sai sai mao: ka-kha-nga pin phon

artist: ၸၢႆးသၢႆမၢဝ်း (sai sai mao)
album: ၵ-ၶ-င ပိၼ်ႈၽူၼ် (ka-kha-nga pin phon)
tracklist: 
01. ၵ-ၶ-င ပိၼ်ႈၽူၼ် (ka-kha-nga pin phon)
02. ၶမ်ႈဢွမ်ႇၾႆး (kham om phai)
03. ပေႃးႁၵ်ႉမႃးလေႈ (po hak ma le)
04.  ၵေႃးၸၢၺ်းတေဢဝ်ပုၼ်ႈၽွၼ်း (ko sai te ao phun phon)
05. ၶၢဝ်းမၵ်း (kho mak)
06. ထိုင်မိူဝ်ႈပီႈတင်းၼွင်ႉၶွႆၵၼ် (thueng moe pi tang nong khoi kan)
07. လုၵ်ႈယိင်းဢွၼ်ႇလွႆသၢမ်သိပ်း (luk ying on loi sam sip)
08. ၽၵ်းတူ (phak tu)
09. ဢမ်ႇသင်ၵေႃးပွၵ်ႈၼိုင်ႈတေတွၼ်ႈလႆႈႁၵ်ႉ (am sang ko pok nueng te ton lai hak)
10. ဢမ်ႇလူဝ်ႇလၢတ်ႈၵႂၢမ်းသင်ထႅင်ႈ (am lo lat om kwam sang taeng)
11. ဢမ်ႇပဵၼ်ပၢင်ယဝ်ႉယူဝ်း (am pen pang yao yo)
12. မွၵ်ႇပၼ်လၢႆ (mok pan lai)
13. ၶမ်ၸႂ်ၼႃႇတေႉ (kham tsaue na te)
14. ပီႈၸၢၺ်းဢူၺ်းပိူၼ်းပိတ်းၵွႃႇယဝ်ႉ (pi sai oi poen pit kwa yao)
15. ၼူၵ်ႉႁၢင်ႈလီ (nok hang li)

1, 5, 10, 14 featuring မူၺ်ၼုမ်ႇၽွင် (moi num phong)

this week, early recordings from the late, great sai sai mao! on today's cassette he was backed by the aces at ywet wa studio in lashio circa 1978. this would have followed his return from thailand, where he had cut his first few albums with new brother records in chiang mai while serving in the rebel shan state army. it was around the time of these lashio sessions that he met his second wife, moi num phong, who joins him on a few numbers here and carries a couple solo pieces on her own. the lyrics are penned by songwriter sai kham leik (who had given sai mao his revolutionary hit "lik hom mai panglong") and are still in the tai/shan language, from before he won more widespread fame singing in burmese. enjoy!

many thanks to my dear friend samara and her father for help untangling the mix of shan (handwritten and including some older spellings!), burmese, chinese, thai and english writing systems employed on the packaging (though any errors in transcription are mine alone).

oi kathon: krathon song khrueang

artist: อ้อย กะท้อน (oi kathon)
album: กระท้อนทรงเครื่อง (krathon song khrueang)
tracklist:
01. ข้าวเหนียว-บูดู (khao niao-budu)
02. 3 ช่า 3 ฤดู (3 cha 3 ruedu)
03. พูดกันใหม่ (phut kan mai)
04. เจ็บตื้น (chep tuen)
05. ลูกทะเล (luk thale)
06. กระท้อนทรงเครื่อง (krathon song khrueang)
07. กางเขนดง (kang khen dong)
08. 3 นาที (3 nathi)
09. ช้างกลางแดด (chang klang daet)
10. ไม้ใหญ่ (mai yai)

this week, pop phuea chiwit from oi kathon! hailing from ranong province, oi got into music from a young age, first joining the youth-focused song wai band and later songs for life crossover stars kathon, where she found her fame (and her stage-surname). this 1991 cassette is her solo debut, and as the title implies ("spiced-up krathon"), she's got some slicker production behind her now! handling most of the musical side is her old mentor from the song wai days, "uncle tom" kittiphong khanthakan.  while the general vibe might lean towards synthed-up dance pop, there's still plenty of her old folk-rock style material on hand.. enjoy!

si tao thoe: chok 2 chan

artist: สี่เต่าเธอ (si tao thoe)
album: โชค 2 ชั้น (chok 2 chan)
tracklist:
01. คำนั้น (kham nan)
02. แว๊ปเดียว (waep diao)
03. ทึกทัก (thuek thak)
04. หอมกลิ่น (hom klin) [haunted-demo version]
05. เธ๊อ เธอ เธอ เธอ (thoe thoe thoe thoe) (live)
06. คำนั้น (kham nan) (live)
07. ยังจำ (yang cham) (live)
08. อวกาศ (awakat) (live)
09. อวกาศ (awakat) [soltwin version]

this week, collected odds & ends from alt-rock pioneers si tao thoe! with a roster of khongdet chaturanratsami (lead vocal), saritphon mettachit (guitar), kiradet ketkintha (drums) and aphichet kamphu (bass), the group was formed in bangkok from remnants of earlier acts sam kloe & homesick. leaders of the fledgling indie rock scene in thailand, si tao thoe pursued a decidedly brit-pop influenced sound. this 1996 tape, their second with boop records, is a sort of padded-out e.p.; there are only 3 new songs not included on their debut, and the rest of the runtime is taken up with alternate versions and live tracks. enjoy!

chai mai sai rakam

artist: various
album: ใจไม้ใส้ระกำ (chai mai sai rakam)
tracklist:
01. ใจไม้ใส้ระกำ (chai mai sai rakam)
02. ขอมีอกใหม่ (kho mi ok mai)
03. มันเกินไปแล้วนะ (man koen pai laeo na)
04. มันเกินไปแล้วละ (man koen pai laeo la)
05. ไก่กับพลอย (kai kap phloi)
06. ไม่น่าเต๊ะ (mai na te)
07. รักดูซิ (rak du si)
08. รักซิ..จะช้ำ (rak si.. cha cham)
09. กตัญญงูเห่า (katanyu ngu hao)
10. เกือบไป (kueap pai)
11. รักพี่ตอนเป็น (rak phi ton pen)
12. ปรึกษากันหน่อย (prueksa kan noi)
13. มนต์รักเกาะสมุย (mon rak ko samui)
14. รอรักเกาะสมุย (ro rak ko samui)
15. เกาะสมุยเกาะสวรรค์ (ko samui ko sawan)
16. ด้วยปีกของรัก (duai pik khong rak)
17. อดีตหลอนใจ (adit lon chai)
18. ตะติ๊งโหน่ง (ta ting nong)
19. รักเล่นกล (rak len kon)

1, 3, 5, 7, 9 sung by ดอน สอนระเบียบ (don sonrabiap)
2, 4, 6, 8, 10 sung by กอบกุล ศรีสวัสดิ์ (kopkun sisawat)
11, 13, 15, 1617 sung by เศรษฐา ศิระฉายา (settha sirachaya)
12, 14 sung by สาวิตรี จินดากุล (sawitri chindakun)
18 sung by ชัยรัตน์ เทียบเทียม (chairat thiapthiam)
19 sung by ฉันทนา กิติยพันธ์ (chanthana kitiyaphan)

this week, a compilation of top pop-rock sounds from '70s thailand! side a features don sonrabiap (of p.m. 5 fame) along with answer-singer kopkun sisawat, presenting an album originally titled, "in remembrance of elvis presley". it features some interesting re-writes of favorite hits from the "king of rock and roll", and dates (presumably) from shortly after 1977. side b compiles a number of contemporary singles/extended-play tracks from singers on the soul side of things: settha sirachaya (of the impossibles fame) along with answer-singer sawitri chindakun, before closing out with a disco number each from chanthana kitiyaphan (of the professionals fame) and chairat thiapthiam. enjoy!

 

mai charoenpura: khwam lap sut khop fa

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

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

carabao: ameri-koi

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

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

fame: khon mai khoei

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

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

bai mai hin: alternative

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

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

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!

tonchabap 1

artist: various
album: ต้นฉบับ 1 (tonchabap 1)
tracklist:
01. ยากยิ่งนัก (yak ying nak)
performed by ชาตรี (chatri)
02. ดั่งเม็ดทราย (dang met sai)
performed by สุชาติ ชวางกูร (suchat chawangkun)
03. รักครั้งแรก (rak khrang raek)
performed by ชาตรี (chatri)
04. ใจรัก (chai rak)
performed by สุชาติ ชวางกูร (suchat chawangkun)
05. ลองรัก (long rak)
performed by จันทนีย์ อูนากูล (chanthani unakun)
06. น้ำเซาะทราย (nam so sai)
performed by จำรัส เศวตาภรณ์ (chamrat sewataphon)
07. เหมันต์ที่ผ่านพ้นไป (heman thi phan phon pai)
performed by สุชาติ ชวางกูร (suchat chawangkun)
08. ลมลวง (lom luang)
performed by ธีระศักดิ์ อัจจิมานนท์ (thirasak atchimanon)
09. รักฉันนั้นเพื่อเธอ (rak chan nan phuea thoe)
performed by พิงค์แพนเตอร์ (pink panther)
10. เดือนเพ็ญ (duean phen)
performed by คาราวาน (caravan)

this week, a great label sampler of early 80's bangkok sounds courtesy e.m.i. music (thailand) co., ltd., a local branch of the british transnational conglomerate. this compilation brings together a mix of their offerings from the first half of the decade, with an emphasis on soft-rock and a.o.r. sounds, whether from pop groups like chatri and pink panther, phuea chiwit veterans caravan, or solo artists like singer-actor suchat chawangkun, singer-songwriter chanthani unakun, grand ex' alum chamrat sewataphon and relative-unknown folkie thirasak atchimanon. enjoy!

 

fruity: yak bok rak

artist: ฟรุ๊ตตี้ (fruity)
album: อยากบอกรัก (yak bok rak)
tracklist:
01. อยากบอกรัก (yak bok rak)
02. นิยายรักขาดตอน (niyai rak khat ton)
03. สายเกินไป (say koen pai)
04. ขอเพียงเข้าใจ (kho phiang khao chai)
05. ลืมหมดแล้ว (luem mot laeo)
06. พบกันครึ่งทาง (phop kan khrueng thang)
07. ฉันรู้ดี (chan ru di)
08. โปรดรับรู้ (prot rap ru)
09. ทั้งๆ ยังรัก (thang thang yang rak)
10. ใครสักคน (khrai sak khon)
11. เกย์ (gay)
12. นิยายรักขาดตอน [บรรเลง] (niyai rak khat ton [instrumental])

this week, premiere '80s pop-rock duo, fruity! part of the initial roster of r.s. promotion, fruity were initially marketed as an 8-piece combo, but gradually charged configuration, with co-lead vocalists chomphu sutthiphong wattanachang (who also played guitar) and ping somphon pridamanot (who also played bass) becoming the faces of the group. chomphu and ping were notable for their bending of traditional gender roles, with their album art often featuring the two in slightly homo-erotic poses. track 11 describes the ways their "effeminate" behaviour often leads to them being misconstrued as gay (special thanks to my friend jogue for helping me with the context on this!). our cassette today is their 5th, from 1987, with guitar- and synth-driven selections running the gamut from throwback rock'n'roll tracks to ballads and power-pop. enjoy!

 

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!

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!

 

sai mu: kwaam kyo

artist: ၸၢႆးမူး (sai mu)
album: ၵႂၢမ်းၵျေႃႇ (kwaam kyo)
tracklist:
01. ၸႂ်ထိုင်မိူင်းပၼ်ႇ (tsaue tueng moeng pan)
02. ၵေႃႉႁၵ်ႉပွတ်းႁွင်ႇ (kho hak pot hong)
03. ၶမ်းၸႅတ်ႈၸႅတ်ႈသႅင်ၵိုင်ႇမိူင်း (kam tsaet tsaet saeng kueng moeng)
04. သႃႈၶူမ်ၼမ်ႉလၼ်ႈ (saa kom nam lan)
05. မဝ်းယႃႈပူႉမိူင်းတူၼ် (maw yaa pu moeng ton)
06. လုၵ်ႈၼၢင်းယေႈသႅင်ၵေႃႇ (luk naang ye saeng ko)
07. မူဝ်ၶိူဝ်းၶုၼ်သီႇပေႃႉ (mo koe kun hsipaw)
08. ၸိမ် (tsim)
09. ၸဝ်ႈၼႃး (tsaw naa)
10. ၵႂၢမ်းၵျေႃႇ (kwaam kyo)
11. ၵႃႇထႃႇလိုပ်ႈၽီၽၢၼ် (kaatha luep pi paan)
12. ၼၵႃးတိုၵ်ႇလိုၼ် (nakaa tuek luen)
13. ပႅင်း (paeng)
14. ယႃႇၶျေႃႉ (yaa kyo)
15. ၵွပ်ႈၵဝ်ယိုဝ်ႈယိုတ်း (kop kaw yue yeut)
 
this week, shan rock classics from the myanmar-thai border! sai mu, from moeng pan in shan state, joined the shan united revolutionary army at age 19 and later became a teacher in resistance-affiliated schools. he founded his band in 1985 but just a decade later passed away at the age of 35. his group, freedom's way, carried on without him for many years, mostly based out of chaing mai, thailand. sai mu's songs run the gamut from revolutionary calls to action, to ballads of romantic longing, and even scatological humor. despite his brief career, his work remains inspiring to many independence-minded shan people to this day. for more info on sai mu and his legacy, be sure to check out jane m. ferguson's excellent new book repossessing shanland: myanmar, thailand, and a nation-state deferred.
 
[note: unfortunately, this tape reached me in an irreparably damaged state, so in its place i'm sharing a rip that has already been circulating online. all credit to the original uploader, naw liang]

ruam phleng amata luk thung chut "khwan chai khon khi mao"

artist(s): various
album: รวมเพลงอมตะลูกทุ่ง ชุด ขวัญใจคนขี้เมา (ruam phleng amata luk thung chut "khwan chai khon khi mao")
tracklist:
01. เหล้าจ๋า (lao cha)
sung by สุชาติ เทียนทอง (suchat thianthong)
02. เพราะคุณคนเดียว (phro khun khon diao)
sung by สุชาติ เทียนทอง (suchat thianthong)
03. เมาแล้วเละ (mao laeo le)
sung by ลพ บุรีรัตน์ (lop burirat)
04. รักไม่เอาเมาดีกว่า (rak mai ao mao di kwa)
sung by เพลิน พรหมแดน (phloen phromdaen)
05. เมาจนนึกไม่ออก (mao chon nuek mai ok)
sung by สรวง สันติ (suang santi)
06. ดื่มเพื่อลืมเธอ (duem phuea luem thoe)
sung by ศรเพชร ศรสุพรรณ (sonphet sonsuphan)
07. แสนเมา (saen mao)
sung by เตือนใจ บุญพระรักษา (tueanchai bunphraraksa)
08. เมารัก (mao rak)
sung by ดำ แดนสุพรรณ (dam daensuphan)
09. สุราอันว่าเหล้า (sura an wa lao)
sung by ศักดิ์สยาม เพชรชมภู (saksiam phetchomphu)
10. ขอให้รักฉันเหมือนเหล้า (kho hai rak chan muean lao)
sung by เตือนใจ บุญพระรักษา (tueanchai bunphraraksa)
11. ศุกร์เมาเสาร์นอน (suk mao sao non)
sung by เพลิน พรหมแดน (phloen phromdaen)
12. รำวงกลางทุ่ง (ramwong klang thung)
sung by สุชาติ เทียนทอง (suchat thianthong)

this week, a compilation of immortal luk thung classics from the 60s and 70s, arranged on a theme: the abandonment of self to drink! on "drunkard's sweetheart", singers of many stripes show up to rhapsodize the quaffer's life: from suchat thianthong in his lecherous old-man character ("oh, booze, my darling"), to the comic "king of talking-music" phloen phromdaen ("don't want love, would rather be drunk"), rocker suang santi ("too drunk to think"), broken-hearted chanteuse tueanchai bunphraraksa ("i wish you'd love me the way you love booze"), and many more. so grab your drink of choice (if you're of the inclination), and enjoy!

preview:

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:

chai mueangsing: chum chim

artist: ชาย เมืองสิงห์ (chai mueangsing)
album: จุ๋มจิ๋ม (chum chim)
tracklist:
01. จุ๋มจิ๋ม (chum chim)
02. สถานีรวมรัก (sathani ruam rak)
03. แฟชั่นมีชู้ (fashion mi chu)
04. ก้างขวางคอ (kang khwang kho)
with เรไร ณ โคราช (rerai na khorat)
05. คนรักเมีย (khon rak mia)
06. หน้าชื่นตาบาน (na chuen ta ban)
07. สุดแสนเสียดาย (sut saen sia dai)
08. แม่นกประหลอดท้องลาย (mae nok pralot thong lai)
09. ผีเข้าผีออก (phi khao phi ok)
10. เมรี (meri)
11. เมียพี่มีชู้ [ดนตรี] (mia phi mi chu [instrumental])

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.

this week, another set of classics from the "man city lion", mr. chai mueangsing! chai grew up in singburi province, although he 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 and market seller in talat phlu. in the early 1960s 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 even styled himself "the alain delon of thailand"! following a public dispute (maybe staged, maybe genuine) with fellow chularat member phon phirom, chai left the band to front a number of his own combos, playing mostly disco and lounge music under the name "man city lion" (the literal english translation of his stage name). eventually he left music altogether, heading 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 national artist of thailand. today's idiosyncratic compilation from the bangkok cassette co., ltd. (currently existing as maemaiplengthai), provides a snapshot from several stages of his career, from his early latin-tinged folk-pop, to driving rock'n'roll, to full-fledged disco.. enjoy!

preview:

santanoy

artist: ซานตานอย (santanoy)
album: ซานตานอย (santanoy)
tracklist:
01. ซานตานอย (santanoy)
02. ควายตัวดำ (khwai tua dam)
03. คนรักป่า (khon rak pa)
04. ลำพึง ลำพัง (lam phueng, lam phang)
05. สุรา (sura)
06. อวยชัย (uaichai)
07. ริมฝั่งคลอง (rim fang khlong)
08. ขุนเขา สายธาร (khun khao, sai than)
09. ฝันไป (fan pai)
10. รถติด (rot tit)

last week, oi b.m. gave us a hint as to carlos santana's musical legacy in thailand; this week, we'll meet an even more fervent devotee.. santanoy! little-remembered today, noy thirawisan chunlamakon had contributed saxophone and harmonica to the december 1991 album wicha phae by famed phuea chiwit rockers carabao, and released his solo album on their d-day entertainment label the same month. the liner notes also list the entirety of carabao members as producers here, as well as for various instrumental credits. from my own anecdotal observations, santana seems to have had the greatest influence on thai music of any western rock-star. probably the long-time popularity of latin rhythms in the kingdom particularly helped to set the chicano legend up for success, over his more stolid rock contemporaries. as santanoy sings, he's "the thai cha-cha-cha to santana's latin soul".. enjoy!

preview: