SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED NOR ADVERTORIAL IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) -
(新加坡六十年代安迪的流行音乐影响力), SUDI MAMPIR !
Here's Herb of Mike and Herb, 60s Malaysian Beatles, who actually hails from Australia, enjoying a rest with two of his good friends, after enjoying a Halloween lunch. It's just fun and games!
HELLO, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
👺👽👹💋🎃👻🍬🦇💀🧡🎃👻🦇💀👽
To all our wonderful readers, contributing writers and friends out there, Herb, sister Barb and myself, wish you all the best of ghostly wishes. Enjoy the day with skeletons, pumpkins, ghouls, witches, etc.
Comments are welcome.
Rolling Stones - 'Paint it Black' 2006 Live Video HD.
YouTube Video by: NEA ZIXNH
64 Million+ Views.
The late Michael van Dort [right] with Herbert during
one of the shows that they performed in Singapore
as The Beatles of Malaysia.
Comments are welcome!
The Asian version of this mythical creature is called a
Pontianak but there is no special day to celebrate
since it was only a movie creation from the 1960s.
I did not meet Merlin Lim for many years after Covid struck in 2019 so I suggested that we should since we are old friends in a pop guitar group during the 60's. He agreed and the revelations and his philosophy in life today struck a note in me.
When I thanked him for the chat, advice and his gift of exquisitely boxed mooncakes, he wrote to me. With his permission, as he speaks from his heart, the letter is produced below. Thanks again Merlin.
"Sharing An Afternoon, With My Dear Old Long-Lost Friend, Andy Young.
This Meeting Was Planned for Mid-September at Novena Square. After A Hug n Warm Greeting, We Went Looking For A Place To Sit, Chat n Some Lunch. Most Eateries Were Packed At That Moment In Time.
While Eating, We Spoke About Those Good Old Days n I Mentioned To Andy, When I Was Driven Out From My Home By My Dad, He n His Parents Offered Me Shelter For A Couple Of Days. Though Andy Could Not Recall, From My Side, I Did Not Forget Their Kindness n Protection For My Troubled Mind n Body.
Gradually Our Conversation Covered Life in General n How To Live n Be A Meaningful, Virtuous Person n This Leads To The Topic Of: 1 ) No Killing, 2 ) No Stealing, 3 ) No Lying, 4 ) No Intoxication, n 5 ) No Unlawful Intimacies or Misconduct.
As For Killing, It Mainly Refers To: Killing A Human or That, Which Is To Be Human, i.e. 'Abortion'. No Stealing: Taking Something That Was Not Given, Regardless Of The Value. Eg, If I Go To Your Home, Open Your Fridge n Take A Drink Without Informing U, That Could Be Termed As Stealing. Lying, Is To Say Something That Is Untrue. No Intoxication, Refers To Alcohol, Drugs or Substances That Hinders Your State Of MIND. Unlawful Intimacies n Misconduct, Is Having Intimacies At A Holy Place, Intimacies Between Father n Daughter, Mother n Son, etc.
All Those Above Are My Humble Understanding n In No Way Is There Any Intention To Harm Other People's Point Of View. Please Accept My Sincere n Humble Apologies With Love n Compassion.
Peace n Bliss To All Who Read or Come In Contact With This Lunch Talk I Had With My Dear Old Friend, Andy, Who Is More Dear To Me Than Life Itself. Love,
Merl. "
Comments are welcome.
Merlin Lim [left] with Andy.
When I asked Merlin for his favourite song, he replied in all sincerity:
There Are Quite A Few Bro. During the Band Boy Days With Veronica Young, It Was, "Nina Bobo." With Shirley Nair, "Let It Be Me." With Dickie, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale."
With Yours Truly, Andy Young ... I Don't Remember That Indonesian or Malay Song but I Have the Tune In My Head. "Da, Da, Da, Da , Da ... Da. Da, Da, Da, Da, Da... Ah, yes, "Impian Semalam".
Procol Harem: 'A Whiter Shade of Pale'.
YouTube Official Video by FLY RECORDS.
Selected song and a favourite of the late Dickie Tan.
Thanks to Horace Wee with his eidetic memory, and a heart to share his stories with me. It's one of 7 to 8 parts in a series. So, sit tight...
A child born in the turbulence of a World War and the Japanese invasion of South- East Asia, time may have dimmed many memories. Yet I still recall short vivid flashes of vision and sound from those early years. Rose syrup sunsets at Port Dickson when my father perched me on the veranda railings and my aunt rattling a bamboo pole to chase away a “musang” (wild cat). The rumbling sounds of British military vehicles on a road in Kuala Lumpur/Malaya after the Japanese surrender and the long hot trip by rail to Singapore.
Returning to the British Colonial administration of Singapore, streets were rather chaotic. Vendors with push carts, makeshift stalls or just baskets were everywhere. The music trends were still reminiscent of the pre-war era. Crooners such as Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Eddie Fisher, cowboy singers Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, Rosemary Clooney, Patti Page, Doris Day, Patsy Kline, Loretta Lynn, the Andrew Sisters and many others were popular with songs like Cruising Down The River, Truly Truly Fair, Doggie in the Window.
Cruising Down The River: Connie Francis. YouTube Video by:
The professional musicians who had joined the Japanese Syonan orchestra returned to playing at live entertainment venues. For cheap entertainment, the public flocked to amusement parks like The Great, Happy World and New World where one would find stalls selling everything from household goods, snacks, and simple games such as an air rifle shooting gallery. Occasional trade fairs offered more choices. At times, a female vocalist singing in Mandarin would permeate through the crowd noise.
Rojak [Malay Chilli Salad] and a Carbide Lamp
In shopping areas such as Rochor, South Bridge Roads and Chinatown, from dingy shops, one would also hear the sounds of the Rediffusion cable radio network blaring Western and Chinese music interspersed with simple advertising jingles.
On warm evenings, with the scent of the sea along the East Coast Road, many would head for the seaside at the end of Bedok. Rows of carts lit by hurricane and carbide lamps [image] would be serving local delicacies like “rojak” [image: local shrimp paste tossed salad] and toasted cuttlefish served with spicy sauces.
In the middle of what I knew would be a pleasant eye surgery, I tried to share my joy by mumbling my thoughts during sedation at the operating table with the friendly team in the theatre. And what did I tell them? I revealed to them that I have a music blog.
"Crazy man crazy, crazy news!" [Bill Haley].
And it all happened while I was under anesthesia because that’s when the mind became relaxed and euphoric. Because of the state I was in the incident was totally out of my mind afterwards. Even forgot to tell my wife who accompanied me for the appointment.
A week later when I met my soft-spoken and charming lady doctor, TAN LICIA again for a post-surgical appointment, she mentioned that she checked this blog.
Oh my, Dr. Tan. "Goodness, gracious me!" [Peter Sellers].
I was totally surprised but thanked her for reading it. We got to talking as she revealed that she plays the piano with a family that loves music, ie: hubby and children in audience and active.
An AI illustration of eye surgery in an operating theatre.
Dr Tan is kind, friendly and as she gently snipped away the surgical stitches below my eye, she explained what I needed to do for aftercare. A professional surgeon indeed! And she mentioned, in all seriousness… “We need music in life.”
"Thanks for all the joy they're giving
Who can live without it? I ask in all honesty
What would life be?" [Abba]
Before leaving I asked for a picture together. Wait. Was it allowed? The nurse had to find out about hospital protocol. She came back with a positive smile and took us.
Again, thank you Dr. Tan for the successful surgery; your pleasant ways; for reading this blog and for being a music lover.
Here's one doctor any patient could see,"👁 to I" with.
New comments are always welcome.
Currently 26 are below. Check them out.
With Dr. Tan Licia.
Disclaimer:
Post is not written to promote any medical institution nor professional.
Images: Google, Meta AI, Andy.
Johnny Nash - 'I Can See Clearly Now' (Official Audio)
YouTube Video By: ROLLING QUARTZ official and Rolling Star TV.
While checking out for other cover versions of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' I found this one on YouTube. No, they are not BlackPink but another fantastic Korean Pop group that could interpret this hit so well I thought they deserve a posting accolade. Love them; hope you do too! 💖
Glamorous group indeed.
Some comments would be nice!
South Korean Rock Band
Rolling Quartz is a South Korean rock band that made their debut on December 30, 2020. It consists of five members: Arem (bass), Iree (guitar), Hyunjung (guitar), Jayoung (vocals), and Yeongeun (drums). They were originally formed as two separate bands, Rolling Girlz and Rose Quartz, but merged into a single group. They have toured America, Canada and Europe.
From 2015, 2016 and 12 September 2019 [above image]
the haze came Home.
Hazardous and horrible!
Will it ever end?
Then when
it was 2023 August, we thought
that was the end.
As usual the young school-going children were also
badly affected...
when it came back one more time... in 2026.
Really the worst hit this year; 2 months on and the authority from our neighboring country says they hope to end it in 1 month's time.
That's a long time more.
Let's go back about 9 years from now:
THE HAZE IN SINGAPORE: CAUSE AND GLOBAL CONSEQUENCE.
Year: 2015 Is It Clear?
Fourteen million plus hits on Google when you type, "Haze in Singapore." Call it what you may, haze or smoke which has been polluting this region for weeks now is not created by Mother Nature but by Man himself. One thing is clear; our air is so foul and "poisonin' my oxygen" that it is frustrating everyone in the area. Worse, it is making every creature, great and small, sick.
Every day fires are destroying the beautiful forests of Indonesia's South Sumatra, Riau and Kalimantan and simultaneously endangering the health of its own people and surrounding neighbours and little red dot, Singapore [written in 2015].
I'm a hungry planet
I had the bluest seas
Oh the people kept Choppin' down
All my finest trees (1).
The lyrics above were written by The Byrds way back in 1970 and described a situation that is still persisting today. Hungry Planet is one of many songs that deals with an on-going ecological disaster and the problem will never be resolved unless a certain country follows its own laws which forbid the use of fire to clear land.
Or Still Unclear? Another thing is clear; we can't do anything because Singapore is like a David standing in front of a cigarette smoking Goliath. We have to inhale what Goliath exhales, and the *problem has persisted from as far back as 1972, more than 40 years since. The country in question has promised it will enforce its laws but nothing's been done so far [written in 2015]. A pop group from 1970, The Moody Blues, reminds us of the foulness in the airin a composition called, How Is It: How is it we are here on this path we walk In this world of pointless fear filled with empty talk Descend from the ape as scientist-priest all think Will they save us in the end, we're trembling on the brink (2).
Responsible Lyricists: Like The Byrds and The Moody Blues, many famous pop composers and lyricists get serious and write about how Man has savaged and ravaged Mother Earth. So while some readers think that the West are only writing frivolous rock and roll music these same pop stars are doing the world a favour by warning how our selfish attitude towards the environment is destroying and killing it: Now the sun has come to earth Shrouded in a mushroom cloud of death Death comes in a blinding flash Of hellish heat and leaves a smear of ash And the sun has come to earth (3). Only last night (5th October 2015), I saw our local news headlines on television feature young children in hospitals with asthma and with some seniors suffering from a skin ailment agitated by the haze. The Byrds lamented in the same song that this condition is:
Diggin' into my skin
Taking more out of my good earth
Than they'll ever put back in
I"m a hungry planet... (4)
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, the established folk rock super group from the 70's stated that Clear Blue Skies were not much to ask for. They were here before creatures roamed the earth. Question is, "Will they be here when we're gone?" (5)
Optimism: According to an **article, two-thirds of the fires in Indonesia occur on peat wetlands. It is not widely known that Indonesia has the largest tropical peat wetlands in the world but these places are definitely rich in biological diversity. Imagine the devastation going on at the moment with the fires in full force and its outcome afterwards.
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas Fish full of mercury Ah oh mercy, mercy me Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no Radiation under ground and in the sky Animals and birds who live nearby are dying Oh mercy, mercy me. (6) How long more do we have to take the haze and the continuing saga of earth's destruction? I remain optimistic so let's leave the last words to Tommy James and the Shondells: Maybe tomorrow
When he looks down
On every green field, ooh ooh
And every town
All of his children
And every nation
They'll be peace and good brotherhood (7).
FOOTNOTES Other Earth Songs:
Mother Nature's Son - The Beatles
After The Gold Rush - Neil Young Where Do The Children Play - Cat Stevens Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell Don't Go Near the Water - The Beach Boys Hole In The Sky - Black Sabbath
The Trees - Rush
Calypso John Denver Nobody's Fault - Aerosmith Earth Anthem - The Turtles Every Day Every Day Celebrate - John Denver Sweet Baby James -James Taylor Traffic Jam - James Taylor
Goodbye To A River - Don Henley
The Eagle and The Hawk - John Denver Down By The River - Albert Hammond
Quoted Songs Are: (1) Hungry Planet - The Byrds
(2) How Is It? - Moody Blues
(3) The Sun Is Burning - Simon and Garfunkel
(4) Hungry Planet - The Byrds
(5) Clear Blue Skies - Crosby Stills Nash and Young
(6) Oh Mercy, Mercy Me - Marvin Gaye
(7) Crystal Blue Persuasion- Tommy James and The Shondells
*Straits Times Press report and image: 13/10/1972. **Straits Times Press: S. Jayakumar and Tommy Koh; The haze, international law and global cooperation - 6/10/2015 - Pg A20 Opinion. **Straits Times Press: Bustar Maitar; Instead of pointing fingers, start restoring peatlands - 7/10/2015 - PgA21 Opinion.
You Tube Video: Crystal Blue Persuasion- Tommy James and The Shondells
Exhilarating news piece that Indonesia is finally getting help from some countries to help douse out the fire and according to The President Mr Jokowi, it must be effective two weeks from today. Hopefully, we get fresh air again and also save "all creatures great and small", which include the orang utans too.
TODAY 26TH AUGUST, 2016. HAZE STILL HERE.
Disclaimer:
There is absolutely no intention to criticise or point a finger at any country regarding the haze situation. This article has been written in 2015 and in the daily newspapers these days, reports of another haze occurrence is possible [3.6.2023].
The late Michael van Dort [right] with Herbert during
Comments are welcome!
The Asian version of this mythical creature is called a
"
Down By The River - Albert Hammond
(1) Hungry Planet - The Byrds
**Straits Times Press: S. Jayakumar and Tommy Koh; The haze, international law and global cooperation - 6/10/2015 - Pg A20 Opinion.
**Straits Times Press: Bustar Maitar; Instead of pointing fingers, start restoring peatlands - 7/10/2015 - PgA21 Opinion.
You Tube Video: Crystal Blue Persuasion- Tommy James and The Shondells
Images, Chart and gif: Google.
http://weather.asiaone.com.sg/weather-airdetails.php?d=&m=pre&area=