singapore 60's

SINGAPORE 60'S

Treasures From The

Past

1

REMASTERED 4 CD SET

All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

SINGAPORE 60'S

PHILIPS VOL.1 All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

Foreword Brian Richmond Niteline Gold 90.5 FM

People, in general, are nostalgic for the good old days. They bring back memories of our youthful years when times were a lot simpler.

The local corner Singapore Beat at 10.30pm on Niteline on Gold 90.5FM has certainly generated a lot of interest and a following from a sector of our audience who grew up being entertained by a thriving local scene in the 60's.

Gold 90.5FM also had requests time and time again to put together an album featuring our local talents. And so, with the help of Joseph Pereira and the good people at Universal Music, we have put together a collection of some of the finest in our first effort called SINGAPORE 60's -TREASURES FROM THE PAST. Judging from the response, this will certainly be a forerunner of more to come.

Do enjoy this selection from NAOMI & THE BOYS, THE CYCLONES, THE CRESCENDOS AND THE THUNDERBIRDS. It's a great keepsake of our treasures from the past and certainly makes for a wonderful gift for someone who has lived those eventful years.


SINGAPORE POP SIXTIES

Singapore fe l t the st i r r ings of t h e rock a n d roll r evo lu t ion of the Fift ies w h e n Bill Ha ley a n d The Comets a n d o thers of his i lk h a d s e n t t h e f i rst shock w a v e s r o u n d t h e w o r l d and upset t h e o ld o r d e r . The young n o w c o u n t e d as a s e p a r a t e ent i ty a n d th is caused r ipples in m a n y count r ies round t h e w o r l d , S ingapore inc luded . Soon t h e r e w e r e local versions of pop e n t e r t a i n e r s w h o s ty led t h e m s e l v e s o n t h e i r chosen heroes or hero ines a n d f u r t h e r e d t h e gospel of pop in t h e i r chosen g e n r e . I n 1 9 6 0 , t h e Blue D i a m o n d s d id a show in S i n g a p o r e , w h i c h was g r o u n d b r e a k i n g because t h e y w e r e i n t e r n a t i o n a l s tars a n d t h e i r i m p a c t on the S ingapore pop scene w e n t d e e p . More was to c o m e . I n N o v e m b e r 1 9 6 1 Cliff R ichard a n d The S h a d o w s p l a y e d t w o nights a t the Gay W o r l d a u d i t o r i u m a n d t h e y set t h e stage of S ingapore 's pop d e v e l o p m e n t fo r t h e en t i re decade . Bands m o d e l l e d on the S h a d o w s a n d o t h e r i n s t r u m e n t a l bands l ike t h e V e n t u r e s , the Spotn lks a n d Johnny Lion and The J u m p i n g J e w e l s b e c a m e the role models for bands in S i n g a p o r e . The scene w a s beg inn ing to h e a t up a n d record compan ies w e r e b e g i n n i n g to t a k e not ice . Phil ips S ingapore w a s no t unmindfu l of t h e b u r g e o n i n g scene in S ingapore a n d t h e y t o o k note of the m a n y bands a n d solo s ingers w h o w e r e p e r f o r m i n g at s tage s h o w s , on radio a n d t e l e v i s i o n a n d in t h e m a n y forces clubs, wh ich d o t t e d l a n d . Soon t h e y w e r e r e a d y t o t a k e a chance on Singapore 's pop t a l e n t a n d s t a r t e d s igning t h e m a n d re leas ing t h e i r records . Their ear l ies t s ign ing , The Crescendos h a d not l e t t h e m d o w n . Their re leases in 1 9 6 3 a n d 1 9 6 4 w e r e hi ts in S ingapore a n d Malays ia a n d some h a d e v e n e n t e r e d the Phil ips i n t e r n a t i o n a l char ts . T h e r e was n o w stopping Phil ips as t h e y w e r e e a g e r a n d hungry t o sign o t h e r t a len ts to t h e label and t h e y d id not have t o look far . The pop m o v e m e n t in S ingapore w a s g a t h e r i n g s t e a m a n d t h e r e w e r e m a n y stage shows In S ingapore at p laces l ike t h e Na t iona l T h e a t r e , S ingapore B a d m i n t o n H a l l , F raser and N e a v e H a l l , Victoria T h e a t r e a n d school hal ls w h e r e a s teady s t r e a m of bands a n d s ingers a p p e a r e d at n u m e r o u s funct ions and s h o w s dur ing th is pe r iod . For a t e e n a g e r at this t i m e , S ingapore pop w a s t r u l y a n d e m b a r r a s s m e n t of r iches, so a b u n d a n t the t a l e n t t h a t w a s f loa t ing a r o u n d at the t i m e . T o w a r d s t h e m idd le of 1 9 6 4 , Phil ips w e r e ready a n d t h e y b e g a n to sign bands a n d s ingers to t h e label w i t h t h e i n t e n t i o n of cap tur ing t h e pop m a r k e t in S i n g a p o r e , M a l a y s i a a n d o t h e r m a r k e t s . They w e r e r a r i n g t o go. Phi l ips w a s no t d isappo in ted as t h e se lect ion on this box set s h o w s . All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

NAOMI AND THE BOYS N o a m i a n d T h e B o y s w e r e s i g n e d u p b y P h i l i p s i n e a r l y 1 9 6 5 a n d t h e i r f i r s t r e l e a s e o n t h e l a b e l ( M E 0 1 2 9 N E ) n e t t e d t h e m a n u m b e r o n e h i t w h e n I t ' s A l l O v e r c o m p o s e d b y R o b e r t S u r i y a a n d s u n g b y s i s t e r N a o m i , h i t n u m b e r o n e i n t h e M a l a y s i a n c h a r t s . T h e l i n e u p o n t h a t E P w a s N a o m i S u r i y a ( v o c a l s ) , R o b e r t S u r i y a ( l e a d ) , P e t e r R i c h a r d s ( o r g a n ) , M o s e s T a y ( r h y t h m ) , H e n r y R i c h a r d s ( b a s s ) a n d J o e A h m a d ( d r u m s ) . N a o m i a n d T h e B o y s t o u r e d M a l a y s i a t o p r o m o t e t h e s i n g l e a n d d i d m a n y s h o w s o n t h e c o n c e r t c i r c u i t i n S i n g a p o r e t o c a s h i n o n t h e i r e v e r - i n c r e a s i n g p o p u l a r i t y . H o w e v e r t h e r e w a s d i s s e n s i o n i n t h e r a n k s a s m e m b e r s q u a r r e l l e d a m o n g t h e m s e l v e s o v e r l e a d e r s h i p i s s u e s a s w e l l a s t h e d i r e c t i o n t h e m u s i c s h o u l d t a k e . T h r e e m e m b e r s o f t h e b a n d l e f t . T h e y w e r e P e t e r R i c h a r d s , H e n r y R i c h a r d s a n d J o e A h m a d . T h e b a n d w a s i n t a t t e r s . U n d a u n t e d , R o b e r t t o o k o v e r t h e m a n t l e o f l e a d e r s h i p i n t h e b a n d . T h e y s t i l l h a d t h e i r r e c o r d i n g c o n t r a c t w i t h P h i l i p s . H e n o w h a d t o g o a n d l o o k f o r n e w m u s i c i a n s t o f i l l t h e r a n k s o f t h e B o y s . A j a m s e s s i o n b r o u g h t g u i t a r i s t P e t e r T h o m a s , w h o w a s f o r m e r l y w i t h t h e S t o m p e r s i n t o h i s o r b i t . T h e y g o t t o t a l k i n g a n d R o b e r t f o u n d a l i k e - m i n d e d m u s i c i a n w h o t o h i s l i k i n g a l s o c o m p o s e d . R o b e r t s e n s e d t h a t P e t e r w o u l d b e an a s s e t t o t h e b a n d . T h e f a c t t h a t P e t e r ' s j o i n i n g t h e b a n d w o u l d m e a n t h a t t h e r e w e r e t h r e e g u i t a r p l a y e r s i n t h e b a n d d i d n o t d e t e r R o b e r t . H e k n e w t h a t M o s e s T a y was a v e r s a t i l e m u s i c i a n a n d c o u l d b e p e r s u a d e d t o m o v e o v e r t o b a s s o r e v e n t o k e y b o a r d s i f n e e d b e . H e a s k e d P e t e r t o j o i n t h e b a n d t o w h i c h P e t e r d u l y a g r e e d t o , b e c o m i n g a m e m b e r o f N a o m i a n d T h e B o y s i n A u g u s t 1 9 6 5 . P e t e r w a s i n t r o d u c e d t o M o s e s a s a g u i t a r p l a y e r w h o w o u l d b e j o i n i n g t h e B o y s . R o b e r t a s k e d M o s e s t o m o v e t o b a s s t o a c c o m m o d a t e P e t e r a s t h e n e w r h y t h m g u i t a r i s t i n t h e B o y s . M o s e s a g r e e d t o t h e c h a n g e . Now R o b e r t h a d t o f i n d a d r u m m e r t o r o u n d u p t h e b a n d .

THE FLARES NAOMI & THE BOYS All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

He turned up one night at the Champagne Night Club and introduced himself to the Flares. He had come prepared for a jam session and brought his own guitar. Alphonso said that Robert was a jazzman and songs like these allowed him to stretch out on the guitar. Alphonso was asked to take a drum solo, which he performed with gusto. Robert noted Alphonso's playing and saw that his beat keeping was spot on. He did not drag on songs or speeded up the beat. While Alphonso was packing, Robert approached him and asked him out for supper at Albert Street Sarabat (tea) stall. Alphonso said, "After supper at about 3.00 am, he asked me If I would be interested in joining his group - The Boys. Honestly, I had never heard of them. I liked his guitar playing and sound and decided to accept his invitation. He told me they were recording that morning at Kinetex Studio. I went home to catch some sleep and next morning went to Kinetex Studio. There he met the rest of the band. Naomi Suriya (vocals), Peter Thomas (rhythm), Moses Tay (bass, keyboards) besides Robert on lead guitar. That day they recorded Happy Happy Birthday Baby and another song. The next day the band returned to record two more songs. Philips released their EP (ME 0129 NE) with Happy Happy Birthday Baby (Sylvia/Lopez), I Know (Robert Suriya)/Please Baby Please (Robert Suriya)/Have I Told You Lately (Scott/Weisman) in October 1965. Again the fans response to the EP was positive, as Happy Happy Birthday Baby became a favourite at parties due to Its value for having a good smooch. Not surprisingly it went to No 1 in the local charts. It was also voted Song Of The Year for 196S. Of the other songs two were Robert Suriya compositions and they showed a growing maturity in his writing as he looked for new ways to interpretate the pop ethos. Please Baby Please was a fast paced number while I Know which another paean to an errant lover had a good melody and memorable singing from Naomi. Not surprisingly it became a hit In Malaysia. Like they had done on their debut they jazzed up Have I Told You Lately That I Loved You where Robert even added a raucous guitar solo.


The Cyclones

The Cyclones consisting of James and Siva Choy had started singing as early 1957. Initially they styled themselves on the Everly Brothers or any singing duo. When the Blue Diamonds played Singapore in 1960, that had an impact on the Cyclones as well. At the same time they were drawn to Rock and Roll, which they were now featuring very strongly in their stage, shows. In 1963, when the Beatles hit the spotlight worldwide, Cyclones felt their onslaught. This was taking pop music to new dimensions. Cyclones changed their style of singing, soon earning the monicker of "The Beatles of Singapore". The Checkmates, a four piece instrumental band were playing Sunday tea dances at the Cellar in Clifford Pier when Cyclones went there one Sunday to listen to them. Checkmates then had Robert Song singing with them. Cyclones asked if they could perform with Checkmates and this soon became a permanent arrangement. When The Cellar ended their tea dance sessions, Robert Song got a contract at the Golden Venus which was a basement club located at Orchard Hotel on Orange Grove. Cyclones and Checkmates performed at the tea dance titled "Beat and Blues Sessions" in 1964 and they were right on the popularity wave of Singapore as it were. The tea dances which was proving popular with British servicemen stationed in Singapore and British teenagers living in Singapore gave the Cyclones and the Checkmates to fashion a sound which drew inspiration in what was happening internationally and especially England. Cyclones had started as a Rock and Roll duo but with the backing of Checkmates they began to shape a style and sound that drew on contemporary rhythm and blues. Philips who were scouting for local talent caught wind of the Beat and Blues sessions at Golden Venus and made their way and signed both Checkmates and Cyclones to the label. Checkmates released an all instrumental EP (ME 0128 CE) in June 1965. Cyclones worked with the Checkmates main songwriter Lawrence Lee on some songs, which would comprise their debut EP. Soon they had four songs and were in the recording studios recording their sophomore released. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

The CYCLONES

SIVA AND JAMES CHOY

SIVA CHOY

In November 1965, the Cyclones released their first EP (ME 0135 CE) backed by The Checkmates comprising Benny Chan on lead guitar, Hans Hussein - rhythm guitar, Lawrence Lee - bass and Amir Samsoeddin on drums. The EP was a stunning revelation, Compared to other releases of that time this release seem to come from another sphere. The four songs were original compositions and they seemed miles ahead of anything released in Singapore up to that time. I'll, the first song, was composed by Lawrence Lee. Based on the Green Onions riff, it had Siva Choy sing a menacing lead with organ augmenting the Checkmates backing. The next song, Oh No She Didn't Say, a James Choy composition had the brothers sing in harmony while the band shows the tight ensemble playing in the stop start sections. This song topped the local charts after release and gave Cyclones their first number one. She's Mine All Mine, another Lawrence Lee composition again had the brothers sing in harmony while Benny riffed vehemently behind them. The idea of using riffs to propel a song was revolutionary to say the least. It was not a simple lead and rhythm style that Cyclones was using but of riffs to create a center. The Dew had glockenspiel played by Siva Choy. Again the sound was stunningly modern which to say the least was different. It bordered more on Rhythm and Blues and could be the coalescing of what the brothers were playing at their beat and blues session every Sunday at Golden Venus.


The Thunderbirds

Thunderbirds heard on My Lonely Heart / Hey Girl and My Hula Girl / You Were Made To Love Me was formed in 1962 and had gone through the usual route of playing at parties, concerts and Services Clubs gigs. In June 1965 they won the Beatles versus Rolling Stones of Singapore contest. The band at this time consisted of Derrick Fitzgerald (lead), Tony Chong (vocals, bass), Harvey Fitzgerald (vocals, rhythm) and Freddie Tan (drums). Philips spotted them at this time and signed them to the label. Another Fitzgerald brother, Ivan, joined them on percussion. They released an EP (ME 0139 TF) which yielded the hit "I'm Sad As I Can Be". Tony Chong left the band at the tail end of 1965 to join the Surfers as lead vocalist. He was replaced by William Wee.

This line-up then recorded a single (ME 0162 TF) with My Lonely Heart on the A side backed with Hey Girl which was released in June 1966. Both songs were composed by the song writing team of Harvey Fitzgerald and Gerard Pasqual. My Lonely Heart was a slow ballad sung hauntingly by Harvey with Derrick punctuating it with appropriate slide guitar licks to get a whining effect. What was known then was that Derrick was using a comb to get the slide effect. The fans reacted favourably and sent the song to number one in Singapore. It even inspired cover versions in Mandarin from Rita Chao and another singer in Hongkong. The flip side Hey Girl was a fast paced number featuring furious riffing from bass player William Wee. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

The other two songs were contained on a single (338 702 PE) released in 1967. My Hula Girl which was the A side was composed by their father G.B.Fitzgerald and as the title suggests has a Polynesian flavour while Harvey Fitzgerald came up with another winner in the B side with You Were Made To Love Me where he emotes plaintively in his singing. This was yet another well received single and ensured that Thunderbirds remained in the limelight of the last Sixties pop scene in Singapore.

The Thunderbirds Tell me you are mine What goes on Mohair Sam Call my name PHILIPS


The Crescendos

The Crescendos pre-dated everybody, as they were the first pop band to be signed to Philips in 1963. The band had formed in 1960 when John Chee, Leslie Chia and Raymond Ho had combined to participate in the talentime of that year. They begin singing as a trio accompanying themselves with guitars in the fashion of that time with groups such as Blue Diamonds and Everly Brothers counting as big influences. They came across singer Susan Lim and invited her to join their group. With Susan Lim as their singer the group had an added advantage. She was a powerhouse singer capable of belting out rock and pop and also harmonise with the male voices in the group. They participated in the talentime of 1962 and it was not long after that they attracted the attention of the people at Philips who had begun sniffing the local scene in the hopes of signing Singapore talent to release on their label. Philips had not been wrong in their estimate. Their first few releases were hits in Singapore, Malaysia and Holland. The group went electric after their first releases when they realised that beat groups were the order of the day. They added Israel Lim on bass guitar and Peter Soh on drums. Philips included them in a year-end album released at the end of 1964 to commemorate artistes who had international hits on the Philips label. This was a singular honour for Crescendos as the first Singaporean group to be so recognised.


In July 1965 they released an EP (Philips 430815 BE) with Everybody Loves A Lover (Adler, Allen), Long Tall Sally (Johnson, Penniman, Blackwell), Silver Threads and Golden Needles (Reynolds, Rhodes) and He's The Boy (Madara, White) which is featured in this collection. Continuing in the vein of the earlier releases, Crescendos sang powerfully on Everybody Loves A Lover with Susan's vocals hitting the stratosphere. Furthermore Silver Threads and Golden Needles reached the number one spot in Malaysia in August 1965. Susan Lim left Crescendos and entered the University upon completing her Pre University studies. She was picnicking of the East Coast of Malaysia when she disappeared on February 8, 1970 presumed drown. Thus Singapore lost one of the most dynamic female singers.


UNIVERSAL MUSIC WOULD LIKE TO THANK THOSE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS PROJECT

GOLD 90.5 FM UNIVERSAL

Project Co-ordinator: Joseph Pereira

Digital Mastering & Graphic Design:

PRODUCTIONS All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

NAOMI & THE BOYS Happy happy birthday, baby! • P lease , baby, please I know • Have I told you la te ly ?

PHILIPS ME-0136-NE All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

PHILIPS ME-0136-NE STEREO

EP MADE IN HOLLAND

NAOMI AND

THE BOYS


Recorded at the Kinetex Studios.

NAOMI & THE BOYS Side 1: Side 2:

Happy happy birthday, baby! I know Please, baby, please Have I told you lately ?

A well-known critic has this to say of this recording: "Here are Naomi and The Boys, fresh from their first success, with record number two. This is a disk with a difference. The Boys featured on this EP are: Peter Thomas - rhythm guitar, Robert Suriya - lead guitar / organ, Moses Tay - bass guitar and Alphonso Soosay - drums. The Naomi you'll hear is a new, more confident Naomi, who establishes herself as the girl who always has to 'say goodbye to her baby.' Understanding her remarkable ability to handle songs of this type, Robert Suriya composed especially for her the numbers "PLEASE, BABY, PLEASE" and "I KNOW." "HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY" is a slow tune with Naomi's voice commanding all the attention. The vocal is expressive and with an undertone of tears all through. "PLEASE, BABY, PLEASE" strikes an original note with twin voices and lots of echoes. Faster than the first, this number has good beat and some pleasant singing from Naomi. "I KNOW" was intended as a follow-up to the tear-jerking "IT'S ALL OVER" (the song that made Naomi famous) and has a persistent yet attractive melody. "HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY THAT I LOVE YOU?" Like "TENNESSEE WALTZ" on her first disk, this is an oldie revived 'a la Naomi' style. The Boys provide some good backing with Naomi supplying the twin voice effect again. Once again, then, it's a "HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY" with, we hope, lots more records to come from Naomi & The Boys."

ME-0136-NE All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

The Cyclones ME-0135-CE

I'll-Oh no, she didn't say-She's mine all mine-The dew

PHILIPS All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

PHILIPS ME-0135-CE STEREO

EP MADE IN HOLLAND

THE CYCLONES accompanied by

THE CHECKMATES


ME-0135-CE ME-0135-CE

The Cyclones Side 1:

I'll Oh no, she didn't say

Here are four original hot numbers presented by The Cyclones (brothers James & Siva) backed by the popular The Checkmates, who are noted for their solid beat accompaniment. Two of the recorded numbers in this EP, i.e. OH NO, SHE DIDN'T SAY and THE DEW are the result of joint composing efforts by the two brothers,

Side 2: She's mine all mine The dew

whilst I'LL and SHE'S MINE ALL MINE are compositions by Laurence Lee, Bass Guitarist of The Checkmates. The wild and tempestous character of their singing is quite typical of The Cyclope boys who have expressed satisfaction of at least having attempted to please those who love really solid beat music.

Recorded at Kinetex Studios. All Rights Reserved, National Library Board, Singapore

PHILIPS ME-0162-TF STEREO

EP MADE IN HOLLAND

THE THUNDERBIRDS


ME - 0162 - T F

THE THUNDERBIRDS


430815 THE CRESCENDOS Everybody loves a lover Long tall Sally Silver threads and golden needles He's the boy


PHILIPS 430 815 BE STEREO

EP MADE IN HOLLAND

THE CRESCENDOS


430 815 BE 430 815 BE

THE CRESCENDOS

Side 1:

Everybody loves a lover (R. Adle r /R . Allen) Long tall Sally (E. Johnson/Penniman/Blackwel l )

Side 2:

Silver threads and golden needles (D. Reyno lds / J . Rhodes) He's the boy (J. M a d a r a / D . White)

ME 127 ME 128 ME 129 430 812 BE


CD 1 Naomi & The Boys Track 1 Happy Happy Birthday Baby 2.55 Track 2 Please, Baby, Please 1.46 Track 3 I Know 3.33 Track 4 Have I Told You Lately 2.13 CD 2 The Cyclones Track 1 I'll 2.58 Track 2 Oh No,She Didn't Say 2.26 Track 3 She's Mine All Mine 3.03 Track 4 The Dew 2.04

CD 3 The Thunderbirds Track 1 My Lonely Heart 4.47 Track 2 Hey ! Girl 2.01 Track 3 My Hula Girl 2.21 Track 4 You were made for me to love 3.09 CD 4 The Crescendos Track 1 Everybody Loves A Lover 2.18 Track 2 Long Tall Sally 2.08 Track 3 Silver Threads & Golden Needles 2.22 Track 4 He's The Boy 2.25

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