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)
Showing posts with label Chinese New Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese New Year. Show all posts
It was two days before the dragon year [8 Jan 2024] when I made an urgent SMS to Eddy Eng to write a piece for this blog. And he did, this good friend. In all honesty he related his encounter with this fearsome beast at a garden gate; face to face. Eddy is a straight forward, no fuss gentleman and so are his stories.
Thank you Eddy, a different kind of story but a real one indeed...
The Chinese Dragon:
"Dear Andy,
The Chinese have been fascinated with the mythical dragon for more than 4,000 years. It is obviously the product of imagination of the ancient Chinese. It was imagined as a composite creature with the head of a camel, the eyes of a fiery demon, the horns of a deer, the claws of an eagle and the scales of a carp. Unlike the Caucasian dragon that spews fire and looks naughty and devilish, the Chinese dragon symbolises divine power, strength, good fortune and benevolence. It can control the weather and the seas - a shaker and mover of heaven and earth.
I was once asked by a local Chinese businessman to install a pair of dragons vying for a pearl on top of the wrought-iron gate that I supplied. As someone who would go out of the way to please a customer, I thought long and hard. How would I design the intricate dragons with a pearl shrouded with fire using wrought-iron. Would my guys be able to cut and weld all the tiny pieces together. Would they think it was another crazy idea from me. In the end, logic triumphed over passion.
I went back, told the customer that to do the pair of dragons with the precious pearl would be like a Caucasian dressed in Chinese robes. From an aesthetic perspective, they would look incongruous. It was a clash of cultures. He gave a hearty laugh.
On another occasion, I offered a wall-mounted decorative wrought-iron dragon to a customer as a gift after having completed my work to his massive house. The dragon was made with the finest German craftsmanship that came with a hefty price tag from my German supplier.
He said, "Eee! I don't want it! Your Caucasian dragon looks like a four legged snake. He had a point.
To my friends who were born in the year of the long nien [dragon year], may I wish you good luck, good health and good fortune."
Written by: Eddy Eng.
Eddy Eng.
CNY 2012 Dragon Year 恭喜恭喜 鄧麗君 邓丽君
テレサ・テン Teresa Teng.
This video is the only one found.
YouTube video from: archchula.
2023 New Year’s Concert of
the China Philharmonic Orchestra
中国爱乐之声
YouTube Video: China Philharmonic Orchestra
Images: from Google.
Poster is a gift and created
by Freda Hanum [Teepees]
Thank you.
This blog has 3.4 million viewers since January 7th, 2024.
Looks like there's still some interest in the article as new comments keep trickling in? Thought I'd add some comments regarding the Copicat Echo Unit.
Vacuum Tubes Or Valves:
1. The electronics in use then was based on vacuum tube technology. This was followed by transistor (solid state) technology. There are several vacuum tubes (also known as "valves") used in the electronic circuit and one of which is the 6BR8A as depicted in the picture below.
2. Due to wear and tear, these tapes would sometimes burst whilst in operation. As replacement tapes were quite costly I had also resorted to make spare ones [like what Cedric Cork, the Vietnam War drummer, did], that is, cutting appropriate lengths from open reeled 1/4" magnetic tapes and splicing them.
3) As for the Schaller, it's true that the magnetic coated drum does get hot as mentioned by Michael Lee. Not only that. The magnetic coating on the drum would get worn out after sometime and a replacement drum is costly. What my dad did was to cut short pieces of open reeled magnetic tape and dissolved them in a solvent (acetone) and brush painted it over the worn part/s of the drum. Another cost saving measure.
Separately, a reader who's close to my heart commented that the article was an interesting read but kind of ended abruptly. I had indeed shortened the article by omitting a small part about DECIBELS' performing at hungry ghost festivals - i.e. Getai. Appended below is the part I omitted.
An example of a getai performance with the
guitar group accompanying a-go-go girls and singer.
Getai [歌台] is a Chinese term which literally means, song tower, stage or street concert. It is one of many activities to entertain the Chinese gods, with a related 'officer' from Hell and people who donated funds for the annual Hungry Ghost Festival celebration. It falls during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar year; around August.
From the recesses of my fading memory cells, I could recollect that our very first Getai performance was at Strathmore Avenue. The stage was on the open space between a row of SIT (Singapore Improvement Trust) flats facing the QSTS (Queenstown Secondary Technical School) school field.
On another occasion, we played somewhere in Kampong Bahru. And on the third occasion I played (as stand-in drummer for the Wong family who were all professional musicians) somewhere off Bencoolen Street. I felt truly honoured to be invited to play alongside them.
Singapore recording artiste Lara Tan or Ying Ying (櫻櫻) who usually sings in Mandarin pressed songs with The Trailers in 1967. You Only Live Twice the James Bond theme was sung entirely in Mandarin. Other songs on the same EP (CEP 3008) and accompanied by the same group include Don't Talk To The Lifeguard, Single Girl and Dream Girl.
Lara Tan sings with The Trailers
Another EP (CEP 3002) titled This Is My Song has Dear Mrs Applebee, Downtown and Love Potion Number Nine. The above video is from a record and with Visions Lara sings, Run For Your Life, Puppet On A String and Sugar Town (CEP3004).
It was the usual path for many would be singers in Singapore 60s and Lara was no different. She sang at school concerts and in private parties for a while.
The break came when she was spotted by an executive from a local record company, was contracted and trained in the skills needed to be a pop star. It was tougher for her because she did not like some of the songs she was singing.
After an exhaustive period Lara was provided with about 40 songs to select for her vinyl debut. Since Mandarin songs had a bigger fan base in South East Asia, Lara recorded covers of current English 60s songs and had them translated into Mandarin by a Ms Violet Chow.
To make the formula work she was backed by The Trailers, one of the most popular bands then. Where EMI had Rita Chao and The Quests, Lara was the answer to Cosdel's search for a female lead vocalist to front The Trailers. And like Chao and Sakura she had her share of singing a-go-go and off-beat cha-cha music as well.
So here after nearly 45 years under cover, Ms Lara Tan appears again on Valentine's Day singing Visions - a very popular Cliff Richard number - hopefully to revive days of yore that all you Seniors remember. It's for the young ones to appreciate too.
The Trailers
If you have stories to tell about your T-Dance days and golden nights with your girlfriends at the Palace Cinema, Hotel Prince Garni, Paya Lebar Niteclub, Springdale, Singapore Hotel, South-East Asia Hotel, Hilton, Cockpit and other exciting venues do write in. Valentine's Day must have been as exciting in the 60s and 70s as it is today.
To all my friends in the music business, the Bloggers group, writers, the old teacher friends I meet sometimes, the lecturer buddies from the universities, the new friends who write to me on the Comment page, the young students who ask for information and all the others who have made this blog what it is today, Happy Valentine's Day. Don't forget the flowers.
"Visions of you in shades of blue..." Lost love?
Valentine's Day in Chinese - 情人节 - qing ren jie.
Image: Andy Lim Collection. You Tube video by Mr. Rainbow.
DECIBELS (L to R - Jimmy, Charles, Patrick, Steven)
Ⓒ Copyrights Reserved.
UP TO 700 VIEWS,
20 CHATS, COMMENTS
My thanks again to Jimmy Chng, one of the best drummers during the Singapore 60s pop music era, for this article:
Hi Andy,
A decade back, after contributing the article on DECIBELS pop band to your blog, you had generously invited me to join you as a team writer. I replied that I wasn't up to it but added this comment - “Nevertheless should I recollect any interesting stories pertaining to the 60s pop scene, I’ll let you know.” And to that, your response was - “I shall always be waiting for your next tale pertaining to the 60s pop scene.”
Ten years is a pretty long wait by any measure. However, as the saying goes - " Patience is bitter but the fruit is sweet." And so here's my next tale pertaining to the 60s pop scene.
With the year of the Rabbit, here's wishing you good health and happiness in the coming lunar new year and the years ahead. Gong Xi Fa Cai.
Best regards,
Jimmy.
With the lunar new year fast approaching, I willed myself to tidy up the little store room of my HDB unit. It has been filled to the brim over the years (think hoarder?). Sifting through the clutter in the tiny storeroom, I was pleasantly surprised to find a remnant of DECIBELS pop band’s musical instruments - a WATKINS COPICAT ECHO unit!
Apart from two Hofner guitars (a bass and a lead) which I had passed to my elder brother a long time back, the rest of the other instruments had either been discarded/damaged or given away. I remember that I sold the drum set to the Foo Chow Methodist Church in Race Course Road through a colleague of mine who’s a member of the church. This was way back in the mid 70s.
Watkins Copicat Tape Echo
YouTube video from: blondegraemey
In the early years of our local pop band history, the WATKINS COPICAT Echo Unit was a sought after add-on to the basic guitar amplifiers that most aspiring bands could only afford. Before the introduction of echo effects producing equipment, guitar amplifiers had only the tremolo/vibrato effect feature built-in. Guitar amplifiers with built-in reverb feature soon followed.
Arguably, it was the Shadows that popularized the echo effects in pop music with their iconic recording of APACHE although the tape echo unit used by Hank Marvin for the recording wasn’t the Watkins Copicat Echo Unit.
DECIBELS’ first Echo Unit - a pre-owned
WATKINS COPICAT ECHO UNIT.
Two other brands of echo units were also available in Singapore. One was the Schaller and the other, the Swissecho. I do not remember which of these two brands was more popular but most fledgling bands would start off with the Copicat and later “upgrade” to one of these. So too did DECIBELS, as our band subsequently “upgraded” to a pre-owned Schaller unit like the one pictured below:
DECIBELS was the main band in attendance for a concert held at the Dunearn Secondary Technical School sometime in the mid 60s. I cannot remember if the concert was held to mark the school’s opening or for some other event. I had received a call from a school teacher by the name of Mr. Lai (can’t remember his full name) asking if our band would like to perform at the concert. Incidentally, he (Mr. Lai) had participated in one of the RTS talentime contests singing his very own rendition of “Isle Of Singapura” to the tune of "Isle Of Capri".
If there are readers out there who are former students or teachers of DSTS and had attended the concert, hopefully some of them would be able to provide additional information about the concert.
The guest band for the concert was Willy Jokers. Up to that point in time, our band did not have any echo unit. We only relied on the tremolo and reverb effects that came with the Fender amplifier. The COPICAT Echo unit which the DECIBELS band eventually owned was acquired from Willy Jokers.
As in any article, this post deserves comments. Please...
[Latest: 12 comments within 2 hours of posting. Thanks guys.]
There are still some Bugs Bunny fans around in Singapore so it is natural that this Chinese new year of the wabbit, er, rabbit, features our toothy, carrot-loving pal from the pages of Warner Brothers comics. On this blog Bugs is the Zodiac Rabbit.
"What's up Doc?"
Sea Bunny 雲見ダイビング ゴマフビロードウミウシ
2014/03/28 [or Water Rabbit]
YouTube Video: AYA Channel
licensing (at) jukinmediadotcom
This Chinese rabbit 2023 year is supposed to be represented by a water rabbit or sea bunny. It's actually a slug. Uncertain if Bugs would represent it by swimming in the sea.
One of the best books to read and a great song to listen to. I have revived the post for this Rabbit year 2023.
A Blessed Lunar New Year To All Readers, Friends and Contributing Writers.
Richard Adams who wrote 'Watership Down'
It's not a children's book but for adults too.
Worth a read.
This post has been updated from 20 July, 2010.
The Writer Richard George Adams, born 9 May 1920, was an English novelist who is best known as the author of Watership Down, Shardik, The Plague Dogs, The Girl In A Swing. He studied modern history at university before serving in the British Army during World War II. Afterwards, he completed his studies, and then joined the British Civil Service. In 1974, two years after Watership Down was published, Adams became a full-time author. He was awarded with a Carnegie Medal in 1972 and a Guardian Medal in 1973. He passed away on 24 December, 2016 at 96.
The Book Personally, the book exudes a troubling, eerie calm that excites:
"Oh, Hazel! This is where it comes from! I know now - something very bad! Some terrible thing - coming closer and closer." He began to whimper with fear. "What sort of thing - what do you mean? I thought you said there was no danger?"
"I don't know what it is," answered Fiver wretchedly. "Oh, Hazel, look! The field! It's covered with blood!" (Watership Down - Puffin Books 1973 - P 19)
The animated movie was made as a result of the modern classic, heroic fantasy novel by British writer Richard Adams. It is the odyssey of a group of rabbits escaping the destruction of their warren (home) as they struggle to seek another. Evoking epic themes, Watership Down (1971), takes its name from the rabbit's destination, a hill in the north of Hampshire, England.
The Song by Art Garfunkel
The lyrics suggest similar feelings of the fear within:
Is it a kind of a dream Floating out on the tide Following the river of death downstream Oh, is it a dream?
There's a fog along the horizon A strange glow in the sky And nobody seems to know where it goes And what does it mean? Oh, is it a dream?
Bright eyes, burning like fire Bright eyes, how can you close and fail? How can the light that burned so brightly Suddenly burn so pale? Bright eyes
Is it a kind of a shadow Reaching into the night Wandering over the hills unseen Or is it a dream?
There's a high wind in the trees A cold sound in the air And nobody ever knows when you go And where do you start? Oh, into the dark
Bright eyes, burning like fire Bright eyes, how can you close and fail? How can the light that burned so brightly Suddenly burn so pale? Bright eyes
Song Discussions is protected by U.S. Patent 9401941. Other patents pending.
Bright Eyes - Art Garfunkel (Live)
YouTube Video by Bill Clarke.
Bright Eyes (image/record cover) was used in the soundtrack of the movie and considered the theme song of the film. The track also appears on Garfunkel's fourth studio album, Fate for Breakfast from 1979.
Although it did poorly in the US, the song sold a million copies in the UK that year, making it the biggest selling single.
One interpretation of the lyrics, when book and song combine, discusses the transition into death highlighted by Rabbit Hazel's close shave when he is shot and then years later when he departs and his body enters the spirit world. The journey of life punctuated by trouble and fear?
The book's been read time and again. It's recommended script-fare for all, including the older children. The song? Wonder why it didn't do too well in the US? Definitely not for the kids. I love both the book and the song, haven't seen the movie though.
Comments about the song
1. A beautiful song - it is probably the saddest song of all time - its about death and trying to understand it because none of us know anything about life or death, or why we are here and where we go or if we go anywhere.
2. 'Bright Eyes' was not written for 'Watership Down'. Mike Batt composed it about his father dying of cancer. 'Bright Eyes' refers to the strange look in his father's eyes brought on by pain killers. I suppose that the 'suddenly burn so pale' must be when he finally died. The song itself is one of my favorites. Very emotional.
3. Great song. Great movie. Great book. There's really not much you can say about a song like this one. When I was little, I used to cry at the part of the movie when they played it.
Yes, it's gonna be a roar-some year indeed. Here are a few of the fierce but musical ones, tamed by Lulu, Survivor, Abba and Elvis Presley.
There are many songs with "tiger" titles but these four hits are my favourite.
Lulu: I'm A Tiger
YouTube Video From: LULU.
"A lot of men have come my way Thinking that I'm easy prey But you'll never tame this child She loves running wild You won't cage me in Just stick around, let the fun begin..."
Songwriters:
Marty Wilde, Ronnie Scott
Lyrics (C) BMG Rights Management.
A random moment just popped up when I saw your post Brother Andy. 'Tiger Feet' by Mud is my favourite. Yes, I clearly remember them having eleven hits between March 1973 and August 1975, including chart topping 'Tiger Feet' at the beginning of 1974.
Oh, another name came to mind when I saw Marie McDonald McLaughlin aka LULU with 'I’m A Tiger'. Still remember my first glimpse of her was in 1972 when I was lucky enough to be in the front row of the orchestra section and Lulu walked by me, about one foot away before taking her seat near the center. Of course, she was here as Mrs Maurice Gibb when The Bee Gees performed their “Spectacular Tour” at our now defunct National Theatre.
Many thanks for this upload, my friend. As always good music to remember the times gone by👍❤️🙏.
"It's the eye of the tiger
It's the thrill of the fight
Rising up to the challenge of our rival
And the last known survivor
Stalks his prey in the night
And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger..."
Songwriters:
Jim Peterik, Frankie Sullivan.
Elvis Presley: Tiger Man [King of the Jungle]
1968 [Comeback Special]
YouTube Video: Elvis Presley
"I am the king of the jungle They call me Tiger Man I am the king of the jungle They call me Tiger Man If you cross my path You take your own life in your hands..."
Songwriters:
Joe Hill Louis and Sam Philips [Burns]
@@@@@@
Tiger: Abba.
"I am behind you, I always find you
I am the tiger
People who fear me never come near me
I am the tiger
The city is a prison, you'll never escape
You're forever trapped in the alleys..."
Songwriters:
Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson.
The Tiger - Fabian.
Contributed by Tan Soo Khoon.
Tiger year, tiger songs and the 'tiger in your tank'
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