มนต์รักเพลงไทย

sunday productions, vol. 103: hol pha moung khmer

2012-01-06T23:49:00.000-08:00

artists: various
album: sunday productions, vol. 103; hol pha moung khmer
tracklist:
01. hol pha moung khmer
sung by keammorak sayraymoun
02. shdie sreay kor min phor
sung by keammorak sayraymoun
03. chnam thmie sreay min phor
sung by keammorak sayraymoun
04. chorng touv na noun lorng
sung by meas saly
05. srear khrong chit khnear
sung by molika
06. mom phrie chor
sung by keammorak sayraymoun & keammorak sreaypovkhor
07. songsha khgnom eruy
sung by meas saly & molikaour
08. ouk dog long sneh kom phog cham
sung by keammorak sayraymoun
09. chom reang chun por kashi kor khmer
sung by meas saly
10. chagn neang luk prohok
sung by molika
11. bong khmer phun khmer
sung by meas saly

every now and then, i get requests for certain artists or styles that people are interested in hearing more from. over anything else, i'd say music in the kantruem style is the most requested, so when i came across this album recently (despite it being released across the border in cambodia) i couldn't resist sharing. kantruem is a music associated with the khmer people in the southern edge of thailand's northeast, and much like contemporary molam, modern kantruem is characterized by elements of the minority's folksong superimposed upon thai popular song structure. this album, featuring various singers from phnom penh's "sunday productions" group, is quite good. if you can look past the slick production, there are some very interesting instrumental flourishes (whether from the classic fiddle or the synths), and the whole thing has a great energy that's tough to deny. enjoy!

preview:

phuean: sawatdi pi mai

2012-01-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

artist: เพื่อน (phuean)
album: สวัสดีปีใหม่ (sawatdi pi mai)
tracklist:
01. สวัสดีปีใหม่ (sawatdi pi mai)
02. หยุดใจไว้กับเธอ (yut chai wai kap thoe)
03. รักเนี้ยบๆ (rak niap niap)
04. ป่านฉะนี้ (pan chani)
05. แก้วตา (kaew ta)
06. ใจคนคอย (chai khon khoi)
07. ดูดูดูดูแสนเศร้า (du du du du saen sao)
08. รักบึงเก่า (rak bueng kao)
09. ปุ๊น... ปั๊น (pun... pan)
10. งานวัด (ngan wat)
11. ป้ากะปู่ (pa ka pu)
12. ว้าเหว่ (wa we)
13. พรุ่งนี้ (phrung ni)
14. เพียงเอ่ยคำลา (phiang oei kham la)
15. สักกะติ๊ด (sak ka tit)
16. ผิดนัด (phit nat)
17. ตี๋ดอยตุง (ti doi tung)
18. อะโห... ชีวิต (aho... chiwit)

what better way to ring in the new year than with warm wishes from thailand's most dapper dogs & cats? courtesy of alexandra, we have the album "happy new year!" from a band identified only as "friends" (although individual songwriters are credited within the gatefold) i don't have a great deal to say about this tape that the cover art doesn't say on its own. the music? well, the opportunity to hear a thai take on the characteristically technophilic production values of 1986 might interest some people, but it also might not.. either way, happy 2012!

preview:

sangkhit prayuk: thai classical music

2011-12-08T10:23:00.001-08:00

artist: สังคีตประยุกต์ (sangkhit prayuk)
album: เพลงไทยเดิม (thai classical music)
tracklist:
01. ลาวเจริญศรี (lao charoen si)
02. ลาวกระแซ (lao krasae)
03. ลาวกระทบไม้ (lao krathop mai)
04. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน (lao siang thian)
05. กระแต (kratae)
06. มโนห์รา (manora)
07. แขกต่อยหม้อ (khaek toi mo)
08. จำปาทอง (champa thong)
09. สายสวาท (sai sawat)
10. สร้อยแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
11. เขมรไทรโยค (khmer sai yok)
12. เขมรเป่าใบไม้ (khmer pao bai mai)
13. เสเลเมา (se le mao)
14. บังใบ (bangbai)
15. มอญดูดาว (mon du dao)
16. ทะเลบ้า (thale ba)
17. ลาวดำเนินทราย (lao damnoen sai)
18. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)

this week, "classic goes modern dance"! pleng thai prayuk is an umbrella term for the many attempts, occurring roughly from the 60's until the 80's, to update thai classical & folk melodies with western instruments and song styles. this movement gave birth to shadow prayuk along with any number of modernized versions of molam, lam tat, isaew, etc. this cassette features what i assume to be one of the earlier attempts at such fusion, probably immediately predating the shadow trend. pieces from the classical canon are re-figured into thai-style latin jazz & lounge music settings. unfortunately, i have very little info to share about the ensemble.. though it wouldn't surprise me to learn that either mr. phayong mukda or the suntharaphon collective were involved. enjoy!!

preview:

somprasong phinsayam: phinsayam klom nong

2011-11-10T21:17:00.001-08:00

artist: สมประสงค์ พิณสยาม (somprasong phinsayam)
album: พิณสยามกล่อมน้อง (phinsayam klom nong)
tracklist:
01. ลำแคน (lam khaen)
02. ลายสร้อย (lai soi)
03. สุดสะแนน (sut sanaen)
04. ลาวเจริญศรี (lao charoen si)
05. สร้อยแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
06. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)
07. สุดสงวนนางครวญ (sut sanguan nang khruan)
08. ทะแยมอญ (tha yae mon)
09. แขกขาว (khaek khao)
10. แขกมอญบางขุนพรหม (khaek mon bang khun phrom)

this week, some great phin work from somprasong phinsayam! the plucked lute is a vital part of isaan's folk music tradition.. to most listeners, the instrument is instantly evocative of the region and its inclusion is unavoidable in any isaan-styled pop music. today's tape features a complete unknown, mr. somprasong, doing runs through the thai/lao classical canon. despite the showmanship implicit in the double-headed phin on the gate-fold photo, this tape is largely without the sort of virtuoso shredding that we've come to associate with the phin. nonetheless, mr. somprasong is a competent instrumentalist, and his acoustic phin work with light organ & click-track backing is quite nice. hope you enjoy!

preview:

banyen kaewsiangthong + phensi phongsi

2011-10-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

artist: บัญเย็น แก้วเสียงทอง + เพ็ญศรี ผ่องศรี (banyen kaewsiangthong + phensi phongsi)
album: คู่ขวัญ ซอเงินล้าน ชุด 4 (khu khwan so ngoen lan, vol. 4)
tracklist:
01. ผัวก๊ายเมีย (phua kai mia)
02. ฮักอย่าฮู้ก๊าย (hak ya hu kai)
03. คนซึงตึง (khon sueng tueng)
04. นางงามตกรอบ (nang ngam tok rop)
05. บ่าวเฒ่าง๋อมใจ (bao thao ngom chai)
06. เสี่ยงดวง (siang duang)
07. เมียหาย (mia hai)
08. หัวอกแม่ค้า (hua ok mae kha)
09. ยิ่งแก่ยิ่งมัน (ying kae ying man)
10. น้ำตาตกใน (nam ta tok nai)

some great northern songs this week, brought to us by the fantastic duo of banyen kaewsiangthong & phensi phongsi! we have heard from phensi here before.. she and banyen are probably the two biggest names in chiang mai-style thai country song. they sing to a standard early 90's sax & synth-driven molam luk thung with influences from local lanna culture; melodic sensibilities and lyrics evocative of the region, sprinkled with words from the local kham mueang language. very nice and rather unique sound, hope you enjoy!!

preview:

phraiwan lukphet: sao ban na thi na rak

2011-10-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

artist: ไพรวัลย์ ลูกเพชร (phraiwan lukphet)
album: สาวบ้านนาที่น่ารัก (sao ban na thi na rak)
tracklist:
01. สาวบ้านนาที่น่ารัก (sao ban na thi na rak)
02. กลิ่นธูปควันเทียน (klin thup khwan thian)
03. สุดจาบัลย์ (sut chaban)
04. หน้าฝนอันแสนเศร้า (na fon an saen sao)
05. รักเธอ รักเธอ (rak thoe rak thoe)
06. เหมันต์ครวญ (heman khruan)
07. แผ่นดินไทย (phaen din thai)
08. เพลงรักเพลงคิดถึง (pleng rak pleng khit thueng)
09. ไร้ญาติเมื่อขาดเงิน (rai yat muea khat ngoen)
10. ลูก (luk)
11. เห็นใจแล้ว (hen chai laeo)
12. ห้ามใจรักไม่ได้ (ham chai rak mai dai)
13. บ่รักไผเท่านาง (bo rak phai thao nang)
14. คิดถึงอารีดัง (khit thueng aridang)
15. ข้าวคอยเคียว (khao khoi khieow)
16. เทพีของผม (thephi khong phom)
17. คาถารัก (khatha rak)

this week, another outstanding album from one of my favorite singers, mr. phraiwan lukphet! born in phetchaburi province, phraiwan was sent by his parents at an early age to join a local liké theatre troupe, but it was the world of popular music which called to him, and in time he left to join somphong wongrakthai's "bangkok cha cha cha" band. after this group dissolved, phraiwan was entrusted to suraphon sombatcharoen, in whose company he recorded his earliest hits (collected here). eventually he left suraphon's collective to persue a solo venture and with the aid of songwriter phaibun butkhan won massive reknown. his singing resonated through the film world especially, where he provided themes to many of the biggest motion pictures, two of which (mon rak luk thung and phlae kao) have been featured on this site. please enjoy the slow sweet sounds of phraiwan lukphet!!

preview:

khana phet ubon: sai naen na kaen

2011-09-17T21:09:00.000-07:00

artist: คณะ เพชรอุบล (khana phet ubon)
abum: สายแนน นาแก่น (sai naen na kaen)
tracklist:
01. สายแนน นาแก่น ตอน 1 (sai naen na kaen, pt. 1)
02. สายแนน นาแก่น ตอน 1 (sai naen na kaen, pt. 2)

this week, a great album featuring the players of khana phet ubon! led by molam chalatnoi songsoem, the group is rounded out by leading lady chomsawai saenthawisuk & the lesser-known duangchannoi chianklon, all capable lam practitioners from ubon ratchathani province. this is an album of lam in strict voice & khaen configuration... the style featured is lam rueang to klon, a traditionally theatrical genre where the emphasis is on storytelling. needless to say, the story itself will be lost on non-isaan speakers (myself included).. but the music & voices should have little trouble holding the fascination of those unable to comprehend the words. enjoy!!

preview:

phongsi woranut: khon sut thai

2011-09-03T18:27:00.000-07:00

artist: ผ่องศรี วรนุช (phongsi woranut)
album: คนสุดท้าย (khon sut thai)
tracklist:
01. คนสุดท้าย (khon sut thai)
02. บาร์หัวใจ (bar hua chai)
03. ฝากดิน (fak din)
04. ผิดหวังยังคอย (phit wang yang khoi)
05. ชั่วโมงสุดท้าย (chua mong su thai)
06. หญิงขายตัว (ying khai tua)
07. ปัญหาหัวใจ (panha hua chai)
08. น้องเป็นคนรักที่เท่าไหร่ (nong pen khon rak thi thao rai)
09. รักจ๋ารัก (rak cha rak)
10. คนเลวที่ฉันรัก (khon leo thi chan rak)
11. คนสำรอง (khon samrong)
12. น้ำตาหยดสุดท้าย (nam ta yot sut thai)

hope everyone will forgive the length between posts; due to a massive hard drive failure, the blog was out of commission for a little while.. but after a month's absence, all has been recovered and we're ready to go! to make up for time lost, let's get back into things with a real gem from the incomparable phongsi woranut! if you're a regular here, you probably know of phongsi by now; luk thung's first female star and rival to the genre's king, suraphon sombatcharoen. this album is from a bit later in her career (the 1970's, i think), and features one of her most beautiful and enduring singles, "fak din" (track 3). while the brass-laden ballads may be light of atmosphere, the subject matter of these songs is heavy; the lyrics tell tales of death, prostitution and love gone wrong. classic luk thung from an timeless star.. enjoy!

preview:

khana kaeotalai: so ham nam thuam wang lung

2011-07-27T09:22:00.000-07:00

artist: คณะ แก้วตาไหล (khana kaeotalai)
album: ซอฮ่ำน้ำท่วมวังลุง (so ham nam thuam wang lung)
tracklist:
01. ซอฮ่ำน้ำท่วมวังลุง (so ham nam thuam wang lung)
02. ซอปอยเข้าสังข์ (so poi khao sang)

this week, kaeotalai nonglong & his ensemble bring us some beautiful sounds of lanna! alexandra picked this one up for me on one of her trips to the north, and it's almost certainly my favorite recording of northern thai folk music. the recording is very intimate & raw; alot more engaging than much of the over-produced lanna music on the market. mr. kaeotalai (a.k.a. talai kanthachan) is from lamphun province and leads his ensemble on so fiddle & vocals. he is joined on side two by fellow singer ms. buanchan lintong, and together they are supported by a pi koy (small free-reed flute) and sueng (northern-style lute). a really exceptional recording, hope you enjoy!

preview:

sabaithong phaophuri: lam phloen choen mong

2011-07-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

artist: สะใบทอง เผ่าภูรี (sabaithong phaophuri)
album: ลำเพลินเชิญมอง (lam phloen choen mong)
tracklist:
01. ลำเพลินรำวงสลับเกี้ยว (lam phloen ramwong salap kieow)
02. ลำเพลินพี่อย่าแสนงาน (lam phloen phi ya saen ngan)
03. ลำเพลินคอยอ้าย (lam phloen khoi ai)
04. ลำเพลินเดินนิทาน (lam phloen doen nithan)
05. ลำเพลินอวยพรทาน (lam phloen uai phon than)
06. ลำล่องยาวข่าวทหาร (lam long yao khao thahan)
07. ลำเพลินเชิญมอง (lam phloen choen mong)
08. ลำเพลินเตือนคนขี้เมา (lam phloen tuean khon khi mao)
09. ลำเพลินเชิญชวน (lam phloen choen chuan)
10. ลำเพลินร้องเกี้ยวอาลัยรัก (lam phloen rong kieow alai rak)
11. ลำเพลินเตือนทหารไทย (lam phloen tuean thahan thai)
12. ลำเพลินชวนสามัคคี (lam phloen chuan samakkhi)
13. ลำเพลินฮักอ้ายคนเดียว (lam phloen hak ai khon dieow)
14. ลำเพลินรักไม่สมหวัง (lam phloen rak mai som wang)
15. ลำกลอนเงาะป่ารจนา (lam klon ngo pa rotchana)
16. ลำเพลินเอิ้นอ้าน (lam phloen oen an)
17. ลำเพลินฮักอ้ายแต่ยังเด็ก (lam phloen hak ai tae yang dek)
18. ลำล่องสวรรค์เมืองไทย (lam long sawan mueang thai)

this week, fantastic molam sounds from sabaithong phaophuri! i really haven't been able to find out much at all about ms. sabaithong (although 3 of her songs appear on vol. 1 of sublime frequencies' molam: thai country groove from isan). but what more do you need to know, besides that this tape is full of great, lo-fi, roots-rock molam? long, improvisatory khaen solos, overdriven hand drums & finger cymbals and isan's trademark basslines all come together in a flurry of musical activity beneath sabaithong's capable lam recitations... enjoy! (and if you know anything about our singer, please share!)

preview:

chai mueangsing: sing thao khao wongkan

2011-06-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

artist: ชาย เมืองสิงห์ (chai mueangsing)
album: สิงห์เฒ่าเข้าวงการ (sing thao khao wongkan)
tracklist:
01. สิงห์เฒ่าเข้าวงการ (sing thao khao wongkan)
02. ป. 4 ได้ขี่เครื่อง (p. 4 dai khi khrueang)
03. นั่งเครื่องไปซาอุ (nang khrueang pai sa u)
04. ลาแฟนไปแดนทราย (la faen pai daen sai)
05. เต็งซื้อรถโต๊ดซื้อดร๊าฟท์ (teng sue rot, tot sue draft)
06. พี่กลับจากนอก (phi klap chak nok)
07. รวยไม่ทนจนนาน (ruai mai thon chon nan)
08. หัวดีไม่มีเงิน (hua di mai mi ngoen)
09. เหล้าเปลี่ยนคน (lao plian khon)
10. รักจมที่พรหมพิราม (rak chom thi phrom phiram)

this week, a very special late-period album from the "man city lion"; luk thung veteran chai mueangsing! as the cover states, chai dedicates this particular cassette to "the hard-working thai people in saudi arabia", and as such, the lyrics are mostly devoted to external migration and the resulting pains of separation. as discussed here earlier, saudi arabia was a major destination for thai migrants in the 80's, until the blue diamond affair soured relations between the two countries. in addition to the lyrical content, the music features a few middle eastern flourishes... and of course there's the cover, with chai's face pasted onto king faid's bust. enjoy!

preview:

wiwa pha fan (o.s.t.)

2011-06-04T16:53:00.000-07:00

artist: various
album: วิวาห์พาฝัน (wiwa pha fan)
tracklist:
01. วิวาห์พาฝัน (wiwa pha fan)
sung by สวลี ผกาพันธุ์ (sawali phakaphan)
02. เลิกสุรา (loek sura)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + รุจน์ รณภพ (sombat methani & rut ronphop)
03. ชีวิตใหม่ (chiwit mai)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + อรัญญา นามวงศ์ (sombat methani & aranya namwong)
04. ปักษีสู่รัง (paksi su rang)
sung by อรัญญา นามวงศ์ (aranya namwong)
05. อยากจะดู (yak cha du)
sung by สุดา ชื่นบาน + อดุลย์ กรีน (suda chuenban & adun green)
06. ทหารผ่านศึก (thahan phan suek)
sung by สังข์ทอง สีใส (sangthong sisai)
07. ไทยเขียว (thai khieow)
sung by นพดล ดวงพร (nophadon duangphon)
08. แม้เพียงหนึ่งนาที (mae phiang nueng nathi)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + อรัญญา นามวงศ์ (sombat methani & aranya namwong)
09. ไม่ต้องมาพูดกัน (mai tong ma phut kan)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี, อรัญญา นามวงศ์ + รุจน์ รณภพ (sombat methani, aranya namwong & rut ronphop)
10. ฉันไม่ง้อ (chan mai ngo)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + รุจน์ รณภพ (sombat methani & rut ronphop)
11. ง้องอน (ngo ngon)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี (sombat methani)
12. ต้องคิด (tong khit)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + รุจน์ รณภพ (sombat methani & rut ronphop)
13. โจร (chon)
sung by พร ภิรมย์ (phon phirom)
14. สื่อรักจากสวรรค์ (sue rak chak sawan)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + อรัญญา นามวงศ์ (sombat methani & aranya namwong)

this week's post comes courtesy of bangkok's dj maft sai, the world's foremost representative of vintage thai funk! together with chris menist, he hosts the bi-annual "paradise bangkok" & bi-monthly "isan dancehall" events in thailand & japan. the duo also helped put together the fantastic compilations the sound of siam (on soundway) and thai? dai! (on finder's keepers). stop by the zudrangma records store in bangkok, or visit the webstore from anywhere!

our album today is the soundtrack to the film "wiwa pha fan", a 1971 star vehicle for sombat methani & aranya namwong. i'm not sure whether the film can be seen these days (i've never spotted any vcd's floating around), but i think the soundtrack was the most memorable aspect, anyhow. the song selection is quite eclectic, featuring an oddball liké-style comic number from the inimitable sangthong sisai, a heavy cha cha cha from suda chuenban & adun green, a great isan luk thung romp from nophadon duangphon and a rare rock'n'roll offering from the (typically) traditionally-minded phon phirom, alongside a bunch of slightly less interesting numbers from the film's stars. enjoy!!

preview:

monruedi phromchak: khoi rak chak singapore

2011-05-27T00:24:00.001-07:00

artist: มลฤดี พรหมจักร (monruedi phromchak)
album: คอยรักจากสิงคโปร์ (khoi rak chak singapore)
tracklist:
01. คอยรักจากสิงคโปร์ (khoi rak chak singapore)
02. เมาเหล้าอย่าเมารัก (mao lao ya mao rak)
03. น้องบ่เสียใจอ้ายบ่าวสกล (nong bo sia chai ai bao sakon)
04. ตามตื้อบ่าวภูไทย (tam tue bao phu thai)
05. วอนพระคุณ (won phra khun)
06. หมายรัก (mai rak)
07. ชีวิตจำเป็น (chiwit cham pen)
08. สาวนครคอยคู่ (sao nakhon khoi khu)
09. กลับนาลากรุง (klap na la krung)
10. ชีวิตมลฤดี (chiwit monruedi)
11. อกหักรักทหาร (ok hak rak thahan)
12. รักครูหนูอกหัก (rak khru nu ok hak)

this week, more fantastic lam from ms. monruedi phromchak! i don't know alot about monruedi's background, though i believe she's currently a lecturer for the office of culture at khon kaen university. she's well known for her skill in lam phu tai, a unique style of lam associated with the phu tai ethnic group of thailand & laos, which can be pretty difficult to find in commercial recordings. this album is made up primarily of lam tang wai, but also features a few lam phu thai and a couple of the more mainstream lam phloen. the recordings here are more electronic than the previous album of her's i've posted, adding a drum machine over the traditional cymbal clashing and sax & keyboard over the khaen & phin. enjoy!!

preview:

chatri sichon: samak rak samak faen

2011-05-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

artist: ชาตรี ศรีชล (chatri sichon)
album: สมัครรักสมัครแฟน (samak rak samak faen)
tracklist:
01. สมัครรักสมัครแฟน (samak rak samak faen)
02. สมัครรักไม่จริง (samak rak mai ching)
sung by วันเพ็ญ เดือนสิบสอง (wanphen dueansipsong)
03. ช้ำรักจากเมืองชล (cham rak chak mueang chon)
04. รักหรือเปล่า (rak rue plao)
05. รอไม่ไหว (ro mai wai)
06. บัวหลวง (bua luang)
07. ออกพรรษา (ok phansa)
08. มะลิไกล มาลัยชัง (mali klai malai chang)
09. งามงอน (ngam ngon)
10. เมารัก (mao rak)
sung by ดำ แดนสุพรรณ (dam daensuphan)
11. หัวใจลอยลม (hua chai loi lom)
sung by วันเพ็ญ เดือนสิบสอง (wanphen dueansipsong)
12. ฮักอ้ายข้างเดียว (hak ai khang dieow)
sung by วันเพ็ญ เดือนสิบสอง (wanphen dueansipsong)

after last week's re-post, i figured this week it'd be good to bring out some new sounds from chatri for everyone! as told previously, chatri, from chonburi, got his start in samniang muangthong's ruam daokrachai band, but left to help suraphon's wife sinuan rehabilitate the sombatcharoen band (primarily as a songwriter) after the star's death in 1968. within a year he had founded his own band & cut his first records. this album features those early tracks, alongside some answer & duel songs from wanphen dueansipsong & dam daensuphan. while the sounds here are more straightforward luk thung than last week, the wheezing accordions, strange entrancing rhythms & chatri's rough-cut vocals make it a standout for me. enjoy!!

preview:

chatri sichon: chom nang

2011-05-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

artist: ชาตรี ศรีชล (chatri sichon)
album: โฉมนาง (chom nang)
tracklist:
01. โฉมนาง (chom nang)
02. ธรณีชีวิต (thorani chiwit)
featuring ยุพิน แพรทอง (yuphin phraethong)
03. มารักกันเถิด (ma rak kan thoet)
04. อย่ามาหลอกฉัน (ya ma lok chan)
sung by ยุพิน แพรทอง (yuphin phraethong)
05. คงเป็นแฟนคุณ (khong pen faen khun)
06. ผลกรรม (phonkam)
07. ดนตรี (instrumental)
08. มนต์เสียงเพลง (mon siang phleng)
featuring ยุพิน แพรทอง (yuphin phraethong)
09. อนุภาพรัก (anuphap rak)
sung by ยุพิน แพรทอง (yuphin phraethong)
10. สวรรค์บนดิน (sawan bon din)
sung by ยุพิน แพรทอง (yuphin phraethong)
11. คนจนไม่ดีเด่น (khon chon mai di den)
12. สาวอาปาเช่ (sao "apache")
13. คนจนคนจร (khon chon khon chon)

i've posted this tape before (post no. 6, to be precise!), but it's so good, and i've learned so much since about the history behind it, that i feel it warrants a re-posting. chatri, from chonburi, got his start in samniang muangthong's ruam daokrachai band, but left to help suraphon's wife sinuan rehabilitate the sombatcharoen band (primarily as a songwriter) after the star's death in 1968. within a year he had founded his own band & cut his first records. in 1970, he was contracted by isaan songwriter surin phaksiri for a new sort of project... if i have my story right, her majesty queen sirikit had recently attended a screening of a hindi film in bangkok, and her glowing review seemed ready to start a bollywood craze in the kingdom. as was standard for film imports, the hindi dialogues would be dubbed into thai, but considering the musical nature of indian films the decision was made to dub the songs as well, and local luk thung stars were hired to do the job. big names like phraiwan lukphet, riam daranoi, buppha saichon & others all tried their hands at singing playback. the filmi selections on this album are dubs from c.v. sridhar's "dharti", composed by the shankar-jaikishan team, and feature chatri on the male parts (originally mohd. rafi) and yuphin phraethong doing the female (originally lata mangeshkar & asha bhosle). tacked on are some of chatri's great luk thung singles from the same period.. enjoy!

preview:

khamron sambunnanon: khon ba kancha

2011-04-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

artist: คำรณ สัมบุญณานนท์ (khamron sambunnanon)
album: คนบ้ากัญชา (khon ba kancha)
tracklist:
01. หวยใต้ดิน (huai tai din)
02. คนบ้ากัญชา (khon ba kancha)
03. กระท่อมกัญชา (krathom kancha)
04. คนบ้าจี้ (khon ba chi)
05. เศรษฐีเงินถัง (sethi ngoen thang)
06. คนไม่รักดี (khon mai rak di)
07. จะไล่พี่ไปถึงไหน (cha lai phi pai thueng nai)
08. คำสั่งของพ่อ (kham sang khong pho)
09. สายลมโชย (sai lom choi)
10. ชีวิตคนเครื่องไฟ (chiwit khon khrueang fai)
11. ชีวิตครู (chiwit khru)
12. คนขายยา (khon khai ya)
13. ชีวิตช่างตัดผม (chiwit chang tat phom)
14. คนรอบกรุง (khon rop krung)
15. ลุงเชยชอบใจ (lung choei chop chai)
16. นางฟ้าในฝัน (nang fa nai fan)

while a non-smoker myself, i've had this tape ready to go for a while, and the coincidence of today's would-be holiday seemed difficult to resist; so here we have it... mr. khamron sambunnanon, singing the songs of the "ganja madman"! khamron is considered by many to be the very first singer of luk thung, with his recording of hem wechakon's "chao sao chao rai" dating from 1938, and many of the great luk thung stars of the 60's & 70's fondly recall listening to khamron's songs during their formative years. his lyrics were the earliest examples of thai pop music to feature tales of common people; farmers, day laborers, and even more marginal figures like gamblers, vagrants, outlaws and drug addicts. great old sounds (and even some yodeling on side 2)... hope you enjoy!!

preview:

hit ngan phleng chut phiset chak 12 silapin indies doi onpa

2011-04-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

artist: various
album: hit งานเพลงชุดพิเศษจาก 12 ศิลปิน indies โดย onpa (hit ngan phleng chut phiset chak 12 silapin indies doi onpa)
tracklist:
01. ยืนยัน (yuen yan)
by blackhead
02. คำตอบ (kham top)
by นครินทร์ กิ่งศักดิ์ (nakharin kingsak)
03. รักเธอ (rak thoe)
by ford
04. จากกันด้วยดี (chan kan duai di)
by byrd & heart
05. อยากบอกให้รู้ (yak bok hai ru)
by isn't
06. นานเหลือเกิน (nan luea koen)
by อัยย์ (ai)
07. บุษบา (butsaba)
by moderndog
08. 2 ทาง (2 thang)
by the must
09. เพราะฉันมีเพียงเธอ (phro chan mi phiang thoe)
by proud
10. หัวปัก หัวปำ (hua pak hua pam)
by holly berry
11. เธอน่ารัก (thoe na rak)
by สี่เต่าเธอ (si tao thoe)
12. ร่ำลา (ram la)
by t.n.t.

this week, a classic entry in the thai indie rock catalog! judging by the surfeit of copies filling the second-hand bins of the capital city, i imagine this tape was in the deck of every hip bangkok teen, circa 1995. the sounds presented here may not be what most consider "indie rock" (whatever it is we do consider it), but with industry giant sony given equal standing with bona-fide (at the time) independent labels like bakery music, it seems the thai notion of "indie" is at least as inconsistent as it is elsewhere. stylistically, you have everything from 90's alt-rock/grunge (blackhead, moderndog) to smooth, m.o.r.ish ballads (ford, byrd & heart), and then stuff closer to the jangly international ideal of indie rock (holly berry, si tao thoe). enjoy!

preview:

num'ek chetsada: lae kam mueang fang muan muan

2011-04-06T14:25:00.001-07:00

artist: หนุ่มเอก เจษฎา (num'ek chetsada)
album: แหล่กำเมืองฟังม่วนๆ (lae kam mueang fang muan muan)
tracklist:
01. แหล่กำเมืองฟังม่วนๆ ตอน 1 (lae kam mueang fang muan muan, pt. 1)
02. แหล่กำเมืองฟังม่วนๆ ตอน 2 (lae kam mueang fang muan muan, pt. 2)

something out of the ordinary this week; northern-style party music from the late nineties! i don't know anything about num'ek chetsada, other than that he comes from northern thailand, chiang mai most likely. his singing is influenced by lae, the central thai luk thung sub-genre which in turn is derived from isan-style thet lae sermonizing.. num'ek mixes in bits of the northern thai dialect to inject some local pride into the proceedings. the music in the background is of the synth-heavy drum machine mega-mix style popular around the time of the recording (1997). enjoy!

preview:

hongthong dao'udon: phu chai saraphat phit

2011-03-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

artist: หงษ์ทอง ดาวอุดร (hongthong dao'udon)
album: ผู้ชายสารพัดพิษ (phu chai saraphat phit)
tracklist:
01. ผู้ชายสารพัดพิษ (phu chai saraphat phit)
02. ไม่มีน้ำตาจากเสี่ยว (mai mi nam ta chak sieow)
03. กางเกงยีนส์แห่งความหลัง (kangkeng "jeans" haeng khwam lang)
04. พบกันที่ไหนดี (phop kan thi nai di)
05. สาวอีสานรอพี่ (sao isan ro phi)
06. น้ำจิ้มปลาร้า (nam chim pla ra)
07. รักหนุ่มก่อสร้าง (rak num ko sang)
08. ตลุงลำเพลิน (talung lam phloen)
09. นอนร้องไห้ (non ronghai)
10. สาวอุดร (sao udon)

this week, some far-out molam luk thung pop sounds from hongthong dao'udon! hongthong, as her stage-name suggests, hails from isaan'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, and toured extensively throughout the country... her repetoire was quite remarkable; she could easily swing from string-inflected disco to traditional northeastern lam, but in the 90's, she tragically lost her voice after a thyroid operation. since then, she has been working steadily at regaining it, and hosting a popular radio show in udon thani meanwhile. sadly, as doug from wfmu alerted me, ms. hongthong was recently sentenced to spend a year and 4 months in jail for her involvement with the red shirt movement, after allegedly mobilizing protesters through her radio platform. best wishes to the poor lady! and be sure to check out another fantastic album of her's over at gojira's stereomono blog!

preview:

the impossibles medley

2011-03-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

artist: ดิอิมพอสซิเบิ้ล (the impossibles)
album: เมดเล่ย์ดิอิมพอสซิเบิ้ล (the impossibles medley)
tracklist:
01. เมดเล่ย์ดิอิมพอสซิเบิ้ล (the impossibles medley)
02. เห็นแล้วหิว (hen laeo hiw)
03. แพ้ผิวขาว (phae phiw khao)
04. ผมไม่วุ่น (phom mai wun)
05. มาจู๋จี๋กันไหม (ma chuchi kan mai)
06. คนใจแข็ง (khon chai khaeng)
07. คนผ่านโลก (khon phan lok)
08. ไม่รังเกียจ (mai rang kiat)
09. ไฟไหม้เชื้อ (fai mai chuea)
10. โลกแสนเซ็ง (lok saen seng)
11. รอวันฤกษ์ดี (ro wan roekdi)
12. รอวันสุขใจ (ro wan suk chai)
13. แค่คำลา (khae kham la)
14. หัวใจใบอ้อ (hua chai bai o)
15. หลอกให้คอย (lok hai khoi)
16. เหมือนใจจะขาด (muean chai cha khat)
17. ทอดสะพานให้ซิ (thot saphan hai si)
18. รักไม่รักก็เศร้าเท้ากัน (rak mai rak ko sao thao kan)
19. รักที่แลกด้วยน้ำตา (rak thi laek duai nam ta)

this week, a great tape from the supreme stars of thai string music, the impossibles! although best known to international listeners for their solid funk stylings, in thailand the impossibles are just as fondly remembered for their mellower side. you might call the band's specialty "import substitution", as they rely somewhat on hooks borrowed from china, japan, america or the u.k.. some of their ballads can be a bit bland for my taste, but i feel like this album strikes a nice balance; while the bulk of the tunes are slower ones, the band still shows some muscle in the background, with some great drum breaks and rhodes piano work. please excuse the somewhat muddy sound on the 'a' side, and enjoy!

preview:

p. chalatnoi: lam chut suan sanuk thung kula

2011-03-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

artist: ป. ฉลาดน้อย (p. chalatnoi)
album: ลำชุดสวนสนุกทุ่งกุลา (lam chut suan sanuk thung kula)
tracklist:
01. ลำชุดสวนสนุกทุ่งกุลา (lam chut suan sanuk thung kula)
02. ลำล่องเงินไทยมีค่า (lam long ngoen thai mi kha)
03. ป.ฉลาดล่องอีสาน (p. chalat long isan)
04. ลำล่องสาวลืมถิ่นเชียง (lam long sao luem thin chiang)
05. ลำล่องหาเมียให้เลือก (lam long ha mia hai lueak)
06. ลำล่องทำนายโลก (lam long tham nai lok)
07. ลำล่องเอิ้นน้องมาเก็บเห็ด (lam long oen nong ma kep het)
08. ลำล่องเมืองอีสานม่วนดี (lam long mueang isan muan di)
09. ลำล่องน้ำตกไหลจากซาอุ (lam long nam tok lai chak sa u)
10. ลำล่องซาอุเป็นชายอุกดิน (lam long sa u pen chai uk din)
11. ลำล่องอีสานแซบธรรมชาติ (lam long isan saep thammachat)
12. ลำล่องเตือนนักเรียน (lam long tuean nak rian)
13. ลำล่องสินค้าเจริญไว (lam long sin kha charoen wai)
14. ลำล่องรั้วของชาติจงปลอดภัย (lam long rua khong chat chong plot phai)
15. ลำล่องกรุงเทพแออัด (lam long krung thep ae at)
16. ลำล่องลากรุงเทพ (lam long la krung thep)

this week, some great ubon-style molam! mr. chalat songsoem, better known as p. chalatnoi, is one of the greatest molam to come out of ubon ratchathani, an authority on local singing & composition styles and a vital distributor of folk wisdom. although best known for his mastery of lam klon, this tape features mostly pieces of the related but less-common lam long style, notoriously difficult to perform. today he holds the title of "national artist" and teaches at khon khaen university. wonderfully sparse traditional voice & khaen, enjoy!

preview:

khunphaen lukprachin & namphueng boribun

2011-03-05T15:49:00.000-08:00

artist: ขุนแผน ลูกปราจีน + น้ำผึ้ง บริบูรณ์ (khunphaen lukprachin & namphueng boribun)
album: ทำขวัญนาคชุดสมบูรณ์แบบ ชุดที่ 1 (tham khwan nak chut sombun baep, vol. 1)
tracklist:
01. ทำขวัญนาคชุดสมบูรณ์แบบ ชุดที่ 1 ตอน 1 (tham khwan nak chut sombun baep, vol. 1, pt. 1)
02. ทำขวัญนาคชุดสมบูรณ์แบบ ชุดที่ 1 ตอน 2 (tham khwan nak chut sombun baep, vol. 1, pt. 2)

this week: a great recording of sacred music, featuring the talents of former luk thung star namphueng boribun! ms. namphueng was a protégé of famed songwriter & bandleader phiphat boribun, and wife to luk thung rockstar suang santi. after her husband's tragic death, however, she moved away from pop songs... she partnered with khunphaen lukprachin, and together they were known as "king & queen of tham khwan". tham khwan is the traditional ceremony for binding the spirit to the body, typically performed at important junctures of life (leaving home, getting married, etc.) this particular tape features the music of a tham khwan intended for young men about to become novice monks. it's a little old & battered, with a couple dropouts and a bit of mechanical noise, but it's still a fantastic document... enjoy!

preview:

string lam doen: ratthaban yuk phatthana

2011-02-25T10:13:00.001-08:00

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!

preview:

gunga din / narit ari

2011-02-18T11:38:00.001-08:00

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 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.

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!!

preview:

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

2011-02-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

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!

preview:

fa thalai chon (o.s.t.)

2011-02-08T15:32:00.000-08:00

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 (known as "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!!

preview:

phongsi woranut: duan phitsawat

2011-02-02T10:46:00.000-08:00

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!

preview:

prasan wiangsima: lam phloen choi mak win

2011-01-24T22:00:00.001-08:00

artist: ประสาน เวียงสิมา (prasan wiangsima)
album: ลำเพลินจ่อยมักวิน (lam phloen choi mak win)
tracklist:
01. จ่อยมักวิน (choi mak win)
02. วินเป็นประจำ (win pen pracham)
03. หนุ่มนาคอยรัก (num na khoi rak)
04. ประสานศิลป์มาแล้ว (prasansin ma laeo)
05. วงเวียนสวาท (wong wian sawat)
06. บ่ฮักบ่ออนซอน (bo hak bo onson)
07. เทอมพิฆาต (term phikhat)
08. ทาสดำมี่ (that dam mi)
09. อีสานยังจำได้ (isan yang cham dai)
10. สัญญาพาดับ (sanya pha dap)
11. กระต่ายหมายจันทร์ (kratai mai chan)
12. เกี้ยวสาวฟังลำ (kieow sao fang lam)

this week let's hear a great tape that alexandra found for me, featuring the wild isaan sounds of prasan wiangsima! although i've seen his stuff around quite often (sometimes under the name "prasansin wiangsima"), i haven't been able to find much information about mr. prasan online. his stage name would seem to indicate that he's from nakhon ratchasima... beyond that i don't have much to go on (although i do suspect this might be a "thongchan promotions" production). but really, all you need to know is that he's a top-form molam with a great band behind him. in addition to some awesome sax riffs, there's crazy stuff happening with the rhythm section on here, especially the interplay between bass & drums.. there might even be some phin hai (a set of jars with rubber bands stretched across the mouths) work going on. anyway, don't miss this one... thanks, alexandra!

preview:

khwanchit siprachan: isaew lila nak pleng

2011-01-13T14:11:00.000-08:00

artist: ขวัญจิต ศรีประจันต์ (khwanchit siprachan)
album: อีแซวลีลานักเพลง (isaew lila nak pleng)
tracklist:
01. อีแซวลีลานักเพลง ตอน 1 (isaew lila nak pleng, pt. 1)
02. อีแซวลีลานักเพลง ตอน 2 (isaew lila nak pleng, pt. 2)

a little while ago, we got a great collection of singles from ms. khwanchit's career as a luk thung singer. this time we'll get to hear her return to folksong, singing some fantastic pleng isaew. isaew, characterized by its swift rhythm and intense wordplay, is a local specialty of central thailand's rural suphan buri province. if you'll pardon the oversimplification, it's something like a thai folk rap battle; the contestants take lighthearted jabs at each other and vie for the most cunning lyrical improvisations over an insistent backbeat. khwanchit is joined here by her sister khwanchai and their colleagues suchin siprachan & bunchok chanachot. these 4 have trained together since their teens, and their repartee is outstanding... enjoy!

preview:

suchat thianthong: waen wiset

2011-01-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

artist: สุชาติ เทียนทอง (suchat thianthong)
album: แว่นวิเศษ (waen wiset)
tracklist:
01. เหล้าจ๋า (lao cha)
02. ฮักกันบ่ได้ดอก (hak kan bo dai dok)
03. แว่นวิเศษ (waen wiset)
04. มองทำไม (mong thammai)
05. ด.จ.ป. (do. cho. po.)
06. ผัวแก่เมียสาว (phua kae mia sao)
07. ผัวเล็กผัวใหญ่ (phua lek phua yai)
08. กลัวเธอมีชู้ (klua thoe mi chu)
09. เข็มขัดกันชู้ (khem khat kan chu)
10. คิดถึงอุดร (khit thueng udon)
11. แม่ช่อกัญชา (mae cho kancha)
12. สงสัย (songsai)
featuring หฤทัย หิรัญญา (haruethai hiranya)

sorry for the long delay between posts; this holiday season caught me in the midst of yet another relocation! but better late than never, and i've got quite a classic to share this week. continuing with the theme of racy album art, we've got some great late-era work from mr. suchat thianthong! suchat was born and raised in ayutthaya province, and spent time working as a market seller & freelance boxer before joining the legendary chularat band. initially his specialty was slow, sweet love songs in the style of thun thongchai, but he lost his trademark high notes after a crippling case of tonsillitis. not willing to leave the stage, he applied his gritty new voice to comedic effect and proved a bigger hit than ever before. this is a collection of his "post-op" hits, featuring songs about liquor and ganja, along with a good amount of raunchy wordplay, and even a tale about a pair of "magic glasses" (vividly illustrated on the cover). enjoy!

preview:

latda siworanan: oh, thun kramom

2010-12-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

artist: ลัดดา ศรีวรนันท์ (latda siworanan)
album: โอ้ทูลกระหม่อม (oh, thun kramom)
tracklist:
01. โอ้ทูลกระหม่อม (oh, thun kramom)
02. หัวใจมาร (hua chai man)
03. จักรวาลแห่งดวงใจ (chakkrawan haeng duang chai)
04. ลมรักลมลวง (lom rak lom luang)
05. หวานลิ้นกินตาย (wan lin kin tai)
06. พอกันที (pho kan thi)
07. ว่าแล้วเทียว (wa laeo thieow)
08. รอยรักรอยทราย (roi rak roi sai)
09. พลาดรักสิ้นหวัง (phlat rak sin wang)
10. มารชีวิต (man chiwit)
11. ฝันถึงน้องบ้างนะ (fan thueng nong bang na)
with นริศ อารีย์ (narit ari)
12. ผกาฟ้า (phaka fa)
with นริศ อารีย์ (narit ari)
13. โอ้บุพการี (oh, bupphakari)
14. รักนิรันดร (rak nirandon)

i tried my best to dig up some thai christmas songs this week, but this is as close as i got! though the cover may promise all the holiday cheer your heart could desire, the songs are a bit incongruous (to say the least), featuring titles such as "heart of the devil", "a sweet tongue will eat you to death" and "hopeless failed love". latda siworanan is a top practitioner of the bangkok blues sound, luk krung, with tasteful horns and jazzy rhythm section to back. so despite the dissapointment of promised yuletide themes, there should be enough schmaltz to keep everyone happy... merry christmas!!

preview:

iw phimphayom rueangrot

2010-12-17T18:29:00.001-08:00

artist: อิ๋ว พิมพ์โพยม เรืองโรจน์ (iw phimphayom rueangrot)
album: รวมฮิต 16 เพลงหวาน 1 (ruam hit 16 pleng wan)
tracklist:
01. รู้ว่าเขาหลอก (ru wa khao lok)
02. สัญญารักปากช่อง (sanya rak pak chong)
03. ลั่นทมลืมทุ่ง (lanthom luem thung)
04. แก้วรอพี่ (kaew ro phi)
05. น้องคิดถึงพี่ (nong khit thueng phi)
06. แว่วเสียงซึง (waew siang sueng)
07. ช่างร้ายเหลือ (chang rai luea)
08. ร้ายนักรักนี้ (rai nak rak ni)
09. โหดนักรักนี้ (hot nak rak ni)
10. เขาดวงนักร้อง (khao duang nak rong)
11. คนสวยใจดี (khon suai chai di)
12. สาวชาวสวน (sao chao suan)
13. แม่พิมพ์ของชาติ (mae phim khong chat)
14. ลมหนาวที่เรณู (lom nao thi renu)
15. ตะวันรอที่หนองหาน (tawan ro thi nong han)
16. แล้วคุณล่ะพอหรือยัง (laew khun la pho rue yang)

this week's post comes courtesy of mr. peter, possibly the most prolific concert-goer in thailand (almost certainly, among foreigners). he makes it to over 100 shows a year, and as you might imagine, has learned quite a bit about the music he sees. today he'll be sharing the first tape of thai music he ever bought. here's what he's got to say about it:

"this tape was released in june of 1994 and is titled "16 sweet songs". iw has a very clear delivery and a captivating voice and while some listeners may think the sound somewhat sweet, i love the quality of her vocals. unfortunately, although she made over 20 albums (some with male singer ot oppart tossaporn), little of the material is original and is mainly covers of other singers' output, including a re-make of the classic mon rak luk thung soundtrack. iw appears to have started off with an outfit called the d.c. band in the 80’s, and by the early 90’s she was famous enough to appear solo on the covers of popular magazines such as "chiwit jin (chinese life)". she is a rarity in a thai singer in that she also recorded many albums of chinese songs (although she is not of chinese origin herself). these include the famous songs of taiwanese star teresa teng who died in thailand in 1995, at just 42. iw retired from full time singing in 1997 but did release a comeback double album of love songs in 2003. the songs on here are mostly luk thung and luk krung. another singer once pointed out to me which were which but i have forgotten, and it is difficult to tell, as iw sings them in her own particular style; sweet indeed."

preview:

phon phirom: nam ta la sai

2010-12-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

artist: พร ภิรมย์ (phon phirom)
album: น้ำตาลาไทร (nam ta la sai)
tracklist:
01. น้ำตาลาไทร (nam ta la sai)
02. กระท่อมทองกวาว (krathom thong kwao)
03. บัวตูม บัวบาน (buatum buaban)
04. น้องนุชสุดท้อง (nong nut sut thong)
05. สุดสวยทั้งสอง (sut suai thang song)
06. บัวหลวง (bua luang)
07. แววตา (waew ta)
08. สวรรค์สวาท (sawan sawat)
09. ลานรักลานเท (lan rak lan the)
10. ลมจ๋า (lom cha)
11. ฝากใจไว้กับจันทร์ (fak chai wai kap chan)
12. รักคุต (rak khut)
13. หลานรักวัยรุ่น (lan rak wairun)
14. เห็นใจสาวสาว (hen cha sao sao)

i'm very sad to report that this past week the great phon phirom passed away, at the age of 82. i thought it would be nice to honor his legacy by sharing one of my favorite luk thung albums, this collection of his earliest singles, dating from around 1962. phon was born into a theatre family from phra nakhon si ayutthaya, and from a young age was fascinated by the world of thai classical music. growing up, he studied the arts of the piphat ensemble and chinese opera, in addition to traditional thai vocal forms. after touring for a number of years with a traveling liké troupe, he was persuaded by famed chularat bandleader mongkhon amatayakun to apply his talents on the burgeoning luk thung stage. phon found a way to integrate the folk & classical styles he so loved into the framework of the latin-inspired pop styles of the day, and became an inspiration for generations of future stars. since the early 80's, however, phon had left the entertainment world behind to join the buddhist priesthood, taking the monastic name phra punyawangso. he lived out his last days at wat rattanachai in his home province of ayutthaya.

a farewell concert will be held on dec. 17th at the thailand cultural center in bangkok. also, you can purchase a beautifully remastered version of this album (with a number of different tracks!) from maemaiplengthai

preview:

saman hongsa: molam sammapi

2010-11-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

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!

preview:

loy krathong

2010-11-19T16:03:00.001-08:00

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

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!

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!!

preview:

shadow prayuk

2010-11-11T23:57:00.000-08:00

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!!

preview:

rungruedi phaengphongsai: phuea thoe chan thon dai

2010-11-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

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!!

preview:

thao dakdae: takua chup thong

2010-10-31T11:45:00.001-07:00

artist: ท้าวดักแด้ (thao dakdae)
album: ตะกั่วชุบทอง (takua chup thong)
tracklist:
01. ไร้สารตะกั่ว (rai san takua)
02. ถูกหวยมาหรือเปล่า (thuk huai rue plao)
03. ตัวเองยังเลี้ยงไม่รอด (tua eng yang liang mai rot)
04. ล้มโต๊ะ (lom to)
05. คัม ฟรอม แอล.เอ. (come from l.a.)
06. ไม่ได้แอ้มหรอก (mai dai aem rok)
07. พอกันที (pho kan thi)
08. สาวโรงงาน (sao rong ngan)
09. เออ! เอ็งเก่ง (oe! eng keng)
10. คนอีสาน (khon isan)
11. ตุ๊กแก (tukkae)
12. ปั๊มน้ำใจ (pam nam chai)

i wanted to do a holiday-specific post here, but i'm running low on spooky thai stuff! the best i could find is this creepy gentleman... "lead dipped in gold", as the title goes. admittedly, i don't really have any idea what's going on here. thao dakdae is a comedian/singer from isaan, and this seems to be his only album? just some workstation-heavy 90's molam luk thung. enjoy! and check out some real thai ghost songs at radiodiffusion internasionaal, here and here, plus the fantastic "lady cat ghost" by the fox!

preview:

monruedi phromchak: nong daeng khuen thin

2010-10-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

artist: มลฤดี พรหมจักร (monruedi phromchak)
album: น้องแดงคืนถิ่น (nong daeng khuen thin)
tracklist:
01. น้องแดงคืนถิ่น (nong daeng khuen thin)
02. หน้าหนาวสาวครวญ (na nao sao khruan)
03. บันทึกรักจากสายลม (banthuek rak chak sai lom)
04. อวยพรทหารรัก (uai phon thahan rak)
05. น้องอ้อยคอยฝัน (nong oi khoi fan)
06. ย้านสายตาทำลาย (yan sai ta tham lai)
07. สาวภูไทลาแฟน (sao phu thai la faen)
08. เชิญเที่ยวธาตุพนม (choen thieow that phanom)
09. วอนฮักสองฝั่งโขง (won hak song fang khong)
10. ลำคอนสวรรค์ หญิง ชาย เกี้ยวฮัก (lam khon sawan ying chai kieow hak)

today marks the 100th post here at monrakplengthai, so in honor of the occasion, i've got an especially great tape to share. i don't know alot about monruedi's background, though i believe she now teaches at khon kaen university. she's well known for her skill in lam phu tai, a unique style of lam associated with the phu tai ethnic group of thailand & laos, which can be pretty difficult to find in commercial recordings. the music revolves around a slow, hypnotic khaen line, supplemented by electric phin and heavy percussion. combined with monruedi's fantastic versification, it makes for quite a record. hope you all enjoy this as much as i do!

preview:

thai brass band

2010-10-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

artist: unknown thai brass band
album: ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)
tracklist:
01. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)
02. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน (lao siang thian)
03. บุหลัน (bulan)
04. เพลงจีนขิมเล็กออกจีนเร็ว (pleng chin khim lek ok chin reo)
05. สร้อยสนออกเพลงเร็ว ลงเพลงลา (soi son ok pleng reo, long pleng la)
06. เพลงชาติ (pleng chat)
07. มหาฤกษ์ มหาชัย (maharoek mahachai)
08. สยามมานุสติ (siam manu sati)
09. ไหว้ครูมวย (ปี่ชวา) (wai khru muai (pi chawa))
10. มาร์ชพิทักษ์สันติราษฎร์ (march phithak santi rat)
11. มาร์ชนิยมไทย (march niyom thai)
12. มาร์ชภานุรังษี (march phanurangsi)
13. สรรเสริญเสือป่า (sansoen suea pa)
14. สดุดีการชุมนุมลูกเสือแห่งชาติ (sadudi kan chumhum luk suea haeng chat)
15. กราวกีฬา (krao kila)
16. สามัคคีชุมนุม (samakkhi chumnum)
17. สาธุการ (sathukan)
18. พระเจ้าลอยถาด (phra chao loi that)

this week, another great tape showcasing thailand's unique brass band tradition! the brass band was one of the earliest forms of western music to catch on in thailand, and has proved an enduring phenomenon with a distinct repertoire in addition to its borrowings. the band recorded here renders these tunes with great bombast; full-spectrum drum & horn, and even some thai traditional instruments in a few selections... it's a shame there's no credit given to the ensemble! in addition, it seems the compiler got a bit ambitious with the tracklist, since only 18 of the 24 songs listed seem to have fit onto the cassette. these factors, however, in no way diminish the greatness of this tape.. enjoy!

preview:

carabao: prachathipatai

2010-10-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

artist: คาราบาว (carabao)
album: ประชาธิปไตย (prachathipatai)
tracklist:
01. ตาตี๋ (tati)
02. ประชาธิปไตย (prachathipatai)
03. ผู้ทน (phu ton)
04. เจ้าตาก (chao tak)
05. พ่อ (pho)
06. ถึกควายทุย ภาค 7 (thuek khwai thui, pt. 7)
07. วันเด็ก (wan dek)
08. มหาจำลอง รุ่น 7 (maha cham long, run 7)
09. มรดกเฮงซวย (moradok heng suai)
10. ค. ควาย ค. คน (kh. khwai kh. khon)

this week we'll hear once more from the biggest thai rock band of all time... the legendary carabao! often compared to u2, today carabao divide their time between music, social activism and corporate endorsements, but they came from a humbler beginning. founded in 1976 by two thai students studying in the philippines, carabao introduced a harder edge to the folksy pleng puea chiwit genre, bringing the genre to the national spotlight. this album, from 1986, features the band at their most electronic, replete with drum pads and synthesizer riffs, and even a few cues possibly taken from the fledgling industrial music scene of the time. enjoy!!

chaloemphon malakham: songsan khon ban klai

2010-09-30T09:20:00.001-07:00

artist: เฉลิมพล มาลาคำ (chaloemphon malakham)
album: สงสารคนบ้านใกล้ (songsan khon ban klai)
tracklist:
01. สงสารคนบ้านใกล้ (songsan khon ban klai)
02. จดหมายคนจน (chot mai khon chon)
03. คิดถึงอดีต (khit thueng adit)
04. อยากมีเมีย (yak mi mia)
05. บักเขียวพาเพ (bak khieow pha phe)
06. รักแรกพบ (rak raek phop)
07. กลับบ้านนาเถิดน้อง (klap ban na thoet nong)
08. หยุดเถิดหัวใจ (yut thoet hua chai)
09. เย้ยกันทำไม (yoei kan thammai)
10. เมียใจร้ายแม่ยายทีเด็ด (mia chai rai mae yai thi det)

more great sounds from isaan this week, courtesy of mr. chaloemphon malakham! chaloemphon is from surin province in southern isaan and like most modern stars, made his way to the stage through local singing contests. he recorded his first album in 1985, becoming one of the pioneering singers of the molam-influenced luk thung isaan style that still dominates thai country radio today. chaloemphon is perhaps better known as a songwriter (for the likes of poifai malaiphon & other siang isaan stars), but he has a great many hit records to his name as well, often singing alongside phimpha phonsiri. he's recorded in a number of styles, from kantruem & lam phu tai to luk thung ballads, but this tape seems to be mostly straightforward lam phloen, carried by sax & synth with some great distorted guitar leads sprinkled in as well. enjoy!

preview:

khwanchit siprachan: luk thung 5 thotsawat

2010-09-23T02:09:00.001-07:00

artist: ขวัญจิต ศรีประจันต์ (khwanchit siprachan)
album: ลูกทุ่ง 5 ทศวรรษ (luk thung 5 thotsawat)
tracklist:
01. กับข้าวเพชฌฆาต (kap khao phetchakhat)
02. แม่ครัวตัวอย่าง (mae khrua tua yang)
03. ก็นั่นนะซี่ (ko nan na si)
04. เศรษฐีเมืองสุพรรณ (sethi mueang suphan)
05. วุ๊ยว๊าย (wui wai)
06. ผัวบ้าๆ (pua ba ba)
07. พ่อเพาเว่อร์ (po power)
08. น้ำตาดอกคำใต้ (nam ta dok khamtai)
09. สุดแค้นแสนรัก (sut khaen saen rak)
10. สาวสุพรรณ (sao suphan)
11. อ้อมอกเจ้าพระยา (om ok chao phraya)
12. แหลมตะลุมพุก (laem talumphuk)
13. รักมฤตยู (rak maruettayu)
featuring กู้เกียรติ นครสวรรค์ (kukiat nakhonsawan)
14. ลิเกหลงโรง (like long rong)

this week, by special request, we'll hear from luk thung folk star khwanchit siprachan! khwanchit was born & raised in central thailand's suphan buri province. from a young age she took an interest in local folk song, but her father forbid her to pursue it, fearing the corrupting influence of the stage (as well as the prospect of losing a domestic hand!). nevertheless, she eventually left home to study with the great pleng isaeo songmasters of suphan, becoming a respected artist in the folk song community for her powerful voice & clever improvisations. she was an audience favorite upcountry, and in time even became a regular on the stage of sanam luang in bangkok. here she was courted by many luk thung groups, but found waiphot phetsuphan's to be most consonant with her love of folksong. she joined the group and quickly set to recording the string of hits collected here. by the early 70's, however, she had left luk thung behind. she returned to the folk songs she loved so much, as both performer and preservationist, and eventually was named a national artist for her contributions to the artform. hope you enjoy!

preview:

yusoh bothong dikir hulu

2010-09-16T00:02:00.001-07:00

artist: ดีเกฮูลูคณะยูโซะ บ่อทอง (yusoh bothong dikir hulu)
album: วิทยาลัยดุริยางคศิลป์ มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล พ.ศ. 2550 (college of music, mahidol university, 2007)
tracklist:
01. ตาโบะห์ บานอ (โหมโรง) (taboh banor (homrong))
02. ปันตนดีเกฮูลู (pantun dikir hulu)
03. กาโร๊ะห์บูกอยาแล (ไหว้ครู) (karoh buko jalae (wai khru))
04. ยูวาปาดี (ขายข้าวสาร) (juwa padee (selling rice))
05. ฮูแยรีติ ตูโรงปาฆี (ฝนตกพรำๆยามเช้า) (hujae riti turong pagee (morning drizzle))
06. เมาะบางา (mah ba nga)
07. บัรตือมาสอ (เมื่อไรเราจะได้อยู่ดวงกัน) (bartuemasor (when will we be together?))
08. บือนาสารัง (เก็บไว้ในดวงใจ) (buenasarang (save in my heart))
09. กาโร๊ะห์แยะคีปาแย (karoh yaekee payae)
10. กาโร๊ะห์วาบูแล (karoh wabulae)

sorry it's been so long, just got back from a trip to malaysia & singapore! travelling by land mostly, we made a few stops in thailand's south, so i thought it would be nice to share some fantastic music from that region. yusoh bothong & his group are from pattani in the deep south and play a style known as dikir hulu, meaning "northern-style liké" (northern, because many in thailand's border provinces consider themselves northern malays, rather than southern thais). like central thai liké, dikir hulu is typically a community event centered around a musical stage show, although this album features a 2007 performance yusoh & his group gave at mahidol university in bangkok. after the overture & wai khru, yusoh leads the troupe through a selection of beautiful old dikir hulu tunes from his childhood, sung in the thai-malay jawi language. he's joined in spots by singers ma padiyo & yalee kayae from narathiwat, with an excellent musical backing of frame drums, gongs & assorted other percussion. wonderful stuff, hope you enjoy as well!

preview:

suang santi: 1 2 3 duan song thaeo

2010-08-31T06:04:00.000-07:00

artist: สรวง สันติ (suang santi)
album: 1 2 3 ด่วนสองแถว (1 2 3 duan song thaeo)
tracklist:
01. 1 2 3 ด่วนสองแถว (1 2 3 duan song thaeo)
02. 4 5 6 ด่วนสองแถว (4 5 6 duan song thaeo)
03. เขาว่ามา (khao wa ma)
04. คนสุโขทัย (khon sukhothai)
05. หนุ่มหนองคาย (num nong khai)
06. เมาจนนึกไม่ออก (mao chon nuek mai ok)
07. รักตัวกลัวเมีย (rak tua klua mia)
08. บ้าพอกัน (ba pho kan)
09. 900 โรงจำนำ (900 rong cham nam)
10. 900 ความระกำ (900 khwam rakam)
sung by เตือนใจ บุญพระรักษา (tueanchai bunphraraksa)
11. ผู้ยิ่งใหญ่ ภาค 2 (phu ying yai, pt. 2)
12. เมาให้ลืมเมีย (mao hai luem mia)
13. น้ำมันแพงอีกแล้ว (nam man phaeng ik laeo)
14. น้ำมันมีน้อยใช้สอยประหยัด (nam man mi noi chai soi prayat)
15. เซ็นซิ (sen si)
16. หิ้วถุงปุ๋ย (hiw thung pui)
17. ควาย (khwai)

this week we've got a great tape from luk thung funk rock star suang santi! hailing from sukhothai, suang made his living as a boxer before joining with phiphat boribun & his band. after marrying bandmate namphueng boribun, he struck off on his own, first singing with siphrai chaiphra and finally mongkhon amatayakun's famous chularat band. suang pioneered a crossover style of luk thung and heavy funk rock which few others attempted, and won success not only with his own recordings but songs he penned for others, everyone from phanom nopphon to the royal sprites. sadly, suang was killed in a car accident in 1982 while on tour... this tape captures some of his last work, featuring a mix of straight funk tracks & few of his older hits redone in "talking music" style. enjoy!!

preview:

fine arts department band

2010-08-26T22:08:00.001-07:00

artist: กรมศิลปากร (fine arts department band)
album: เพลงงานแสงเดือน (pleng ngan saeng duean)
tracklist:
01. งานแสงเดือน (ngan saeng duean)
ชาวไทย (chao thai)
รำซิมารำ (ram si ma ram)
คืนเดือนหงาย (khuen duean ngai)
02. ดอกไม้ของชาติ (dok mai khong chat)
ดวงจันทร์วันเพ็ญ (duang chan wan phen)
03. หญิงไทยใจงาน (ying thai chai ngan)
ยอดชายใจงาน (yot chai chai ngan yot chai chai ngan)
ดวงจันทร์ขวัญฟ้า (duang chan khwan fa)
บูชานักรบ (bucha nak rop)
04. เชิญชวน (choen chuan)
หล่อจริงนะดารา (lo ching na dara)
ยวน ยวน ยวน (yuan yuan yuan)
05. ซ่อมมาลี (som mali)
เธอรำว่างน่าดู (thoe ram wang na khu)
ยวนยาเหล (yuan ya lae)
06. ดอกฟ้าร่วง (dok fa ruang)
ตามองตา (ta mong ta)
ใกล้เช้าไปอีกนิด (klai chao pai ik nit)
ลา (la)

an interesting bit of history this week.. we've got an album from the thai government's fine arts department band, featuring their neo-classical ramwong style! a major event in the history of popular music in thailand, the ramwong (or "circle dance") was a sort of an engineered dance craze created during the phibun era by famed propagandist luang wichitwathakan & his fine arts department, intended to inject a bit of national pride into the imported dance steps (swing, rumba, cha cha cha, etc.) which had been sweeping the country. originally these ramwong were lively, sax-driven affairs, but by the time of this release we can see the fine arts dept. attempting to establish ramwong as being closer to classical tradition, thus the piphat and khrueng sai instrumentation. the ramwong still provides the rhythmic basis for a great deal of thai music today, and these very recordings can still be heard thorughout the kingdom on a number of national holidays. enjoy!!

preview:

kaifa daduang + siriphon amphaiphong

2010-08-20T20:24:00.001-07:00

artist: ไก่ฟ้า ดาดวง + ศิริพร อำไพพงษ์ (kaifa daduang + siriphon amphaiphong)
album: ลำขอนแก่น (lam khon kaen)
tracklist:
01. ทุ่งร้างนางลืม (thung rang nang luem)
02. ทุ่งร้างนางคอย (thung rang nang koi)
03. ที่เก่าเวลาเดิม (thi kao wela doem)
04. มาตามนัด (ma tam nat)
05. รอยยิ้มพิศวาส (roi yim phitsawat)
06. รอยยิ้มมหาเสน่ห์ (roi yim maha sane)
07. คนกินดิน (khon kin din)
08. เสียงร้องจากน้องหนู (siang rong chak nong nu)
09. ฮักสาวท่าสะแบง (hak sao tha sabaeng)
10. เสียงครวญจากสวนแตง (siang khruan chak suan taeng)
11. สาวต๋อง ๆ (sao tong tong)
12. สาวตุ๋ย ๆ (sao tui tui)

this week we'll hear some early recordings from one of thailand's biggest contemporary country singers, the great siriphon amphaiphong!! born & raised in udon thani, siriphon left school at a young age to help out on her family's farm. when not working the fields, siriphon studied with lam with her father, a local performer. she began performing onstage at 16 and a year later joined the siang isaan group, before being discovered in khon kaen by doi inthanon. during her khon kaen period she often sang together with kaifa daduang, who joins her on this album. siriphon is well-loved for her unique husky voice, often likened to a cat's, and though her specialty nowadays is slow sorrowful songs, this album captures a rare set of uptempo khon kaen-style lam. enjoy!!

preview:

chatthong mongkhonthong

2010-08-16T09:43:00.001-07:00

artist: ฉัตรทอง มงคลทอง (chatthong mongkhonthong)
album: ร้องสดหน้าเวที (rong sot na wethi) + สาละวน (salawon)
tracklist:
01. สาละวน (salawon)
02. รักสาวทุ่งกุลา (rak sao thung kula)
03. เสียงครวญจากหมอแคน (siang khruan chak mo khaen)
04. ตุ๋ยจ๋า (tui cha)
05. คลำแลถี (khlam lae thi)
06. เคว็ดกลับบ้าน (khwet klap ban)
07. หนุ่มใต้เตือนสาว (num tai tuean sao)
08. กิเลสมนุษย์ (kilet manut)

01. ร้องสดหน้าเวที a (rong sot na wethi a)
02. ร้องสดหน้าเวที b (rong sot na wethi b)

like sutrak aksonthong, chatthong mongkhonthong is one of just a handful of luk thung singers to come from thailand's south. though hailing from nakhon si thammarat like sutrak, i think that chatthong had a bit more success country-wide.. sadly, he was killed on his first big national tour. this tape captures one of his live shows, and while it's an interesting document, the quality is nearly unlistenable, so i've included it alongside an album from the same period. hope you enjoy!

preview:

phophin phetlanna: sao samai

2010-08-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

artist: โผผิน เพชรลานนา (phophin phetlanna)
album: สาวสมัย (sao samai)
tracklist:
01. สาวสมัย (sao samai)
02. รถถีบเฒ่า (rot thip thao)
03. แอ่ว 21 จ.ว. (aeo 21 changwat)
04. หมอยาเมือง (mo ya mueang)
05. ฝากรักที่เมืองแพร่ (fak rak thi mueang phrae)
06. สาวเมืองแพร่ (sao mueang phrae)
07. บะใหม่บะเหมือนบะเก่า (ba mai ba muean ba kao)
08. เมียโหล (mia lo)
09. แก้ว 3 ดวง (kaeo 3 duang)
10. สายบุ (sai bu)
11. โผผินมาแล้ว (phophin ma laeo)
12. ฮักสาวบ้านไกล (hak sao ban klai)

another one from thailand's north this week! phophin phetlanna sings luk thung in the northen thai (or kham mueang) language in a manner similar to phensi phongsi, but with less molam influence and more eclectic rhythms. i don't know anything about him, though... the internet turns up only a few fond rememberences and little history. i really like him, he's got a funny voice that reminds me a bit of sangthong sisai, and i'm a fan of the combo backing him as well, they have a tight, local sound. i've heard 1982 as a date for this... it sounds a bit older to me, but that might be down to technological limitations! anyway, it's great... enjoy!

preview:

thongsuk khamsombun & chumnum silapin lanna

2010-08-05T10:20:00.000-07:00

artist: ทองศุกร์ คำสมบูรณ์ ชุมนุมศิลปินลานนา (thongsuk khamsombun & chumnum silapin lanna)
album: ดนตรี สะล้อ ซอ ซึง เชียงใหม่ (dontri salo, so, sueng chiang mai)
tracklist:
01. ลาวลำปางใหม่ (lao lampang mai)
02. สร้อยสนตัด (soi son tat)
03. กุมารทอง (kuman thong)
04. สร้อยแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
05. มอญรำดาบ (mon ram dap)
06. เขมรปากท่อ (khmer pak tho)
07. ปุ๋มเม่น (pum men)
08. ลาวกระแซ (lao krasae)
09. ดาวพระศุกร์ (dao phra suk)
10. รำวงลอยกระทง (ramwong loi krathong)

this week we've got some beautiful sounds from thailand's north! thongsuk khamsombun and his lanna artists' collective play in chiang mai local style, but unfortunately, there seems to be very little written about them online. i can tell you that thongsuk leads the ensemble with the pi koy, a small free-reed flute unique to the north, and is backed by salo (northern-style three string fiddle), the so (standard two string fiddle), and sueng (northern-style lute), as well as some nice percussion. the song selection is an interesting mix of local melodies, thai classical standards and newer folk-style pop tunes. i think this one is from the late 90's... it's too bad the players seem to have vanished just over a decade later! at least we have some great recordings.. enjoy!!

preview:

sai sai mao: ahmadaya shan tei su mya

2010-07-29T01:29:00.000-07:00

artist: sai sai mao
album: ahmadaya shan tei su mya, vol. 2
tracklist:
01. yuen mok ha pa pi le
02. pong nong mi kay
03. khaaw jaam khay han
04. te hak naang ko
05. mo hum
06. taang hak naue pan
07. pen loy waasanaa
08. hue kwaang lot meng pueng
09. unknown title
10. instrumental
11. nong khay yu laue
12. loe se maak ho tsaue
13. pi naang me haang
14. kwaam hak naue tsaue
15. en aan kaang tsaue
16. kop mi wot sang
17. am soe lay moe pong yaan
18. unknown title
19. instrumental
20. instrumental

this week we have another fantastic album from shan rock icon sai sai mao! a member of the shan (or tai yai) ethnic group, sai sai mao was born in burma, in the chinese border town of mu se, and often traveled with his grandfather between northern thailand and taungyi in shan state. at age 15 he picked up the guitar, and 3 years later was performing for shan communities in chiang rai. sai sai mao's broadcasts on radio thailand were eagerly received both locally and across the border in burma, where his songs, such as "likhommai panglong", about burma's unfilfulled promise of shan independence, were banned. sai mao cut most of his early albums in chiang mai or bangkok while serving in the shan state army, the rebel faction who funded his recordings. an estimated 75% of popular music in burma consists of "copy songs" (foreign songs rewritten in local languages), and sai mao is no exception. his songs are quite reliant on chinese melodies, though i feel that he imbues them with a nostalgic sentiment and unpolished urgency very much apart from the originals. hope you enjoy!

many thanks to alif silpachai for help with shan script!

preview:

thongcharoen dalao + bunchuang denduang: khui khueang rueang sa u

2010-07-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

artist: ทองเจริญ ดาเหลา + บุญช่วง เด่นดวง (thongcharoen dalao + bunchuang denduang)
album: คุยเขื่องเรื่องซาอุฯ (khui khueang rueang sa u)
tracklist:
01. คุยเขื่องเรื่องซาอุฯ (khui khueang rueang sa u)
02. ลูกจ้างเมีย (luk chang mia)
03. พ่อบักเติ่งคนดี (pho bak toeng khon di)
04. ซาอุดิฯขุมทอง (saudi khumthong)
05. อย่าห่วงพ่อบักเติ่ง (ya huang pho bak toeng)
06. ได้เต่าเสียหมา (dai tao sia ma)
07. อย่าลืมเมียซาอุฯ (ya luem mia sa u)
08. เสียงสะอื้นจากหนุ่มซาอุฯ (siang sauen chak num sa u)
09. พ่อพระในดวงใจ (pho phra nai duang chai)
10. สั่งแม่บักเติ่งไปซาอุฯ (sang mae bak toeng pai sa u)
11. เสียงสั่งจากเมียซาอุฯ (siang sang chak mia sa u)
12. ตามหาคุณนายตีนเปิ่ม (tam ha khun nai tin poem)
13. สีโต่นเซียงเลิ่มซาอุฯ (si ton siang loem sa u)

lately i've been interested in the whole saudi arabia-isaan connection, especially as evidenced through the music of the period.. we've heard it in modern, electronic molam luk thung with phimpha phonsiri, then in a more acoustic, ensemble-oriented setting with the phetphalanchai sisters, and now we'll end with thongcharoen & bunchuang, two staunch traditionalists! backed only by the sound of khaen, these 2 expert singers from udon thani spin rhythmic tales of thailand's middle-eastward migrants (and their loved ones left behind). i don't know a great deal about the singers themselves, but they are much beloved in isaan, and i imagine that thongcharoen dalao is of some relation to khen dalao, national artist and molam of the first degree. these classic, minimal molam mokhaen arrangements are always a delight for me... hope you feel the same!!

preview:

sam phalang sao: won chao pho phalan chai

2010-07-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

artist: สามพลังสาว (sam phalang sao)
album: ลำเพลินวอนเจ้าพ่อพลาญชัย (lam phloen won chao pho phalan chai)
tracklist:
01. วอนเจ้าพ่อพลาญชัย (won chao pho phalan chai)
sung by พิมพ์ใจ เพชรพลาญชัย (phimchai phetphalanchai)
02. บ้าคนละอย่าง (ba khon la yang)
sung by พิมพ์ใจ เพชรพลาญชัย (phimchai phetphalanchai)
03. รักข้ามโขง (rak kham khong)
sung by พิมพ์ใจ เพชรพลาญชัย (phimchai phetphalanchai)
04. ตื่นเถิดชาวไทย (tuen thoet chao thai)
sung by พิมพ์ใจ เพชรพลาญชัย (phimchai phetphalanchai)
05. จดหมายก้านสุดท้าย (chot mai kan sut thai)
sung by พิมพ์ใจ เพชรพลาญชัย (phimchai phetphalanchai)
06. เป็นเพียงความฝัน (pen phiang khwam fan)
sung by พิมพ์ใจ เพชรพลาญชัย (phimchai phetphalanchai)
07. เหมือนคนมีเวร (muean khon mi wen)
sung by พวงประกา เพชรพลาญชัย (phuangpraka phetphalanchai)
08. เบื่อการรอคอย (buea kanro koi)
sung by แจ่มนภา เพชรพลาญชัย (chaemnapha phetphalanchai)
09. คนที่โลกลืม (khon thi lok luem)
sung by วิชัยน้อย (wichainoi)
10. ห่วงหนุ่มซาอุดิฯ (huang num ''saudi'')
sung by พวงประกา เพชรพลาญชัย (phuangpraka phetphalanchai)
11. น้ำลงส่งรัก (nam long song rak)
sung by พวงประกา เพชรพลาญชัย (phuangpraka phetphalanchai)
12. หน้าหนาวผู้บ่าวบ่ออาบน้ำ (na nao phu bao bo apnam)
sung by แจ่มนภา เพชรพลาญชัย (chaemnapha phetphalanchai)

last week we had some "modernized" molam sounds, this week maybe a bit less so.. here's a fantastic tape from sam phalang sao ("3 tough girls"), phimchai phetphalanchai & her sisters. all i know about these three is that they hail from roi et in thailand's northeast, and i think phimpchai was more sucessful as a solo artist & in duet with thepphon phetubon.. i have never heard of phuangpraka or chaemnapha besides this tape. in addition to the great vocal work from the sisters, these songs are packed full of isaan sounds; lots of khaen, plenty of so fiddle, some great phin & full band grooves and even the exceedingly rare phin hai, a set of jars with rubber bands stretched across the mouths, which produce a low, rhythmic sliding pitch.. plus some weird futuristic synth sounds for good measure! interestingly enough, the saudi arabia theme crops up here too.. cool to see how these 2 streams of molam (this week's & last's) could be basically contemporaneous.. enjoy!

preview:

phimpha phonsiri: nam ta mia sa u

2010-07-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

artist: พิมพา พรศิริ (phimpha phonsiri)
album: น้ำตาเมียซาอุฯ (nam ta mia sa u)
tracklist:
01. น้ำตาเมียซาอุฯ (nam ta mia sa u)
02. สาวหมอลำจำได้ (sao molam cham dai)
03. หลบหน้าที่มาเลย์ (lop nathi malay)
04. ทนหนาวไม่ไหว (thon nao mai wai)
05. รักสิบล้อ (rak sip lo)
06. รักคนขับรถ (rak khon khap rot)
07. ตามหาสามี (tam ha sami)
08. คนรักที่ฉันรอ (khon rak thi chan ro)
09. อกหักเพราะรักครู (ok hak phro rak khru)
10. พูดแทงใจดำ (phut thaeng chai dam)
11. บ่ลืมถิ่น (bo luem thin)
12. รอวาสนา (ro watsana)
13. กลัวตกอีแต๋น (klua tok itaen)
14. ทิดหวังนั่งเศร้า (thit wang nang sao)
15. น้องแดงแกล้งหยอก (nong daeng klaeng yok)
16. สงสารช่างซ่อม (songsan chang som)

this week, we've got some great "modern" isaan sounds from phimpha phonsiri! phimpha, from chaiyaphum, was one of the earliest stars to mix luk thung & molam sounds, in a style which dominates thailand's country music scene today. with capable songwriter soraphet phinyo at the helm, she delivers a great collection of luk thung isaan, with a rock band backing and even would-be indian & arabic flourishes, owing to the album's lyrical content... phimpha is chronicling the trials of a wife whose husband has left to work in "sa u", the thai nickname for saudi arabia, which drew a steady stream of migrants from thailand in the 80's, before it was cut short by the blue diamond affair. enjoy!

thanin intharathep: pan din hai pen dao

2010-07-08T21:25:00.000-07:00

artist: ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ (thanin intharathep)
album: ปั้นดินให้เป็นดาว (pan din hai pen dao)
tracklist:
01. ปั้นดินให้เป็นดาว (pan din hai pen dao)
02. คำพรจากคนจน (kham phon chak khon chon)
03. แต่วันนี้ไม่มีอีกแล้ว (tae wan ni mai mi ik laeo)
04. คิดถึงทุกลมหายใจ (khit thueng thuk lom haichai)
05. จอมนางบนกลางใจ (chom nang bon klang chai)
06. พรวันเกิด (phon wan koet)
07. เพ็ญโสภา (phen sopha)
08. ผมไปไม่พ้น (phom pai mai phon)
09. ขังด้วยรัก (khang duai rak)
10. บริจาครัก (borichak rak)
11. จับกระแต (chap kratae)
12. คนหนังสือพิมพ์ (khon nang sue phim)
13. เหมือนไม่เคย (muean mai khoei)
14. คนจะรักกัน (khon cha rak kan)
15. ชั่วนิจนิรันดร (chua nit nirandon)
16. เนวีบลู (navy blue)
17. นกขมิ้น ตอน 1 (nok khamin, pt. 1)
18. นกขมิ้น ตอน 2 (nok khamin, pt. 2)

just got back from a trip up north, with a downright glut of tapes in tow. i'll be getting to these soon, but as i often like to punctuate a return to bangkok with some old local music, this week let's enjoy the smooth sounds of thanin intharathep! thanin is from samut sakhon, just outside of bangkok, and was a champion of local singing contests before being discovered by thai music legend payong mukda. payong got thanin in with suthep wongkhamhaeng's "suthep show", and from there out his celebrity was sealed. often billed as thailand's frank sinatra, thanin brought a young, attractive face to the slow, romantic, jazz-tinged ballads of luk krung, and is still a favorite among old bangkokians. hope you enjoy!

and a special dedication (albeit belated) to alexandra!! สุขสันต์วันเกิด!!

preview:

khana mai sak: kham mueang disco

2010-07-01T01:34:00.000-07:00

artist: คณะ ไม้สัก (khana mai sak)
album: คำเมืองดิสโก้ (kham mueang disco)
tracklist:
01. อุ๊ยคำ (ui kham)
02. สาวมอร์เตอร์ไซค์ (sao motorcy)
03. หยุบมือกำ (yup mue kam)
04. คนสึ่งตึง (khon sueng tueng)
05. แก๋งเนื้อ (gaeng nuea)
06. ผักกาดจอ (phak kat cho)
07. บ่เกย (bo koei)
08. ฮักอ้ายซักคน (hak ai sak khon)
09. เมาตายห่า (mao tai ha)

about to head up north for a bit, so i thought it'd be fun to share some old northern tunes! khana mai sak is the band of kitcha manophet, brother of jaran manophet, the biggest name in lanna pop music and progenitor of the "folksong kham mueang" movement. while jaran's music displayed an acoustic american-style folk-rock sensibility, kitcha & his band were more interested in the bangkok "string" sound, derived from international disco & funk music. it's interesting to hear jaran's minimal, nostalgic ballads transposed to such a groove-oriented setting, replete with effects-laden electric guitar solos and some ghostly synth sounds. the second side of the tape features the same backing tracks, but with a chorus of kids [คณะ นกแล (khana nok lae)] taking over the vocal responsibilities (you can find that one in a separate file here). hope you enjoy!!

preview:

namphueng phetuthai & her group: anisong kathin phapa, pts. 1 & 2

2010-06-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

artist: คณะ น้ำผึ้ง เพชรอุทัย (namphueng phetuthai & her group)
album: อนิสงค์ กฐิน ผ้าป่า ตอน 1 & 2 (anisong kathin phapa, pts. 1 & 2)
tracklist:
01. โห่ 3 ลากลองยาว (ho 3 la klong yao)
02. สักเค พลโต (sak khe phon to)
03. โห่ 3 ลา (ho 3 la)
04. เคารพผู้มีพระคุณ (khaorop phu mi phra khun)
05. ประวัติการทอดกฐิน (prawattikan thot kathin)
06. ชวนทอดกฐิน (chuan thot kathin)
07. ดาวจรเข้ (dao chorakhe)
08. อตินยขานทอดกฐิน (atinyakhan thot kathin)
09. ประวัติการทอดผ้าป่า (prawattikan thot phapa)
10. บายศรีเจ้าเงาะรจนา (bai si chao ngo rotchana)

this week we have some great old festival music by namphueng phetuthai & her group! the band includes suwan kaeonam, laiat lukuthai & sangwian miluenan, and though i've seen their cassettes stocked by a number of sacred music purveyors around bangkok, i haven't been able to find out a thing about them! i can however, tell you a bit about the music they are playing.. this tape is a soundtrack to the popular thot kathin & thot phapa festivals, two merit-making ceremonies which revolve around a community presenting new robes to their local monks. the recording begins with some unmistakable klong yao yodeling & long drum march. after a few tracks, namphueng shows up and sings about the festival happenings, with some beautiful piphat ensemble backing, and it all comes to a close with a raucous phin-driven klong yao finale. fantastic!

sayan sanya: sayan sadaeng sot

2010-06-17T02:16:00.000-07:00

artist: สายัณห์ สัญญา (sayan sanya)
album: สายัณห์ แสดงสด (sayan sadaeng sot)
tracklist:
01. เสียความรู้สึก (sia khwam ru suek)
02. ช่างเขาเหอะ (chang khao hoe)
03. ฉันขาดเธอไม่ได้ (chan khat thoe mai dai)
04. เกลียดคนโกหก (kliat khon kohok)
05. ฉันจะรักคนดำ (chan cha rak khon dam)
06. รักจอมปลอม (rak chom plom)
07. บอกว่ารัก (bok wa rak)
08. อยากดูใจดำ (yak du chai dam)
09. ช้ำจนธรรมดา (cham chon thammada)
10. สิ่งที่ฉันต้องการ (sing thi chan tong kan)

getting back to luk thung this week, we will hear once more from mr. sayan sanya, this time through a live album of questionable veracity! while i'm no expert on sound recording, i can't help but notice this performance sounds suspiciously clean, and the audience noises fade in & out rather abruptly.. but i'm willing to give sayan the benefit of the doubt here! sayan is a legend of luk thung; born & raised in suphan buri, he worked with his parents as a rice farmer before heading to bangkok to make his name on the luk thung stage. he started out as a dancer in phongsi woranut's group, and in 1973 founded his own band. through the 80's & early 90's, paired with phumphuang duangchan, sayan reigned as the biggest of luk thung stars. this concert seems to be of that era, filled as it is with the smooth ballads & disco numbers he was all about back then. enjoy!!

preview:

chawiwan damnoen: ton kamnoet molam, vol. 11

2010-06-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

artist: ฉวีวรรณ ดำเนิน (chawiwan damnoen)
album: ต้นกำเนิดหมอลำ 11 (ton kamnoet molam, vol. 11)
tracklist:
01. น้ำใจผู้บ่าว (nam chai phu bao)
02. หัวอกหนุ่มชาวนา (hua ok num chao na)
03. แม่ฮ้าง (mae hang)
04. สังคนาสังขาร 1 (sang khana sangkhan 1)
05. สังคนาสังขาร 2 (sang khana sangkhan 2)
06. สาวอพยพ (sao opphayop)
07. เขมรอพยพ (khmer opphayop)
08. ชีวิตผู้ใหญ่บ้าน (chiwit phu yai ban)
09. ศิลปินเมื่อตกยาก (silapin muea tok yak)
10. รำลึกความหลัง (ramluek khwam lang)
11. เข้าพรรษา (khao phansa)
12. พิมพากับราหุน (phimpha kap rahun)
13. หนุ่มรถสองแถว 1 (num rot song thaeo 1)
14. หนุ่มรถสองแถว 2 (num rot song thaeo 2)

we're back again this week with some beautiful sounds from isaan! mae chawiwan, a national artist of thailand, is one of the northeast's most fondly regarded singers. she was born in ubon ratchathani to a family of farmers, and studied lam with her father from a young age. through her strong, melodious voice and clever lyricism, she became the reigning singer & composer of the artform, called "queen of molam" by many. though she experimented with western funk & rock sounds at various points in her career, this tape captures her in minimal fashion, solo voice with khaen backing. at present, chawiwan teaches at khon kaen university and still performs. enjoy!

preview:

misak nakarat: taek dang phlo

2010-05-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

artist: มีศักดิ์ นาครัตน์ (misak nakarat)
album: แตกดังโพล๊ะ (taek dang phlo)
tracklist:
01. แตกดังโพล๊ะ (taek dang phlo)
02. กลัวทำไมจน (klua thammai chon)
03. ผู้หญิงนี่ซิสำคัญ (phu ying ni si samkhan)
04. สาวงามลูกทุ่ง (sao ngam luk thung)
05. เห็นหน้าพาช้ำ (hen na pha cham)
06. อยาก (yak)
07. กินรีเริงฟ้า (kinnari roeng fa)
08. เราคือไทย (rao khue thai)
09. ผู้หญิงเยอะแยะ (phu ying ye yae)
10. แสนสงสัย (saen songsai)
11. ลึกที่ในใจ (luek thi nai chai)
12. บนถนนของคนหนุ่ม (bon thanon khong khon num)
13. เยี่ยมฉิมพลี (yiam chimphali)
14. เกินไปละ (koen pai la)
15. นัดพบ (nat phop)
16. ดื่มเพื่อความสุข (duem phuea khwan suk)

this week we've got a real historical document, for mr. misak nakarat was, as far as i know, thailand's first practitioner of rock'n'roll music! misak was born on chakkrawat road in bangkok's chinatown. today he is probably best remembered for his acting roles or his time as director of thai tv channel 3, but his career began on the musical stage. in the late 1950's, with the aid of songwriter suraphon thonawanik (who seems to have autographed this tape!), misak helped introduce rock'n'roll music to thailand. it's said that his comic delivery smoothed the edges of what was considered a racy and aggressive new genre, making it more accessible to thai audiences of the time. in the 70's & 80's, misak sang a number of theme-songs for the films of somphot saengdueanchai (a.k.a. "sompote sands") & thai-dubbed anime from japan, before turning to focus on his acting career. most of these songs seem to be all but forgotten today, but i think they are an important part of the history of popular music in thailand.. not to mention, they're quite fun! enjoy!

preview:

buppha saichon: rup lo thom pai

2010-05-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

artist: บุปผา สายชล (buppha saichon)
album: รูปหล่อถมไป (rup lo thom pai)
tracklist:
01. รูปหล่อถมไป (rup lo thom pai)
02. ไม่น่าโกหก (mai na kohok)
03. รักคนแก่ดีกว่า (rak khon kae di kwa)
04. วอนลมฝากรัก (won lom fak rak)
05. ฉันเคียงเธอ (chan khiang thoe)
06. ซังคนใจร้าย (sang khon chai rai)
07. หาดใจไร้รัก (hat chai rai rak)
08. สาวนาคอยคู่ (sao na khoi khu)
09. รักลวงน้ำลง (rak luang nam long)
10. น้ำตาน้ำตก (nam ta nam tok)

a little while ago i got a request for some music from buppha saichon.. at the time, i had nothing to share, but i kept an eye out & just the other day spotted this great collection on the street! while the cover photo might not be the most flattering, the music is great. buppha, from chon buri, spent time in the chularat band before marrying singer & filmstar siphrai chaiphra, with whom she starred in 1970's "mon rak luk thung" (three of the singles here are pulled from the fantastic soundtrack). she also had a close working relationship with songwriter phaibun butkhan, who gave her great songs in both her on & off-screen careers, inlcuding her biggest hit, "yommaban chao ka". this collection features a nice assortment of styles.. straight luk thung ramwong mingling with surf-rock sounds, twangy steel guitar & bollywood borrowings.. enjoy!

preview:

mai waenthip: 18 pleng yot hit

2010-05-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

artist: ใหม่ แว่นทิพย์ (mai waenthip)
album: 18 เพลงยอดฮิต (18 pleng yot hit)
tracklist:
01. สาวนาขาดรัก (sao na khat rak)
02. บ้านนอกหลอกกัน (ban nok lok kan)
03. สาวใหม่รำพัน (sao mai ramphan)
04. แซวผู้บ่าว (saeo phu bao)
05. เอกอีสาน (ek isan)
06. ปวดหัวเพราะผัวเขา (puat hua phro phua khao)
07. อุ้มท้องไปกินดอง (um thong pai kin dong)
08. คอยหมอแคน (khoi mo khaen)
09. ถึงดังยังห่วงแม่ (thueng dang yang huang mae)
10. สาวเลยยังคอย (sao loei yang khoi)
11. คำเตือนเพื่อนสาว (kham tuean phuean sao)
12. อดใจไว้เรา (ot chai wai rao)
13. เข็ดจนตาย (khet chon tai)
14. เห็นแล้วใจอ้าย (hen laeo chai ai)
15. รอคำตอบพ่อ (ro kham top pho)
16. คิดถึงแม่ (khit thueng mae)
17. น้องจะคอย (nong cha khoi)
18. ชีวิตบ้านนอก (chiwit ban nok)

this week we'll have some plaintive songs from isaan.. mai, if her lyrics are to be believed, comes from loei province. i haven't been able to find much information on her, though i think she had a big hit with "sao loei yang khoi", track 10 on here.. i understand it was quite a tear-jerker. i found this one at a tape stall near the local bus station in khon kaen.. it had the misfortune of being purchased alongside one of the greatest tapes i've got, and consequently got a bit overlooked... but giving it a listen now, there are definitely some quite worthwhile tracks, a nice mix of luk thung and molam sounds. hope you will enjoy as well!

preview:

achan prasong: thet lae isan

2010-05-10T05:06:00.000-07:00

artist: อาจารย์ ประสงค์ (achan prasong)
album: เทศน์แหล่อีสาน (thet lae isan)
tracklist:
01. ปฏาจารา (patachara)
02. ลูกสะใภ้ (luk saphai)

this week we have some beautiful sacred music from thailand's northeast; achan prasong performing thet lae! despite the fact that buddhist monks are prohibited from singing, there exists a tradition of very melodic and expressive vocalizations used for reciting sacred texts or even sermons composed in klon, the same poetic form used by molam. lae can be heard during festivals of all kinds in isan, and in central thailand it was a big influence upon luk thung music.. there's even a history of bandleaders courting the talented young preachers to become recording stars, such as in the case of dao bandon. but on this tape, we have original lae, unaccompanied! on side one, achan prasong tells the story of patachara, a female disciple of gautama buddha, and on the second side, a famous familial parable. enjoy!

preview:

chai mueangsing: phi pai lai wan

2010-05-05T01:11:00.000-07:00

artist: ชาย เมืองสิงห์ (chai mueangsing)
album: พี่ไปหลายวัน (phi pai lai wan)
tracklist:
01. พี่ไปหลายวัน (phi pai lai wan)
02. เพื่อนเราเผาเรือน (phuean rao phao ruean)
03. บ้านนอกบอกรัก (ban nok bok rak)
04. แฟชั่นมีชู้ (fashion mi chu)
05. เมียจ๋า (mia cha)
06. แม่ยก (mae yok)
07. แม่ผักตบในตม (mae phak top nai tom)
08. สุนัขไม่มีเจ้าของ (sunak mai mi chao khong)
09. หนามยอกอก (nam yo kok)
10. แม่มันยกล่อง (mae man yok long)
11. โอ้ชีวิตคิดไฉน (oh chiwit khit chanai)
12. โทนบ๊ะโทน ๆ (thon ba thon thon)
13. คนรักเมีย (khon rak mia)
14. เมียจ๋ารักผัวไหม (mia cha rak phua mai)
15. ผมไม่มีเวลารักคุณ (phom mai mi wela rak khun)
16. ตำราปราบผี (tamra prap phi)
17. วันของพี่ (wan khong phi)
18. คุณนาย (khun nai)

this week we have a fantastic old album from "man city lion", chai mueangsing! chai grew up in sing buri province, and like so many others, left for bangkok at a young age. in the city, he studied at a school of agriculture while he could afford it, but eventually dropped out to sing with local ramwong groups and work as a sign painter & market seller in talat phlu. in the early 60s he fell in with mongkhon amatayakun's famous chularat band and made his first recordings. audiences loved chai's odd voice, commanding stage presence and his good looks.. he was popularly known as "the alain delon of thailand"! following a dispute with fellow chularat member phon phirom, chai left the band to front a number of his own combos, playing mostly disco & lounge music under the name "man city lion" (the literal translation of his stage name). eventually he left music altogether and headed home to become a farmer. in the late 80's, however, he returned to the stage to lead a luk thung revival, and today is recognized as a ศิลปินแห่งชาติ (silapin haeng chat) or "national artist" of thailand. the songs here seem to be quite rare, i've never seen them on any other release.. enjoy some deep luk thung courtesy of chai mueangsing!

preview:

khabuan mukda: electone '81, vol. 4

2010-04-29T00:36:00.000-07:00

artist: ขบวน มุกดา (khabuan mukda)
album: electone '81, vol. 4
tracklist:
01. ตักที่น่านอนตาย (tak thi na non tai)
02. รอ (ro)
03. เป็นไปไม่ได้ (pen pai mai dai)
04. เห็นแล้วหิว (hen laew hiw)
05. ผมไม่วุ่น (phom mai wun)
06. ฝากหัวใจ (fak hua chai)
07. แม่เนื้ออุ่น (mae nuea un)
08. เบื่อหมอน (buea mon)
09. ภาษาใจ (phasa chai)
10. ในโลกแห่งความฝัน (nai lok haeng khwan fan)
11. ถมไม่เต็ม (thom mai tem)
12. ฉงน (changon)
13. คางคกอยากขึ้นวอ (khangkhok yak khuen wo)
14. รักกันวันละสองเวลา (rak kan wan la song wela)
15. คนพิการรัก (khon phikan rak)
16. เทพเจ้าแห่งความระทม (thepphachao haeng khwam rathom)
17. เหมือนคนละฟากฟ้า (muean khonla fak fa)
18. ฐานันดรรัก (thanandon rak)

some more great old electone sounds this week, though unlike the previous albums (here and here), this one's got a big name attached: the "son of p.m.", mr. khabuan mukda!! khabuan is best known for his outstanding electric organ work in the "shadow" bands of the 60's (p.m. pocket music, p.m. 7 jupiter, etc.) created by his father, the incomparable phayong mukda. in the 70's, while the the rest of the pocket music guys settled down as don sonrabiap's backing band (p.m. 5), khabuan apparently went off to do his own thing. what this was exactly i had no idea, until i came across this tape! seeing that this is the 4th of who knows how many volumes, we can assume that electone stuff was keeping khabuan busy in the early 80's.. and lucky for us, as he comes up with some nice sounds here, filtering "string" hits of the day through a sci-fi soundtrack sensibility. enjoy!!

preview:

sutrak aksonthong: rak rop ramphan

2010-04-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

artist: สุดรัก อักษรทอง (sutrak aksonthong)
album: นักรบรำพัน (rak rop ramphan)
tracklist:
01. นักรบรำพัน (nak rop ramphan)
02. ชาวเรือฝากรัก (chao ruea fak rak)
03. หนุ่มมโนห์รา (num manora)
04. นาขาดน้ำพี่ขาดน้อง (na khat nam phi khat nong)
05. พอแล้วรักลวง (pho laeo rak luang)
06. ผิดหวังรักแรก (phit wang rak raek)
07. ดินกันคลอง (din kan khlong)
08. หวงน้อง (huang nong)
09. กองเชียร์สอื้น (kong cheer sauen)
10. เสียดายแฟน (sia dai faen)
11. ยามดึกนอนเดี่ยว (yam duek non dieow)
12. คืนฝนตก (khuen fon tok)
13. หนุ่มใต้ฝากรัก (num tai fak rak)
14. อยู่คอยใคร (yu khoi khrai)

here's another great album from down south, this time in a more popular vein. sutrak aksonthong is a luk thung singer from nakhon si thammarat, but besides his place of provenance, i can't find much info about him.. he often sings about having been a fisherman, though, so maybe that was his occupation before hitting the pop music stage? he's one of only a handful of big luk thung stars from thailand's south, and seems to have been in the same circle as sayan sanya and yodrak salakchai. the music here is great horn & organ-driven luk thung, with some heavy 70's disco/funk influence, and some serious southern-style percussion on a couple tracks. from what i can tell, sutrak is still working in the music sector, djing at various radio stations around nakhon. i'm really a fan of this one, hope you enjoy as well!

preview:

khana pleng bok soi siang sano

2010-04-18T03:39:00.001-07:00

artist: คณะเพลงบอกสร้อย เสียงเสนาะ (khana pleng bok soi siang sano)
album: การพัฒนาคน (kan phatthana khon)
tracklist:
01. การพัฒนาคน (kan phatthana khon)

i came across this fantastic tape during a recent visit to nakhon si thammarat city. the genre, which was new to me, is called pleng bok, or "herald song", a specialty of thailand's south. pleng bok is a style of melodious call and response ballad, reminiscent of the pan-thai lam tat, and likely with similar roots in malay islamic prayer (though information about the music seems scant). this group, "pleng bok soi siang sano", led by soi damchaem, is really amazing.. their only musical accompaniment is a tiny ching cymbal, but they achieve an incredible rhythmic drive with their voices alone. this recording is of their award-winning performance at nakhon si thammarat's annual "festival of the tenth lunar month" in 1989 (2532). 6 years later, soi would become a national artist (ศิลปินแห่งชาติ), the first practioner of pleng bok to receive this honor.

preview:

narit ari: sak wan nueng

2010-04-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

singer: นริศ อารีย์ (narit ari)
album: สักวันหนึ่ง (sak wan nueng)
tracklist:
01. สักวันหนึ่ง (sak wan nueng)
02. เปียจ๋า (pia cha)
03. อย่าหลอกฉันเลย (ya lok chan loei)
04. ชบาไพร (chaba phrai)
05. เพลงนี้อุทิศให้เธอ (phleng ni uthit hai thoe)
06. จนแล้วไม่เจียม (chon laeo mai chiam)
07. แพ้รัก (phae rak)
08. ล่องแพแม่ปิง (long phae mae ping)
09. ม่วยจ๋า (muai cha)
10. กลิ่นเกล้า (klin klao)
11. หัวใจใครครอง (hua chai khrai khrong)
12. ให้ผมรักคุณเถิดนะ (hai phom rak khun thoet na)
13. เธอลืมยอดชู้ (thoe luem yot chu)
14. ให้พี่ใกล้ชิดสักนิด (hai phi klai chit sak nit)
15. พระลอรำพัน (phra lo ramphan)
16. ไฝดำ (fai dam)
17. ลักยิ้ม (lakyim)
18. ทาสรัก (that rak)
19. ไม่เคยง้อใครเท่าคุณ (mai khoei ngo khrai thao khun)

sorry for the length between posts; i've been traveling north, south & all over. being back in the capitol now, it seems appropriate to share some sweet, sad old city music. and who better to sing the bangkok blues than mr. narit ari? narit is the younger brother of woranut ari, a founding member of the suntaraphon band. he spent time singing for radio plays and temple fairs, before following his sister's path to suntaraphon. alongside suthep wongkhamhaeng and charin nanthanakhon, narit was one of the "three generals of luk krung", the thai crooners who dominated bangkok's music scene in the 50's and 60's, frequently delighting audiences at the famous sala chaloem thai & sala chaloem krung royal theatres. hope he can do the same for you!

preview:

lung naep & his troupe: laap phet

2010-03-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

artist: ลุงแนบ พร้อมชาวคณะ (lung naep & his troupe)
album: ลาบเป็ด (laap phet)
tracklist:
01. ลาบเป็ด, pt. 1 (laap phet, pt. 1)
02. ลาบเป็ด, pt. 2 (laap phet, pt. 2)

here's a crazy old comedy tape from lung naep & his troupe! lung naep, or narong kosaphon, is one of the first & greatest isaan comedians. he's a prolific songwriter as well; he's been writing hits since the 60's for the likes of phanom nopphon, samai onwong, nophadon duangphon, suang santi & many others. this album is a live recording of a 1994 performance.. the tape is called "spicy minced duck salad", and appropriately, the jokes are mostly food based, though there are also some routines mocking famous luk thung singers, as well as impressions of chinese & vietnamese songs. i wish i understood even half the jokes, but they must be pretty good if the receptive audience is any indication.. they are having a blast! hope you do too!

preview:

thai classical music angkalung ensemble

2010-03-26T01:13:00.000-07:00

artist: thai classical music angkalung ensemble
album: ยะวา (yawa)
tracklist:
01. มโนราห์ลุยไฟ (manora lui fai)
02. ลาวดำเนินทราย (lao damnoen sai)
03. ลาวครวญ (lao khruan)
04. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)
05. สร้อยแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
06. เขมรไทรโยค (khmer sai yok)
07. ลาวคำหอม (lao kham hom)
08. ยะวา (yawa)
09. ลาวกระแซ (lao krasae)
10. ลาวเจริญศรี (lao charoen si)
11. แขกอาหวัง (khaek a wang)
12. แสนคำนึง (saen kham nueng)

bit of a curiosity this week, we've got some old thai-style javanese music! the instrument featured here is the indonesian angklung (อังกะลุง (angkalung) in thai), a set of tuned bamboo rattles. the angklung was brought to thailand in the early 1900s by thai composer luang pradit phairo, following a royal visit to java in the entourage of his patron prince woradet. upon return, pradit adapted the instrument to the local tuning system, and it became a popular favourite. in the latter half of the century, it came to be a staple for school bands, much in the manner of handbell choirs in the u.s. or u.k.. the songs on here are mostly based on thai classical melodies, and backed up by a nice band, full of drums & a bit of electric organ. very cool!

preview:

chanthana kitiyaphan: kliat khon suai

2010-03-18T23:50:00.000-07:00

artist: ฉันทนา กิติยพันธ์ (chanthana kitiyaphan)
album: เกลียดคนสวย (kliat khon suai)
tracklist:
01. เกลียดคนสวย (kliat khon suai)
02. ข้าวนอกนา (khao nok na)
03. ชีวิตคนดำ (chiwit khon dam)
04. ขอสักวัน (kho sak wan)

one thai musical tradition which has been under-represented here is "string", particularly the fantastic thai funk scene of the 70's. of course, considering that this is probably the genre of thai music best represtened in the western market (from those "thai beat a go-go" compilations of years past, to the fine folks at zudrangma today), i haven't felt too guilty about the neglect. nevertheless, i was excited to share this great album from chanthana with you.. imagine my dismay, then, when the reel spun out halfway through side one!! luckily the first 4 songs are the best, pulled from the soundtrack to the 1975 (พ.ศ. 2518) film "ข้าวนอกนา (khao nok na)". you can just pretend it's an e.p.! enjoy!!

preview:

khana rung thawi: hae sot dontri phuen ban nong ko

2010-03-11T06:05:00.000-08:00

artist: คณะ รุ่งทวี (khana rung thawi)
album: แห่สดดนตรีพื้นบ้านหนองโก ชุดที่ 8 + 9 (hae sot dontri phuen ban nong ko, vols. 8 & 9)
tracklist:
01. แห่สดดนตรีพื้นบ้านหนองโก ชุดที่ 8 (hae sot dontri, vol. 8)
02. แห่สดดนตรีพื้นบ้านหนองโก ชุดที่ 9 (hae sot dontri, vol. 9)

some more great stuff from a recent trip up to isaan: khana rung thawi & their fantastic festival sounds! needless to say, the bizarre cover made this one irresistable, although the music lives up to it in about every way possible.. this is some of the most manic lam sing i've heard.. distorted drum machines, some amazing fake saxophone and the requisite phin shredding. rung thawi is a local khon kaen band, from ban nong ko specifically. this music, as the cover informs us, is great both for parades, or just listening for fun! enjoy!!

preview:

maitai uraiphon: ruam hit 16 pleng dang talap phet

2010-03-07T07:19:00.000-08:00

artist: ไหมไทย อุไรพร (maitai uraiphon)
album: รวมฮิต 16 เพลงดังตลับเพชร (ruam hit 16 pleng dang talap phet)
tracklist:
01. คิดฮอดอย่างแฮง (khit hot yang haeng)
02. ดาวเคียงเดือน (dao khiang duean)
03. ให้เขาเป็นคนสุดท้าย (hai khao pen khon sut thai)
04. แฮงฮักแฮงชัง (haeng hak haeng chang)
05. คันเท (khan the)
06. คุณนายสวิส (khun nai swiss)
07. หัวใจจิ้งจก (hua chai chingchok)
08. เห็นเธอที่เยอรมัน (hen thoe thi germany)
09. หัวใจผู้ชาย (hua chai phu chai)
10. คนไม่มีสิทธิ์ (khon mai mi sit)
11. วันที่รอคอย (wan thi ro khoi)
12. หัวสักหัวข่วม (hua sak hua khuam)
13. พอเซแฟนช้ำ (pho se faen cham)
14. อยากอายจิ้งจก (yak ai chingchok)
15. ไหมไทยคนเดิม (maitai khon doem)
16. บักสิเด๋อ (baksidoe)

something a bit more contemporary than usual this week.. we'll hear from maitai chaitawan, who is topping the charts in thailand right now! this tape, however, is a compilation of his hits from a couple years back, mid-2000's i think, back when he was "maitai uraiphon". maitai is from khorat, and started out in doi inthanon's lam sing group. i think he's on gmm grammy now, so you can hear him every day on the radio.. interesting to hear his old stuff! plus check out this video of his concerts from back then (the song is track 16 on here).. fantastic liké get-up! enjoy!!

preview:

khamkoeng thongchan: da da da

2010-03-04T00:56:00.001-08:00

artist: คำเกิ่ง ทองจันทร์ (khamkoeng thongchan)
album: ดา ดา ดา (da da da)
tracklist:
01. ดา ดา ดา (da da da)
02. คุณขอมา (khun kho ma)
03. ใจมักคิด (chai mak khit)
04. หัวอกคนจน (hua ok khon chon)
05. เจ้าหัวใจ (chao hua chai)
06. คนพเนจร (khon phanechon)
07. ดีกว่าอยู่สื่อ ๆ (di kwa yu sue sue)
08. อาจารย์ดี (achan di)
09. ชั่วช่างมัน (chua chang man)
10. อีสานพันโว๊ล (isan phan volt)
11. ลาน้องไปซาอุ (la nong pai sa u)
12. เสียนาเสียเมีย (sia na sia mia)

providing no one minds terribly, i thought we could keep with isan stuff for a bit longer, and so here's some nice lam phloen from khamkoeng thongchan! unfortunately, i don't know a great deal about khamkoeng.. he's remembered not so much as a molam in his own right than as the achan (plus composer, lyricist, etc.) of his "thongchan promotion" music collective, which launched the careers of stars like sathit thongchan, dueanphen amnuaiphon, a pojana & others.. nevertheless, he's pretty good himself! the band's got some cool keyboard & sax and of course, that unstoppable molam groove.. plus there's no beating his hat!! enjoy!

preview:

onuma singsiri: sao isan ro rak

2010-02-25T03:05:00.001-08:00

artist: อรอุมา สิงห์ศิริ (onuma singsiri)
album: สาวอีสานรอรัก (sao isan ro rak)
tracklist:
01. สาวอีสานรอรัก (sao isan ro rak)
02. สาวอีสานครวญ (sao isan khruan)
03. คอยพี่ที่บ้านนา (khoi phi thi ban na)
04. คืนเดือนหงาย (khuen duean ngai)
05. สาวหมอลำช้ำรัก (sao molam cham rak)
06. สาวอีสาน (sao isan)
07. แม่ค้าส้มตำ (mae kha som tam)
08. รอวันพี่กลับ (ro wan phi klap)
09. ออนซอนเสียงซอ (on son siang so)
10. อรอุมา อะบานิบี (onuma "a ba ni bi")
11. อรอุมา พาเพลิน (onuma pha phloen)
12. สัญญารักที่ศาลาลอย (sanya rak thi sala loi)
13. ฮักอ้ายอีหลี (hak ai ili)
14. บ่ลืมพี่ที่ยโสธร (bo luem phi thi yasothon)
15. ลำเพลินเกี้ยวบ่าว (lam phloen kieow bao)
16. เต้ยริมโขง (toei rim khong)

a really great album this week, one of my favorites.. onuma singsiri's classic "sao isan ro rak". the lead single was a huge hit back in the day, though it's hard to find much information about onuma these days. i'm pretty sure she comes from khon kaen, and she sings all about isan. i think she actually was a molam to begin with.. she certainly seems capable of handling some of the associated vocal stylings! and though this album is mostly luk thung, there's also some solid lam phloen intermingling with heavy funk numbers, not to mention alot of nice so fiddle embellishments. i think onuma actually lives in tennessee now.. i wonder if she still sings!! (and yes, track 10 is a cover of israeli 1978 eurovision song contest winner izhar cohen & the alpha beta's "a ba ni bi") don't miss this one!!

preview:

caravan: blacksmith

2010-02-17T02:54:00.001-08:00

artist: คาราวาน (caravan)
album: คนตีเหล็ก (blacksmith)
tracklist:
01. หนุ่มพเนจร (num phanechon)
02. คนตีเหล็ก (khon ti lek)
03. กองเกวียนบ้านไพร (kong kwian ban phrai)
04. ข้าวลาลาน (khao la lan)
05. ชายคนนั้น (chai khon nan)
06. เหงา (ngao)
07. แด่... เจ้าดอกไม้ (dae... chao dok mai)
08. ใกล้ตาไกลตีน (klai ta klai tin)
09. ภูเขา (phu khao)
10. ฝันร้าย (fan rai)

as per request, here's another fantastic album from caravan... and this one comes courtesy of alexandra, so you know it's good!! caravan, of course, are the progenitors of the เพลงเพื่อชีวิต (pleng puea chiwit) or "songs for life" genre. the band was founded in the early '70s by student protest leaders surachai chanthimathon & wirasak sunthonsi. their tunes & lyrics were a vital force for bringing the messages of urban student activism out to the provinces. their music is fantastic, adapting folk-rock rhythms & melodies from american & british protest songs of the time and interlacing them with thai folk idioms & instrumentation. in the wake of the massacre at thammasat university, the band fled bangkok, some heading into the mountains of the northeast to join the communist insurgency in armed struggle. needless to say, their music was banned from radioplay for quite a while, broadcast only from pirate stations in the hills. this album is from 1983, shortly after their return from exile. very nice stuff, enjoy!

preview:

mo du maen maen

2010-02-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

artist: 蘇民強, 方思造, 凍莉莉 + 明星音樂隊 (sou ming kiang, huang seu tsau, tong li li & the star band)
album: หมอดูแม่นๆ (mo du maen maen)
tracklist:
01. 算命先生 (sueng meng sing seng)
02. 天頂一隻鵝 (thieng teng tsek tsiah ngo)
03. 紡棉花 (fang mian hua)
04. 門脚一欉梨 (mung kha tsek zhang lai)

so bangkok is going a bit china-crazy as it gears up to celebrate the 2nd of its 3 new years (the gregorian new year back in january, chinese lunar new year, and thai solar new year, songkran, in april). chinese culture is a big influence in bangkok.. by some estimates, nearly half of native bangkokians have some chinese ancestry. for the past week, all around the city people have been hanging red lanterns, setting off firecrackers, burning joss paper, eating chinese food & candy. in the spirit of the festivities, i thought i'd share this great old sino-thai musical comedy album. the jokes are in a mix of thai and teochew dialect, worked around some classic chinese songs. hope you enjoy! and 新年快樂!

preview:

khosit nopphakhun: ya long bangkok

2010-02-06T11:46:00.001-08:00

artist: โฆษิต นพคุณ (khosit nopphakhun)
album: อย่าหลงบางกอก (ya long bangkok)
tracklist:
01. อย่าหลงบางกอก (ya long bangkok)
02. มาลี (mali)
03. ติ๋ม (tim)
04. ลูกสาวคนดัง (luk sao khon dang)
05. พี่จนน้องจาง (phi chon nong chang)
06. ดวงใจไร้รัก (duang chai rai rak)
07. รักสาวชาวทุ่ง (rak sao chao thung)
08. ปองสาวเหนือ (pong sao nuea)
09. น้ำใจชันน้ำตา (nam chai nam ta)
10. ดนตรี (instrumental)
11. รุ่งอรุณ (rung arun)
12. เพื่อแฟนเพลง (phuea faen phleng)
13. จากกันอย่าลา (chak kan ya la)
14. ใครสอนเธอให้เกลียดคนจน (khrai son thoe hai kliat khon chon)
15. คอยนางกลับนา (khoi nang klap na)
16. น้ำตาตกใน (nam ta tok nai)
17. หนุ่มตังเก (num tangke)
18. พบไม้งามเมื่อขวานบิ่น (phop mai ngam muea khwan bin)

this week we get some nice old luk thung, from the charming mr. khosit nopphakhun! khosit was born and raised in samut prakan province, right outside of bangkok. he spent his early years working on a coconut farm, boiling the sap down into palm sugar... a difficult job, but one which he later insisted was to thank for strengthening his lungs & giving him the high tone of voice which audiences so adored. he made his first recordings in the early 60's with chalong wutthiwai's "roeng napha fa bangkok" band, and after thun thongchai's estrangement from the legendary "chularat" band, khosit was called in to replace him. however, it wasn't until the recording of the lead single here, "ya long bangkok", that he really found his voice. with a little imagination, maybe you can hear the sugar-smoke in his singing, there's certainly a sad sweetness to his sound... enjoy!

preview:

electone; international for dancing, vol. i

2010-01-31T21:22:00.001-08:00

artist: unknown
title: เพลงเต้นรำนานาชาติ electone; international for dancing, vol. i
tracklist:
1. cho cho san
2. magic dream
3. somewhere my love
4. china nights
5. whatever will be, will be
6. tears like a river
7. 500 miles
8. ding dong song
9. who really love me
10. tennessee waltz
11. otomi san
12. variable heart
13. a thousand tears for you
14. tangko bushi
15. goodnight irene
16. love like the moon
17. for the good time
18. japanese farewell song

here it is; the long-awaited first volume of "electone international for dancing"!! as stated in the description for volume ii, the yamaha corporation's electone organ was a pretty big hit in a lot of asian countries, thailand being no exception. while primarily thought of in the united states as a remnant of the "home electronic organ" trend of mid-century, the electone has become something of a studio staple in much of asia, and defines a great deal of thai pop especially. like the first tape, this one features another great melange of foreign dance hits; american, japanese, chinese, etc. adapted for the electone organ, with the support of some acoustic percussion. still haven't been able to find out anything about the artist here, so again if anyone happens to have some info, please chime in! otherwise, just enjoy!!!

preview:

phloen phromdaen: khaeng ma

2010-01-27T06:04:00.000-08:00

artist: เพลิน พรหมแดน (phloen phromdaen)
album: แข่งหมา (khaeng ma)
tracklist:
01. แข่งหมา (khaeng ma)
02. เสน่ห์น้ำมันพราย (sane nam man phrai)
03. เรื่องของที่ดิน (rueang khong thi din)
04. กรรมของคนกรุงเทพฯ (kam khong khon krung thep)
05. ไอ้เก๋จอมแก่น (ai ke chom kaen)
06. ไปเสียได้ก็ดี (pai sia dai ko di)
07. ทำดีโดนด่า (tham di don da)
08. ก๋วยเจ๋ง ก้วยจั๊บ (kuai cheng kuai chap)
09. จอมสำออย (chom samoi)
10. น้ำท่วมอีสาน (nam thuam isan)
11. ชอบกลเหมือนคนชอบกัน (chop kon muean khon chop kan)
12. ลุงสาเข้ากรุง (lung sa khao krung)
13. คนบ๊องส์ (khon bong)
14. รักข้ามรุ่น (rak kham run)

this week, an album from the "king of talking music", mr. phloen phromdaen! phloen grew up on his parents' farm in aranyaprathet, on the border with cambodia. at age 20, he entered a radio contest and landed a spot in a local ramwong band. however, like so many others, he fell in love with the new style being pioneered by suraphon sombatcharoen et al, which would come to be known as "luk thung". he used his own savings to record original songs, and eventually these sessions produced his massive hit "ชมทุ่ง (chom thung)", which won him a spot among the biggest stars of the era, and even starring roles in several films. shortly thereafter, phloen became interested in comedy and inventive ways to incorporate clever wordplay and skits into his tracks. what he came up with was เพลงพูด (pleng phut) or "talking music", which is exactly what it sounds like.. phloen will stop the band periodically & engage in witty banter with his bandmates. needless to say, thai comprehension would help to appreciate the skits, but the songs are great as well! the tape itself, on the other hand, has seen better days.. hope you will enjoy nonetheless!

preview:

sombat simla: lai khaen long ko

2010-01-23T10:44:00.000-08:00

artist: สมบัติ สิมหล้า (sombat simla)
album: ลายแคนหลงเกาะ (lai khaen long ko)
tracklist:
01. ลายแคนหลงเกาะ (lai khaen long ko)
02. ลายตีกลองน้ำ (lai ti klong nam)
03. ลายสาวหยิกแม่ (lai sao yik mae)
04. ลายแม่หม้ายกล่อมลูก (lai mae mai klom luk)
05. ลายเต้ยยุคใหม่ (lai toei yuk mai)
06. ลายโปงลาง (lai pong lang)
07. ลายลมผัดไผ่ (lai lom phat phai)
08. ลายนกไซบินข้ามทุ่ง (lai nok sai bin kham thung)
09. ลายแคนยุคใหม่ (lai khaen yuk mai)
10. ลายพิณยุคใหม่ (lai phin yuk mai)
11. ลายแซกยุคใหม่ (lai saek yuk mai)
12. ลายสินชัย (lai sin chai)

this week we've got a great album of solo khaen! our mokhaen here is the famed sombat simla (though on the cover he's สมบัติ ฉิมราช (sombat chimrat).. must be an old stage name!) sombat, who lost his sight at a very young age, is from mahasarakham province in isan. he first shot to fame after he landed an extended solo (oddly enough, playing the 'so' fiddle, rather than khaen!) on the sonchai mekwichian song "siang so sang sao".. but his playing was so compelling that everyone wanted to know more about the player, and his fame soon surpassed that of the star singer's! ever since then sombat has been a widely respected performer & teacher, and is known by many as the "god of khaen". he's got a really crazy style.. he's a great player & alot of fun, hope you enjoy!

preview:

thahan ruea ramluek

2010-01-15T00:00:00.001-08:00

singers: various
album: ทหารเรือรำลึก (thahan ruea ramluek)
tracklist:
01. เนวีบลู (navy blue)
sung by เกศิณี วงษ์ภักดี (kesini wongphakdi)
02. เนวีบลู (navy blue)
sung by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ (thanin intharathep)
03. ชีวิตนาวี (chiwit navy)
sung by บุษยา รังสี (butsaya rangsi)
04. ชีวิตนาวี (chiwit navy)
sung by ชินกร ไกรลาศ (chinakon krailat)
05. หวานใจนาวี (wan chai navy)
sung by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ (thanin intharathep)
06. เขียวคลื่น (khieow khluen)
sung by ธานินทร์ อินทรเทพ (thanin intharathep)
07. สัจจะ (satcha)
sung by สันติ ลุนเผ่ (santi lunphe)
08. นาวีไทยไปเวียตนาม (navy thai pai vietnam)
sung by สุเทพ วงศ์กำแหง (suthep wongkamhaeng)
09. นาวีไทยไปเวียตนาม (navy thai pai vietnam)
sung by พนม นพพร (phanom nopphon)
10. นาวีลาดตระเวน (navy lat trawen)
sung by สันติ ลุนเผ่ (santi lunphe)
11. นาวี...ที่รัก (navy... thi rak)
sung by ดาวใจ ไพจิตร (daochai phaichit)
12. เนวีร็อค (navy rock)
sung by วินัย พันธุรักษ์ (winai panthurak)
13. วีรบุรุษดอนแตง (wiraburut dontaeng)
sung by สันติ ลุนเผ่ (santi lunphe)
14. เลือดทหารเรือ (lueat thahan ruea)
sung by ชรัมภ์ เทพชัย (charam thepchai)
15. นาวีคู่ไทย (navy khu thai)
sung by สวลี ผกาพันธุ์ (sawali phakaphan)
16. ลาสาวแม่กลอง (la sao mae klong)
sung by พนม นพพร (phanom nopphon)
17. ทหารเรือมาแล้ว (thahan ruea ma laeo)
sung by ยอดรัก สลักใจ (yodrak salakchai)

well here's something a bit unexpected; a collection of pop songs in praise of the thai navy! on the cover we see h.r.h. admiral prince abhakara kiartiwongse, prince of chumphon and "father of the royal thai navy".. he's a semi-mythical figure in thailand, often considered a deity both for his contributions to the country's defense as well as to the fields of herbalism & the supernatural arts. singers from all over are represented on this album; luk thung and luk krung, both old & new, some of the biggest stars of past generations and some i've never heard of, from country star yodrak salakchai to infamous propagandist santi lunphe... everyone seems to have something nice to say about the royal mariners! i know a number of these singers actually served in the navy at some point.. not surprising considering military service in thailand is (to some degree) compulsory. while a few songs are just bland patriotism, most are fond or bittersweet rememberences of service, by self or loved ones. enjoy!

preview:

thai classical music marimba solo

2010-01-10T03:27:00.000-08:00

artist: สมาน กาญจนะผลิน (saman kanchanaphalin)
album: เดียวระนาดฝรั่ง (thai classical music marimba solo)
tracklist:
01. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)
02. ลาวคำหอม (lao kham hom)
03. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน (lao siang thian)
04. ลาวเจริญศรี (lao charoen si)
05. ลาวกระทบไม้ (lao krathop mai)
06. ลาวดำเนินทราย (lao damnoen sai)
07. สีนวล (si nuan)
08. ธรณีกรรแสง (thorani kansaeng)
09. เขมรไทรโยค (khmer sai yok)
10. เขมรโพธิ์สัตย์ (khmer pho sat)
11. สร้อยสนตัด (soi son tat)
12. เขมรไล่ควาย (khmer lai khwai)

hope everyone will forgive the length between postings, but i had my hands full for a little, whilst relocating from cambridge, massachussetts to bangkok. now that i'm here (and with access to cassette & scanning technologies!), i'm very excited to find all sorts of new sounds to share! let's hear first of all from maestro saman kanchanaphalin! an instrumentalist in the famed suntaraphon big band and a ศิลปินแห่งชาติ (silapin haeng chat) or "national artist" of thailand, saman takes the opportunity with this album to return to his roots in "pleng thai doem", or classical thai art music. of course, years spent playing international dance styles seem to have left him with a timbral preference for the "ranat farang" or "western-style ranat".. that is, the marimba. very calm & beautiful record here, hope you enjoy!

preview:

phensi phongsi: luk thung sao so

2009-12-22T21:56:00.000-08:00

singer: เพ็ญศรี ผ่องศรี (phensi phongsi)
album: ลูกทุ่งสาวซอ (luk thung sao so)
tracklist:
01. น้ำตาเมียหลวง (nam ta mia luang)
02. แม่หม้ายซาอุ (mae mai sa u)
03. เสียงครวญจากสาวนา (siang khruan chak sao na)
04. เบื่อผัวขี้เมา (buea phua khi mao)
05. หัวอกลูกไป๊ (hua ok luk pai)
06. กินน้ำใต้ศอก (kin nam tai sok)
07. สาวเหนือเปิดอก (sao nuea poet ok)
08. ชาตินี้น้องลา (chat ni nong la)
09. สาวน้อยสมัครรัก (sao noi samak rak)
10. สาวซอรอรัก (sao so ro rak)

bit of a strange one this week; luk thung ล้านนา (lanna), from far up north. this singer, phensi phongsi, is a real unknown.. she sings in the northern thai or คำเมือง (kham mueang) language, which is very unusual to hear in luk thung. i found this cassette in chiang mai, in a dark musty old tape shop that almost certainly had not updated its inventory since the early 90's at the very latest. the cover seemed to me to advertise the presence of a ซอ (so) fiddle, but what we've got is something of an album-length medley of popular luk thung melodies over a drum kit & sax-driven molam-influenced groove. i'm not complaining!

preview:

dao bandon: chan di khi foi

2009-12-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

singer: ดาว บ้านดอน (dao bandon)
album: จันดีขี้ฝอย (chan di khi foi)
tracklist:
01. จันดีขี้ฝอย (chan di khi foi)
02. ห่าตำผู้หญิง (ha tam phu ying)
03. นั่งสามล้อตามแฟน (nang sam lo tam faen)
04. กอดน้องนอนหนาว (kot nong non nao)
05. ออกพรรษาจะมาแต่ง (ok phansa cha ma taeng)
06. ลำเกี้ยวสาวส่ำน้อย (lam kieow sao sam noi)
07. ลาน้องไปจัดรายการ (la nong pai chat rai kan)
08. คอยรักนักจัดรายการ (khoi rak nak chat rai kan)
sung by ธิดา บ้านดอน (thida bandon)
09. ลำเพลินลำเกี้ยวแม่ฮ้าง (lam phloen lam kieow mae hang)
10. สะเวดสะเวน (sawet sawen)
11. สัญญาเดือนสี่ (sanya duean si)
12. อีทุยทิ้งทุ่ง (i thui thing thung)

this week, some great isan groove from the one & only dao bandon! dao was born and raised in yasothon province, the son of poor farmers. after 4th grade, his family couldn't afford to continue sending him to school, and he was given into monkhood. it was here that he realized his significant vocal gifts, by way of the rhythmic chant & preaching required by his vocation. he was soon discovered by songwriter thepphabut satirotchomphu, who guaranteed him a career as molam when he left the monastery. dao soon gave up his robes, and theppabhut made good on his promise.. dao quickly won success singing his luk thung-influenced molam, and would in fact become the first molam ever to sell one million copies! he was frequently in the charts both with his own recordings and with songs he crafted for his many disciples (one of whom won a spot on this album!). a major figure in the music of isan, dao bandon now sings for you! enjoy!

preview:

pong prida: sao fang khong

2009-12-03T06:16:00.000-08:00

singer: ปอง ปรีดา (pong prida)
album: สาวฝั่งโขง (sao fang khong)
tracklist:
01. สาวฝั่งโขง (sao fang khong)
02. สาวอยู่บ้านได๋ (sao yu ban dai)
03. สาวป่าซาง (sao pa sang)
04. เที่ยวฝั่งโขง (thieow fang khong)
05. เจ้าสาวไปใส (chao sao pai sai)
06. เดือนคล้อยคอยสาว (duean khloi khoi sao)
07. รำวงเชียงน้อย (ramwong chiang noi)
08. ค่ำคืนนี้พี่นอนหนาว (kham khuen ni phi non nao)
09. น้องนางบ้านนา (nong nang ban na)
10. เหรียญดอลล์ (rian doll)
11. คอยสาวค่อนคืน (khoi sao khon khuen)
12. กลิ่นฟางสาบสาว (klin fang sap sao)
13. เพื่อน (phuean)
14. ตามนาง (tam nang)
15. เตือนหญิง (tuean ying)
16. อีสานก้าวหน้า (isan kao na)

this week, it's luk thung veteran pong prida with his great high tone and delightful whistle. born in khon kaen province in isaan, pong grew up studying carpentry but secretly harbored ambitions to become a singer like his idol, somyot thasanaphan. eventually he dropped out & made the trip to bangkok, where he auditioned for many groups (including somyot's) but was denied from all. following this failure, he went back & forth between working factory jobs, boxing, and monkhood, all the while desperately sticking to his dream. his tenacity caught the sympathy of nakhon thanomsap (the entertainer best known for his blackface character, "gungadin"), who took him under his wing & got him spots on records, playing khaen or whistling for stars like suraphon sombatcharoen. in a short while he would be recording his own tunes and touring the nation! in time he returned to isaan, where he formed a group which performed locally in udon thani and across the border in laos, before settling down as a farmer. here now are his sad songs, for you to enjoy!

preview:

ruangthong thonglanthom: klua lom luang

2009-11-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

singer: รวงทอง ทองลั่นทม (ruangthong thonglanthom)
album: กลัวลมลวง (klua lom luang)
tracklist:
01. รักระแวงใจ (rak rawaeng chai)
02. กลัวลมลวง (klua lom luang)
03. ลืม (luem)
04. ชื่นใจ (chuen chai)
featuring ชรินทร์ นันทนาคร (charin nanthanakhon)
05. คงคาพาครวญ (khongkha pha khruan)
06. รักเป็นอย่างนี้ (rak pen yang ni)
07. เคยเป็นของคุณ (khoei pen khong khun)
08. คมสวาท (khom sawat)
09. ฝันลวงดวงใจ (fan luang duang chai)
10. พระจันทร์หลงฟ้า (phra chan long fa)
11. ไฟพิศวาท (fai phit wat)
12. สั่งลมฝากรัก (sang long fak rak)
13. จดหมายรักสลักบนพื้นทราย (chot mai rak salak bon phuen sai)
14. แรมพิศวาท (raem phitsawat)
15. พรุ่งนี้วิวาห์ (phrung ni wiwa)
16. รักเธอเสมอ (rak thoe samoe)
featuring สมศักดิ์ เทพานนท์ (somsak thephanon)
17. กังหันรัก (kanghan rak)
18. รักลาฟ้าเศร้า (rak la fa sao)
19. เชลยรัก (chaloei rak)
20. ลาก่อน (la kon)

it's been a while since we had some nice, old city music.. so here is a wonderful tape i just received, straight from alexandra in bangkok! music from singer, actress & national artist ruangthong thonglanthom! ruangthong is a veteran of the suntaraphon big band since their days as the government public relations department band. growing up an orphan, raised by her grandmother, she did not have the priveledge of advanced schooling, and instead was sent to cultivate her promising voice under the care of suntaraphon founder uea sunthonsanan. she was a big star in his ensemble through the late 50's/early 60's, and had a successful solo career afterwards, frequently to be seen/heard on the radio, television & silver screen. very nice songs on here, a couple instances of thai folk beat & even japanese flourishes alongside the standard luk krung international dance band sound. enjoy!!

preview:

sonchai mekwichian: khon ngam luem dam khieow

2009-11-18T21:13:00.000-08:00

singer: ศรชัย เมฆวิเชียร (sonchai mekwichian)
album: คนงามลืมด้ามเคียว (khon ngam luem dam khieow)
tracklist:
01. คนงามลืมด้ามเคียว (khon ngam luem dam khieow)
02. เสียงซอสั่งสาว (siang so sang sao)
03. คนงามหน้าเงิน (khon ngam na ngoen)
04. อายจันทร์ (ai chan)
05. ทุยร่ำ (thui ram)
06. บัวตูมบัวบาน (buatum buaban)
07. ลานรักลานเท (lan rak lan the)
08. คืนอำลา (khuen am la)
09. น้ำตาลาไทร (nam ta la sai)
10. ไพรอำพราง (phrai am phrang)
11. กระท่อมพ่อหม้าย (krathom pho mai)
12. พ่อหม้ายตามเมีย (pho mai tam mia)
13. กระท่อมทองกวาว (krathom thongkwao)
14. จำใจจาก (cham chai chak)
15. ปากหวาน (pak wan)
16. มาลี (mali)
17. อนิจจา (anitcha)
18. ลั่นทม (lanthom)
19. ลำดวนใจดำ (lamduan chai dam)

some more luk thung, this week from 70's heart-throb sonchai mekwichian. hailing from khorat, sonchai, like many luk thung stars from the 70's on, got his start singing at local talent competitions. in this manner sonchai gained a good a bit of popularity around isaan, culminating in a few tv appearances & such, though his real break would be one of pure luck. during a tour up-country, luk thung songwriter chalong phusawang happened to require some auto work, and brought his car to the very mechanics' whereat sonchai worked his day-job. with his car in-shop, sonchai managed to perform a tune or so for the songwriter, and though his voice wasn't much to chalong's taste, chalong's wife, who was also in attendance, was so taken with the young singer that the maestro had little choice but to accept him. the tunes on here are quite nice, slow luk thung, featuring a few nods to the music of sonchai's home region, the northeast. hope you enjoy! and be sure to check out another album of his (featuring all the hits!) available over at the selmanaires' sound center.

preview:

sonkhiri siprachuap: fon tok fa rong

2009-11-11T07:06:00.001-08:00

singer: ศรคีรี ศรีประจวบ (sonkhiri siprachuap)
album: ฝนตกฟ้าร้อง (fon tok fa rong)
tracklist:
01. ฝนตกฟ้าร้อง (fon tok fa rong)
02. น้ำท่วม (nam thuam)
03. แม่ค้าตาคม (mae kha ta khom)
04. ขี้เหล่ก็รัก (khi le ko rak)
05. พอหรือยัง (pho rue yang)
06. บุพเพสันนิวาส (bupphesanniwat)
07. วาสนาพี่น้อย (watsana phi noi)
08. หนุ่มนาบ้ารัก (num na ba rak)
09. บางช้าง (bang chang)
10. ดอกรักบานแล้ว (dok rak ban laeo)

this week, quite a time ravaged cassette, but one featuring a favorite singer of mine, 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 always 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 huge country-wide tour. sonkhiri's sweet, sorrowful voice is remembered fondly still.. his songs were featured prominently in pen-ek ratanarueang's 1999 film เรื่องตลก 69 ("6ixtynin9"), wherein his tragic serenades cause the gangsters to break down in tears. enjoy!

preview:

a. num phuthai: sing sam thao, vol. 1

2009-11-02T19:52:00.001-08:00

artist: อ. หนุ่ม ภูไท (a. num phuthai)
album: ซิ่งซ่ำเฒ่า ชุดที่ 1 (sing sam thao, vol. 1)
tracklist:
01. ซิ่งซ่ำเฒ่า ชุดที่ 1 a (sing sam thao, vol. 1 a)
02. ซิ่งซ่ำเฒ่า ชุดที่ 1 b (sing sam thao, vol. 1 b)

this week we've got some electric isaan grooves from phin maestro a. num phutai! the พิณ (phin), a plucked lute of unknown origin, is in it's electrified form one of the most recognizable and attention-grabbing aspects of modern molam. achan (อาจารย์) num phutai, as well as being a teacher of phin (witness his many how-to vcds!), composes tunes for molam popstars.. but here it's just him, playing a solid 40-minute phin medley. as the approved product of a reputable phin instructor, i imagine this tape is replete with the expected virtuosity (though you'd have to consult someone with more pick-related knowledge than i). this one is another from alexandra; she has all the best! enjoy!!

preview:

thai modernized music for dancing, vol. 2

2009-10-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

band: เพิ่ม คล้ายบรรเลง + วงดนตรี สากลผสม มโหรี (phoem khlaibanleng & his international mixed mahori orchestra)
album: แชมป์เท้าไฟ ไทยเดิมประยุกต์ ชุด 2 (thai modernized music for dancing, vol. 2)
tracklist:
01. มอญดูดาว (mon du dao)
02. ลาวลำปาง (lao lampang)
03. พม่ารำวง (phama ramwong)
04. อิเหนา (inao)
05. มอญซ่อนผ้า (mon son pha)
06. ตามองตา (ta mong ta)
07. ลาวชมดง (lao chom dong)
08. บังใบ (bangbai)
09. ลาวคำหอม (lao kham hom)
10. ลาวครวญ (lao khruan)

this week's post comes to us courtesy of stuart ellis, proprietor of the amazing radiodiffusion internasionaal, wherein he chronicles the global spread of electrified pop music from the 1960s & 70s. he also hosts an fm broadcast edition of the site on radio koug, vancouver. here's what he's got to say:

not too long after i had picked up the first two of the "thai beat a go go" discs, i started searching high and low for "shadow music" - although I had no idea at the time that was what it was called. i immediately fell in love with the wild mix of surf guitar and traditional percussion, resulting in a sound unlike any i had heard before.

this record was the first record from thailand that i ever bought. i was hoping that it would sound like johnny guitar or payong mukda (also known as pocket music / son of p.m.)... but what i got was something much more bizarre. more like xavier cugat goes gamelan. it almost sounds like there are two bands in the studio - one your typical latin-esque jazz band, the other some kind of gamelan orchestra - and they are fighting over who plays what. like some kind of battle of the bands gone horribly awry, yet in all of the right ways.

phoem khlaibanleng & his international mixed mahori orchestra were part of the suntaraphon collective - which was a state sponsored group of artists and musicians. during the vietnam war, the u.s.-backed field marshal thanom kittikachorn encouraged westernization throughout every sector of life. one of these sectors was ballroom dancing - with orchestras supplied by the government public relations department. eventually, due to their popularity, these musicians began performing and recording outside of the state sponsored system and to the top of the charts.

if anyone out there has volume 1, please contact me.

preview:

phon phirom: he chimphali

2009-10-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

singer: พร ภิรมย์ (phon phirom)
album: เห่ฉิมพลี (he chimphali)
tracklist:
01. เห่ฉิมพลี (he chimphali)
02. ชมดง (chom dong)
03. รจนา (rotchana)
04. พ่อหม้ายตามเมีย (pho mai tam mia)
05. ชาละวัน (cha la wan)
06. ไกรทอง (kraithong)
07. พรหมบุปผา (phrom buppha)
08. เมียจ๋า (mia cha)
09. รักเดียวใจเดียว (rak dieow chai dieow)
10. พ่อกับแม่ (pho kap mae)
11. ลูกเมือ 25 น. (luk muea 25 n.)
12. แหล่ใจโจร (lae chai chon)
13. ลูกโจรกลับใจ (luk chon klap chai)
14. ไฟบาป (fai bap)
15. ไม้หลักปักเลน (mai lak pak len)
16. เมียจาก (mia chak)

a really great tape this week, one from the magnificent singer & songwriter phon phirom. born into a ลิเก (liké) theatre family in phra nakhon si ayutthaya, phon was from a young age fascinated by the world of thai classical music. growing up, he studied numerous genres of artsong, gaining proficiency in piphat instrumentation, chinese opera & thai theatrical vocal forms. after a number of years with a traveling liké troupe, he was persuaded by famed "chularat" band-leader mongkhon amatayakun to apply his talents on the burgeoning luk thung pop stage. following a series of minor releases, both of his own recordings & tunes he penned for others, phon scored his first hit, "บัวตูมบัวบาน (buatum buaban)" in the year 1960 (พ.ศ. 2503). emboldened by this success, phon set about on a vision of integrating the beloved "pleng thai doem" of his past into contemporary popular music. by employing instruments & rhythms from classical dance & piphat ensemble, as well as florid poetic language & lyrical content derived from thai folktales, phon forged a syncretic musical movement, similar in spirit to the javanese jaipong, and one which became much respected throughout the kingdom. now, the great phon phirom can entertain and delight you as well.. enjoy!

preview:

khana nak rong prasan siang chula: bat hua chai

2009-10-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

band: คณะนักร้องประสานเสียงจุฬาฯ (khana nak rong prasan siang chula)
album: บาดหัวใจ (bat hua chai)
tracklist:
01. บาดหัวใจ (bat hua chai)
02. คน (khon)
03. หากฉันขาดเธอ (hak chan khat thoe)
04. อยากลืมกลับจำ (yak luem klap cham)
05. รักลึกจมใจ (rak luek chom chai)
06. จากดวงใจ (chak duang chai)
07. ยันยินเยา (yan yin yao)
08. ใครหนอ (khrai no)
09. พิษรัก (phit rak)
10. ตาไร้แวว (ta rai waeo)
11. จนกว่าจะถึงวันนั้น (chon kwacha thueng wan nan)
12. ลาแล้วแก้วตา (la laeo kaeo ta)

here is something different... the songs of สุรพล โทณะวณิก (suraphon thonawanik), as presented by the chorus club of bangkok's chulalongkorn university! songwriter suraphon thonawanik, a ศิลปินแห่งชาติ (silapin haeng chat) or "national artist" of thailand, crafted many of the quintessential nostalgic tunes which epitomize the luk krung genre, and on this tape, students at one of thailand's most prestigious institutes of higher learning filter them through a pronouncedly western sense of harmony. the texture here is very light, just piano & chorus; quite high society!

preview:

saengsuri rungrot: hae khan mak

2009-09-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

singer: แสงสุรีย์ รุ่งโรจน์ (saengsuri rungrot)
album: แห่ขันหมาก (hae khan mak)
tracklist:
01. แห่ขันหมาก (hae khan mak)
02. ขอยืมเงินบวช (kho yuem ngoen buat)
03. น้ำตานาคตก (nam ta nak tok)
04. ความจริงจากใจ (khwan ching chak chai)
05. สะดุ้งกลางดึก (sadung klang duek)
06. จับตัว ตีตราจอง (chap tua ti tra chong)
07. ดาวเคียงเดือน (dao khiang duean)
08. รักสาวชาวนา (rak sao chao na)
09. รำวงชาวบ้าน (ramwong chao ban)
10. น่าอร่อย (na aroi)
11. ม่วยแก้มแดง (muay kaem daeng)
12. สารภาพรัก (saraphap rak)
13. รอความเมตตา (ro khwam metta)
14. เรือนหอรอเก้อ (ruean ho ro koe)
15. ตังเกปวดใจ (tangke puat chai)
16. หนุ่มสลัม (num slum)
17. แพ้เพื่อน (phae phuean)
18. ขอเวลาห้าปี (ko wela ha pi)

today we hear from 70's star saengsuri rungrot! born in nakhon ratchasima province in isaan, saengsuri was the favourite of local singing competitions, and dreamed always of becoming a luk thung singer. at 15 he headed to bangkok, where he worked as a cook in sukhumvit's ambassador hotel for 10 years, all the while winning small local singing competitions in bangkok. his big break came when he won a singing contest to appear on the big screen, singing alongside sayan sanya in the soraphong chatri vehicle "khaya sangkhom" ("dregs of society"). after this initial success, songwriter สัมฤทธิ์ รุ่งโรจน์ (samrit rungrot) took saengsuri on as his protege, and from there he released the great string of hits which are compiled here. hope you enjoy them greatly!

preview:

klong yao klong suek

2009-09-16T00:26:00.001-07:00

performers: unknown
album: กลองยาวกลองศึก (klong yao klong suek)
tracklist:
01. กลองยาวกลองศึก (klong yao klong suek)
02. กลองยาวระทึกใจ (klong yao rathuek chai)
03. กลองยาวไพรสวรรค์ (klong yao phrai sawan)
04. กลองยาวบันดาลสุข (klong yao ban dan suk)
05. กลองยาวสนุกสนาน (klong yao sanuksanan)
06. โห่ 3 ลากลองยาวประยุกต์ (ho 3 la klong yao prayuk)
07. กลองยาวสำราญชื่น (klong yao samran chuen)
08. กลองยาวรื่นเริง (klong yao ruenroeng)
09. กลองยาวบันเทิงใจ (klong yao banthoeng chai)
10. กลองยาวแห่บวชนาค (klong yao hae buat nakh)
11. กลองยาวผสมปี่ชวา (klong yao phasom pi java)
12. โห่ 3 ลากลองยาวผสมปี่พาทย์ (ho 3 la klong yao phasom piphat)

this week we have a great thai folk beat recording! named for their lead instrument, the thai long drum, klong yao ensembles have long been an important fixture in local culture. a staple of village fairs both religious & secular, the marching klong yao troupe provides a indispensably raucous soundtrack to the festivities. replete with call & responses choruses, clattering drums, persistent cymbals, all manner of yodels, screeches, hollers and so on, it's hard to miss the appeal of this enduring phenomenon. originally thought of as a central thai form, klong yao has long since diffused throughout the kingdom, mixing along the way with a myriad of regional styles. unfortunately i don't know much about this particular recording; the group performing goes uncredited on the cassette.. joined in places by horn sections, electric organ & guitar, and even thai classical instruments, they seem to be inspired by the ประยุกต์ (prayuk), or "applied" folksong movement, similar to the recently-anthologized "shadow music" genre. enjoy the big drums!

preview:

sai sai mao: kau yon phe tang

2009-08-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

singer: sai sai mao
album: kau yon phe tang
tracklist:
01. kam moen luk kuun mi
02. theung nam mae haang
03. hak neung hak sawng hak saam
04. puun suup yuuch luu
05. aay jaay nuuw yuu
06. kaw yon phe taang
07. jaay te hak yaw
08. ngeun saam pe mak saaw sa the
09. maw
10. mong hung jaeu
11. yon suu pan suu
12. kaw ne taang
13. hak kan mii taa jaeu
14. hak moen jaay mii phaeu
15. mong
16. kaw hak te mong paeu yuu

this week, songs from shan rock icon sai sai mao! a member of the shan (or tai yai) ethnic group, sai sai mao (จายสายมาว in thai) was born in burma, in mu se on the border with china, and often traveled with his grandfather between northern thailand and taungyi in shan state. at age 15 he picked up the guitar, and 3 years later was performing for shan communities in chiang rai. sai sai mao's broadcasts on radio thailand were eagerly received both locally and across the border in burma, where his songs, such as "likhommai panglong", about burma's unfilfulled promise of shan independence, were banned. sai mao cut most of his albums in bangkok or chiang mai while serving in the shan state army, the rebel faction who funded his recordings. enjoy sai sai mao!

many thanks to alif silpachai for transliteration from shan script!

preview:

yui yatyoe: yui pen sao laeo 3

2009-08-23T15:40:00.000-07:00

singer: ยุ้ย ญาติเยอะ (yui yatyoe)
album: ยุ้ย เป็นสาวแล้ว 3 (yui pen sao laeo 3)
tracklist:
01. ขึ้นเอ๊า ขึ้นเอา (khuen ao khuen ao)
02. โชคดีที่รู้กัน (chokh di thi ru kan)
03. จดหมายค้างคืน (chot mai khang khuen)
04. สาวนาแดดเดียว (sao na daet dieow)
05. โสดจริงหรือเปล่า (sot ching rue plao)
06. รอวันแต่ง (ro wan taeng)
07. เจ๊าะแจ๊ะจัง (chochae chang)
08. ไม่เชื่อหรอก (mai chuea rok)
09. โทษฉันได้ไง (thot chan dai ngai)
10. ปิดประตูตีแมว (pit pratu ti maeo)

this week some "modern" luk thung... from 1995 (พ.ศ. 2538) to be precise. yui yatyoe had been a performer in the band of phumphuang duangchan since the age of 9, and after phumpuang's death, was looked to by many as the best hope of filling the gap left by her early passing; few singers beside yui could come close to matching phumpuang's range vocally or emotionally, or exude the same coquettish charm. in fact, yui proved such an effective substitute that rumours abounded of her being a secret daughter of phumpuang.. though not many believe that nowadays. her sound is typical of the 90's guitar & keyboard workstation-driven pop luk thung.. some very catchy tunes!

preview: