Pop Songs About Cars All The Way (Part II)

Rocket 88*The song was put together by Ike Turner and his band. It is a hymn of praise of an Oldsmobile Rocket 88, which had recently been introduced. The song was based on the 47 song Cadillac Boogie and was the second-biggest R&B single of 1951.

Ike Turner's piano intro to the song was later used, nearly note-for-note by Little Richard in Good Golly Miss Molly. Again, when vehicles reigned supreme and the American car symbolises sexual prowess: 'Gals will ride in style, movin’ all along...'

Pontiac Blues*

It was written by blues great Sonny Boy Williamson but when the British blues bands emerged in the 60s, they covered just about every memorable blues tune by every important blues artist.

In this case, an early edition of the Yardbirds with Eric Clapton recorded Pontiac Blues, and joined up with Sonny Boy for a live album recorded in 1963 at England’s Crawdaddy Club. And the lyrics? 'I found out what my baby likes... whole lot of loving, and a straight-eight Pontiac.'

Crocodile Rock:

It is a 1972 composition by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The song was inspired by John's discovery of Australian band Daddy Cool and their hit, Eagle Rock, while the lyrics take a nostalgic look at early rock n roll and a relationship with Suzie. It has possibly been influenced by The Diamonds 1957 hit, Little Darlin, while the chorus resembles Pat Boone's Speedy Gonzales.

Don't forget the car, cause it's a Chevvy again, 'Me and Suzie had so much fun, holding hands... Had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own, Long nights crying by the record machine, Dreaming of my Chevy and my old blue jeans...

Hitchin' A Ride:

This song spells it all. It's a problem without a car in the US because, as the lyrics explain, 'I got no fare to ride a train, I'm nearly drownin' in the pouring rain, Hitchin' a ride, hitchin' a ride, Gotta get me home to my baby's side... Oh won't somebody stop to help a guy...' Especially if it's a male!

Vanity Fare (image), a UK based band, made this 1969 song a hit in the US, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970 and selling a million copies. It didn't do too well in the UK charts though. It was written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander.

Steve Farram is right. There are many pop songs about cars. But the road ends here. If you know of favourites with the same theme, do contribute.

Image: http://belovedsong.com/?m=201006&paged=3

*Edited Info: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/17579943

Original article: Andy Lim.

Eddie Fisher - Pre-Rock n Roll Teen Idol

SONGS I LOVE:

Eddie Fisher, who invaded the Singapore air-waves about 60s years ago, has passed on at 82 (1928 - 2010). One of the great names during the pre-rock n roll period, Fisher's good looks and strong tenor voice made him an early 50's teen-idol.

Between 1950 and 1956, he had 17 songs in the Top Ten and 35 songs in the Top Forty. He was an influence in the 60s pop music scene in later years.

Even as a young boy, I could either whistle, hum or sing Eddie Fisher's Any Time (1951), Lady Of Spain (1952), *Oh My Papa (1953) and Cindy Oh Cindy (1956). Although Eddie Calvert's trumpet instrumental Oh My Papa still echoes in my head - it was the Top Ten US and UK hit in 1954 - Fisher's rendition was breaking the heartstrings for me.

Cindy Oh Cindy was the requesters' favourite on radio when Eddie Fisher covered it. It was playing day and night over the broadcast stations in Singapore, Asia and world wide.

The singer was the father of Carrie Fisher who acted as Princess Leia in Star Wars and was married to famous Hollywood personalities, Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor and Connie Stevens.

Fisher hit the international headlines when he divorced Reynolds (I hear the cotton woods whisperin' above, Tammy...) and married Taylor, who later left him for Shakespearean superstar Richard Burton.

*Oh mein Papa (1939), a German original, was by Paul Burkhard. The English lyrics were written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons.

"Oh my papa, to me he was so wonderful,/Oh my papa to me he was so good.../Gone are the days when he would take me on his knees,/And with a smile, he'd change my tears to laughter.../Deep in my heart I miss him so to-day..."

Would anyone still write a song about his/her father today?

http://www.amazon.com/Oh-My-Papa-Eddie-Fisher/dp/B000A87KDW

Information: Wikipedia.

Original article: Andy Lim

Valiants - Melaka, Malaysia, Bristol, England

(A) SOME SLEEVES SPEAK (Sleeve liners):
"Most pop fans here have been demanding a new sound in music for ages. Now Philips have found this sound and introduce to you - the Valiants (image). Malacca-based Valiants have been together for three years.

Last year they were joined by John K. Couzens - a modern musician from Bristol, England. With John's guidance they have sprung from being a popular instrumental group to the top close-harmony group in Malaysia.

For the past six months they have become the most popular vocal group in Malacca. Their act on stage has the two main essentials - versatility and variety. Just listen to these four numbers penned by lead singer John and you will agree that this new sound is here to stay."

(B) Andy's Comment:

The above sleeve-liner was written by one M. Hanny and some scribblings on it noted that the vinyl was catalogued by a radio station on 24th January, 1968. Using this date as a guideline, Couzens could have joined them in 1967 and the band could have been together since 1964 or '65.

They must have reached some peak in popularity in Malacca, Malaysia or else Philips would not have invited them to record.

Vinyl info: The songs include: Big Wheel, My Elaine, Running Wild, Daddy's Home. All songs are by Couzens. Vinyl #437833 PE. It is a mono recording.

The group members: John K. Couzens (lead singer), William Rodrigues (rhythm), Roger Foo (bass), Gerald Dionysius (lead), Nik Pinto (drums) and Peter John Cutting (manager).

                                      Valiants current line-up 

(C) *Peach Fuzz Forest Blog Posting:
"John was in the army and posted to Asia, where he hooked up with the band. The Valiants were an instrumental band until he arrived and added vocals, morphing them from **Indo-Rock to British beat. He wrote all the materials on this EP, although the band still sneaked in some twangs from their instrumental days.

John's wife was called Elaine (one song title) and came from Australia. He moved to Perth in the late 60s and formed Stonewall Jackson's Virginia Volunteers."

(D) Blog Comments:

1. Absolutely rare indeed, I wonder 'bout the other 2 tracks of the EP...

2. The other two tracks aren't as interesting, unfortunately! Pretty ordinary harmony pop.

3. Rare and great stuff, especially Running Wild; should've been an instant garage comp classic!

4. Very nice tunes!!! Rare and unique!!!

5. John Couzens looks like the singer in our rock band here in Perth around 1968/69. Does anyone know where John is at present?

Anyone know this band? Are they still around?

Edited article/Image: Andy Lim Collection.

http://peachfuzzforest.blogspot.com/

**Could be Pop-Yeh-Yeh since they were from Malaysia.

Francis Theseira - current band members from The Valiants - passed away on Friday morning (20.01.2017).

Riem de Wolfe: Blue Diamond At Serangoon

He was here in January this year. Riem de Wolfe was outside a restaurant called, Blue Diamond. Quite appropriate really. The picture was taken by Vernon Cornelius while he was, "loafing around Serangoon Road... and (had) stumbled upon this Indian restaurant."

Apparently "Riem was thrilled and amused" so Vernon couldn't resist taking some pictures. And in case, just in case, you don't know who Reim de Wolfe and Vernon are, you must read this whole blog to find out.

Image: From Vernon Cornelius Collection. Thanks to him and MusicMeister.

Harry Martinez Students - Star Gazers (Pt II)

Image: 
clockwise/left: Peter Chan, Wilfred, Richard Yoong, Edwin, Tommy (Drums).

"We studied for 2 years at St. Thomas School and had our band practices at 618 North Bridge Road. Our band was under the tutorship of Harry Martinez at Siglap Road. The group lasted for almost 4 years, from about 1964 to 1968.

We called ourselves Wilfred n The Stargazers. Wilfred, a journalist and the lead singer had a voice like Tom Jones.

The band had another vocalist, a female Chinese who had a repertoire of Mandarin and Cantonese numbers but I cannot remember her name.

Star Gazers played Japanese and Malay songs too and with our versatility, we performed most instrumental dance melodies using the rhythm and beat popular in the mid-sixties. These included off-beat cha cha, rock, mambo, twist, waltz, fox trot, a-go go, hala hala and tango.

We came into the limelight after winning the Big Beat Contest at the Great World Park in Kim Seng Road and secured some television and recording contracts. We played at night clubs, tea dances, weddings, birthday parties, variety shows and at the Singapore International Airport at Paya Lebar Road.

Our recording of four instrumental numbers, White Cloud, Horn Pipe, The Lark and Sunday, a contract with Teo Kwang Record Company near the former Cathay Cinema, exposed us to the pop 60's scene in Singapore and we enjoyed the celebrity status those years accorded."

STARGAZERS, RICHARD WANTS TO MEET YOU ALL AGAIN. GET IN TOUCH!

Article edited/Image: Richard Yoong Collection.

Calling Star Gazers: A-Go-Go Record '66 (Pt I)

Hi Andy,

This is Richard Yoong, the Star Gazers lead guitarist. My playmates were Peter Aloysius Chan (rhythm guitarist), Jimmy Ahmad (drummer) and MichaelHiHHH Lai (We produced 4 instrumental numbers on an album titled, A-Go-Go (image), in 1966. 

I would like to get in touch you. I am trying to look for my band members whom I believe are still residing in Singapore. I really hope that we can all get together one day.

Can you email me at shiyonet@yahoo.com so I can share more details with you?

12th September, 2010.

(At the peak of the A-Go-Go, Shake-Shake-Shake, Off-Beat Cha-Cha and Hala-Hala craze, records like these were popular with the Singapore crowd. Record companies were trying to exploit the market and bands for financial gains.

The above vinyl is from Eagle Record Company: TK 1021 and the Chinese instrumental numbers include: White Cloud, Sunday, Horn Pipe and The Lark. Do write to Richard if you had been a band member or if you know of their whereabouts.)

Check Comments from following article on: Friday, May 08, 2009

Connect: Singapore 60s Music. Singapore Blue Diamonds

1 Once Upon A Singapura: Esplanade Aug 2010 60s Music Stars & Crowd Celebrate National Joy

2 Moses Vadham, Regina Vadham With Brian

3 Mesmerising Maskless Mysterians Make Merry

4 Esplanade Celebrates 45th National Day 7th August 2010 With Silver Strings In Singapore

More images at side-bar>>>>>>>>>>>

The Esplanade's mission is "To entertain, engage, educate and inspire." I think they did just that.

Images Courtesy Of:
The Esplanade Co Ltd
1 Esplanade Drive
Singapore 03898
(All Rights Reserved)

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri To Muslim Friends

'Come And Get It' - Badfinger, Burns - Dunedin

FOR unk DICKO, daughter and son-in-law:

The Banks o' Doon
YE flowery banks o' bonnie Doon,
How can ye blume sae fair!
How can ye chant, ye little birds,
And I sae fu' o' care!

Thou'll break my heart, thou bonnie bird,
That sings upon the bough;
Thou minds me o' the happy days
When my fause luve was true.

Thou'll break my heart, thou bonnie bird,
That sings beside thy mate;
For sae I sat, and sae I sang,
And wistna o' my fate.

Aft hae I roved by bonnie Doon,
To see the woodbine twine;
And ilka bird sang o' its luve,
And sae did I o' mine.

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose
Upon a morn in June;
And sae I flourish'd on the morn,
And sae was pu'd or' noon.

Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose
Upon its thorny tree;
But my fause luver staw my rose,
And left the thorn wi' me.

Robert Burns

Image: Burns Statue, Dunedin.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/BurnsStatueDunedin.jpg/250px-BurnsStatueDunedin.jpg

Reference: http://uncledicko.blogspot.com/

The Travel Tale To Tell Badfinger Robert Burns NZ

SONGS I LOVE

This story does not report the recent earthquake but today's) tragedy reminds me of the great and beautiful people who live in N.Z. May God help them in their calamity. 14.11.2016

It's a tragedy that New Zealand's Christchurch has been hit by an earthquake. The city brings back memories, having been there way back in the early 70s, when I was on a three week attachment from my one year stint in Wellington.

The people are truly a lovely lot; they are warm, polite, hospitable, kind and mostly generous. My short stay had been a memorable one. I know the situation in Christchurch will improve and hope the people well.

During the second weekend in this floral city, our group decided to travel south for a two day fun trip to Dunedin. As I wandered alone downtown on the second day and amidst witnessing a group of colorfu,l screaming school girls on racing bicycles, I met a lass gazing at the statue of *Robert Burns. We struck up a conversation and she told me she was Scottish. During our chat, we realized our interest were in Burns' poetry and pop music. Since the latter was more interesting, we whiled away our time exchanging songs and melodies.

So amidst discussion about Elvis, Cliff, Donegan, Donovan, Marmalade, Connie Francis, The Beatles and Russ Hamilton, she asked me if I knew a song by Badfinger. I was struck dumb. "Bad who?" I asked surprised as I heard loudly the ego-bubble bursting. So as the Brit group was revealed, I learnt a song.

           Badfinger - Come And Get It (1969) - You Tube Video from TickTock70

To this day, Come And Get It (1969) will always be associated with Christchurch and Dunedin as  these line stick in my mind:

If you want it, here it is come and get it
Mmm, make your mind up fast
If you want it anytime I can get it
But you'd better hurry, cause it may not last...

.

*Robert Burns, The Bard, was a Scottish poet and a lyricist (1759 – 1796).
**No matter the tragedy within their ranks, Badfinger was one of the greatest Brit bands ever.

Straight Off The Cuff - Or - The Sleeves Speak

SOME SLEEVES SPEAK:

While there are many Singapore artistes and personalities who are approachable and willing to tell their stories about Singapore 60s music, there are others, for reasons of their own, who are not.

Then again, it is difficult to agree to a specific time and place to meet the willing ones. For some people, due to personal reasons or ill-health, they cancel appointments.

Because of the challenges faced these last two years, I shall be unwillingly copying off sleeve-covers to document what recording studios write about their artistes.

I will be calling these postings: Some Sleeves Speak. Many of these vinyls are not availabe in the second-hand market; others are available for very cruel prices.

So for those who do not have these vinyls, they will now have a chance to read about Singapore's own pop 60s music stars straight from the horse's mouth. Or to be exact, straight from the loud-speaker's mouth.

It starts in the next posting.

(If you have vinyls to lend, I shall return them after copying the information from the sleeves.)

Original article: Andy Lim

Image from: http://recordrevirginizer.com/vinylpics.html

Ismail Haron: Vigilantes, Guys, Anita (Part II)

Part Two:

In 1970, Ismail Haron went solo with his first EP under EMI titled Kehilangan Chinta (Without Love). As the year progressed, he took a break from recording and for a few months did live shows in Hong Kong.

By this time, he was under the management of Quill Organisation. They decided to form a group and had Roland and Eddie from The Guys, saxophone player Andrew Oh from Pink and Purple, John Choo with keyboard, saxaphone and percussionist Philip Koh from The Blackjacks.

They were even spotted by Robert Stigwood who was manager of Bee Gees and ex-Cream. They played in Bangkok at Montieth and at Udon Thani further North. Udon was a US base and they were playing in clubs for US soldiers and officers.When they came back to Singapore, they continued playing the clubs in 1971 and 1972. The band changed members again a few times.

Finally the group broke up but Ismail continued to record a few more solo albums: Ismail Haron & Maria (1972), Ilham Pujangga (1972), Ismail Haron (1972), Antara Pujangga Dan Insan Biasa (1973), Sutra Mulia (1974), Hulurkan Tangan (1975) and Potret Sindiran (1975).

Among his popular hits within this period were Dendam-ku Kerana Maria (I Did What I Did For Maria), Antara Anak Dan Ayah (My Boy), Tolong Damai-kan (Mammy Blue), Ilham Pujangga, Wati, Persembahan-ku, Hey Hey Sunny, Junainah, Kehilangan Chinta and Apa Khabar Sayang (Hello Darling). Again the songs were English hits with Malay lyrics, a trend that put local artistes in the popularity charts.

Between 1972 and 1976, Ismail Haron recorded a few duets with diva Anita Sarawak. The songs included Kesah Dol Di-Suatu Petang, Rahsia Mu Rahsia Ku (Sealed With A Kiss), Wanita Dan Pakaian and Pemain Piano on EMI/S-EGEP 750. Also, Alam Terpuja (You Make Me Feel Brand New), Janji Tetap Janji (My Girl), Gabus Tarbus (House Of Bamboo), Rahsia Di-Ayer Jerneh and Menunggu Nasi Minyak.

Another EP had: Keluarga Bahagia, Tiada Jodoh, Asmara and even La Aube, the Kassim Selamat greatest hit on (EIM/S-EGEP. 781). Music compositions for EMI recordings were usually by Reggie Verghese.

Many thanks to the writer who provided this very extensive article on Ismail Haron's music career and vinyl recordings.

Image/Vinyl Info/Edits: Andy Lim.

Information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismail_Haron

Hindi Song: Dil Mein Chupake Pyar Ka - Aan

'Dil Mein Chupa Ke Pyar Ka' Mohammed Rafi.

From movie, 'Ann'.

YouTube Video by 'Gold Vintage'.

  UP TO 1,200 VIEWS, 

20 CHATS, COMMENTS

SONGS I LOVE:

Another 50s Hindi song that kept playing in my head was from the musical, Aan (or Pride - image). I had tried for some time to check out the song from movie websites and from friends but to no avail.

.

So a visit yesterday, with my Music Meister friend, to a neighbourhood coffee shop at Serangoon proved fruitful when his Indian friend wrote out the full song title in romanised Hindi. That did the trick and I heard it again for the first time after many years. *Mohammed Rafi's: Dil Mein Chupake Pyar Ka came alive on You Tube.

.

In those early years of Hindi movies in Singapore the re-runs were either at the Garrick Cinema in Geylang Serai or the Queen's Cinema in Geylang Road. Aan or Savage Princess was called a 'swashbuckling, romantic film', that became a block-buster. The unique English title was used to draw US audiences who were always keen about the 'mysterious' East.

.

The movie was produced in 1952 and was the first Indian film in 'Technicolor'. It was directed by the legendary Mehboob Khan and starred Dilip Kumar and Premnath (big stars they were). Music was by Naushad.

.

Again it was my Malay neighbour who persuaded me to see the film after drumming the song into me for days. To appease him, we queued patiently for tickets at the Garrick and managed to get the 50-cent seats. We were 6 rows away from the screen, had to lean back and look upwards for the duration of the movie. I couldn't remember the plot, I could this particular song.

.

I came out of the cinema with a stiff neck. Hamid laughed when I complained but I must thank him for the humbling experience and beautiful song. In Singapore, the interest and love for Bollywood movies never waned. Even today Singaporeans of all races watch them on television, DVDs and in the cinemas to 'escape the harsh realities of everyday life.' Similarly 50s and 60s Indian pop evergreens are still in demand in the music shops.

.

*Mohd. Rafi was an Indian playback singer (doing voice-overs for movie stars) for four decades. Versatile and talented, he could sing in English, Persian and 10 Indian languages. Rafi had been honoured many times by the Indian government, Bollywood and other movie industries for his capability and music contribution.

.

(Apparently Hindi and Tamil movies are just as popular in the 60s as it is today, especially in Singapore because Tamil is one of the four official languages. In fact, for non Singapore readers, this island has both a TV channel and radio station that broadcasts only in Tamil. The songs are popular too.)

.

You Tube Video by: 

ddffx.

Thanks to yuanyuanyuanyin for You Tube videos and comments.

Image/Movie information: 

Wikipedia and Websites.

Original article: 

Andy Lim.

.

For: 

Music Meister, Eusoof Angullia, Salma, Ahyar Jammari, Azizah and Abdul Hamid (wherever he is.)

Anyone with an extra copy of the vinyl?