lung naep: 21 kham lung naep talui lok

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

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

thep thunder: chuea mai la

artist: เทพ ธันเดอร์ (thep thunder)
album: เชื่อไหมล่ะ (chuea mai la)
tracklist:
01. เชื่อไหมล่ะ (chuea mai la)
02. แร๊พแขก (rap khaek)
03. คำโบราณท่านว่า (kham boran than wa)
04. ไอ้เซ่อ...จ๊กมก (ai soe... chok mok)
05. ลาวไม่ธรรมดา (lao mai thammada)
06. ดื่มเบียร์แหย่เมีย (duem beer yae mia)
07. ส้วม (suam)
08. ยาเสพติด (ya sep tit)
09. กินฟรี (kin free)
10. นมโค (nom kho)
11. เสียดายวิชชุดา (sia dai witchuda)
12. นักแม่นรู (nak maen ru)
13. ขี้หิด (khi hit)
14. คนหัวล้าน (khon hua lan)

this week, '90s novelty rap & more from comedian thep pho-ngam! born in roi-et but raised in narathiwat, thep got his start doing live voice-over work for the open-air cinema around hat yai, and later joined the troupe of phloen phromdaen during the luk thung star's comedy-oriented "talking-music" phase. he left the group with fellow comedian den dokpratu to form a duo, before finally founding his own eponymous act with chaeng cho-madan and mum jokmok, with whom he pivoted from live acts to film and television. he also had a music career on the side, under the stage-name "thep thunder", and today's cassette is his 1993 debut with onpa marketing co., ltd. he has by no means left comedy at home, however, with the songs being parodies of international pop hits of the day, including rap/bhangra/dancehall crossovers (mc hammer's "u can't touch this", malkit singh's "gur nalon ishq mitha", dr. alban's "no coke") as well as more established classic rock and new wave tunes (santana, deep purple, the romantics, michael jackson, etc.). does the humour hold up? or the production, for that matter? i'll let you decide.. enjoy!

phleng ha tha cha bong

artist: unknown
album: เพลงฮาท่าจะบองส์ (phleng ha tha cha bong)
tracklist:
01. ดีดไข่ (dit khai)
02. ลูกเวร (luk wen)
03. มหาจวน (maha chuan)
04. เมดอินไทกอ (made in 'thai ko')
05. บัวลอยไข่หวาน (bua loi khai wan)
06. สองเฒ่าสะท้านฟ้า (song thao sathan fa)
07. ราชาเท้าแชร์ (racha thao 'share')
08. นวลนางสกปรก (nuan nang sokkaprok)
09. ขอลาที (kho la thi)
10. หำเหลือน้อย (ham luea noi)

back from thailand with a decent haul of music to share in the coming weeks and months! but first i have a few pending posts to catch up, including this strange entry that arrived by mail from sam of the (now sadly defunct) archive of southeast asian music! no information is given about the artists, though we are informed as to the purpose of the project ("for the public good") and the intended beneficiaries ("for the benefit of the foundation for the welfare of the mentally retarded of thailand"). there's also a special thank you to the members of carabao, which makes sense after a listen.. the cassette is a (rather silly) track-by-track parody of the group's classic 1984 album made in thailand. i'm not familiar enough with the 1980 film the gods must be crazy to know whether this cassette's movie-inspired cover bears any connection to the lyrics, but it doesn't seem to. quite an odd object, hope you enjoy!

preview:

khana si pho

artist: คณะ สี่โพธิ์ (khana si pho)

album: พระนางผมหอม (phra nang phom hom)

tracklist:

01. ลิเกตลก เรื่อง พระนางผมหอม (like talok rueang "phra nang phom hom")

02. แข่งฟุดบอล (khaeng football)

03. ร้องเพลงคู่ เพลงแปลงอักษร เพลงโห่ (rong phleng khu, phleng plaeng akson, phleng ho)

this week, another old comedy album! [disclaimer: the primary draw here is in the wordplay, so enjoyment may be limited for non-thai speakers] there's practically no info about this group online, but i'm thinking they were affiliated with legendary comedian thep pho'ngam (recently in the news for his public retirement & possible expatriation to laos¹), seeing as their stage names are pho'ngoen, pho'thong, pho'kaew and pho'khwan (plus si mok). the first side of this cassette features a half hour of "modern" liké, featuring a sholay-sampling ok khaek. the second side has some mock football commentary, followed by a medley of novelty songs. enjoy!

preview:

s. khlaonoi: lok nang iat

artist: ศ. เคล้าน้อย (s. khlaonoi)

album: หลกหนังเอียด (lok nang iat)

tracklist:

01. หลกหนังเอียด ตอน 1 (lok nang iat, pt. 1)

02. หลกหนังเอียด ตอน 2 (lok nang iat, pt. 2)

this week; sounds of the south, from s. khlaonoi! nang talung is southern thailand's shadow-puppet theatre, and s. khlaonoi is among the most renowned of its troupe leaders. these leaders (or hua na) front the band from behind the screen, giving voice to a range of characters, both male and female, alternating between song and spoken dialogue [disclaimer for non-southern thai speakers: this tape is primarily dialogue]. they're typically called upon to be singer, comedian, puppeteer & bandleader all at the same time. nang talung is probably the most prominent cultural signifier for southern thai people.. you can spot the iconic puppets (especially the bawdy ai theng) on vehicles, restaurant awnings, t-shirts and even personified by s. khlaonoi on the tape cover (which to me distinctly resembles a 90's darryl "joe cool" daniel work). enjoy!

preview:

saman hongsa: molam sammapi

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!

thao dakdae: takua chup thong

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!

lung naep & his troupe: laap phet

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!

mo du maen maen

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!