hongthong dao-udon: hongthong khanong lam

artist: หงษ์ทอง ดาวอุดร (hongthong dao-udon)
album: หงษ์ทองคนองลำ (hongthong khanong lam)
tracklist:
01. หงษ์ทองคนองลำ (hongthong khanong lam)
02. หงษ์ทองตามแฟน (hongthong tam faen)
03. หงษ์ทองลำเพลิน (hongthong lam phloen)
04. หงษ์ทองรอคู่ (hongthong ro khu)
05. ลำรอรักจากซาอุดีฯ (lam ro rak chak saudi)
06. ตีกลองน้ำลำเพลิน (ti klong nam lam phloen)
07. ซึ้งเสียงแคน (sueng siang khaen)
08. ผู้ชายหลายบ้าน (phu chai lai ban)
09. บ่มีพี่ที่อีสาน (bo mi phi thi isan)
10. รักติ๋มแน่หรือ (rak tim nae rue)
11. กลัวใจไม่จริง (klua chai mai ching)
12. น้องนางบ้านนา (nong nang ban na)
13. อยู่ที่ความพอใจ (yu thi khwam pho chai)
14. ขวัญใจคนเลว (khwan chai khon leo)
15. บั๊มพ์ลำเพลิน (bump lam phloen)
16. เร่รักลำเพลิน (re rak lam phloen)

this week, an upgrade (in lieu of a re-upload request) for a molam-luk thung classic! hongthong dao-udon, as her stage-name suggests, hails from isan's udon thani province. a star of local temple fairs since childhood, she was picked up by luk thung star siphrai chaiphra to join his troupe in bangkok at age 10. she had a number of hits penned by songwriter doi inthanon, toured extensively throughout the country, and even landed some film roles. in the 90's, however, she tragically lost her voice after a thyroid operation. since then, she had been working steadily at regaining it, hosting a popular radio show in her home town meanwhile. unfortunately, following the red shirt protests in 2010, hongthong spent time in prison after being found guilty of incitement to riot through her radio platform. she's long since out, but has effectively retired from the music industry. this cassette features her biggest hits from the late 70s, in lam phloen and luk thung style, with heavy funk and disco influences and brilliant vocal performances. enjoy!

wara worawet: khrueng sai thai banleng, vol. 2

 

 

artist: วราห์ วรเวช / วงเครื่องสาย คณะ วัชรบรรเลง (wara worawet & wong khrueang sai khana watcharabanleng)
album: เครื่องสายไทย บรรเลง ชุดที่ ๒ (khrueng sai thai banleng, vol. 2)
tracklist:
01. ลาวดวงดอกไม้ ; แม่แล้ลำปาง (lao duang dok mai ; mae lae lampang)
02 . ตับ วิวาห์พระสมุทร (คลื่นกระทบฝั่ง ; บังใบ ; แขกสาหร่าย) (tap wiwa phra samut (klueng krathop fang ; bang bai ; khaek sarai))
03. ตับ ขอมดำดิน (เขมรพระประทุม ; เขมรเขาเขียว ; เขมรเป่าใบไม้ ; เขมรเอวบาง) (tap khom dam din (khmer phra prathum ; khmer khao khiao ; khmer pao pai mai ; khmer aeo bang))
04. เพลงประจำคณะวัชรบรรเลง (phleng pracham khana watcharabanleng)
05. น้ำลอดใต้ทราย เถา (nam lot tai sai, thao)
06. ลาวสวยรวย เถา (lao suai ruai, thao)
07. เพลงประจำคณะวัชรบรรเลง (phleng pracham khana watcharabanleng)

5, 6 sung by ยุพา วัชรนาค (yupha watcharanak)

this week, we'll hear our third entry from wara worawet! a physician by profession (graduating from the university of pennsylvania in 1961), mr. wara was also a prolific songwriter (having a number of luk krung and thai sakon-style hits to his name), as well as a leader of the musical association of thailand under patronage of his majesty the king. on this cassette, he tries his hand at the prayuk movement, a trend of "modernizing" thai classical music to appeal to an increasingly globally-minded local audience. in particular, this recording features a khrueang sai phasom or "combined string" ensemble, conducted by suwit bowonwatthana, which i believe features so u and so duang (fiddles), khlui (flute), and percussion plus the cosmopolitan additions of harmonium, khim (chinese-style dulcimer), and violins. the repertoire is mostly popular classical pieces, with a few original compositions. the first side features a pair of interesting medley-style suites on the themes of the ocean (2) and cambodia (3), respectively. the second side includes 2 vocal pieces in thao form featuring singer yupha watcharanak. enjoy!