khabuan mukda: march phitak santirat

 

artist: ขบวน มุกดา (khabuan mukda)
album: มาร์ชพิทักษ์สันติราษฎร์ (march phitak santirat)
tracklist:
01. มาร์ชพิทักษ์สันติราษฎร์ (march phitak santirat)
02. วีรชน 14 ตุลา (wirachon 14 tula)
03. มาร์ชลูกเสือ (march luk suea)
04. มาร์ชวชิราลงกรณ์ (march wachiralongkon)
05. มาร์ชประชาธิปไตย (march prachathipatai)
06. มาร์ชอาสารักษาดินแดน (march asa raksa din daen)
07. มาร์ชเฉลิมชาติ (march chaloem chat)
08. มาร์ชเหล่าแพทย์ (march lao phaet)
09. รัฐธรรมนูญ (ratthathammanun)
10. สยามานุสสติ (sayamanutsati)
11. สมเด็จพระราชินี (somdet phra rachini)
12. สารวัตรทหาร (sarawat thahan)
13. มาร์ชเทิดไทย (march thoet thai)
14. มาร์ชราชดำเนิน (march ratchadamnoen)
15. เกียรติลูกเสือ (kiat luk suea)
16. มาร์ชโรงเรียนตำรวจนครบาล (march rong rian tamruat nakhon ban)
17. มาร์ชค่ายสุรนารี (march khai suranari)
18. มาร์ชกองทัพบก (march kong thap bok)

this week, martial synthesizer sounds from "the son of p.m.", khabuan mukda! khabuan is best known for his outstanding organ work in the shadow bands of the '60s (p.m. pocket music, p.m. 7 jupiter, etc.) created by his adoptive father, the incomparable phayong mukda. in the '70s, 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 on the electone. while our previous solo record found khabuan taking on top pop hits of the day, the content of this tape is essentially "switched-on" (à la wendy carlos) versions of marches variously extolling the royal institution, armed services, and (paradoxically?) heroes of popular uprisings against those forces (see track 2: "the heroes of 14 october"). enjoy!

 

khabuan mukda: electone '81, vol. 4

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!!

shadow prayuk

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!!

winai phanthurak: kham laeo nai ruedu nao

artist: วินัย พันธุรักษ์ (winai phanthurak)
album: ค่ำแล้วในฤดูหนาว (kham laeo nai ruedu nao)
tracklist:
01. ค่ำแล้วในฤดูหนาว (kham laeo nai ruedu nao)
02. เสียงกระซิบสั่ง (siang krasip sang)
03. แหวนประดับก้อย (waen pradap koi)
04. ยิ่งคิดยิ่งช้ำ (ying khit ying cham)
05. เสียงเพลงทิพย์ (siang phleng thip)
06. ผีเสื้อกับดอกไม้ (phi suea kap dok mai)
07. ใจเป็นห่วง (chai pen huang)
08. คำปฏิญาณ (kham patiyan)
09. บางปู (สะพานสุขตา) (bang pu (saphan suk ta))
10. พรานเบ็ด (phran bet)

this week, a solo outing from the famed winai phanthurak! a saraburi native, winai got his start as a vocalist in one of phayong mukda's youth chorus projects before moving up to be an instrumental contributor to p.m. pocket music, phayong's shadow prayuk or "modernized" thai music ensemble. from there, he teamed up with settha sirachaya to form the impossibles, thailand's pre-eminent smooth 70's vocal/funk group. after they split up in 1977, winai joined rewat phutthinan (future head of gmm grammy) to form a band called the oriental funk. where, through all these comings-and-goings, did this particular album fall? i'm not exactly sure, but it bears the hallmarks of his erstwhile career, with a lightly funk-informed MOR sound dominating. interestingly, the selections all date from a generation or so previous, compositions of early luk krung songwriter and accordion star luan khwantham. on the musical side as well, the band keeps things interesting with some left-field moog-ish stabs. and speaking of left-field, the cassette also includes alternate (though clipped) beardless cover art of winai. as per your taste, i suppose.. enjoy!

preview:

rungphet laemsing: fon duean hok

artist: รุ่งเพชร แหลมสิงห์ (rungphet laemsing)

album: ฝนเดือนหก (fon duean hok)

tracklist:

01. ฝนเดือนหก (fon duean hok)

02. กบจำศีล (kop cham sin)

03. กบคนองฝน (kop khonong fon)

04. เขาลืมเราแล้ว (khao luem rao laeo)

05. ปีหน้าพาเที่ยวกรุง (pi na thieow krung)

06. คืนฝนตก (khuen fon tok)

07. น้ำลงเดือนยี่ (nam long duean yi)

08. แล้วแต่วาสนา (laeo tae watsana)

09. ความรักเจ้าขา (khwam rak chao kha)

10. สงกรานต์บ้านนา (songkran ban na)

it's the sixth month of the year, the beginning of thailand's rainy period, so let's start it with rungphet laemsing's timeless song of the season! a native of phetchaburi province, rungphet got his start singing the songs of khamron sambunnanon while studying to be a combat medic. in 1961, as a royal guard stationed in bangkok, he fell in with phayong mukda's group, before defecting to samniang muangthong's ruam daokrachai band a year later. he became a personal favorite of legendary songwriter phaibun butkhan, who even set him up for a spot on the silver screen. when rungphet skipped his first movie shoot, however, phaibun lost face and broke off all relations with the singer, effectively ending his career. though his stardom may have been cut short, we still have these beautiful recordings from back in his prime. enjoy!

preview:

chaichana bunnachot: chai nang muean thang rot

artist: ชัยชนะ บุญนะโชติ (chaichana bunnachot)
album: ใจนางเหมือนทางรถ (chai nang muean thang rot)
tracklist:
01. ใจนางเหมือนทางรถ (chai nang muean thang rot)
02. ทำบุญกันเถิด (tham bun kan thoet)
03. ทำบุญสร้างวัด (tham bun sang wat)
04. รักกระจาย (rak krachai)
05. ชะนีหน้าดำ (chani na dam)
06. ชมสาว (chom sao)
07. ชมหนุ่ม (chom num)
08. สมาคมโลกตับแข็ง (samakhom lok tap khaeng)
09. เช้าแบนเย็นแบน (chao baen yen baen)
10. เพลงไม่เมา (phleng mai mao)
11. ชีวิตเด็กวัด (chiwit dek wat)
12. เพลงเกี่ยวข้าว (phleng kiao khao)
13. นิ่งเสียเถิดน้อง (ning sia thoet nong)
14. ขบถรัก (khabot rak)
15. แผ่นดินไม่สิ้นคนดี (phaendin mai sin khon di)
16. น้ำตาลูกทุ่ง (nam ta luk thung)
17. ขันหมากชัยชนะ (khan mak chaichana)

this week, luk thung classics from national artist mr. chaichana bunnachot! hailing from central thailand's chachoengsao province, chaichana grew up working on a mango plantation before joining his uncle's liké troupe, where he learned to sing all manner of folksong. eventually, he left for bangkok with his brother and the two sang at bus terminals throughout the city, earning some renown as street performers. chaichana soon turned his talents towards the new style being pioneered by khamron sambunnanon, which would come to be known as luk thung. he came to the attention of bandleader phayong mukda, who arranged his first recordings in 1958. from there he worked with other songwriters like phaibun butkhan and phiphat boribun before eventually coming into his own as a songsmith. for many generations chaichana has been a star performer and mentor to younger singers, and still performs occasionally at the age of 80! this cassette bears the same title as one we've heard here before, but while the lead single is a re-recording of an earlier hit, the rest is new content.. enjoy! 

chaichana bunnachot: chai nang muean thang rot

artist: ชัยชนะ บุญนะโชติ (chaichana bunnachot)
album: ใจนางเหมือนทางรถ (chai nang muean thang rot)
tracklist:
01. ดอกดินถวิลฟ้า (dok din thawin fa)
02. ใจนางเหมือนทางรถ (chai nang muean thang rot)
03. หัวอกหนุ่มโสด (hua ok num sot)
04. แม่แตงร่มใบ (mae taeng rom bai)
05. สุสานคนรัก (susan khon rak)
06. แหล่อวยพร (lae uaiphon)
07. ใจน้อยจริงน้อง (chai noi ching nong)
08. ลูกเขยผู้กว้างขวาง (luk khoei phu kwang khwang)
09. ลาสาวเข้ากรุง (la sao khao krung)
10. สาวสุพรรณโสภา (sao suphan sopha)
11. น้ำตาพ่อ (nam ta pho)
12. ฆ่าพี่เสียเถิด (kha phi sia thoet)
13. เกาะสมุย (ko samui)
14. แหล่ชูชก ตอน 1 (lae chu chok, pt. 1)
15. แหล่ชูชก ตอน 2 (lae chu chok, pt. 2)
16. เสียงสั่งจากบ้านนา (siang sang chak ban na)
17. ลูกสาวชาวนา (luk sao chao na)
18. หยาดเหงื่อเหนือคิ้วนาง (yat nguea nuea khiw nang)
19. หิวจะตายอยู่แล้ว (hiw cha tai yu laeo)
20. สำนึกผิด (samnuek phit)

this week, vintage luk thung from "national artist" mr. chaichana bunnachot!  one of the earliest practitioners of thai country music, chaichana has remained a favorite throughout the years as both a singer & songwriter.  hailing from central thailand's chachoengsao province, he grew up working on a mango plantation before joining his uncle's liké troupe, where he learned to sing all manner of folksong.  eventually, he left for bangkok with his brother and the two sang at bus terminals throughout the city, earning some renown as street performers.  chaichana soon turned his talents towards the new style being pioneered by khamron sambunnanon, which would come to be known as luk thung.  he came to the attention of songwriter & bandleader phayong mukda, who penned his earliest songs.  from there he worked with other songwriters like phaibun butkhan & phiphat boribun before eventually coming into his own as a songsmith.  for many generations chaichana has been a star performer and mentor to younger singers, and is still performing today! enjoy!

prayun yomyiam & chinnakon krailat

artists: ประยูร ยมเยี่ยม + ชินกร ไกรลาศ (prayun yomyiam & chinnakon krailat)
album: : ดังระเบิด 2 (dang raboet 2)
tracklist:
01. ลำตัดประชันสด แม่ประยูร ปะทะ ชินกร ไกรลาศ (lamtat prachan sot: mae prayun vs. chinnakon krailat, pt. 1)
02. ลำตัดประชันสด แม่ประยูร ปะทะ ชินกร ไกรลาศ (lamtat prachan sot: mae prayun vs. chinnakon krailat, pt. 2)

today we remember the brilliant career of national artist chinnakon krailat, who sadly passed away this week at the age of 71. dr. chinnakon's work was some of the most successful blending of pop music with influences from thailand's broad variety of folk & art musics. after starting out as a ramwong singer in his home province of sukhothai, chinnakon was picked up by "modernized music" impresario phayong mukda, with whom he made his most famous recordings. this tape features him performing a live lamtat duel with fellow national artist mae prayun yomyiam.

memorial services for dr. chinnakon will be held at wat prasri mahathat in bang khaen from the 19th to 25th of may.

preview:

chaichana bunnachot: nam ta luk khoei

singer: ชัยชนะ บุญนะโชติ (chaichana bunnachot)
album: น้ำตาลูกเขย (nam ta luk khoei)
tracklist:
01. น้ำตาลูกเขย (nam ta luk khoei)
02. คนไส้แห้ง (khon sai haeng)
03. รักสาวบ้านนา (rak sao ban na)
04. ยืมเงินแต่งงาน (yuem ngoen taeng ngan)
05. พี่ไปเพื่อชาติ (phi pai phuea chat)
06. เสน่ห์สาวภูธร (sane sao phuthon)
07. น้ำตาพ่อตก (nam ta pho tok)
08. หัวอกช่างตัดผม (hua ok chang tat phom)
09. คนดีที่โลกต้องการ (khon di thi lok tong kan)
10. กรรมกรแท๊กซี่ (kamkon taxi)
11. ไม่ไปแล้วกรุงเทพ (mai pai laeo krung thep)
12. ปีใหม่แล้วแก้วตา (pi mai laeo kaew ta)
13. ผมแล้งใจ (phom laeng chai)
sung by ยงยุทธ เชี่ยวชาญชัย (yongyuth chiaochanchai)
14. เพลินเมืองเหนือ (phloen mueang nuea)
sung by ยงยุทธ เชี่ยวชาญชัย (yongyuth chiaochanchai)
15. อย่ามีคู่เลย (ya mi khu loei)
sung by ยงยุทธ เชี่ยวชาญชัย (yongyuth chiaochanchai)
16. เจ็บใจจริง (chep chai ching)
sung by ยงยุทธ เชี่ยวชาญชัย (yongyuth chiaochanchai)

chaichana bunnachot was one of the earliest practitioners of luk thung and has remained a favorite throughout the years as both a singer and songwriter; he now holds the prestigious title of ศิลปินแห่งชาติ (silapin haeng chat) or "national artist". chaichana grew up in chachoengsao province, working on a mango plantation, admiring his uncle's ลิเก (like) troupe, and learning to sing all manner of folksong. eventually, he & his brother left for bangkok, where they sang at bus terminals throughout the city and earned some renown as street performers. chaichana soon turned his talents towards the new style being pioneered by khamron sambunnanon, which would come to be known as luk thung. soon he came to the attention of songwriter and bandleader พยงค์ มุกดา (phayong mukda), who would pen his early hits. chaichana would go on to become one of the most influential luk thung singers, and was a mentor to many of the biggest stars to follow him! please enjoy these wonderful tunes!

chinnakon klong yao

artist: ชินกร ไกรลาศ (chinnakon krailat)

album: ชินกรกลองยาว (chinnakon klong yao)

tracklist:

01. ชินกรกลองยาว (chinnakon klong yao)

02. กลองยาวชินกร (klong yao chinnakon)

03. บ้านไร่น่ารัก (ban rai na rak)

04. เพชรร่วงในสลัม (phet ruang nai slum)

05. คืนนี้พี่ไม่กลับบ้าน (khuen ni phi mai klap ban)

06. ยอยศพระลอ (yo yot phra lo)

07. ลูกทุ่งเสี่ยงเทียน (luk thung siang thian)

08. เพชรฆาตใจ (phetchakhat chai)

09. น้ำตาใจ (nam ta chai)

10. ฟ้าแปลงนาง (fa plaeng nang)

this week, a sampling of national artist chinnakon krailat's brilliant career! dr. chinnakon's work was some of the most successful blending of pop music with influences from thailand's broad variety of folk & art musics. after starting out as a ramwong singer in his home province of sukhothai, chinnakon was picked up by "modernized music" impresario phayong mukda, with whom he made his most famous recordings. this tape has some great, dance-able drum & organ driven numbers, but my favorite is the beautiful "yo yot phra lo" with its piphat orchestra backing. enjoy!

preview:

sangkhit prayuk: thai classical music

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!!