Monday, November 11, 2024

THE MODS – THE FIRST POP YEH YEH BAND ON RECORD - - written by Ghaz

 



The Mods and Wan Intan alias A. Wani, one of the pop yeh yeh singers that they accompanied with.
Listening to M. Osman’s 1965 debut hit titled Suzana, one may wonder which band accompanied it. Based on the record sleeve, it was revealed that the band was named The Mods.
The band originally consisted of A. R. Jailani as the leader, Ady Yus, Harris Osman and M. Husny. In 1965, they were admitted by Teo Kwang Records under the Eagle label and for their first record, they accompanied M. Osman for songs Suzana (Suzana) and Risau (Worried), his wife Afida Es for the song Selintas Kesan (At A Glance) and his sister-in-law Enna Es for the song Kechewa Kaseh (Disappointment of Love). Suzana, with both music and lyrics composed by Kamalsjah under his pseudonym Scorpio, became an instant hit, which then sparked a new musical genre called Pop Yeh Yeh.


The Mods accompanied M. Osman, Afida Es and Enna Es in their debut EP released in 1965.
M. Osman & The Mods – Suzana (1965) M. Osman & The Mods - Suzana (Scorpio) - 1965
M. Osman & The Mods – Risau (Worried) (1965) M. Osman dgn The Mods - Risau (Scorpio) - 1965
Afida Es & The Mods – Selintas Kesan (At A Glance) (1965) Afida Es & The Mods - Selintas Kesan (Scorpio) - 1965
Enna Es & The Mods – Kechewa Kaseh (Disappointment of Love) (1965) Enna Es & The Mods - Kecewa Kasih (A.R. Jailani - M. Osman) - 1965
 The success of Suzana had provided more recording opportunities for the band itself as well as M. Osman, Afida Es and Enna Es in the following years. M. Osman, who had already carved an acting career in films and TV shows in Singapore, continued to record with other bands under various labels, and so was sisters Afida Es and Enna Es.
In 1966, The Mods accompanied Enna Es on another EP under Roxy, together with a new singer, M. Y. Eunos, on the same record.


Enna Es & The Mods – Rela (Relented) (1966) (*a cover version of I Know)
Enna Es & The Mods – Ku kan Tunggu Jua (I’ll Still Wait for You) (1966)
[To search for audio]
M. Y. Eunos & The Mods – Restu-Ku (My Blessings) (1966)
M. Y. Eunos & The Mods – Oh Dewi Manja (Oh My Pampered Angel) (1966)
 The popularity of The Mods had became the word of mouth. Eventually, the band was invited to perform on the Shaw Brothers’ film A-Go-Go ’67 (1967) together with Wan Intan alias A. Wani for the Ku-Mohon Do’a (I Beg for Prayers).



 
The Mods accompanied Wan Intan alias A. Wani in the film A-Go-Go ’67 (1967). A soundtrack SP of their performance was released by EMI in the same year.
Besides their exposure in the said film, A. Wani and The Mods also recorded a full EP in 1967.



The full EP of A. Wani and The Mods, issued in 1967.
A. Wani & The Mods – Pesanan-ku (My Reminder) (1967)
A. Wani & The Mods – Antara Aku Dan Bintang (Between Me and the Stars) (1967)
A. Wani & The Mods – Hanya Aku Berdo’a (I Can Only Pray) (1967)
A. Wani & The Mods – Ratapan Hati (Lamentation of the Heart) (1967)
Unfortunately, The Mods had no longer appeared in Malay show business after the release of the above EP for unknown reasons. Nevertheless, their short-term involvement did shape the Malay music of the 1960s and made history as the first pop yeh yeh band that ever cut an album, recording songs that had managed to hit the radio charts.
Ghaz, KL
Credit to:
1.     EMI (Singapore)
2.     Roxy Records
3.     Teo Kwang Records
4.     Shaw Brothers’ Malay Film Production
5.     Yudhie
6.     Imran Ibrahim
7.     Hassny Hussin
8.     Discog


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