ISMAIL HARON
POTRET SINDIRAN
blog post from last year on Andy's site
Monday, April 9, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
S Mariam and the Rhythmn Boys - all english songs EP
dont have this one... but it would be nice to hear it someday...
update - Ghaz writes:
"By the way, I'm happy to see the image of the English album by S. Mariam & The Rythmn Boys. If you managed to get a copy of the record, you will be surprised to see that at the back sleeve, The Rythmn Boys were featured with A. Ramlie.
I wonder why Ramlie was included. Moreover, despite being English-educated, Ramlie had never recorded even an English song throughout his career. I suppose that the publisher (Eagle Records) would like to promote his next album, and this could be the cheapest mode of advertisement."
[it could also be that they just clipped the art directly from the Rhythmn Boys 2nd release with A Ramlie and didnt see any reason to exclude him even though he didnt sing on this EP at all]
"The Rythmn Boys had been backing up many 60s artistes those days. Besides A. Ramlie and S. Mariam, the band also accompanied M. Amin, S. Ahmad, Ramlah Aziz, Sha'ari Omar, Novell, Adnan Othman. A. Rhymie and G. Yusof. Besides, the band also appeared on two Malay films - A-Go-Go 67 (with S. Mariam) and Dosa Wanita (with A. Rhymie) - both released in 1967 by Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Production and Cathay Keris respectively.
I propose that if you have the collections of Pop Yeh Yeh albums in your possession, try to make CD-box set of this band featuring the artistes as mentioned above, as they were among the popular bands backing up many vocalists, each of which had lat least one or two EPs under them. I recommend you to take up this challenge, as I believe that it would turn out to produce good results.
I dedicate this writing to the lead guitarist of the Rythmn Boys, the late Mohamed Ayob Taib, who passed away in Singapore 2007 at 59 of dengue fever. May Allah bless his soul forever - Ameen.
Ghaz, KL"
Monday, February 13, 2012
Guest Blogger Ghaz shares "a fan's review of the 60an Pop Yeh Yeh Konsert at Istana Budaya"
"The recent Chinese New Year holiday was a quiet week for me and my wife. Most of our weekend was spent at our family's place. After a small family kendoori, somehow my wife reminded me about the Pop Yeh Yeh concert to be held at Istana Budaya, the national Palace of Culture which has become the pride of our country. She insisted that I try booking for tickets for both of us through the Internet, but after a few attempts, I failed.
Eventually, that Saturday night, we tried our luck by dropping by the Palace's booking counter, just to check if there were still some tickets available for sale. The staff told me that the RM 80 - tickets were sold out, but the rest above that price were still available. I managed to get two tickets worth RM 123 each (which were discounted from the actual RM 160) for the final Sunday show. Before I left, I grabbed a book called Sejarah Muzik Melayu Semenjak 1940an written by Yusnor Ef, the famous lyricist of Malay pop songs from Singapore, in which a CD of old Malay songs from the featured decade was included was included in a sleeve on the last page! I was hoping that Cikgu Yusnor would turn up to sign his autograph the following night.
The big day came when we returned to Istana Budaya, where we met lots of people. Unlike those who brought along their parents (or their grandparents), we were the only young couple in our 30s who came on our own to enjoy the best music of the past! I just hope that with a little bit of investment for our attire to meet the Palace's strict dress code, it would be the best show for us.
After a long wait, the comedian Abon as the host for the show announced, "Here they are - A. Halim and De Fictions!!!". The crowd started to roar with full excitement... then Halim began his renditions of Salam Mesra, followed by Doa Dan Harapan and Kisah Dan Tauladan. Based on his introduction of the members of the band, I learned that most of them were not the original line-up, as my indirect relative Abdul Wahid Haron, being the original drummer, did not turn up.
Next came The Strangers who began their performance by playing a tune of The Shadows, which is to me, very impressive. Their vocalist, A. Rahman Onn, sang Cincin Emas, Peracun Kalbu and Aku Nak Pulang.
Then, J. Sham and The Wanderers took the stage, where I could see both the singer and the band members were very energetic in their performance. The act by Wanderers' bassist Haji Latiff, with his "professor" grey-hair-long-beard look, excited me most with his showy guitar playing gimmics amazed the crowd. Sham made full use of his long breath and strong powerful voice to sing Ku Akan Pulang, Di Pinggir Kali and Suratku Untukmu.
As a first interval, the audience were entertained by dance performance by Istana Budaya's dancers, following the recorded version of the late M. Osman's Suzana.
The Rythmn 60s made their turn to accompany Roziah Latiff (for Aku Kecewa and Cinta Pertama), Fatimah M. Amin (Di Manakah Bahagia and Alam Seni) and A. Roszaini a.k.a. "A. Ramlie's Clone" (Kenangan Mengusik Jiwa, Oh Fatimah and Dendang Anak Tani). I was a little bit disappointed that Roziah forgot the first lines of Aku Kecewa, while Fatimah did not sing her own signature tune Oh Teruna. Nevertheless, the disappointment was relieved when Roszaini managed to get the crowd's attention for his exact resemblance to Ramlie, both in terms of appearance and the voice.
Another interval was held in replacement of Kassim Selamat who could not make it for the show due to poor health, where the Palace's dancers played their role once again to perform La-O-Be. Abon played his tricks again by requesting the audience to sing along this number, which they did willingly!
Before that, Zam Zam and his band The Twillites performed their best hit numbers Bibir Mesra Jiwa Parah, Setahun Tak Jumpa Sesaat Tak Lupa and Senandong Teruna Merantau. Clad in a uniquely-designed black-and-white striped outfit, Zam Zam brought to us his encounter with the famous lyricist (the late) Salamah Basiron, who wrote many Pop Yeh Yeh songs which hit the top charts then, including those assigned to him for recording.
Then came the three singers whose names are regarded as the pioneers of Pop Yeh Yeh. The tarbus-wearing Datuk L. Ramli and his accompanying band Orkes Teruna Ria entertained us with Ayahku Kahwin Lagi, Selengkar Melor, Siapa Bilang Aku Tak Sayang and Dara Pujaan. While performing his last song, a female in the audience (a Muslim-convert Filipino from Singapore) decorated Ramli with a garland. As Ramli was very touched by her high respect, he invited her to be with him till the end of the song. The lovely young girl was so touched by his gentlemanly gestures that she was seen brimming with tears.
After another comedy talk by Abon, then appeared Orkes Nirwana featuring Datuk A. Rahman Hassan, his wife Datin Azizah Muhammad and their son, Khairul Ilmi, the band's Mr. Tambourine Man. Azizah looked very ill till she had to be attended by Ilmi and Abon, but she still remained strong to sing Syurga Idaman and Bahagialah Hendaknya, though she had been advised to perform only one song by her husband before the show as she is in recuperating process. Upon the request by the audience, Rahman and his son Ilmi sang a medley of their hits - Perpaduan Hidup, Semoga Berjaya, Aku Kan Pergi, Harapanku, Bimbang, Hanya Untukmu and Hanya Laguku - before concluding with Tak Mengapa in full, with the audience themselves helping out in the chorus. Meanwhile, he announced a good news that the Johor State Government had agreed to include Pop Yeh Yeh as its musical heritage, from which a proper documentation of this genre will be seriously be carried out for such purpose.
Datuk Jeffridin was indeed the crowd-puller, who concluded the show with Termenung, Kenanganku and Siti Haida, backed by The Siglap Five. It was strategically arranged that he became the last performer so that the crowd remained in the hall till the end.
After a brief closing ceremony led by the Palace's Director-General and his wife, I joined the rest of the crowd to get the autographes from each singer. Except for Fatimah M. Amin and A. Halim, I managed to meet the singers personally to introduce myself and take their autographs.
L. Ramli's signature filled in the most of my book's inner cover. Jeffridin was so impressed knowing that I work at a place where he used to operate a canteen. A. Rahman Onn was happy to know that I used to live at a place very close to his restaurant. Besides being busy taking photographs with his fans, J. Sham was kind enough to give his autograph to me. A. Roszaini continued to impersonate his idol when I met him to get his autograph. Roziah Latiff was delighted to meet my wife, whom since our marriage, has learned to appreciate my favourite music.
"What? How could you trace me so far till my hometown just to hear my voice? Hehehehe!" That was Zam Zam's response when I told him that I used to bump into him in the bathroom of Joo Chiat Complex at Singapore's Geylang Serai.
The response by A. Rahman Hassan and his family touched me the most. As he and my dad used to be our mosque's muezzins, he told me to send his regards to my dad and the rest of my family. Although her health was not that good, Azizah still had her strength to see me, while their son Ilmi greeted me with a sincere smile, knowing that we used to live in the same neighbourhood and learned in the same religious class conducted by our mosque during our childhood days.
Indeed, this is the first time in my life attending a marvellous Pop Yeh Yeh show, after spending 27 years admiring the music and its most skillful, talented performers that the Malay entertainment circuit ever has."
Ghaz, KL - January 24, 2012
(A special thank you to Ghaz for sharing his memories of this wonderful night with us here.... )
>>>>>
And here's another account of the show published in the Straits Times.
Check out some really wonderful PHOTOS from meportal.net
Eventually, that Saturday night, we tried our luck by dropping by the Palace's booking counter, just to check if there were still some tickets available for sale. The staff told me that the RM 80 - tickets were sold out, but the rest above that price were still available. I managed to get two tickets worth RM 123 each (which were discounted from the actual RM 160) for the final Sunday show. Before I left, I grabbed a book called Sejarah Muzik Melayu Semenjak 1940an written by Yusnor Ef, the famous lyricist of Malay pop songs from Singapore, in which a CD of old Malay songs from the featured decade was included was included in a sleeve on the last page! I was hoping that Cikgu Yusnor would turn up to sign his autograph the following night.
The big day came when we returned to Istana Budaya, where we met lots of people. Unlike those who brought along their parents (or their grandparents), we were the only young couple in our 30s who came on our own to enjoy the best music of the past! I just hope that with a little bit of investment for our attire to meet the Palace's strict dress code, it would be the best show for us.
After a long wait, the comedian Abon as the host for the show announced, "Here they are - A. Halim and De Fictions!!!". The crowd started to roar with full excitement... then Halim began his renditions of Salam Mesra, followed by Doa Dan Harapan and Kisah Dan Tauladan. Based on his introduction of the members of the band, I learned that most of them were not the original line-up, as my indirect relative Abdul Wahid Haron, being the original drummer, did not turn up.
Next came The Strangers who began their performance by playing a tune of The Shadows, which is to me, very impressive. Their vocalist, A. Rahman Onn, sang Cincin Emas, Peracun Kalbu and Aku Nak Pulang.
Then, J. Sham and The Wanderers took the stage, where I could see both the singer and the band members were very energetic in their performance. The act by Wanderers' bassist Haji Latiff, with his "professor" grey-hair-long-beard look, excited me most with his showy guitar playing gimmics amazed the crowd. Sham made full use of his long breath and strong powerful voice to sing Ku Akan Pulang, Di Pinggir Kali and Suratku Untukmu.
As a first interval, the audience were entertained by dance performance by Istana Budaya's dancers, following the recorded version of the late M. Osman's Suzana.
The Rythmn 60s made their turn to accompany Roziah Latiff (for Aku Kecewa and Cinta Pertama), Fatimah M. Amin (Di Manakah Bahagia and Alam Seni) and A. Roszaini a.k.a. "A. Ramlie's Clone" (Kenangan Mengusik Jiwa, Oh Fatimah and Dendang Anak Tani). I was a little bit disappointed that Roziah forgot the first lines of Aku Kecewa, while Fatimah did not sing her own signature tune Oh Teruna. Nevertheless, the disappointment was relieved when Roszaini managed to get the crowd's attention for his exact resemblance to Ramlie, both in terms of appearance and the voice.
Another interval was held in replacement of Kassim Selamat who could not make it for the show due to poor health, where the Palace's dancers played their role once again to perform La-O-Be. Abon played his tricks again by requesting the audience to sing along this number, which they did willingly!
Before that, Zam Zam and his band The Twillites performed their best hit numbers Bibir Mesra Jiwa Parah, Setahun Tak Jumpa Sesaat Tak Lupa and Senandong Teruna Merantau. Clad in a uniquely-designed black-and-white striped outfit, Zam Zam brought to us his encounter with the famous lyricist (the late) Salamah Basiron, who wrote many Pop Yeh Yeh songs which hit the top charts then, including those assigned to him for recording.
Then came the three singers whose names are regarded as the pioneers of Pop Yeh Yeh. The tarbus-wearing Datuk L. Ramli and his accompanying band Orkes Teruna Ria entertained us with Ayahku Kahwin Lagi, Selengkar Melor, Siapa Bilang Aku Tak Sayang and Dara Pujaan. While performing his last song, a female in the audience (a Muslim-convert Filipino from Singapore) decorated Ramli with a garland. As Ramli was very touched by her high respect, he invited her to be with him till the end of the song. The lovely young girl was so touched by his gentlemanly gestures that she was seen brimming with tears.
After another comedy talk by Abon, then appeared Orkes Nirwana featuring Datuk A. Rahman Hassan, his wife Datin Azizah Muhammad and their son, Khairul Ilmi, the band's Mr. Tambourine Man. Azizah looked very ill till she had to be attended by Ilmi and Abon, but she still remained strong to sing Syurga Idaman and Bahagialah Hendaknya, though she had been advised to perform only one song by her husband before the show as she is in recuperating process. Upon the request by the audience, Rahman and his son Ilmi sang a medley of their hits - Perpaduan Hidup, Semoga Berjaya, Aku Kan Pergi, Harapanku, Bimbang, Hanya Untukmu and Hanya Laguku - before concluding with Tak Mengapa in full, with the audience themselves helping out in the chorus. Meanwhile, he announced a good news that the Johor State Government had agreed to include Pop Yeh Yeh as its musical heritage, from which a proper documentation of this genre will be seriously be carried out for such purpose.
Datuk Jeffridin was indeed the crowd-puller, who concluded the show with Termenung, Kenanganku and Siti Haida, backed by The Siglap Five. It was strategically arranged that he became the last performer so that the crowd remained in the hall till the end.
After a brief closing ceremony led by the Palace's Director-General and his wife, I joined the rest of the crowd to get the autographes from each singer. Except for Fatimah M. Amin and A. Halim, I managed to meet the singers personally to introduce myself and take their autographs.
L. Ramli's signature filled in the most of my book's inner cover. Jeffridin was so impressed knowing that I work at a place where he used to operate a canteen. A. Rahman Onn was happy to know that I used to live at a place very close to his restaurant. Besides being busy taking photographs with his fans, J. Sham was kind enough to give his autograph to me. A. Roszaini continued to impersonate his idol when I met him to get his autograph. Roziah Latiff was delighted to meet my wife, whom since our marriage, has learned to appreciate my favourite music.
"What? How could you trace me so far till my hometown just to hear my voice? Hehehehe!" That was Zam Zam's response when I told him that I used to bump into him in the bathroom of Joo Chiat Complex at Singapore's Geylang Serai.
The response by A. Rahman Hassan and his family touched me the most. As he and my dad used to be our mosque's muezzins, he told me to send his regards to my dad and the rest of my family. Although her health was not that good, Azizah still had her strength to see me, while their son Ilmi greeted me with a sincere smile, knowing that we used to live in the same neighbourhood and learned in the same religious class conducted by our mosque during our childhood days.
Indeed, this is the first time in my life attending a marvellous Pop Yeh Yeh show, after spending 27 years admiring the music and its most skillful, talented performers that the Malay entertainment circuit ever has."
Ghaz, KL - January 24, 2012
(A special thank you to Ghaz for sharing his memories of this wonderful night with us here.... )
>>>>>
And here's another account of the show published in the Straits Times.
Check out some really wonderful PHOTOS from meportal.net
two versions of Tan Sri P Ramlee's "twist" influenced "Bunyi Guitar"
Film version:
and a faster soundtrack version:
Thanks to Zainal for pointing out that there are indeed two versions of this song!
and a faster soundtrack version:
Thanks to Zainal for pointing out that there are indeed two versions of this song!
Friday, February 10, 2012
Cliff Richard and the Shadows
Cliff Richard and the Shadows probably had the all-time greatest western impact on Malay rock groups in the 60s.
Here's a scene from the 1961 romantic film he starred in called "The Young Ones" . Aside from their many hits led by singer Cliff Richard, The Shadows band also recorded many instrumental surf "a go go" style tunes (similar to The Ventures).
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Les Fentones in the classic film "Play Boy" - 1967
** UPDATE **
Guest Blogger Ghaz writes:
"Dear Carl,
Your posting on Les Fentonnes on
your blog is very interesting.
The lead vocalist appeared on the
film Playboy (1967) is the late A. Karim Jais. Prior to their appearance
on the film, Karim had also cut a few EPs with the said band in June 1966, and
among the hits include Bahagia Menjelma , Julaida and Si-Dara
Jelita. Karim did a remake of his songs in a compilation abum 30 years
later, but this time it was done with ZZ'Exprezz, a Singaporean band who make
its recordings using the original 60s equipment. Prior to his death, Karim used
to work as a manager for the Singapore’s famous Satay House.
Besides Karim, the late M. Osman also
used to record with Les Fentonnes for his songs Kaseh Berduka and Mawarku
Pergi. The only female vocalist for Les Fentonnes was Fatimah H.S.
Les Fentonnes also recorded as
themselves, where the lead guitarist Manaf Ahmad (a.k.a. A. Manaf) sang their
famous number Di-Sa’at Bahagia.
You can check these songs on YouTube.
Enjoy the music!
Warmest regards,
Ghaz, KL"
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
another great Saloma song -- with a Latin/South American influence
Just for fun, as a side note, since Ghaz's post has inspired me to start watching all the P Ramlee and Saloma videos I can find, I'm adding this video (which is not Twist related at all) showing the influence of Latin/South American dance music in Malaysia at the time....
Oh, check out the Western Electric/Altec 639A/B microphone in the shot there!!!! all time classic microphone!
Oh, check out the Western Electric/Altec 639A/B microphone in the shot there!!!! all time classic microphone!
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