phensi phongsi: luk thung sao so

singer: เพ็ญศรี ผ่องศรี (phensi phongsi)
album: ลูกทุ่งสาวซอ (luk thung sao so)
tracklist:
01. น้ำตาเมียหลวง (nam ta mia luang)
02. แม่หม้ายซาอุ (mae mai sa u)
03. เสียงครวญจากสาวนา (siang khruan chak sao na)
04. เบื่อผัวขี้เมา (buea phua khi mao)
05. หัวอกลูกไป๊ (hua ok luk pai)
06. กินน้ำใต้ศอก (kin nam tai sok)
07. สาวเหนือเปิดอก (sao nuea poet ok)
08. ชาตินี้น้องลา (chat ni nong la)
09. สาวน้อยสมัครรัก (sao noi samak rak)
10. สาวซอรอรัก (sao so ro rak)

bit of a strange one this week; luk thung ล้านนา (lanna), from far up north. this singer, phensi phongsi, is a real unknown.. she sings in the northern thai or คำเมือง (kham mueang) language, which is very unusual to hear in luk thung. i found this cassette in chiang mai, in a dark musty old tape shop that almost certainly had not updated its inventory since the early 90's at the very latest. the cover seemed to me to advertise the presence of a ซอ (so) fiddle, but what we've got is something of an album-length medley of popular luk thung melodies over a drum kit & sax-driven molam-influenced groove. i'm not complaining!

dao bandon: chan di khi foi

singer: ดาว บ้านดอน (dao bandon)
album: จันดีขี้ฝอย (chan di khi foi)
tracklist:
01. จันดีขี้ฝอย (chan di khi foi)
02. ห่าตำผู้หญิง (ha tam phu ying)
03. นั่งสามล้อตามแฟน (nang sam lo tam faen)
04. กอดน้องนอนหนาว (kot nong non nao)
05. ออกพรรษาจะมาแต่ง (ok phansa cha ma taeng)
06. ลำเกี้ยวสาวส่ำน้อย (lam kieow sao sam noi)
07. ลาน้องไปจัดรายการ (la nong pai chat rai kan)
08. คอยรักนักจัดรายการ (khoi rak nak chat rai kan)
sung by ธิดา บ้านดอน (thida bandon)
09. ลำเพลินลำเกี้ยวแม่ฮ้าง (lam phloen lam kieow mae hang)
10. สะเวดสะเวน (sawet sawen)
11. สัญญาเดือนสี่ (sanya duean si)
12. อีทุยทิ้งทุ่ง (i thui thing thung)

this week, some great isan groove from the one & only dao bandon! dao was born and raised in yasothon province, the son of poor farmers. after 4th grade, his family couldn't afford to continue sending him to school, and he was given into monkhood. it was here that he realized his significant vocal gifts, by way of the rhythmic chant & preaching required by his vocation. he was soon discovered by songwriter thepphabut satirotchomphu, who guaranteed him a career as molam when he left the monastery. dao soon gave up his robes, and theppabhut made good on his promise.. dao quickly won success singing his luk thung-influenced molam, and would in fact become the first molam ever to sell one million copies! he was frequently in the charts both with his own recordings and with songs he crafted for his many disciples (one of whom won a spot on this album!). a major figure in the music of isan, dao bandon now sings for you! enjoy!

pong prida: sao fang khong

singer: ปอง ปรีดา (pong prida)
album: สาวฝั่งโขง (sao fang khong)
tracklist:
01. สาวฝั่งโขง (sao fang khong)
02. สาวอยู่บ้านได๋ (sao yu ban dai)
03. สาวป่าซาง (sao pa sang)
04. เที่ยวฝั่งโขง (thieow fang khong)
05. เจ้าสาวไปใส (chao sao pai sai)
06. เดือนคล้อยคอยสาว (duean khloi khoi sao)
07. รำวงเชียงน้อย (ramwong chiang noi)
08. ค่ำคืนนี้พี่นอนหนาว (kham khuen ni phi non nao)
09. น้องนางบ้านนา (nong nang ban na)
10. เหรียญดอลล์ (rian doll)
11. คอยสาวค่อนคืน (khoi sao khon khuen)
12. กลิ่นฟางสาบสาว (klin fang sap sao)
13. เพื่อน (phuean)
14. ตามนาง (tam nang)
15. เตือนหญิง (tuean ying)
16. อีสานก้าวหน้า (isan kao na)

this week, it's luk thung veteran pong prida with his great high tone and delightful whistle. born in khon kaen province in isaan, pong grew up studying carpentry but secretly harbored ambitions to become a singer like his idol, somyot thasanaphan. eventually he dropped out & made the trip to bangkok, where he auditioned for many groups (including somyot's) but was denied from all. following this failure, he went back & forth between working factory jobs, boxing, and monkhood, all the while desperately sticking to his dream. his tenacity caught the sympathy of nakhon thanomsap (the entertainer best known for his blackface character, "gungadin"), who took him under his wing & got him spots on records, playing khaen or whistling for stars like suraphon sombatcharoen. in a short while he would be recording his own tunes and touring the nation! in time he returned to isaan, where he formed a group which performed locally in udon thani and across the border in laos, before settling down as a farmer. here now are his sad songs, for you to enjoy!