ekkachai siwichai: mai yak phok mia

artist: เอกชัย ศรีวิชัย (ekkachai siwichai)
album: ไม่อยากพกเมีย (mai yak phok mia)
tracklist:
01. ไม่อยากพกเมีย (mai yak phok mia)
02. เอกชัยหาคู่ (ekkachai ha khu)
03. เดือนเก้าเศร้าใจ (duean kao sao chai)
04. รักพี่สักแต๊ด (rak phi sak taet)
05. ทำได้สนิท (tham dai sanit)
06. ตังเกขาดรัก (tangke khat rak)
07. ทีเดียวสองชื่อ (thi diao song chue)
08. น้ำตาตกใน (nam ta tok nai)
09. พระสุธน 1 (phra sunthon 1)
10. พระสุธน 2 (phra sunthon 2)
11. ไม่บอกไม่รู้นะเนี๊ยะ (mai bok mai ru na nia)
12. กุลาพาจน (kula pha chon)

this week, party-time classics from ekkachai siwichai! a native of nakhon si thammarat, ekkachai is one of the bigger names in the luk thung circle to hail from thailand's south. from temple boy, to shadow-puppet understudy, to bangkok-based star of stage and screen, he's had a storied career. today we'll listen back to his 1999 album, following his return to the south, put out by master tape records. the title track is among his best remembered, but the rest of the album is pretty eclectic and has some great tunes as well. a slight rock tinge is brought to the proceedings by tong thammarat suwanmongkhon from the famed phuea chiwit band khon dan kwian, who helped with the music. enjoy!

mai charoenpura: khwam lap sut khop fa

artist: ใหม่ เจริญปุระ (mai charoenpura)
album: ความลับสุดขอบฟ้า (khwam lap sut khop fa)
tracklist:
01. เสียใจได้ยินไหม (sia chai dai yin mai)
02. เธอรู้หรือเปล่า (thoe ru rue plao)
03. ไม่มีปัญหา (mai mi panha)
04. เสียเวลาจะตายไป (sia wela cha tai pai)
05. สุดฤทธิ์สุดเดช (sut rit sut det)
06. เก็บขยะ (kep khaya)
07. หนักเกินไปแล้ว (nak koen pai laeo)
08. ต่อไปนี้ไม่มีใคร (to pai ni mai mi khrai)
09. ระวังให้ดีเหอะ (rawang hai di hoe)
10. อยากรู้นัก (yak ru nak)
11. ไม่รู้จะหลีกยังไง (mai ru cha lik yang ngai)
12. รักแล้วรักเลย (rak laeo rak loei)

this week, early-90's pop-rock from singer and actor mai charoenpura! born and raised in bangkok, mai was the fourth daughter of famed actor/director surin charoenpura (a.k.a. rut ronnaphop), and half-sister of fellow star sai inthira charoenpura. due to her father's influence, she was always close to the entertainment world growing up. after a few film and television appearances, she entered the music industry in 1989. her sound was notable for often displaying a somewhat harder edge than that of her contemporaries, with blues-rock and hair-metal riffs layered over pop melodies. this album is her third, released in 1992 by mga co., ltd., which sold a record-breaking 2 million copies. production was handled by aphichai yenphunsuk, with si fa (kanlayarat waranawat) co-producing and leading the songwriting efforts, alongside the team at grammy entertainment. enjoy!

carabao: ameri-koi

artist: คาราบาว (carabao)
album: อเมริโกย (ameri-koi)
tracklist:
01. อเมริโกย (ameri-koi)
02. มะโหนก (ถึกควายทุย ภาค 6) (manok (thuek khwai thui, pt. 6))
03. คนจนผู้ยิ่งใหญ่ (khon chon phu ying yai)
04. มาลัย (malai)
05. ข่าวดี (khao di)
06. ตางขโมย (tang khamoi)
07. ซาอุดรฯ (sa-udon)
08. หำเฮี้ยน (ham hian)
09. เฒ่าทะเล (tao thale)
10. แผ่นดิน (phaendin)

sorry for the long absence: i was off for a few weeks touring the west coast of the u.s. (and texas) with my friends in the khun narin sin phin prayuk band. now that we're back, let's start out with a favorite from our time on the road: the biggest thai rock band of all time, carabao! known for the political nature of their songwriting, they have shifted from being socialist upstarts to nationalist reactionaries over the years, but have typically left great music in their wake. today's cassette dates from 1985, following-up on their breakthrough commercial smash from the prior year, "made in thailand", as well as their involvement in the ill-fated "retired officer rebellion". it was also the first to be recorded in their own center stage studio, and marked an expansion of synthesized sounds and production for the group. enjoy!

khana duriyapranit: phleng sip song phasa

artist: คณะ ดุริยประณีต (khana duriyapranit)
album: เพลงสิบสองภาษา (phleng sip song phasa)
tracklist:
01. เทพนิมิตร (thep nimit)
02. ออกเพลงเร็ว (ok phleng raeo)
03. กราวนอก แขกเงาะ จีน (krao nok, khaek ngo, chin)
04. เขมร (khamen)
05. กราวตลุง (krao talung)
06. ลาว (lao)
07. แขก (khaek)
08. มอญ (mon)
09. พม่า (phama)
10. ญวน (yuan)
11. ฝรั่ง (farang)
12. บรเทศ (borathet)

this week, an amazing recording of the thai classical "12 language"-suite! played in the boisterous hard-malleted piphat style, this performance features a range of tunes in different 'accents' (that is, melodies of a foreign origin), not 'languages', per se.. and also not necessarily 'twelve' (a number chosen for auspicious reasons.. this particular recording appears to claim thai, khmer, lao, malay, mon, burmese, vietnamese, and english), and is strongly, but not exclusively, associated with funerary traditions. in the past, performances would occasionally include comic actors miming out ethnic stereotypes associated with said cultures, though this is becoming less common (for obvious reasons). our performers are the illustrious duriyapranit ensemble of ban bang lamphu, led by sutchit duriyapranit [pictured], with vocalists chaeng khlaisithong and somchai thapphon contributing. enjoy!

sri krung brass

artist: ศรีกรุง บราส (sri krung brass)
album: ศรีกรุง บราส (sri krung brass)
tracklist:
01. สร้องแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
02. กระแต (kratae)
03. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)
04. แขกต่อยหมอ (khaek toi mo)
05. แขกมอญ (khaek mon)
06. ไทรโยค (sai yok)
07. เขมรโพธิสัตย์ (khmer phothisat)
08. คลื่นกระทบฝั่ง (khluen krathop fang)
09. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน (lao siang thian)
10. ก่อนสิ้นแสงตะวัน (kon sin saeng tawan)
11. มาลี นารี (mali nari)
12. นางในฝัน (nang nai fan)
13. ใจ (chai)
14. หยาดน้ำฝนหยดน้ำตา (yat nam fon yot nam ta)
15. โอ้ยอดหญิง (oi yot ying)
16. ค่ำแล้ว (kham laeo)
17. ใจบอบช้ำ (chai bop cham)
18. รอความหวัง (ro khwam wang)
19. ร่ายมนต์รัก (rai mon rak)
20. จำวันจาก (cham wan chak)
21. ความรักของฉัน (khwam rak khong chan)

this week, more great thai-international bachelor pad music from the sri krung brass! from what i can piece together about their history, the group was established by narot thawonbut circa 1935 as the house band for sri krung sound film studio, to provide incidental music for the films the studio produced. their membership, including bandleaders, would vary greatly over the years, from narot on to government public relations department band (later suntharaphon) veteran saman kanchanaphalin, and again to korean ex-patriot kangwan chonlakun (a.k.a. mr. charlie kang, born kang chulkoo), who handles the arrangements here. this collection features two of their original long-players combined onto one cassette: the first highlighting thai classical tunes in a "novel style" (where they were co-billed as/with eddy's trumpets team?) and a second revisiting more contemporary luk krung hits, both filtered through a range of cosmopolitan latin and soul influences.. enjoy!

[i must warn you, also, the compilers of this collection have gotten over-ambitious again, and the second side tails out before the final track is finished]

 

fame: khon mai khoei

artist: fame (เฟม)
album: คนไม่เคย (khon mai khoei)
tracklist:
01. คนไม่เคย (khon mai khoei)
02. รู้ทั้งรู้ (ru thang ru)
03. ไม่รักกันจริง (mai rak kan ching)
04. ฟังฉันก่อน (fang chan kon)
05. ไม่เคยพอดี (mai khoei pho di)
06. ชีวิตเราของเรา (chiwit rao khong rao)
07. จบลงที่เดิม (chop long thi doem)
08. ลืมๆ กันไป (luem luem kan pai)
09. คนละอย่าง (khon la yang)
10. ทนเรื่อยไป (thon rueai pai)

this week, late-'80s soft rock from fame! the lads of fame started out in 1987 as a bar band under the name pok shirt. after meeting guitar-ballad maestro itthi phalangkun on a video shoot, they got the invite to join r.s. promotion. with songwriting duties handled by a roster of r.s. hands, itthi produced this, their first album, at jam studio in 1989. their line-up at the time included kraison chamnanwet (pi) on guitar and vocals, nainat chanindet (nat) on keyboards and vocals, thana aksonphan (om) on lead guitar, anuson makaeo (tam) on bass, sorawait buasi (ton) on keyboards, and pinyo charoensathitphong (nueng) on drums. enjoy!

phloen phromdaen: phloen disco chao kao

artist: เพลิน พรหมแดน (phloen phromdaen)
album: เพลิน ดิสโก้ เจ้าเก่า (phloen disco chao kao)
tracklist:
01. กลัวตาย (klua tai)
02. ข่าวสดๆ (khao sot sot)
03. วอนพระอินทร์ (won phra in)
04. ตามใจเอ็งอย่าขัดใจข้า (tam chai eng ya khat chai kha)
05. กำนันผันเงิน (kam nan phan ngoen)
06. กลับบ้าน (klap ban)
07. เมียไม่เอาถ่าน (mia mai ao than)
08. อาตี๋สักมังกร (a ti sak mangkon)
09. อาจารย์ใบ้หวย (achan bai huai)
10. เบียร์คอแมว (beer kho maeo)
11. สร้างมนุษย์ (sang manut)
12. ยิงทิ้ง (ying thing)
13. ใจดำเหมือนกาละแม (chai dam muean kalamae)
14. ฟุตบอลดารา (football dara)
15. คึกลิดคิดลึก (khueklit khit luek)
16. สมัครด่วน (samak duan)
17. ชัยภูมิบ้านพี่ (chaiyaphum ban phi)
18. ลุงพุดหนังเหนียว (lung phut nang niao)
19. ห่วงเมีย (huang mia)
20. ศุกร์เมาเสาร์นอน (suk mao sao non)
21. คนขี้ลืม (khon khi luem)
22. ตาแป๊ะฝัน (ta pae fan)
23. นายรวยผู้พลิกแผ่นดิน (nai ruai phu phlik phaendin)
24. ศึกไอ้แสบ (suek ai saep)
25. หมอแผนใหม่ (mo phaen mai)
26. รักกระโหลกแตก (rak kalok taek)
27. คนโคราช (khon khorat)
28. ศิษย์หนุ่มกับครูสาว (sit num kap khru sao)

earlier this month, we lost another true legend of luk thung music: the incomparable phloen phromdaen. phloen grew up in aranyaprathet on the cambodian border, where he worked on his parents' farm. at age 20, a radio contest win landed him a spot in a local ramwong band. following that stint, he headed for bangkok to join the burgeoning luk thung scene, using his own savings to record original songs. eventually these sessions produced his massive hit "chom thung", which won him a spot among the biggest stars of the era, and even starring roles in several films. he was hugely influential in the luk thung world, being among the first to integrate heavier funk-rock sounds into the genre, introducing "talking music" (songs with comedic spoken interludes), and starting the trend of huge, feathery dance troupes through his wife sakuntala phromsawang's famous cabaret-inspired costumes. this cassette compiles a pair of albums that he recorded for s.o. records, presumably in the late '70s or early '80s. they present his funk hits of the prior decade, rearranged into 4 non-stop disco-style medleys (think: shalamar or stars on 45). he's backed by prayong chuenyen and his group, with arrangements by songkhro samatthaphaphong. enjoy! 

lung naep: 21 kham lung naep talui lok

artist: ลุงแนบ (lung naep)
album: 21 ค่ำ ลุงแนบตะลุยโลก (21 kham lung naep talui lok)
tracklist:
01. 21 ค่ำ ลุงแนบตะลุยโลก ตอน 1 (21 kham lung naep talui lok, pt. 1)
02. 21 ค่ำ ลุงแนบตะลุยโลก ตอน 2 (21 kham lung naep talui lok, pt. 2)

this week, classic isan comedy from lung naep and friends! a founding member of nopphadon duangphon's legendary phet phin thong troupe, lung naep (narong kotsaphon) was not only lead joke-man but also a prolific songwriter behind the scenes, penning many of the hit tunes associated with the band. he was a musician as well, one of the first to introduce the phin into luk thung music via his recordings with samai onwong's band, and apparently was the very person who gave the name "phin" to the instrument formerly known locally as "sung"¹. on this 1989 tape he's joined by an all-star roster of guests, including molam khen dalao, bunpheng faiphiochai, sunthon khangphae, p. suatluat, and saengduean prakaikham, alongside luk thung stars onuma singsiri, atsawin sithong, saksiam phetchomphu, and chinnakon krailat (who also handled the recording at his mangkon thong studio in bangkok). num phuthai (and lung naep himself) take up phin duties, while thongchan sonchai handles the khaen. enjoy!

ruam phleng thai t.v. chut khwan khong riam

artist: various
album: รวมเพลงไทยทีวี ชุด ขวัญของเรียม (ruam phleng thai t.v. chut khwan khong riam)
tracklist:
01. ขวัญของเรียม (khwan khong riam)
sung by นันทวัน เมฆใหญ่ (nanthawan mekyai)
02. สั่งเรียม (sang riam)
sung by กำธร สุวรรณปิยะศิริ + นันทวัน เมฆใหญ่ (kamthon suwanpiyasiri & nanthawan makyai)
03. เคียงเรียม (khiang riam)
sung by กำธร สุวรรณปิยะศิริ (kamthon suwanpiyasiri)
04. ใจสนองใจ (chai sanong chai)
sung by จินตนา สุขสถิตย์ (chintana suksathit)
05. กุหลาบในมือเธอ (kulap nai mue thoe)
sung by ชรินทร์ นันทนาคร (charin nanthanakhon)
06. กุหลาบร่วง (kulap ruang)
sung by นงลักษณ์ โรจนพรรณ (nonglak rotchanaphan)
07. ศรอนงค์ (soranong)
sung by กำธร สุวรรณปิยะศิริ + อารีย์ นักดนตรี (kamthon suwanpiyasiri & ari nakdontri)
08. ขุนพลแก้ว (khunphon kaeo)
sung by มนัส รามโยธิน + หมู่ (manat ramyothin & chorus)
09. มาแก้ว (makaeo)
sung by มนัส รามโยธิน + หมู่ (manat ramyothin & chorus)
10. นางแก้ว (nang kaeo)
sung by หมู่ (chorus)
11. รุ้งสวรรค์ (rung sawan)
sung by นงลักษณ์ โรจนพรรณ (nonglak rotchanaphan)
12. กระแจะจันทร์ (krachae chan)
sung by ฉลอง สิมะเสถียร + อารีย์ นักดนตรี (chalong simasathian & ari nakdontri)
13. แว่วเสียงจำปูน (waeo siang champun)
sung by ฉลอง สิมะเสถียร + สวลี ผกาพันธุ์ (chalong simasathian & sawali phakaphan)
14. รุ่งฤทัย (rung ruethai)
sung by เพ็ญศรี พุ่มชูศรี (phensi phumchusi)
15. หนึ่งในร้อย (nueng nai roi)
sung by สวลี ผกาพันธุ์ (sawali phakaphan)
16. ทานตะวัน (thantawan)
sung by นงลักษณ์ โรจนพรรณ (nonglak rotchanaphan)
17. วิมานรัก (wiman rak)
sung by ฉลอง สิมะเสถียร + นงลักษณ์ โรจนพรรณ (chalong simasathian & nonglak rotchanaphan)
18. จันทร์ลอยฟ้า (chan loi fa)
sung by ฉลอง สิมะเสถียร (chalong simasathian)
19. บ้านทรายทอง (ban sai thong)
sung by สวลี ผกาพันธุ์ (sawali phakaphan)
20. รำพึง (ramphueng)
sung by นันทวัน เมฆใหญ่ (nanthawan mekyai)

this week, nostalgic old tunes from the thai small screen! our selections on this rather functionally-adorned cassette from sermvit stationary & record are compiled from the first decade or so of television in thailand, all broadcast on thai t.v. channel 4 out of bangkhumphrom palace in the early '60s. many of the singers featured here were also the lead actors of the televised lakhon (dramas) whose soundtracks they performed, including "ban sai thong", "phlae kao", "soranong", and more. they were backed, i believe, by the government public relations department band, for that classic luk krung sound.. enjoy!

rungfa kulachai: ok hak ton kae

artist: รุ่งฟ้า กุลาชัย (rungfa kulachai)
album: อกหักตอนแก่ (ok hak ton kae)
tracklist:
01. อกหักตอนแก่ (ok hak ton kae)
02. เมาหนักเพราะรักสาวดา (mao nak phro rak sao da)
03. ดื่มเพื่อลืมเธอ (duem phuea luem thoe)
04. น้องไปเพราะอ้ายจน (nong pai phro ai chon)
05. ลูกเขยออกแสง (luk khoei ok saeng)
06. รักอ้ายลองเบิ่ง (rak ai long boeng)
07. มอบใจให้นาง (mop chai hai nang)
08. รักสาวใต้ (rak sao tai)
09. ผู้หวังดี (phu wang di)
10. ซิ่งสลับสอย (sing salap soi)
11. ลำซิ่งลำสอย (lam sing lam soi)
12. แท็กซี่คนใหม่ (taxi khon mai)

this week, some fantastic molam pop from rungfa kulachai! a native of yasothon, rungfa made his way to bangkok to study at the poh-chang academy of arts, where he helped establish the school's first isan club. his success leading the club's molam group eventually landed him a recording contract, with his earliest works (under the name "rung dao-isan") helmed by producers don chedi (sawat si-udon) and phayung chamchong, backed by samai onwong & his group, and alongside fellow molam banyen rakkaen, pritsana wongsiri, and suprani sisuphat^[1]. he would later go on to be famous for embodying the role of khun phaen from thai literature on stage, with sword and full regalia, earning him the somewhat tongue-twisting title, "khun phon lam phaen, khun phaen lam phloen" (lord of lam phaen, khun phaen of lam phloen). this cassette comes after his earliest era but before his popular heyday, on prasit sukchai's short-lived label p.s. sound.. not too sure about the year or the backing band here, unfortunately. enjoy! 

bai mai hin: alternative

artist: ใบไม้หิน (bai mai hin)
album: alternative
tracklist:
01. ณ ราชดำเนิน (na ratchadamnoen)
02. เหงา (ngao)
03. หงิกส์! (ngik!)
04. มนุษย์ (manut)
05. เพื่อนใหม่ (phuean mai)
06. ใบไม้หิน (bai mai hin)
07. ลูกตำรวจ (luk tamruat)
08. สายน้ำ (sai nam)
09. ตำนานร็อคสองฝั่งโข่ง (tamnan rock song fang khong)
10. มือกลอง (mue klong)

this week, protest rock from the bai mai hin band! recorded for mjax entertainment in 1995, the album centers around a retrospective on the events of 1992's "black may", lamenting the brutal crackdown on anti-military protesters and bemoaning the lack of progress since. not a great deal has been written about this group, but the liner notes give us a good start: the lead songwriter and producer was somphot singsuwan, by that point already an old hand, though known best for his contributions to the luk krung genre, rather than phuea chiwit. the performers, overseen by musical director patiphon hemworanan, included chirawat, withaya and wibun of the panphum family (relatives of alt-rock star maeo chirasak panphum), as well as naruephon phanthong (son of luk thung legend chai mueangsing) and anat phutthamat (who has been featured here before as a luk krung singer). none of these individuals, to my knowledge, had a career in the songs for life genre after this, making it something of an interesting footnote to the movement.. enjoy!

ot & o: rak... wan wan

artist: อ๊อด รณชัย ถมยาปริวัฒน์ + โอ อัจฉรพรรณี หาญณรงค์ (ot ronnachai thomyapariwat & o atcharaphanni hannarong)
album: รัก...หวาน หวาน (rak... wan wan)
tracklist:
01. วนาสวาท (wana sawat)
02. ปาริชาด (parichat)
03. ขวัญ-เรียม (khwan-riam)
04. ธารน้ำรัก (than nam rak)
05. น้ำใจรัก (nam chai rak)
06. เรือรัก (ruea rak)
07. สัญญา (sanya)
08. สองใจเรา (song chai rao)
09. เพื่อน (phuean)
10. ขวัญ-เรียม [บรรเลง] (khwan-riam [instrumental])
 
this week, some sweet bangkok oldies with ot & o! ronnachai thomyapariwat (ot) was the front-man of khiribun, a star band of the early r.s. sound roster. atcharaphanni hannarong (o), was a label-mate of ot's at r.s., one third of the vocal trio puifai. in 1987, the two came together to try their hand at some luk krung classics on an album called "phlae kao". this cassette from the following year is a second helping of the same: retro city-music selections re-scored by impossibles' alum prachin songphao & co. with lush orchestration and synth backing. enjoy!

 

em oradi: luk isan

artist: เอม อรดี (em oradi)
album: ลูกอิสาน (luk isan)
tracklist:
01. ลูกอิสาน (luk isan)
02. หนีความจำเป็น (ni khwam cham pen)
03. เดินไปเดินมา (doen pai doen ma)
04. รักเมืองไทย (rak mueang thai)
05. คนขี่ควาย (khon khi khwai)
06. หลอกเด็ก (lok dek)
07. ก. เอ๋ย ก. ไก่ (k. oei k. kai)
08. คนอิสาน (khon isan)
09. คนเมา (khon mao)
10. ราคาคุย (rakha khui)

a very cool tape today, and a bit of a mystery: i can't find any info about singer em oradi online, and no one i asked was familiar with her at all! i can tell you a few things though, thanks to the liners: this 1989 cassette was produced by phanom nopphon under his nopphon promotion & picture co., ltd. (a precursor to nopphon silver gold co., ltd.) with music by a. num phuthai and songwriting from cho. khamcha-i and prasit nakhonphanom. the sound is classic isan-themed late-'80s luk thung, with some double-tracked vocals that to me recall honey si-isan or early chintara phunlap and a range of interesting synthesizer sounds alongside a live band. if anyone knows more about our singer, please let me know.. in the meantime, enjoy! 

 

update: the experts at mohlum museum "หมอลำสัมมะปิ" have confirmed that this is in fact an early recording from the singer better known as เอม อภัสรา (em aphatsara)!

phleng khorat sing prayuk, vol. 2

artists: various
album: เพลงโคราชซิ่งประยุกต์ ชุดที่ 2 (phleng khorat sing prayuk, vol. 2)
tracklist:
01. รักน้องหนู (rak nong nu)
02. เต่ากระดองโต (tao kradong to)
03. นกกำพรักหาคู่ (nok kamphrak ha khu)
04. เฒ่าหัวงู (tao hua ngu)
05. ยาวจ้า (yao cha)
06. กลัวไม่ยาว (klua mai yao)
07. คนเฒ่าชอบสาวกระเทิน (khon tao chop sao krathoen)
08. สาวกระเทินเขินคนเฒ่า (sao krathoen khoen khon tao)
09. รักคนฟัง (rak khon fang)
10. หัวพะไลใต้ดิน (hua phalai tai din)
11. ห่มนางแทนผ้านวม (hom nang thaen phan nuam)
12. เปิดถ้ำคลำเธอ (poet tham khlam thoe)

1, 3, 5, 7 sung by ยาว พวงระย้า (yao phuang-raya)
2, 4. 6, 8, 9, 11 sung by แสงดาว หนองกระทุ่ม (saengdao nongkrathun)
10, 12 sung by สุระพลน้อย ลำปลายมาศ (suraphon-noi lamplaimat)

this week, only the second tape of phleng khorat to be featured here so far! our mo phleng today are yao phuang-raya, saengdao nongkrathum, and suraphon-noi lamplaimat. sadly, i couldn't find info on any of these performers, but their genre, phleng khorat, is local to nakhon ratchasima province. as its geographic origin may suggest, it sounds somewhere between the northeastern/lao molam and central thai lam tat, choi, or other traditional repartee styles. while often performed without instrumental accompaniment in its boran form, this tape features the sing prayuk style, and so is replete with 1997-era country-style production hallmarks, handled by chaloemchai banthaophit, khrongsak suanpom, and sanong siriwan. enjoy!

phaichit aksonnarong: khoi phi

artist: ไพจิตร อักษรณรงค์ (phaichit aksonnarong)
album: คอยพี่ (khoi phi)
tracklist:
01. กุหลาบร่วง (kulap ruang)
featuring วินัย พันธุรักษ์ (winai phanthurak)
02. คอยพี่ (khoi phi)
03. แรมพิศวาส (raem phitsawat)
04. คนจะรักกัน (khon cha rak kan)
05. ผิดที่เกินอภัย (phit thi koen aphai)
06. บ้านของเรา (ban khong rao)
07. ชายเดียวในดวงใจ (chai diao nai duang chai)
08. ถ้าฉันจะรัก (tha chan cha rak)
09. ฤทธิ์กามเทพ (rit kam thep)
10. หนี้มาร (ni man)

this week, '80s luk krung throwbacks from phaichit aksonnarong! miss phaichit, from buriram, had a foot in many somewhat disparate modern thai music scenes: her earliest records were internationally-minded disco-pop string, while her later material, particularly duets with kung kittikhun chiansong, charted super-smoothed-out luk thung country sounds. her mid-period saw collaborations with thierry mekwattana of phuea chiwit veterans carabao, not to mention her marriages to other "songs for life" stars: first nick niranam, and later wisa khanthap. then of course, there's today's tape: a 1985 look back at classics from suntharaphon & co.'s catalog of jazzy urban ballads. the arrangements are by anek rungrueang, and recall the sound of his work for azona contemporary phumphuang duangchan at the time. winai phanthurak from the impossibles helps open the album with a turn on vocals, as well. enjoy!

khana chao thung: pen sot thammai

artist: คณะ ชาวทุ่ง (khana chao thung)
album: เป็นโสดทำไม (pen sot thammai)
tracklist:
01. เป็นโสดทำไม (pen sot thammai)
02. 16 ปีแห่งความหลัง (16 pi haeng khwam lang)
03. หนาวจะตายอยู่แล้ว (nao cha tai yu laeo)
04. ดำเนินจ๋า (damnoen cha)
05. เดือนหงายที่ริมโขง (duean ngai thi rim khong)
06. สวยจริงๆ (suai ching ching)
07. สาวสวนแตง (sao suan taeng)
08. เดือนจ๋า (duean cha)
09. รักน้องไม่มีเงินแต่ง (rak nong mai mi ngoen taeng)
10. แน่ข้างเดียว (nae khang diao)

this week, another unusual discovery that my friend chris chanced upon recently in bangkok! there's not much information about this group online, but a little digging reveals that they were a project of prayong chuenyen, the arranger who crafted the sound of many classic funk-styled luk thung singles. while the backing band here shares that feel, with its steady beats, laid-back basslines and groovy electric piano, the vocals are something completely different. more akin to the university chorus-style recordings of the time, the singers are a large mixed choir, singing in close harmony and employing instrumental emulation (despite not being a cappella). as for the songs on this 1989 cassette, the selections are entirely chosen from the oeuvre of suraphon sombatcharoen, the "king of luk thung". the smooth, blended voices are quite a departure from suraphon's own rough and characterful delivery. hope you'll enjoy!

masae 'sun saengsaeo: chut sun-sur-native 1

artist: มาแซ 'ซุน แซงแซว (masae 'sun saengsaeo)
album: ชุดซุนเซอร์เนทีฟ ๑ (chut sun-sur-native 1)
tracklist:
01. บางนรา (bang nara)
02. มะละกอที่รัก (malako thi rak)
03. วันพรากจาก (wan phrak chak)
04. ชนชั้นคน (chon chan khon)
05. เหมือนบ้าง (muean bang)
06. ดูดดื่ม (dut duem)
07. จะทำอะไรดีก็ไม่รู้เหมือนกัน (cha tham arai di ko mai ru muean kan)
08. ประชาชนผู้มีหนวด (prachachon phu mi nuat)
09. ชายหาดสีขาว (chai hat si khao)
10. มารดาแห่งความมหัศจรรย์ (manda haeng khwam mahasachan)

today, a left-field discovery that my friend chris chanced upon recently in bangkok! masae 'sun saengsaeo a.k.a. surachai songthawonthawi is a wandering poet associated with the phuea chiwit and socially-engaged buddhism circles (see: introductory blurb by none other than sulak sivaraksa!). according to the liner notes, the album's title is a contraction of "surrealist-alternative", a genre designation given by fellow writer wat wanlayangkun. the tracks display a range of influences from psychedelic-/blues-rock to reggae to guitar-&-violin-driven folk tunes (which masae credits to the apache people). the decidedly lo-fi production was handled by aphinan chit-sopha, who got together a band of his students from srinakharinwirot university's songkhla campus (now thaksin university) to back masae. quite an unusual entry, hope you enjoy! 

sonkhiri siprachuap: siang khlui ban na

artist: ศรคีรี ศรีประจวบ (sonkhiri siprachuap)
album: เสียงขลุ่ยบ้านนา (siang khlui ban na)
tracklist:
01. เสียงขลุ่ยบ้านนา (siang khlui ban na)
02. หนาวลมที่เรณู (nao lom thi renu)
03. มนต์รักแม่กลอง (mon rak mae klong)
04. แม่กระท้อนห่อ (mae krathon ho)
05. ทุ่งสานสะเทือน (thung san sathuean)
06. เฝ้าดอกฟ้า (fao dok fa)
07. หนุ่มกระเป๋า (num krapao)
08. เข็ดแล้ว (khet laeo)
09. หนุ่มนา (num na)
10. พระอินทร์เจ้าขา (phra in chao kha)

this week, a second entry of classic luk thung from long-time favorite sonkhiri siprachuap! born and raised in samut songkhram province, sonkhiri left school at a young age to work on his family's coconut palm farm, and later a pineapple plantation down in prachuap khiri khan. between shifts, he would entertain his fellow farmhands by singing the songs of khamron sambunnanon, dreaming of becoming a famous singer. eventually he auditioned for payong mukda's group, but was rejected.. he persisted in his struggle, though, and after many years of performing with a popular local ramwong group, came to the attention of luk thung maestro phaibun butkhan. with the hits of phaibun to propel him, sonkhiri became a huge star throughout the kingdom. sadly, he was killed in a motor accident in 1972, in the middle of a country-wide tour. sonkhiri's sweet, sorrowful voice is remembered fondly still.. his songs feature prominently in pen-ek ratanarueang's 1999 film "rueang talok 69" ("6ixtynin9" or "a funny story about 6 and 9"), wherein his tragic serenades cause the gangsters to break down in tears. enjoy!

bang bang

artist: แบง แบง (bang bang)
album: แบง แบง (bang bang)
tracklist:
01. กามเทพ 2002 (kam thep 2002)
02. อิ๊บไว้คนเดียว (ip wai khon diao)
03. เสียดายสตางค์ (sia dai satang)
04. ไม่เจตนา (mai chetana)
05. เลยตามเลย (loei tam loei)
06. ฮอลิเดย์ (holiday)
07. รักไม่รัก (rak mai rak)
08. i love you
09. รักและเสียใจ (rak lae sia chai)
10. สวัสดี (sawatdi)

this week, some forgotten synth-pop from 90's bangkok! the bang bang band comprises models/actors sutthida han-thanom ("jenny"), parichat thawichat ("sai"), sorawit thanathonkit ("matchang"), and rungrat duangkhwan ("pond"). they were assembled in 1994 for the mega music label by producer phoemsak sapmok (who would later found hit boy band the next for r.s. promotion), seemingly inspired by the formula established by frank farian (founder of boney m. and milli vanilli). the songs were drafted by a team of songwriters and crafted by mononymous studio musicians po and prot on guitar and boy on keyboards, with the rest of the programming handled mostly by producer phoemsak. the music itself also bears the influence of aforementioned farian projects, with their signature reggae-disco-pop sound. apparently, mega music lacked the marketing power to promote the group properly, and today there are only a few reminiscences about them online. are they a long-lost bubblegum classic, or a minor thai pop footnote? you decide!

bualuang chanachai: uai phon isan

artist: บัวหลวง ชนะชัย (bualuang chanachai)
album: อวยพรอิสาน (uai phon isan)
tracklist:
01. อวยพรอิสาน ตอน 1 (uai phon isan, pt. 1)
02. อวยพรอิสาน ตอน 2 (uai phon isan, pt. 2)

this week, an isan blessing from bualuang chanachai! i don't have much info about our reciter other than his role as mokhwan, a specialist in khwan rites. these rituals are performed at important life junctures, such as childbirth, marriage, migration, ordination into the monkhood, and so on. mokhwan are esteemed for their religious knowledge, skilled in both memorization of the chants and improvisation unique to the occasion, and are typically respected, charismatic elders of their community. being that bualuang recorded this album for ratchabut stereo, it seems likely that he was based in the area of ubon ratchathani. if anyone knows more about him, please share!

[please note: there is a bit of distortion to this tape, particularly at the beginning, but most of it is fairly clear]

phuean: thang rak thang kliat

artist: เพื่อน (phuean)
album: ทั้งรักทั้งเกลียด (thang rak thang kliat)
tracklist:
01. ทั้งรักทั้งเกลียด (thang rak thang kliat)
02. สิ่งเดียวสุดท้าย (sing diao sut thai)
03. เหตุใด (het dai)
04. กระดาษใจ (kradat chai)
05. จะจำไว้ (cha cham wai)
06. รู้ทั้งรู้ (ru thang ru)
07. เธอไม่รักทำไมไม่บอก (thoe mai rak thammai mai bok)
08. จริงใจ i love you (ching chai i love you)
09. คน ป.ม. (khon p.m.)
10. เพื่อนฝูง (phuean fung)
11. แบบว่าง่ายๆ (baep wa ngai ngai)
12. รักสักนิด (rak sak nit)

what's better than ringing in the new year with friends?.. the band phuean (friends), that is! phuean were formed in the early '80s at nithithat promotion around an original core of 4 former grand ex' members. these included thanongsak aphonsiri (ed) on piano and sane suppharat (daeng) on trumpet, who stuck around, while a rotating cast of other.. well, friends.. came and went. here those pals include future break-out star vocalist tuangsit riamchinda (kung), plus bunlue opkaeo (pit) on bass, wira chotwichian (tum) on guitar, anuson phatthanakun (daeng) on drums, yongyut phiosuwan (yoi) on saxophone, and udon thapthimto (don) on keyboards. today's 1988 cassette, their fifth album and last before their break-up (although there would be a reunion in 2003), finds them at the top of their game, nailing both the sax-ballads and the pop-rap numbers alike. enjoy!