ (phumphuang duangchan)

album: เอ็กซ์โอ (x.o.)

tracklist:

01. หน้าอย่างเธอจะรักใครจริง (na yang thoe cha rak khrai ching)

02. แม่ร้อยใจ (mae roi chai)

03. อ.ส. รอรัก (o.s. ro rock)

04. สาวนาคอยคู่ (sao na khoi khu)

05. เกลียดได้เกลียดไป (kliat dai kliat pai)

06. ตุ๊กตาใจดำ (tukta chai dam)

07. ทำบุญร่วมชาติ (tham bun ruam chat)

08. ทหารเกณฑ์ ผลัด 2 (thahan ken phlat 2)

09. แหม่มปลาร้า (ma'am pla ra)

10. นางกวักมหาเสน่ห์ (nang kwak maha sane)

any fan of thai pop music has surely heard of phumphuang duangchan, the woman who revitalized luk thung in the 1980's and redefined notions of stardom in thailand.  phumphuang got her start as "namphueng mueangsuphan" in waiphot phetsuphan's band, though it was her eventual pairing with songwriter lop burirat that brought her to fame.  i'm imagining the music on this tape shortly predates her bigger hits; while the sound is definitely more internationally-minded, big-band disco grooves & chorus, it doesn't yet have the fully integrated pop style that would make her later material so memorable.  the selections here are mostly covers of well-known tunes, the work of songwriters chonlathi thanthong & surin phaksiri, including songs from the mon rak luk thung soundtrack and some made famous by sayan sanya.  enjoy!

preview:

  MRPT154 by monrakplengthai