I knew I had this Weezer song – You Gave Your Love To Me Softly – somewhere, and finally found it on a super *old* mix cd I did when I was 17. In my power pop phase, and the mix was called – Sonic Power Punch! Which I probably lifted from a Phantom Planet article.
Looking back at the tracklist, it seems funny to have Sugar Ray of all things amidst Superdrag, Weezer, Fountains of Wayne, etc. They were the hyped “pop/alternative” band of the moment back in 2000.
sonic power punch -> mix made in 2000
1. sugar ray – even though
2. superdrag – keep it close to me
3. clint boon experience – do what you do
4. dandy warhols – bohemian like you 5. Phantom Planet – A Tyranny of Words
6. weezer – modern dukes
7. fountains of wayne – you’re just never satisfied
8. superdrag – goin’ out
9. dandy warhols – not if you were the last junkie on earth
10. phantom planet – outta site 11. Weezer – You Gave Your Love To Me Softly
12. fountains of wayne – too cool for school
13. sugar ray – every morning
14. superdrag – some kinda tragedy
15. phantom planet – shadows
16. monty python – somebody stole my baby
17. weezer – peace and quiet
18. superdrag – runaway
19. superdrag – in the valley of dying stars
20. suede – everything will flow
21. weezer – why bother
These scans are from 3 kiddy books I bought from charity shops in Edinburgh a couple of months ago – Uncle Arthur’s Bedtime Stories. Aren’t they awesome? I like the Peggy pigtails one best. I plan to make Moo name cards out of them, for my store. But first, will wait for the last batch I ordered to arrive. Apparently there’s a cult following for this series of books, and with their kitschy factor, it’s no wonder. Read more about Uncle Arthur here. And this is a really nice recollection blog post, here.
I totally indulged myself last week and got the Beatles in Mono box set. Since it was after all my most lusted-after item on my want list! I’m now onto album 3 – A Hard Day’s Night, and so far I don’t seem to find any difference between my old Beatles cds and this very expensive set. Maybe I need to listen more closely and intently. The packaging is truely amazing though.
Some early Beatles for tonight’s listening, from the Yellow Dog Decca tapes bootleg cd:
Fortunately for Singapore, there is now the start of a local music archive! With this, it preserves our musical heritage, protecting the recorded output and ephemeral instead of letting them go to waste. Moreover, there is the means for research, so in future, proper research into our music past can be done.. even by music fans who might not have lived through the era themselves. Click here to read more about NLB’s collaboration with COMPASS in setting up Singapore’s music archive, MusicSG.
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While thrifting yesterday, I picked up 4 1960s Chinese EPs, all of which were indie-label releases. By indie label, I mean they were not released by EMI or Phillips – the two major international labels then (releasing local music content), or even the more popular Chinese labels of the 1960s, such as Cortersions, Roxy, or Golden Urn. I apologise it all seems like Greek to you, and I’m unable to dwelve into the history and record bibliographies of each of these labels, because I’ve never had the willpower or skill to sit down and properly research. Plus I’m entirely an 80s kid. I just sort of picked up all these names in the process of record collection. And you know, if you see records of the same label popping up consistently at various places over the years, you can sort of tell whether they were “major labels” or “indie labels”. That’s my assumption anyways!
Ok so, back to the records I found yesterday. Among the indie record labels I’ve discovered so far, Blue Star seems to be one of the better ones. There is a sense of real quality control, in terms of the vocals, instrumentation, and even choice of song. I’m speaking based on the 3 Blue Star records I’ve encountered, but they’ve all been memorable finds. Enough geeking out on record labels. This latest, is by a singer called Judy Lee. There’s even a short bio of her on the EP sleeve, but it’s in Chinese. I’ll get it translated!
These two songs are from Side 2, and they are fabulous covers of Monkees hits! And isn’t the EP sleeve (at top of the blog post) amazing, too?
I upgraded my WordPress space limit, so now I can post audio clips directly! And if you like, you don’t even have to download the files – just click on the play button below to hear the entire clip. I have a packed weekend planned, so this is a little sample of sounds to kickstart Friday night! I have a whole dvd box set of Criminal Minds season 1 to view tonight – heaven. Saturday is family time, and Sunday is thrifting with the partner in crime, so all in all, a perfect end to a happy week! I’ve been feeling really peaceful since I started my new job. No more dreadful anxiety pangs at work and gloomy, moody weekdays. I’m blessed and thankful. Anyways, happier me means more music exploring, and new tunes adds to my happiness. It’s a whole cycle of joy.
“To be a true Beatles fan during the early Sixties entailed a fanatical devotion to the groups’ B-sides, and with its plumply rounded bass sound and air of dry self-sendup, I’ll Get You is one of the best.”
My favourite version of I’ll Get You is this live one from The Beatles Anthology 1 cd! Personally this cd means a lot to me because it was the first cd I ever bought with my own money, in 1995 as a 12 yr-old. I bought it at the old MPH in Stamford Road. Memories, memories. And it was with this cd that launched my whole passion for The Beatles, and then my love for music just spiralled and grew. I guess I’m one of the Beatles fans from the “Anthology batch” of 1995-1996. And with the Beatles reissues and Rock Band games going on now, a new group of Beatles fans will emerge. And that is why The Beatles will never die or go out of style! ( Thus the money/royalty wheel keeps spinning. )
Top of my want list is The Beatles in Mono box set!
I was reminded of this song because it appears in the Nowhere Boy trailer. Nowhere Boy is based on John Lennon’s early years – his relationship with his aunt Mimi, meeting Paul McCartney, going to Hamburg, etc. Looks amazing! I don’t think the actors look anything like John and Paul though. “John” is way too feminine looking, and “Paul” is a tad too skinny and tiny. I’m not alone, as this use of pretty boy actors is one of the general criticisms plaguing the film. Still as a major Beatles fan, I’ll see just about any Beatles film, so looking forward to this one. Moreover, this is a side of the Beatles tale that isn’t often looked at – their early years. UK release is on December 26, 2009. Worldwide release of the film begins January 2010. Reviews online are aplenty, but I like this one, here.
I’m posting the Manfred Mann version of the song I Put A Spell On You, cos it’s the version I have on hand. And She & Him’s version, because I just found it here.
Speaking of Beatles-related films, one of my favourites is actually this film called Secrets, from 1992. It’s about a group of teenagers who get stuck in a hotel basement while stalking The Beatles on tour in Australia. It’s only got 5 stars on imdb, and I haven’t seen it in years, but I do remember it being a good show! It’s one of those Beatles-films without any actual Beatles in the film. Just random Beatles songs and newsreel stock footage. I’d say it’s a film about Beatlemania, specifically in Australia, 1964.
When it comes to girl pop, the possibilities are neverending. I’m sure every country with a budding music scene had ambitious ladies giving the boys a run for the money. So now, for some Australian girl pop! I just got this cd secondhand from ebay, but I think it’s available brand new from the label’s site directly. I love liner notes, and this cd doesn’t disappoint. Almost all the songs are covers, so I’d say this cd is nice to add to your collection if you’re a big fan of cover songs. It’s not a must-have, but nice to have.
I think this cd will personally mean a lot more to you if you’re Australian and interested in a piece of your local music history. Along that line, I just stumbled on this website while “researching” for this post. It’s a very impressive resource of Australian music groups from the 1960s! Go visit!
I’m typing this straight from the liner notes:
- “Pam Oakley is just one of the many mystery girls of the Australian music industry who floated in and out of the local scene. Popping up from time to time, they usually disappeared without leaving evidence of their very existence except for the odd single or two. She didn’t seem to have a credible live, television, or recording career. This days, her name is only mentioned within the context of surf music…. Her recording legacy is small, just two RCA singles issued in 1964. The first side (I Want To Be A Surfer Girl) was self-composed and actually received some airplay. The second (Keep Your Hands Off My Baby) featured on this disc shows she had ample talent to handle pop music with relative ease. The disappointing sales ensured there wasn’t a third opportunity.”
Audio visual archiving is very very important to me, and I try to support people and organisations that do something about it. Really, it’s about preserving a piece of your social history.
For instance, I’ve always believed strongly that music is something that should be archived and preserved in Singapore, because we have a long and rich musical history, stretching from the 60s, right up til today. Thank goodness for amazing blogs like this, and this, which look at our Singaporean 60s music scene, and this blog, which looks at our 80s-90s music scene.
Still, wouldn’t it be great if music archival could be done and promoted at a much larger level? I love 60s local music, and sometimes I wish I could buy every local vinyl I see, just so that they are “safe” in my room and not junked/incinerated somewhere. But obviously that is not financially/logically possible, and it’s sad that there is no agency actively saving these pieces of our music past. Hence, kudos indeed to local music labels who see the merit in anthologizing and re-releasing their wealth of local music at an affordable price.
So wherever you are, do support your local music scene, both past and present. Sure, exoticism is great, like how I enjoy French music too, but don’t forget to go local! That Australian cd I featured above is one great example of what’s available locally, in the Australian market.
Anyway, the reason I’m on this very serious subject is to share about the Asian Film Archive’s efforts to preserve our film heritage. Singapore has a rich pop culture history in general – especially in the 1960s, our film scene was booming! In fact, I read somewhere that Singapore was seen as the New York of Malaysia, because of all the buzz and activity in our entertainment scene (ie. music and film). AFA looks at preserving Asia’s film heritage as a whole, and I do say that it’s very commendable. I’m sorry I’m ranting so much but sometimes I just wish more people paid attention and cared about their social/pop culture history. When you study what people listened to and watched in the past, you’re looking at how people like you and me lived back then.
From AFA:
“In Asia’s tropical climate and environment, films in both print and digital video formats can disintegrate rapidly when not kept properly. Even films in the digital format are not spared given that the longevity of the digital format is still under scrutiny. Through these videos, the Archive hopes to generate the realisation in filmmakers on how urgent it is to archive their works early as they become aware of the fragility of their creative works physical shelf life when stored improperly.
To build the Asian Film Archive Collection, we invite contributions from filmmakers, collectors, companies and the public. We are currently focusing on culturally important works by Southeast Asian filmmakers. If there are films you feel are of importance and needs proper preservation, please contact us.”
You can visit the Asian Film Archive website here, and check out their tongue in cheek videos (one embedded below) to promote film archival awareness here. Do support!
