wong manao wan: rock kantruem chut pho nong phon

artist: วง มะนาวหวาน (wong manao wan)
album: ร๊อกกันตรึม ชุด พ่อน้องพร (rock kantruem chut pho nong phon)
tracklist:
01. ไปตายที่ม่ายหญ้า (pai tai thi mai ya)
02. หัวใจบู้บี้ (hua chai bu bi)
03. จะไปก็เชิญ (cha pai ko choen)
04. สัญญาเดือนหก (sanya duean hok)
05. ตบให้หูหัน (top hai hu han)
06. รำวงกลองยาว (ramwong klong yao)
07. พ่อน้องพร (pho nong phon)
08. รักน้องเพ็ญ (rak nong phen)
09. อัดโต้ยสวยจ้าน (atoi suai chan)
10. รักสาวเสิร์ฟ (rak sao serve)
11. แหล่นิทานชาวบ้าน (lae nithan chao ban)
12. ไม่ลืมโนห์รา (mai luem nora)

this week: southern thai kantruem!? given the music's inextricable connection to the khmer people in the thai-cambodian border region of south isan, perhaps you can understand my surprise at finding a kantruem tape bearing a number of cultural hallmarks tied to a completely different border zone hundreds of miles away: that of southern thailand/northern malaysia. however, i ran it by my friend banja, and he was not surprised in the slightest; apparently, following the success of darkie, khong khoi, and other kantruem-rock acts, a trend for the style hit hard across the nation, including the deep south (banja even sent me some examples of melayu-language krantruem). with that knowledge in hand and a little more digging, i found that this same group was later known as "rock sators '41" and is actually lead by tong thammarat suwanmongkhon from the famed phuea chiwit band khon dan kwian, alongside southern thai luk thung singers khom mueangnakhon, phonthip phunphon, and surat suksamran. after leading off with a few phasa tai rewrites of rock khong khoi's kantruem hits, side b of this 1995 cassette veers into southern luk thung in the style of ekachai siwichai, and even some lae, all with a rock-oriented phuea chiwit bent to the production. quite a blend.. enjoy!

chittima chueachai: tha hua chai chan mi pik

artist: จิตติมา เจือใจ (chittima chueachai)
album: ถ้าหัวใจฉันมีปีก (tha hua chai chan mi pik)
tracklist:
01. ถ้าหัวใจฉันมีปีก (tha hua chai chan mi pik)
02. หลักไม้เลื้อย (lak mai lueai)
03. คำพรสะท้อนใจ (khamphon sathon chai)
04. คำแถลงการณ์ของหัวใจ (kham thalaeng kan khong hua chai)
05. พระจันทร์ตับในดวงใจ (phra chan tap nai duang chai)
06. เพชรบุรีตัดใหม่ (phetburi tat mai)
07. เพียงเห็นหน้า (phiang hen na)
08. อิทธิพลรัก (itthiphon rak)
09. กาลเวลา (kan wela)
10. ขาดเธอฉันไม่รู้สึก (khat thoe chan mai ru suek)
11. แล้ววันนั้นเธอจะซึ้ง (laeo wan nan thoe cha sueng)
12. รักยามจน (rak yam chon)
13. ตัวสำรอง (tua samrong)
14. คำพรก่อนจาก (khamphon kon chak)
15. ฝนซาฟ้าใส (fon sa fa sai)
16. โชคดี...ยอดรัก (chok di... yot rak)
17. โถ...ช่างกระไร (tho... chang krarai)
18. ฝันดี...โชคดี (fan di... chok di)

this week, old bangkok ballads from chittima chueachai, courtesy of a tape sent over by our pal gary from bodega pop! after losing her day job as an accountant, ms. chittima supported herself by performing at clubs around new phetburi road, the major entertainment district for u.s. soldiers on r&r from vietnam and other well-heeled nightlife denizens of the late-60s/early-70s. her subsequent recording career was supported by her husband, songwriter thawiphong maninin, and despite his apparently notorious philandering, the two remained together until his mysterious murder in a drive-by shooting outside of metro records in 1983¹. chittima still performs with some regularity today, having been a longtime wednesday-night staple at the niran grand hotel on sukhumvit 103. this cassette features a collection of early recordings, including her signature 1976 song, "tha hua chai chan mi pik (if my heart had wings)", which was nominated for the royal golden record award but was disqualified for being adapted from a japanese melody. the selections are mainly the sort of torch songs and latin-inspired dance numbers common to luk krung, with occasional nods to the more au courant disco sounds of the 70s. enjoy!

[note: the folks at amigo seem to have overbooked themselves on this production, as the tracks ending both sides tail-out before finishing]

chaliphon buengthai: khorat sing prayuk, vol. 1

artist: ชลีพร บึงไทย (chaliphon buengthai)
album: โคราชซิ่งประยุกต์ ชุดที่ 1 (khorat sing prayuk, vol. 1)
tracklist:
01. ชมบึง (chom bueng)
02. ชมนก (chom nok)
03. ชมไม้ (chom mai)
04. แหล่ลา (lae la)
05. บรรเลง (banleng)
06. สาวหมอเพลงรักหนุ่มหมอลำ (sao mo phleng rak num molam)
07. หมอเพลงกล่อมลูก (mo phleng klom luk)
08. กลอนเล่นอักษร (klon len akson)
09. ชีวิตหมอเพลง (chiwit mo phleng)
10. บรรเลง (banleng)

this week, our first tape of phleng khorat! our mo phleng today is chaliphon buengthai, someone who i had never heard of, and who returns 0 results on the web. her genre, phleng khorat, is local to nakhon ratchasima province and as its geographic origin may suggest, sounds somewhere between the northeastern/lao molam and central thai lam tat, choi, or other traditional repartee styles. while often performed without instrumental accompaniment in its boran form, this tape features the sing prayuk style, and so is replete with 1997-era country-style production hallmarks, handled by chaloemchai phet-udon and khrongsak suanpom. the songs selections are actually a mix of phleng khorat (of course), along with a couple lae and luk thung numbers, all penned by chaliphon, plus a few isan-style instrumentals for good measure. enjoy!

somphon phetsayam & phatsara mabuntham: khon khi lang khwai

artist: สมพร เพชรสยาม + ภัสรา มาบุญธรรม (somphon phetsayam & phatsara mabuntham)
album: คนขี่หลังควาย (khon khi lang khwai)
tracklist:
01. คนขี่หลังควาย (khon khi lang khwai)
02. ทหารเกณฑ์ผลัดสอง (thahan ken phlat song)
03. รักจางที่บางประกง (rak chang thi bang prakong)
04. อ.ส. รอรัก (o.s. ro rak)
05. ทุ่งกุลาร้องไห้ (thung kula rong hai)
06. ด่วนจากพรากรัก (duan chak phrak rak)
07. หนุ่มปั้มน้ำมัน (num pump nam man)
08. เมียเขาคือแฟนเรา (mia khao khue faen rao)
09. แห่ชาวนา (hae chao na)
10. สั่งสาวชายแดน (sang sao chai daen)
11. ช่างหัวมันเถ๊าะ (chang hua man thoe)
12. เมษาอาลัย (mesa alai)
13. คอยรักที่ต้นกระโดน (khoi rak thi ton kradon)
14. แปรจ๋า (prae cha)

this week, by special request, another classic isan duo! miss phatsara mabuntham of roi-et is better known by the name em aphatsara and has enjoyed a long career in luk thung and molam, mostly with topline music. i don't know much about mr. somphon phetsayam, unfortunately; the only other work i have of his is with phatsara as well. this 1992 cassette is a bit of an oddity in that while most luk thung duet albums i'm familiar with feature the two stars trading verses, this tape finds phatsara and somphon singing in unison throughout. as part of krung thai records' kueng satawat (half-century) series, the selections are an assortment of genre favorites from decades past, penned by songwriters such as surin phaksiri, dao bandon, phongsak chantharukkha and sotsai rungphot-thong and like in our last post, the music is handled by a. num phuthai. enjoy!

phimchai phetphalanchai & dao bandon: 16 klon yot hit

artist: พิมพ์ใจ เพชรพลาญชัย + ดาว บ้านดอน (phimchai phetphalanchai & dao bandon)
album: 16 กลอนยอดฮิต (16 klon yot hit)
tracklist:
01. หนุ่มยาวสาวสั้น 1 (num yao sao san 1)
02. หนุ่มยาวสาวสั้น 2 (num yao sao san 2)
03. จีบสาวเลี้ยงเป็ด (chip sao liang pet)
04. จีบสาวขายไข่ (chip sai khai khai)
05. หนุ่มลำชีสาวลำโขง (num lam chi sao lam khong)
06. พาต้อยลอยกระทง (pha toi loi krathong)
07. เฮือนน้อยนางเมิน (huean noi nang moen)
08. คน ป. 4 (khon p. 4)
09. อีหวึ่งตายแน่ (i wueng tai nae)
10. น้ำตาสาวหวึ่ง (nam ta sao wueng)
11. รักจริงอย่าหลอก (rak ching ya lok)
12. เต็มใจให้หลอก (tem chai hai lok)
13. พาน้องล่องแหย่ง (pha nong long yaeng)
14. พาน้องดิสโก้ (pha nong disco)
15. คนบ่มีเก๋ง (khon bo mi keng)
16. ขอดังเบาๆ (kho dang bao bao)

this week, two major molam unite! legendary luk thung crossover star dao bandon and sam phalang sao leader phimchai phetphalanchai come together on this 1988 duets collection from ocean sound. dao himself handles the songwriting, and the late, great a. num phuthai leads the band. the music is classic late-80's isan-style, with prominent electric bass and live drums under the alternating phin, sax, and synth leads, plus an occasional extended khaen-backed kroen intro. extra flourishes adorn one themed number, "taking my girl to the disco" (track 14), where a hi-nrg beat and hard rock guitar solo added to the mix. excellent stuff.. enjoy!

kickapoo: mai rueang mak

artist: คิกคาปู้ (kickapoo)
album: ไม่เรื่องมาก (mai rueang mak)
tracklist:
01. หนูหนีเที่ยว (nu ni thiao)
02. ยังไม่ตาย (yang mai tai)
03. ลองกันไหม (long kan mai)
04. อกหัก 5 นาที (ok hak 5 nathi)
05. ซึม (suem)
06. หนูหนีเที่ยว (nu ni thiao)
07. เทใจ (the chai)
08. อีกครั้ง (ik krang)
09. ลุย (lui)
10. เพลงเต่า (phleng tao)
11. มันไม่เกี่ยว (man mai kiao)

happy 2023 and 2566! let's start the year off with a real obscurity: the only album (to my knowledge) from '90s bangkok rockers kickapoo. operating under the auspices of a purported indie label known as tham kan eng ["d.i.y."] music factory, and with a name presumably derived from an american soft drink once popular in thailand (the idea for which is attributed in the liners to "hia nok from khao kha mu kong phrap on chokchai soi 4"), there's little reference to the group on the internet. their line-up includes a list of unusual names (some of which, at least, are certainly pseudonyms) including maseda iochi and mustafa hummingbird on guitar, billy he-foot on bass, and detduang chimkamnoet on drums, as well as a number of different singers trading vocal duties, such as julie cheng, sharkie boy, nong kung & nong mai, banluesak, anurak, and bunthueng. released in 1997, this album features some songwriting and arrangement by akira wong, and was produced by (the only name i'm at all familiar with) sukit narin, who is mostly known as a film director. the music is a bit hard to classify, being a slightly erratic mix of blues-inflected classic rock (see: interpolation of badfinger, led zeppelin, and the electric light orchestra), synth-driven sentimental ballads (see: interpolation of mariko takahashi), and '80s-style hard rock (see: interpolation of pat benatar). they also include a shout-out in the dedications section to "the major tape labels, for their lack of interest".. here's hoping you don't feel the same. enjoy!

 

narathip kanchanawat: tra wai nai duang chai

artist: นราธิป กาญจนวัฒน์ (narathip kanchanawat)
album: ตราไว้ในดวงใจ (tra wai nai duang chai)
tracklist:
01. หัวใจเจ้าชู้ (hua chai chao chu)
02. กลับจากกลอนดอน (klap chak london)
03. ตราไว้ในดวงใจ (tra wai nai duang chai)
04. ขวัญใจ (khwan chai)
05. เฉือนใจ (chuean chai)
06. รักสุดสายรุ้ง (rak sut sai rung)
07. เธอ (thoe)
08. ปรารถนาแห่งหัวใจ (pratthana haeng hua chai)
09. เข็ดรัก (khet rak)
10. คืนเหงา (khuen ngao)
11. ขาดรัก (khat rak)
12. กำแพงรัก (kamphaeng rak)

last time we heard from bangkok soft-rockers chatri.. this week, we'll hear lead singer narathip striking off on his own! i believe this is his debut solo album, released 1985 (the same year as the break-up of chatri). shedding his previous group, he is joined by the already-successful pink panther band, led by wichai punyayan (formerly of silversand). the songwriting is handled by narathip and his wife butsaba kanchanawat (the liners contain an apologetic note about an illness that prevented her from sharing vocal duties on the album, as well). the accompaniment is a bit more electronic than the final chatri album, and pointed towards the increasingly synth-pop angle that narathip's solo career would take. enjoy! 

chatri: rak mai pen

artist: ชาตรี (chatri)
album: รักไม่เป็น (rak mai pen)
tracklist:
01. ภาษาเงิน (phasa ngoen)
02. แสนเสียดาย (saen siang dai)
03. รักไม่เป็น (rak mai pen)
04. จากชายแดน (chak chai den)
05. รักซ้อนรัก (rak son rak)
06. ใคร (khrai)
07. เที่ยวอีสาน (thiao isan)
08. ความหวังใหม่ (khwam wang mai)
09. ฉันรักตะวัน (chan rak tawan)
10. อ้อนรัก (on rak)
11. คู่ใจ (khu chai)
12. หากจะรัก (hak cha rak)
 

this week, bangkok soft-rockers non-pareil, chatri! chatri was founded in 1969 as a folk revival group by 3 students of photography at bangkok technical college: narathip kanchanawat (daeng), prathueang udomkitchanuphap (mao), and khathawut sathantraiphop (pom). initially all played acoustic guitar, though they later added drummer anuson khamkesom (pui), and expanded their instrumental roles, with mao and pom taking on bass and keyboard duties, respectively. they recorded their first album in 1975 and were leaders of the a.o.r. format in thailand until their break-up in 1985. today's cassette features their 11th record, released in 1982 with emi records. in spite of the especially sunny cover art, this outing actually finds them exploring a slightly heavier sound in places, with guitar distortion and fuzz bass joining alongside their typically chirpy leads and smooth harmonies.. enjoy!

 

sairung wimanthong: sao noi khoi khu

artist: สายรุ่ง วิมานทอง (sairung wimanthong)
album: สาวน้อยคอยคู่ (sao noi khoi khu)
tracklist:
01. สาวน้อยคอยคู่ (sao noi khoi khu)
02. รอรับแรงใจ (ro rap raeng chai)
03. จากใจสายรุ่ง (chak chai sairung)
04. เตือนใจวัยรุ่น (tuean chai wai run)
05. ตำราป๊นตุ๊กข์ (tamra pon tuk)
06. สมศรีฮักแต๊ (somsi hak tae)
07. บ่าวสมัย (bao samai)
08. น้ำบ่ไหลเจี่ยวปื่น (nam bo lai chiao puen)
09. หัวอกโช่เฟ่อ (hua ok chauffeur)
10. หนูรักอา (nu rak a)

this week, more great music from lanna! our previous post featured performers from the first and second generations of so recording stars, today we'll hear from the "modernized" generation (circa the late-80s?). i couldn't find any information online about our singer, ms. sairung wimanthong, but the lyrics helpfully hint that she was a disciple of phophin phet-lanna. sung in kham mueang and with some vocal inflections that indicate her so background, the other main musical influence seems to be from luk thung isan stars like phimpha phonsiri or sunari ratchasima (she even quotes ade putra's "si jantung hati" as sunari famously did). enjoy! 

bunsi sanmueang, buason mueangphrao & si-on wangsingkham

artist: บุญศรี สันเหมือง, บัวซอน เมืองพร้าว + ศรีออน วังสิงห์คำ (bunsi sanmueang, buason mueangphrao & si-on wangsingkham)
album: ซอน้ำตาเมียหลวง (so nam ta mia luang)
tracklist:
01. ซอน้ำตาเมียหลวง (so nam ta mia luang)
02. ซอแอ่วสาวปั่นฝ้าย (so aeo sao pan fai)
03. ซอหาคู่รัก (so ha khu rak)
04. ซอตำรายาตลก (so tamra ya talok)
sung by จันทร์ทิพย์ เรือนรักเรา (chanthip rueanrakrao)

this week's cassette is part of a generous bequest gifted to us by educator cliff sloane, a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

today, more fantastic old lanna folksong! our headliners are the so vocal trio of pho bunsi, mae buason and mae si-on and their recordings from the early 60s with chiang mai's nakhon phanit records, still fondly remembered in the region today. the backing is provided by a group of pi (free-reed bamboo pipes), joined in places by sueng (plucked, fretted lute) and salo (spike fiddle), presumably by nakhon phanit's house band. also included as the final track is a comic number by pho chanthip rueanrakrao, an early star of the scene since the 78-era. enjoy!