iw phimphayom rueangrot

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.


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)

here's what mr. peter has 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."

phon phirom: nam ta la sai

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

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!

loy krathong

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!

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

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!!

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!!

rungruedi phaengphongsai: phuea thoe chan thon dai

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!!

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!

monruedi phromchak: nong daeng khuen thin

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!

thai brass band

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!

carabao: prachathipatai

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!!