Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Airport Song: from 'Magna Carta' Refers To Singapore Flight [by Allan Thompson RAF 1964]



'Airport Song' by Magna Carta from You Tube: Producciones Cinico. 
The song refers to a flight to Singapore.

I had to give this posting its own space because of Allan's nostalgic note below and the song he introduced. As I mentioned on the comment page, it's a new song for me. Thanks Allan.

Dear Andy,

I suppose you know this lovely song which refers to Singapore. It reminds me of a day in late October, 1964 (almost 50 years ago now) when my flight from London to *Changi was delayed overnight due to thick fog. (I had been in the UK for an aircrew selection board at Biggin Hill and was returning to Singapore to resume my tour of duty there).
Changi Air Base 1966. With thanks to singas.co.uk

Later on in years whenever I hear the song, I am reminded of that day, and of the following day when the aircraft finally landed and I was enveloped by the heat, the smells and the sounds of the island I had grown to love during the previous 15 months. Happy days indeed. 

*Possibly Changi Airbase.

Allan Thompson RAF.
Magna Carta is a Progressive rock group
originally formed in London in April 1969.
With Chris Simpson (guitar, vocals),
Lyell Tranter (guitar, vocals), and Glen Stuart (vocals).


'Airport Song' by Magna Carta

Sitting in the airport lounge
I'm waiting for a plane
Everything is grounded
For the fog is down again
I should be leaving in the morning
On a flight for Singapore
With a guitar and a suitcase and a face
In a photograph

Dozing with a coffee and a drooping cigarette
And the dog eats Sunday supplement
And still I can't forget
I should be leaving in the morning
On a plane bound for the sun
With a guitar and a suitcase and a face
In a photograph

The hands on the clock
Turn around and around
Dragging past the hours
'till the dawning of the day
And the girl in information
With her eyes on confirmation
She's turning with a smile to break the news

I cannot quite believe it, but I thought I heard her say,
'The customs all have woken up, the fog is on it's way'
So I'll be leaving in the morning...

Images: from Google.
Changi airbase image from: http://www.singas.co.uk/HTML/changi.html

Singapore Airport voted the best airport 
in the world for 3 consecutive years.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Silver Strings Rocked Orchard Road Central

Images are not very clear.

The Silver Strings.
It was a large crowd indeed at the Platinum Music World Disco Venue at Orchard Central but more importantly they were very supportive, singing and clapping to the performance that evening.
Rickie Chng highlighted as he plays FBI.
The mostly silver tsunami Silver Strings supporters who came were re-living the 60s Orchard Road  phenomenon with sounds from the Shadows like, Apache and FBI played by lead guitarist Rickie Chng (image above - with silver mop) who won over the audience with his professional finger gallops.
Singapore's Chuck Berry Patrick Chan with Johnny B. Goode.
Rhythm guitar Patrick took over the microphone and enthralled the crowd with Johnny B. Goode, the Chuck Berry classic.  Great rocker Pat!  He came on again later in the night with a tribute to Keith Locke and the Quests singing, You Lied. The applause was deafening.

Audie Ng always has a smile for his audience as Nick concentrates.
Audie was in the spotlight when he went solo with bars from Elvis' Mean Woman Blues.  He looked resplendent carrying his white bass guitar and charismatic smile.
Silver Strings fans in the front row seats.
Guardian Angel Rickie makes sure I do it right.
The band accompanied me with My Hometown, Diana, Red River Rock, and Mean Woman Blues while pop singer Irene Yap saved me with her beauty and graciousness when I went on the aisle. The other pretty lady (sorry didn't ask her name) helped me with my awkward dance steps.


At the drums, Oliver Bala with My Lonely Heart.
Drummer Oliver Bala, who had a percussion hide-away all to his own at the back of the stage was finally in the limelight with his tribute to local band The Thunderbirds singing My Lonely Heart.  Later on and in contrast he screamed the night away with the Beatles' top hit, I Saw Her Standing There.

The youngest one, keyboardist Nick.
Keyboardist Nick was next with Cliff's Young Ones. The audience connected when he sang, "And some day, When the years have flown,  Darling, then we'll teach the young ones, Of our own." The crowd repeated every line.  We rehearsed Stoney but Nick who is Singapore's Lobo did not perform it.
Crowd enjoying the show.
By about 9pm the house was packed and nobody moved as the Strings played The Ventures' version of El Cumbanchero.  Lead Rickie completed the instrumentals with Midnight in Malaya from Boy and the Rollin' Kids.  The crowd was melted by nostalgia magic.

Veronica Young, Singapore's Millie Small took over the stage. And the crowd burst with energy again as she thrilled the audience with My Boy Lollipop, Stupid Cupid and Hippy Hippy Shake.

Powerhouse Veronica Young with Connie Francis', Where The Boys Are.
Her rendition of My Happiness, Frankie and That's All I Want From You subdued the crowd as they listened to her sing about 15 hits altogether that included Too Late For Tears, Silver Threads and Golden Needles and Happy Birthday Baby, tributes to Shirley Nair, The Crescendos and Naomi and the Boys. She ended the evening's gaiety with Gronloh's Burung Kakak Tua and sang an encore, You Mean Everything To Me.  


Fans from all over Singapore.

Andy and Veronica with house boss Marissa after the show.
Eddino Abdul Hadi  Recommends: Straits Times LIFE Happenings article - 15.11.2013.
Images from The Straits Times Press, Marissa (Sweetymariz), Audie Ng, Veronica Young.
Check their FB pages for more photographs.

Apologies to Merlin Lim (original rhythm guitarist and Philip's recording artiste) who went to the club but could not get in touch with me. I had invited him personally to come.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

RAF Based UK Pop Bands In Singapore 60's

After the appearance of the currently new Silver Strings in the last few postings we turn the clock back once again to the 1960's when kopi-oh meets teh-tarek (translated from Malay: when black coffee meets pulling tea).

The welcome sign outside the hotel bar read: "Go underground where anything can happen. And usually does. Tonight and every night from 9pm to 3am." Entry was cheap. And the advertisement was for the eve of Christmas and New Year. 

For 10 Singapore dollars you got a first drink and novelties. (I remember going to England in the early 80's and it was about S$8.00 to the British Pound). And two bands entertained, one the highly respected, Thunderbirds with Heather. And the other? Well, let's discuss the other...
The T-Set. Barry's on extreme right.
This group was one guitar gang performing in the 60's, imported as a package from the British Isles. No Singaporean among the members. Even the group's name had a British ring to it; the patrons who came to Hotel Malaysia were amused when they heard that T-Set was playing at The Pub which, of course had an English setting. Yeah, imagine, "Shall we have tea at The Pub today dear?"  Or more likely, "Gimme a Tiger!"
A Cuppa: not too familiar sight today. "When Bread Talks, Kopi Tiam."
Barry Walker, who wrote to me about this group was the lead guitarist and singer.  In the 60's the same members used to play as a group in cabarets in England but decided to come to Singapore to try their luck. 

Familiar with the local scene - Barry was around for four or five years since 1966 -  he had recommended T-Set to play, and at the Orchard Road area too. (Barry is featured on this blog with his other groups The Figure and In-Sect. Click Barry Walker under Labels below).


Better than coffee anytime!  A Goodwood Hotel Advertisement.
The other members of T-Set were Roy who played bass guitar, Chris the drummer and Mick who played keyboard.  These gentlemen were still unattached when they appeared at the club in the mid-1960's and except for Chris who had a quiet demeanor was already a father. 

According to Tea-Set, who loved to perform in Singapore, audiences here were polite and usually reserved.  Locals would rather sip their beers quietly and chat with their mates at the bar while Caucasians would dance to their music.
A Pinta: "Time for a Tiger."
On the other hand when they played back home patrons there could be rowdy, reckless and walk off during a session if they dislike the band's performance. A band member remarked that he would love to come back to live in Singapore permanently.

So guys, if you remember T-Set from the good old days when they played at the Penthouse Disco with two other groups called, Limited Stock and Faith , give us a write. Doesn't matter if you're in England or in Singapore. The boys would love to hear from you! 

Original article. Do Not Copy.

Thanks to Barry Walker for the images.
Other images: Google.

Written a couple of weeks back, I am dedicating this Barry Walker article to James Seah from our bloggers' group. He just loves the smell of Tiger...

Friday, November 15, 2013

Silver Strings You Tube From Orchard Road Central

These videos were not properly titled on You Tube by the owner because many cameras were used that evening to record the show.  Most of the videos were shot by amateur photographers from our audience. As such the pictures and sound were not clear. 

By featuring them on this blog we hope fans of the Silver Strings will be able to view them again and not traverse the internet to search for them. They have been put up because of some friends and fans who were asking for the recordings of this show which was held on the 15th of November, 2013 at the Platinum Club at Orchard Road Central, Singapore.


You need to return to the main page to watch these videos.

Enjoy.


Image: A Private Collection. Copyrights Reserved.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Silver Strings In TODAY News with Chris Toh

Music journalist Christopher Toh talks to Silver Strings' leader Audie Ng (08th November, 2013):

One of Singapore’s most versatile pop groups of the ’60s is back for one more hurrah.  “We want to bring back the memories of yesteryear!" said an enthusiastic Audie Ng over the phone.  There's a sold-out charity concert for Boys’ Town this weekend and a performance at a club in Orchard Road next weekend.

For these shows, The Silver Strings’ two original singers, Veronica Young and Andy Young, will be fronting the band as they will sing not only their past hits but also songs by other local groups from that era.

Silver Strings in the 1970s.
But Ng wasn’t keen to play that up. “To be honest, only three of us are from the original group from 1963/64: Myself, Andy and Veronica."  he explained.  While they also wrote their own songs, The Silver Strings were likewise seen as the band that could play with anybody, backing everyone from Shirley Nair to Mike n Herb and Anita Sarawak.

The original Silver Strings adopted The Shadows’ set-up, with Ng on bass, David Chan on lead guitar, Merlin Lim on rhythm guitar and Danny Boy on drums.

“David left, and I got the late Dicky Tan to replace him and play on our records,” said Ng. With his astute guitar-playing and song-writing skills, Tan would be one of the key contributors to the band’s sound.

Read the full article:
http://www.todayonline.com/entertainment/music/veteran-pop-band-silver-strings-back-again

*****************************************************************************
Veronica Young, Andy Young and the Silver Strings 
Popularly known as the Connie Francis of Singapore in the 1960s. Veronica Young together with Andy Young and the Silver Strings will be performing at a dinner concert to help raise funds for Boys’ Town. All proceeds will go towards helping Singapore’s youth-at-risk from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds and families in crisis.  

Invitation of 1 guest is available for a $250 donation (for AES old boys and girls). Other contributions are welcome to help support Boys’ Town’s services and defray the fundraising event cost. All donations are entitled to 2.5 times tax exemption. 

We hope you can join us during this special evening and look forward to welcoming you and your guests."Boys Town Fundraising(The above article is an advertisement featured on Boys' Town FaceBook before the show. 

The postings these few days will probably be filled with Silver Strings photographs. We have not received the official ones from the organiser.  Performance was on 9th November, 2013.
Silver Strings Family from left: Rickie, Oliver, Patrick, Veronica, Nick, Audie, Andy.
Andy with Audie on stage: "Took a little trip to my Boys' Town..."

Veronica with audience participation
Silver Strings backstage.
Images from Veronica Young Facebook, Andy and Boys Town Photographers.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Penang Doc Lee Congratulates C/W Star Bobby Bare

*Postcard from Doc Lee
Medical doctor Lee Yan San, my blogger friend from Penang, Malaysia, has some good personal friends in the international pop music industry. One of them was the late Russ Hamilton -  Oh Yes, We Will Make Love - who was featured earlier on the blog.

Another good friend of Yan San is Bobby Bare, who together with Kenny Rogers and the late Cowboy Jack Clement were officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame during a Sunday evening on October 27, 2013 medallion ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee.

**Bare migrated to Los Angeles where he first tasted fame in 1958 when The All American Boy, a song he had co-written became a No. 2 pop hit.  Chet Atkins signed him to RCA Records in 1962, giving him a string of hits that included Detroit City, 500 Miles Away From Home, Miller's Cave, Four Strong Winds, The Streets of Baltimore and Margie's at the Lincoln Park Inn.

Bare was instrumental in establishing the Nashville careers of Waylon Jennings, Billy Joe Shaver and Shel Silverstein (edited).

                      Lee Yan San on You Tube singing Bobby Bare's The Giving Tree

In a sincere comment about Bare, Yan San concluded that,  “It is a near impossible job choosing my best Bobby Bare album as practically each album when released turned out to be my favourite after some play and I practically worn out playing most of my Bobby Bare LPs!”

Yan San and Russ Hamilton
You can read about Bobby Bare and Russ Hamilton by clicking Labels below:

*Bobby Bare inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Congratulations! Postcard designed by YS's daughter Hai Lin and sent to Bobby Bare.  

**. http://www.cmt.com/news/country-music/1716332/kenny-rogers-bobby-bare-jack-clement-inducted-into-country-music-hall-of-fame.jhtml

Lee YS Blog: http://lee-ys.blogspot.sg/
Images and You Tube from Lee YS.

Thursday, November 07, 2013

Seriously Seductive Seniors: Silver Strings Session

Silver Strings - Seductive Seniors @ Play - 9th November 2013
Rickie Chng
Audie Ng and Patrick Chan
Nick Stravens
Oliver Bala
Veronica Young
Strings practising hard for gigs @ Bukit Timah and Orchard Road.
Have you read about them? Check posting below for individual profile.

Host Blogger Andy will sing with the group.

Images: Private Collection.

Monday, November 04, 2013

Silver Strings Play Songs By Local n Foreign Artistes

Group will play songs by local and foreign artistes.














This Silver Strings line-up below will perform *a Charity Concert in Bukit Timah on 9th November and @ Orchard Road on 15th November 2013, where they will play 60s music by both local and foreign artistes. 


Rickie Chng plays lead guitar and has been with Shadows' styled groups since the 1960s. During practices with him and the rest of the Silver Strings for the upcoming gigs, Rickie has provided strong and confident backing for the singers. His prowess as a guitarist shows when he tackles with ease the opening bars to each number rehearsed.

Rickie played for a while with The Trailers during Singapore's golden music years and has been within the guitar circuit since. A regular at the Tanglin Community Club he is currently playing with another band, The Esquires.  He believes in Fender and owns a Stratocaster 40th re-issue.


Patrick Chan, who plays rhythm used to perform with D Peddlers.  According to him, his group was, "playing for kicks in a bungalow at the Norfolk area."  It was great fun during his short bachelorhood days before pursuing a career in the Civil Service and business world afterwards.

A dedicated guitarist, he currently plays lead and sings with his own group called, Pat n Patricians and shares musical fellowship with friends who likes to sing 'live' and social dance at Whampoa CC . Their repertoire includes pop rock, country and evergreens.  Pat also plays for charity, grass-root activities, social functions and at their weekly Sunday T- Dances.  He owns a Fender Stratocaster, the model used by Stevie Ray Vaughan. He rocks with Chuck Berry's JBG.















Oliver Bala's fascination with drums started when he "was captivated by the radio sounds  of the Beatles Rubber Soul album in 1965." His mother's present of a Lucky Star drum-set during his school years led him to take up the skill with heart n soul.  He played with various bands up to 1971 when he started his professional career in the education service.

He only played seriously again in 2005 jamming with friends but intensified when he retired from 2009 and bought a new Tama Superstar set.  Oliver admits that he is a fanatical Beatles fan and his drum influences as a child were Ringo Starr, Tony Meeham and Bobby Elliot. He also does some lead, backing vocals and, "plays the guitar, piano and various percussion instruments."  His rendition of  Orbison's Pretty Woman is hot!


Nicholas Emile Stravens (Nick) played keyboard since 1970.  His first club scene was at Toby's Paradise with a band known as the New Generation which became The Change. The group performed at 3 venues each night, The London Scene, The G-Room  and the Oberoi Imperial Hotel.  They later did stints at  West Point, Golden Million, Golden Mikado, Barbarella and the El Amigo.

While in the SAF's first ever talentime, Nick walked away with the 1st prize and won the title of Singapore's Lobo. After ROD he got together with the band Shang, performed at the Ion Bar at Apollo Hotel, took over from Sonny Bala and transformed the music scene there. They did stints in Indonesia, Malaysia ,Taiwan, Brunei and Philippines.  Then came a Malay album they recorded, road shows for SBC and performed at National Theatre gigs.



Audie Ng, bassist and band leader needs no introduction. Since 1963 this music-maker has been in the business both as boss man and bass man.  


          
Veronica Young, known as Singapore's Millie Small and who sings like Connie Francis, will take the Silver Strings to new heights when she sings with them this November.




Andy Young, first 1960s front man for Silver Strings and Music Blogger today, appears with the gang.