A Malaysian Blog Reader Tributes Reggie Verghese, Martin Pereira, Vincent Lim, Iskandar Mirza Ismail.

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Anita Sarawak and Tracy Huang

Anita Serawak - 'Ayam Den Lapeh'

YouTube Video from:Zulkifli Ahmad

'Hello Darling': Tracy Huang

YouTube Video from: Michael Lim

"I am a Malaysian...": A Letter From Across The Causeway.

While checking letters from readers I came across this Anonymous comment below. Thank you so much dear reader and friend for writing from across the Causeway about these four very talented musical producers and the vinyl records that resulted, which were later sold during the cassette years.

Here's the letter in full:

"I am a Malaysian 61 now in 2024 and remember as far back as in the late 1970’s when my gifted and talented school mate who came from a musically inclined family bought the Anita Sarawak and Tracy Huang cassettes [images] and shared and played them for us. 

I was only about 15 or 16 at that time and the first thing I noticed was how remarkably the production sounded… it sounded very similar to the originals but sung by local divas Anita and Tracy... naturally, we read the credits. It started, 'Produced by Reggie Verghese...'

The original cassette of Tracy Huang 

as specified on the label and cover.

Cassette tapes of Tracy Huang 

sold well during the 1970s.

For illustration only as these 

cassettes above may be pirated copies.

Two other names, and were mostly being associated in other future collaborations were Martin Pereira and Vincent Lim [father of our well-known Singapore opposition party member, Jamus Lim]… till today, and add one more, the late Iskandar Mirza Ismail; nothing remotely close has ever come from Singapore as classy and of such quality standard from these four names… 

Cassette tapes of Anita Sarawak were recorded, 

produced and made by the awesome foursome 

mentioned by our Anonymous reader. 

The illustrations above may be pirated copies.

Original cassette with EMI Label.

They were trailblazers… so many throwing around names like King of Swing, King of this and King of that but no one remotely came close with the above talented and awesome foursome…

Thank you Singapore…thank you Reggie, Martin, Vincent and Iskandar … all great musicians & great humble human beings." 

NB:

Beside the original ones many of these cassettes sold were pirated copies. A lot of them were sold in the open market, legally or otherwise. Business was brisk as production was cheap and sold for merely $2.00 a piece or thereabouts. 

I am just wondering how the rightful companies and music producers dealt with this issue... Comments are welcome from readers.

Images: Google.

Irene Hoe Walked Into The 80's With Her Walkman

I had wanted to introduce stories about cassette tapes on this blog so when journalist *Ms Hoe sent this anecdote, I thought it could do just fine. Hope you like the song selection Irene. Thank you.

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 25 CHATS, COMMENTS

"Just the sound of James Taylor's voice carries me back to campus days.

My brother Roger had let me have his old cassette player - I think it easily weighed two kilos - and I would play over and over again a cassette of James Taylor's first album that someone had copied for me.

It wasn't till 1980 or thereabouts that I spent the princely sum of $390 (yes I was THAT music mad) to acquire what was then called the **Sony Soundabout (as marketed in the USA and a few other places) and would later be renamed the Walkman (the original Japanese name) that I bought my first "original" music cassette. It was, of course, James Taylor's first album.

I sold the Soundabout to an "air hostess" (yup, that was what we called them then) on my way home from a trip and I had enough money only to make a telephone call and ask if someone could come and give me a ride home.

I was bereft of portable music till I had earned enough money to buy another. But this time, it was called a Walkman. And I still have it somewhere, though not the original headset. The sponge tended to disintegrate rather quickly.  As someone who works in an office sometimes and takes planes every so often, headphones are a must.

The quality of some of those old cassette tapes was really good. My Walkman still holds The Köln Concert by Keith Jarrett."

*Ms. Hoe was research officer in our Civil Service, leader / feature writer at New Nation, one of 7 editors who launched The New Paper and is copy editor for Digital Life.

** The original Walkman was marketed in Japan in 1979. From 1980, the Soundabout was sold in many other countries including the US, Freestyle in Sweden and the Stowaway in the UK.

Article inspired by:

James Taylor - A Big Part of my Story is Recovery from Addiction.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/11679104/James-Taylor-A-big-part-of-my-story-is-recovery-from-addiction.html

                      James Taylor - Carolina in My Mind - Video - Rusty Brewer

Images from Google: James Taylor. Keith Jarrett.

Video: You Tube.