When the story of sixties beat, garage and psychedelia is told, it almost always begins in the United States or Britain. Yet while young audiences in the West were discovering The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks, something equally exciting was taking shape on the other side of the world.
Asian Beats Special takes us on a journey through some of the most vibrant, overlooked and exhilarating music scenes to emerge across Asia during the sixties and early seventies. Here, rock 'n' roll, the British beat boom, surf, garage and yé-yé pop were absorbed, reinvented and transformed into something unmistakably local, producing records that still sound fresh, inventive and wonderfully alive.
The journey passes through Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, South Vietnam and Hong Kong, revealing an extraordinary variety of styles along the way. From the driving electric sound of Naomi & The Boys, Lara & The Trailers and D'Swooners to the irresistible Japanese pop of Mie Nakao and Margaret & Bunnys, not forgetting the superb Malaysian recordings of A. Romzi, M. Said, Roshana Othman and Ramli Othman.
Special attention is given to the Singapore scene, one of Southeast Asia's great musical centres during the sixties. It was here that the so-called Singapore Sound emerged, an explosive blend of Western influences and local sensibilities that produced some of the most exciting recordings in the region. Artists such as Rita Chao, Naomi & The Boys and Lara & The Trailers remain among its finest ambassadors.
As the session unfolds, fuzz guitars, soaring vocal harmonies, infectious dance rhythms, unforgettable melodies and flashes of psychedelia reveal just how completely the youth explosion of the sixties became a truly global phenomenon. Although many of these records remained virtually unknown outside their home countries for decades, they now stand among the most fascinating chapters in the hidden history of popular music.
Born In The Garage Vol. 5 temporarily leaves behind the garages of Detroit, London and Los Angeles to explore a musical landscape where the beat acquired new accents, new melodies and an unmistakable identity of its own.
A collection of songs that reminds us the youth revolution of the sixties spoke not only English...
but Japanese, Malay, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean and Cantonese as well.
Trashlist:
01. Jing Ting – The Joke (China)
02. Yoon Il-Loh – Guitar Boogie (South Korea)
03. D'Swooners – Please, Please, Trina (Philippines, 1968)
04. Mie Nakao – Sharock No.1 (Japan, 1968)
05. Naomi & The Boys – Bad Loser (Singapore, 1968)
06. Lara & The Trailers – Run for Your Life (Singapore, 1967)
07. Rita Chao – Yummy, Yummy, Yummy (Singapore, 1968)
08. Margaret & Bunnys – Aeba Suki Suki (Japan, 1968)
09. Nancy Sit – Love Potion #9 (China, 1967)
10. Fatimah Huri – Impian Semalam (Singapore, 1963)
11. M. Said & Les Remaja – Temasah Ria (Malaysia, 1968)
12. A. Romzi & The Hooks – Dendang Remaja (Singapore, 1967)
13. A. Ismail & Les Coasters – Seruan Pertiwi (Singapore, 1967)
14. A. Ismail & Les Coasters – Perosak Jiwa (Singapore, 1967)
15. Roshana Othman – Hanya Do'a Ku (Malaysia, 1968)
16. Ban Sao Băng – Bức Thư Tình Trên Lô Cốt (South Vietnam, 196?)
17. Amir Hamzah Iringan & The Nite Walkers (Singapore, 1969)
18. Ramli Othman & The Hunters – Chari Ganti (Malaysia, 197?)
19. Kelsom Hashim & Plastic Deers – Pemuda Mudi Sekarang (Singapore, 1971)
20. A. Halim & De'Fictions – Hari Bahagia (Malaysia, 1970)
21. A. Romzi – Salamat Hari Raya (Malaysia, 1970)
22. M. Osman & The Siglap Boys – Hari Raya (Singapore, 1967)
23. Ismail J & The Kilat – Selamat Hari Raya (Malaysia, 1972)
