hongthong dao'udon: phu chai saraphat phit

artist: หงษ์ทอง ดาวอุดร (hongthong dao'udon)
album: ผู้ชายสารพัดพิษ (phu chai saraphat phit)
tracklist:
01. ผู้ชายสารพัดพิษ (phu chai saraphat phit)
02. ไม่มีน้ำตาจากเสี่ยว (mai mi nam ta chak sieow)
03. กางเกงยีนส์แห่งความหลัง (kangkeng "jeans" haeng khwam lang)
04. พบกันที่ไหนดี (phop kan thi nai di)
05. สาวอีสานรอพี่ (sao isan ro phi)
06. น้ำจิ้มปลาร้า (nam chim pla ra)
07. รักหนุ่มก่อสร้าง (rak num ko sang)
08. ตลุงลำเพลิน (talung lam phloen)
09. นอนร้องไห้ (non ronghai)
10. สาวอุดร (sao udon)

this week, some far-out molam luk thung pop sounds from hongthong dao'udon! hongthong, as her stage-name suggests, hails from isaan's udon thani province. a star of local temple fairs since childhood, she was picked up by luk thung star siphrai chaiphra to join his troupe in bangkok at age 10. she had a number of hits penned by songwriter doi inthanon, and toured extensively throughout the country... her repetoire was quite remarkable; she could easily swing from string-inflected disco to traditional northeastern lam, but in the 90's, she tragically lost her voice after a thyroid operation. since then, she has been working steadily at regaining it, and hosting a popular radio show in udon thani meanwhile. sadly, as doug from wfmu alerted me, ms. hongthong was recently sentenced to spend a year and 4 months in jail for her involvement with the red shirt movement, after allegedly mobilizing protesters through her radio platform. best wishes to the poor lady! and be sure to check out another fantastic album of her's over at gojira's stereomono blog!

hongthong dao-udon: hongthong khanong lam

artist: หงษ์ทอง ดาวอุดร (hongthong dao-udon)
album: หงษ์ทองคนองลำ (hongthong khanong lam)
tracklist:
01. หงษ์ทองคนองลำ (hongthong khanong lam)
02. หงษ์ทองตามแฟน (hongthong tam faen)
03. หงษ์ทองลำเพลิน (hongthong lam phloen)
04. หงษ์ทองรอคู่ (hongthong ro khu)
05. ลำรอรักจากซาอุดีฯ (lam ro rak chak saudi)
06. ตีกลองน้ำลำเพลิน (ti klong nam lam phloen)
07. ซึ้งเสียงแคน (sueng siang khaen)
08. ผู้ชายหลายบ้าน (phu chai lai ban)
09. บ่มีพี่ที่อีสาน (bo mi phi thi isan)
10. รักติ๋มแน่หรือ (rak tim nae rue)
11. กลัวใจไม่จริง (klua chai mai ching)
12. น้องนางบ้านนา (nong nang ban na)
13. อยู่ที่ความพอใจ (yu thi khwam pho chai)
14. ขวัญใจคนเลว (khwan chai khon leo)
15. บั๊มพ์ลำเพลิน (bump lam phloen)
16. เร่รักลำเพลิน (re rak lam phloen)

this week, an upgrade (in lieu of a re-upload request) for a molam-luk thung classic! hongthong dao-udon, as her stage-name suggests, hails from isan's udon thani province. a star of local temple fairs since childhood, she was picked up by luk thung star siphrai chaiphra to join his troupe in bangkok at age 10. she had a number of hits penned by songwriter doi inthanon, toured extensively throughout the country, and even landed some film roles. in the 90's, however, she tragically lost her voice after a thyroid operation. since then, she had been working steadily at regaining it, hosting a popular radio show in her home town meanwhile. unfortunately, following the red shirt protests in 2010, hongthong spent time in prison after being found guilty of incitement to riot through her radio platform. she's long since out, but has effectively retired from the music industry. this cassette features her biggest hits from the late 70s, in lam phloen and luk thung style, with heavy funk and disco influences and brilliant vocal performances. enjoy!

hongthong khanong lam

artist: หงษ์ทอง ดาวอุดร (hongthong dao'udon)

album: หงษ์ทองคนองลำ (hongthong khanong lam)

tracklist:

01. หงษ์ทองคนองลำ (hongthong khanong lam)

02. หงษ์ทองตามแฟน (hongthong tam faen)

03. หงษ์ทองลำเพลิน (hongthong lam phloen)

04. ตีกลองน้ำลำเพลิน (ti klong nam lam phloen)

05. บั๊มพ์ลำเพลิน (bump lam phloen)

06. พรหมลิขิตหลงทาง (phromlikhit long thang)

07. บ่มีพี่ที่อีสาน (bo mi phi thi isan)

08. หงษ์ทองรอคู่ (hongthong ro khu)

09. ลำรอรักจากซาอุดีฯ (lam ro rak chak saudi)

10. เร่รักลำเพลิน (re rak lam phloen)

11. ขวัญใจคนเลว (khwanchai khon leo)

12. กลัวใจไม่จริง (klua chai mai ching)

13. ซึ้งเสียงแคน (sueng siang khaen)

14. โสระ (sora)

15. อยู่ที่ความพอใจ (yu thi khwan pho chai)

16. ผู้ชายหลายบ้าน (phu chai lai ban)

this week, more from molam-luk thung star mae hongthong! hongthong dao'udon, as her stage-name suggests, hails from isan's udon thani province. a star of local temple fairs since childhood, she was picked up by luk thung star siphrai chaiphra to join his troupe in bangkok at age 10. she had a number of hits penned by songwriter doi inthanon, toured extensively throughout the country and even landed some film roles. in the 90's, however, she tragically lost her voice after a thyroid operation. since then, she had been working steadily at regaining it, hosting a popular radio show in her home town meanwhile. unfortunately, following the red shirt protests in 2010, ms. hongthong was found guilty of using her radio platform to incite listeners to riot, resulting in the burning of the provincial town hall. i've been unable to find any information about her since her incarceration, so if anyone has some please let me know! otherwise, enjoy the music!

preview:

MRPT180 by monrakplengthai

kaifa daduang + siriphon amphaiphong

artist: ไก่ฟ้า ดาดวง + ศิริพร อำไพพงษ์ (kaifa daduang + siriphon amphaiphong)
album: ลำขอนแก่น (lam khon kaen)
tracklist:
01. ทุ่งร้างนางลืม (thung rang nang luem)
02. ทุ่งร้างนางคอย (thung rang nang koi)
03. ที่เก่าเวลาเดิม (thi kao wela doem)
04. มาตามนัด (ma tam nat)
05. รอยยิ้มพิศวาส (roi yim phitsawat)
06. รอยยิ้มมหาเสน่ห์ (roi yim maha sane)
07. คนกินดิน (khon kin din)
08. เสียงร้องจากน้องหนู (siang rong chak nong nu)
09. ฮักสาวท่าสะแบง (hak sao tha sabaeng)
10. เสียงครวญจากสวนแตง (siang khruan chak suan taeng)
11. สาวต๋อง ๆ (sao tong tong)
12. สาวตุ๋ย ๆ (sao tui tui)

this week we'll hear some early recordings from one of thailand's biggest contemporary country singers, the great siriphon amphaiphong!! born & raised in udon thani, siriphon left school at a young age to help out on her family's farm. when not working the fields, siriphon studied with lam with her father, a local performer. she began performing onstage at 16 and a year later joined the siang isaan group, before being discovered in khon kaen by doi inthanon. during her khon kaen period she often sang together with kaifa daduang, who joins her on this album. siriphon is well-loved for her unique husky voice, often likened to a cat's, and though her specialty nowadays is slow sorrowful songs, this album captures a rare set of uptempo khon kaen-style lam. enjoy!!

phonsak songsaeng: toei sao chan kang kop

artist: พรศักดิ์ ส่องแสง (phonsak songsaeng)
album: เต้ยสาวจันทร์กั้งโกบ (toei sao chan kang kop)
tracklist:
01. เต้ยสาวจันทร์กั้งโกบ (toei sao chan kang kop)
02. เต้ยแล้วแต่วาสนา (toei laeo tae watsana)
03. เต้ยหนาวนี้พี่ตายแน่ (toei nao ni phi tai nae)
04. เต้ยมันสะเด็ดยาด (toei man sadet yat)
05. เต้ยเสียวไส้ (toei siao sai)
06. เต้ยหนุ่มนาลาแฟน (toei num na la faen)
07. เต้ยหัวอกสิบล้อ (toei hua ok sip lo)
08. เต้ยถึงบ้าก็น่ารัก (toei thueng ba ko na rak)
09. เต้ยสวรรค์บ้านนา (toei sawan ban na)
10. เต้ยนัดแต่งปีหน้า (toei nat taeng pi na)
11. เต้ยสาวบางกอก (toei sao bangkok)
12. เต้ยแดงจ๋าพี่มาแล้ว (toei daeng cha phi ma laeo)

a real treat for everyone this week: a classic cassette from one of my personal favorite molam-luk thung stars.. mr. phonsak songsaeng! hailing from a farming family in udon thani, phonsak left school after grade 4 to help his parents in the field. after a short gig as a boxer, he formed his first band, champ isan, in 1981 at age 21. from his first album forward he enjoyed a string of huge hits, the most enduring of which leads off this 1986 album on siang siam's kritsanathep imprint.

note: this album was gifted to me with a mismatched cassette in the case, so i'm offering a compact disc rip in its place.. apologies for any resulting increase in fidelity!

preview:

siriphon amphaiphong: mai ao phra chao ko chaek

artist: ศิริพร อำไพพงษ์ (siriphon amphaiphong)
album: ไม่เอาพระเจ้าก็แจก (mai ao phra chao ko chaek)
tracklist:
01. หัวอกคนคอย (hua ok khon khoi)
02. ไม่เอาพระเจ้าก็แจก (mai ao phra chao ko chaek)
03. ถึงช้ำก็พอใจ (thueng cham ko pho chai)
04. จากด้วยความเข้าใจ (chak duai khwam khao chai)
05. อยากจะมีปีกบิน (yak cha mi pik bin)
06. เธอคือดวงใจ (thoe khue duang chai)
07. ไม่โกรธถือว่าครู (mai krot thue wa khru)
08. กลัวจะทนไม่ไหว (klua cha thon mai wai)
09. ศรรักมีสนิม (son rak mi sanim)
10. มือถือไมค์ใจห่วงแม่ (mue thue mic chai huang mae)
11. เงินหรือจะซื้อใจ (ngoen rue cha sue chai)
12. กอดเข่าเหงาใจ (kot khao ngao chai)

this week, some early classics from the great siriphon amphaiphong! born and raised in udon thani, siriphon left school at a young age to help out on her family's farm. when not working the fields, she studied lam klon with her father, leader of the kongmi saeng-arunsin troupe. she began performing onstage at 16, eventually being discovered by doi inthanon and invited to join the suthep daoduangmai band. today's cassette was her eighth with krung thai audio (via subsidiary phin-khaen promotions) and features songwriting from khamkoeng thongchan and music by a. num phuthai. it dates from 1990, shortly before her break-out with "bow rak si dam" after she moved to pgm records the following year. 12 tracks of excellent molam pop.. enjoy!

phonsak songsaeng: hak sao ban phoen

artist: พรศักดิ์ ส่องแสง (phonsak songsaeng)
album: ฮักสาวบ้านเพิ่น (hak sao ban phoen)
tracklist:
01. ฮักสาวบ้านเพิ่น (hak sao ban phoen)
02. หนาวใจบ่น้อง (nao chai bo nong)
03. ฮักสาวฝั่งซ้าย (hak sao fang sai)
04. ปลายเดือนมือดำ (plai duean mue dam)
05. มันยังไม่สาย (man yang mai sai)
06. คนคือเฮา (khon khue hao)
07. รักสาวฮอริเดย์ (rak sao holiday)
08. เหมือนเดือนเคียงดาว (muean duean khiang dao)
09. หัวใจหล่น (hua chai lon)
10. ใจซื้อใจ (chai sue chai)
11. นิราศภูกระดึง (nirat phu kradueng)
12. สุขเถิดน้อง (suk thoet nong)

this week: another classic cassette from the amazing phonsak songsaeng! hailing from a farming family in udon thani, phonsak left school after grade 4 to help his parents in the field. after a short gig as a boxer, he formed his first band, champ isan, in 1981 at age 21. from his first album forward he enjoyed a string of huge hits.. this cassette from 1991 on siang siam's kritsanathep imprint features a surprising range of production styles, centering on a slightly more computerized sound than his previous tape featured here, but still quite first-rate luk thung isan (even some carabao-esque guitar leads at parts).. enjoy!

thongcharoen dalao + bunchuang denduang: khui khueang rueang sa u

artist: ทองเจริญ ดาเหลา + บุญช่วง เด่นดวง (thongcharoen dalao + bunchuang denduang)
album: คุยเขื่องเรื่องซาอุฯ (khui khueang rueang sa u)
tracklist:
01. คุยเขื่องเรื่องซาอุฯ (khui khueang rueang sa u)
02. ลูกจ้างเมีย (luk chang mia)
03. พ่อบักเติ่งคนดี (pho bak toeng khon di)
04. ซาอุดิฯขุมทอง (saudi khumthong)
05. อย่าห่วงพ่อบักเติ่ง (ya huang pho bak toeng)
06. ได้เต่าเสียหมา (dai tao sia ma)
07. อย่าลืมเมียซาอุฯ (ya luem mia sa u)
08. เสียงสะอื้นจากหนุ่มซาอุฯ (siang sauen chak num sa u)
09. พ่อพระในดวงใจ (pho phra nai duang chai)
10. สั่งแม่บักเติ่งไปซาอุฯ (sang mae bak toeng pai sa u)
11. เสียงสั่งจากเมียซาอุฯ (siang sang chak mia sa u)
12. ตามหาคุณนายตีนเปิ่ม (tam ha khun nai tin poem)
13. สีโต่นเซียงเลิ่มซาอุฯ (si ton siang loem sa u)

lately i've been interested in the whole saudi arabia-isaan connection, especially as evidenced through the music of the period.. we've heard it in modern, electronic molam luk thung with phimpha phonsiri, then in a more acoustic, ensemble-oriented setting with the phetphalanchai sisters, and now we'll end with thongcharoen & bunchuang, two staunch traditionalists! backed only by the sound of khaen, these 2 expert singers from udon thani spin rhythmic tales of thailand's middle-eastward migrants (and their loved ones left behind). i don't know a great deal about the singers themselves, but they are much beloved in isaan, and i imagine that thongcharoen dalao is of some relation to khen dalao, national artist and molam of the first degree. these classic, minimal molam mokhaen arrangements are always a delight for me... hope you feel the same!!

pong prida: sao fang khong

singer: ปอง ปรีดา (pong prida)
album: สาวฝั่งโขง (sao fang khong)
tracklist:
01. สาวฝั่งโขง (sao fang khong)
02. สาวอยู่บ้านได๋ (sao yu ban dai)
03. สาวป่าซาง (sao pa sang)
04. เที่ยวฝั่งโขง (thieow fang khong)
05. เจ้าสาวไปใส (chao sao pai sai)
06. เดือนคล้อยคอยสาว (duean khloi khoi sao)
07. รำวงเชียงน้อย (ramwong chiang noi)
08. ค่ำคืนนี้พี่นอนหนาว (kham khuen ni phi non nao)
09. น้องนางบ้านนา (nong nang ban na)
10. เหรียญดอลล์ (rian doll)
11. คอยสาวค่อนคืน (khoi sao khon khuen)
12. กลิ่นฟางสาบสาว (klin fang sap sao)
13. เพื่อน (phuean)
14. ตามนาง (tam nang)
15. เตือนหญิง (tuean ying)
16. อีสานก้าวหน้า (isan kao na)

this week, it's luk thung veteran pong prida with his great high tone and delightful whistle. born in khon kaen province in isaan, pong grew up studying carpentry but secretly harbored ambitions to become a singer like his idol, somyot thasanaphan. eventually he dropped out & made the trip to bangkok, where he auditioned for many groups (including somyot's) but was denied from all. following this failure, he went back & forth between working factory jobs, boxing, and monkhood, all the while desperately sticking to his dream. his tenacity caught the sympathy of nakhon thanomsap (the entertainer best known for his blackface character, "gungadin"), who took him under his wing & got him spots on records, playing khaen or whistling for stars like suraphon sombatcharoen. in a short while he would be recording his own tunes and touring the nation! in time he returned to isaan, where he formed a group which performed locally in udon thani and across the border in laos, before settling down as a farmer. here now are his sad songs, for you to enjoy!