Singapore Pop 60s Fashion On Vinyl Covers (Part I)

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SINGAPORE FASHION AMONG CHINESE POP 60's ARTISTES:

Ladies fashion in the 60s seems to focus on colours and tones but less on accessories. Dresses are elegant and evening gowns are usually full-skirted. For casual wear, the ladies have British fashion guru Mary Quant's mini-skirt for leggy jaunts. And the word 'mini' comes from the iconic 60s Cooper mini-car. 

Compared with their sisters in the West, our local Chinese pop singers dress conservatively when appearing on the covers of the vinyl they publicize. Sakura, Frances Yip, Mona Fong and Carrie Ku Mei (images) look resplendent with their pleasing, eye-catching and fashionable dress sense. 

The light purplish dress with fluffy puffed sleeves that Sakura wears, is either for a concert or nightclub act. Note her bee-hive hairdo. Is she over-dressed? Not really. Carrie Koo Mei and Mona Fong are also ready for a formal evening concert in a darker purple cheongsam with psychedelic prints (?) to woo audiences with their stage presence and songs. I love their simple but charmingly styled hair and stilettos. 

A very young Frances Yip appears set for a stroll in the park with her short, captivating sun-hewed print mini. Perhaps she's ready to sing a twist or shake 60s hit during a tea-dance. Or is she?

Then the Bunga Sakura (trans: flower) above. Now whether they finally put her on a vinyl cover she recorded is a question to ask. But I do find her garb a little heavy. Like they say, though, one man's meat...

One very outstanding vinyl and I have reproduced it whole, is the cowgirl in a simple light-coloured blouse and dark pants with boots to match. Very outstanding, especially with the bee-hive hair to add height. But the holsters and plastic guns are a wee bit too small in comparison.

I am no expert, so do write in if you are familiar with Singapore 60's dress code and comment on the fashion sense then. 

For those interested in the Chinese record covers above: 

Image 1: Sakura COLUMBIA/EMI ECHK. 614. 

Image 2: Frances Yip LIFE RECORDS/EP 2092. 
Image 3: Carrie Koo Mei and Mona Fong PATHE/EMI: 7EPA-206.
Image 4: Sakura again but without a vinyl cover. The background looks similar.
Image 5: An odd one out. A Chinese cowgirl outfit from 60's.

Images/original article: Andy Lim.

Elizabeth Taylor: Sixties Silver Screen Siren

Remembering LIZ TAYLOR with a song. She had passed on at 79 years young. I was thinking of the movie Giant (1956) and the theme song by Dimitri Tiomkin that I remember so well and could sing as a youth. Fans gathered like bees at the Capitol Cinema when this honey of a film came. Tickets were sold out days ahead.
Nearly everyone who saw the blockbuster loved and learnt the Tiomkin hit which boomed out on the giant speakers at the theatre. It was also popular with Radio Singapore requesters and caused a stir. But this was the 50s lah, not 60s.

By chance, while watching television this evening, Elton John appeared on the little screen and dedicated, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me to the beautiful and sensual star of the silver screen. But my choice remains. So Liz Taylor, one of the giants of the 60s screen, this song's for you:

Just like a sleeping giant/Sprawling in the sun /In one great hand the Rio Grande/In the other Galveston/Where oil wells laugh at angels/Buzzards wheel above/This then is Texas/Lone Star State of Texas/This is the giant/Land I love..."/Just like the silver dollar/Falling from above/This then is Texas/Lone Star of Texas /This is the giant/Land I love.../Austin to Houston/The Alamo, El Paso/Crystal City, Waco/Giant, giant, giant...

(Music/Lyrics: Dimitri Tiomkin/Paul Francis Webster/1956)

Images: By courtesy of (1) Flickr and Raffles Hotel, Singapore. (2) Google/'Giant' with James Dean.

Elizabeth Taylor was in Singapore in 1957 with husband, then Mike Todd (of Todd AO lenses fame), and had a gown designed for her by Doris Geddes. She was here again in the 90s when Michael Jackson had a concert at the National Stadium. There are many websites about Liz Taylor.

Sandpipers: Chotto Matte, SIA A Great Way To Fly

NEARLY 1,700 VIEWS

THE SANDPIPERS:

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, when writing about The Sandpipers, wrote that they were a male vocal trio that recorded easy listening pop hits in the mid 60s and was "distinguished by its light, breezy harmonies, which floated over delicate, breezy string arrangements, as well as the occasional appearance of a wordless female backing vocalist who drifted in and out of the music."

Sandpipers did not manage to have a long, sustained career but had one Top Ten hit with Guantanamera in 1966 (numerous Asian versions: check 'Guantanamera' under Labels below). 

There were other songs like Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls, Misty Roses, Today, Chotto Matte Kudasai and covers. The group was originally known as the Four Seasons and the trio was part of the Californian Mitchell Boys Choir before they formed their own group. 

Famous trumpeter Herb Alpert (remember him with his Tijuana Brass), who ran his own AnM record label was impressed when he heard them and signed them to a record contract.

An added female vocalist, Pamela Ramcier, was one of the most distinctive elements of the group's music and with her mod outfit of mini-skirts and a-go-go boots, made her more noticeable than the actual Sandpipers.

In 1970, Come Saturday Morning became a hit when it was part of the soundtrack for the movie, The Sterile Cuckoo. The Sandpipers continued to record into the '70s but after five years without any chart success, they disbanded in the mid-'70s. (Please read the next posting below.)

THE SIA CONNECTION:

In 1979, The Sandpipers had also recorded the Singapore Airlines song, You're A Great Way To Fly on PYE Records orchestrated by Jose Mascolo Lyrics was written by New Monkees Bobby Hart and music from Fred Bongusto (image above).

The melody and lyrics were befitting of the SIA concept: classy, soft and alluring as the gentle giant whispers across land, sea and cloud. The song lures passengers into a smooth and dreamy flight.

Not many people knew about the project, but when the theme song was played on air and the advertisement appeared on TV, everyone cheered and loved the song with its exquisite taste of Pierre Balmain chic and Sandpipers dream voices. And the Singapore Girls? Chantek (beautiful).

One of many SIA advertisements found on YouTube. An early 70's ad.

Image: The Sandpipers - Jim Brady, Mike Piano, Richard Shoff.

Chotto Matte Kudasai, Excuse Me While I Cry...

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SONGS I LOVE:

An English song, written and composed by Loyal E Garner with Jeanne Nakashima and sung by The Sandpipers (1971) but with a Japanese title is Chotto Matte Kudasai. In Japanese (ちょっと待ってください) it means, 'please wait for a second' or 'please wait a moment.' although 'Shosho omachi kudasai' is more polite.

The simplicity and sentiment of the lyrics, possibly conjuring an image of a beautiful girl or young man (depending on the singer), make it so popular that it has been recorded in other languages. Singapore, Malaya, other Asian music artistes like Frankie Cheah and Frances Yip have recorded it.

Frances Yip: Chotto Matte Kudasai (Never Say Goodbye) Video: Patrick O.

Martin Denny has quite a sugary version vocalised by an Asian lady. In the new century, a Filipino group called Joey de Leon and The Sex Bombs has another. It is a lounge favourite with both pianists and nightclubbers, a karaoke 'must sing' and can be heard in any building that plays elevator music.

It is also on the list of many electronic organ song sheets as school children learn this melody for a Grade 3 or 4 keyboard practice. Very popular in music schools and music teachers.

Chotto Matte is a hit with elementary keyboard enthusiasts and the music notes are commonly found with Que Sera Sera and Annie Laurie; the melody is loved by many young 'uns. Tree cheers for evergreens.

Then in 2012, this title surfaced again, sung by a group who call themselves Anger Me, former S/Mileage, a Japanese idol girl group. But it's not the same song; only the title is.

Chott Matte Kudasai by The Sandpipers. Video by Braz DSZ. Thank you.

Lyrics to the original song:

Chotto matte kudasai

Please excuse me while I cry
Seems sayonara means goodbye
But no one ever told me why

Sakura was in the spring
When our hearts found songs to sing
But Sakura has gone away
And so has our love, so they say

Chotto matte kudasai
Please excuse me while I cry
Without your love, I would die
Please don’t leave me kudasai...

UMG (on behalf of A&M); SOLAR Music Rights Management, Sony Music Publishing, BMI - Broadcast Music Inc., and 5 Music Rights Societies

鍾珍妮‧鍾安妮: 

Composer：

Loyal E. Garner/Jeanne Nakashima

YouTube Videos from Patrick O and Braz DSZ. Thank you.

The Japanese version

ちょっと待って下さい　ジェミネス

YouTube video by: TheDarimin

From Marc Wong [Nostalgic SG]