I started keeping a list for this recurring thread from last year. One, because it’s fun, and two, because it makes me think more about the records I spent all that hard-earned money on. The year started very slow for me, but I ended making some good additions to the collection. I scored quite few good Singapore A’Go Go records and other stuff that doesn’t really belong here, so I’ll leave that out.
Australia
Bobby Dean & The Worried Minds – Take A Look Around / Tell Me (What’s Going On). Soundtrack, STR 901.
A great record. I was surprised to win the auction for this one
Max Merritt and The Meteors – I Want So Much To Know You / You Deserve What You’ve Got. Parlophone, A 8179
‘You Deserve What You’ve Got’ is a decent beat tune, but the other side is a brilliant garage song. From what I can tell it has only ever been comped on a couple of Max Merritt collections. Is this right? Unbelievable; everybody should own a copy.
The Pacifics – Lost My Baby / Slowly But Surely. Sunshine, QK 799.
I always liked this one. Glad to own it now
The Wild Cherries – That’s Life / Try Me (I’m Not As Bad As You Think). Festival, FK 2052
Not really garage, I suppose. More like hard rock and soul. Great record though
Hong Kong
Fung Po Po ep – featuring Ring Dang Doo. Tung Po, FL 105.
I’ve got several versions of ‘Wooly Bully’ by bands/singers from Hong Kong and Singapore, but this is the only version of ‘Ring Dang Do’ I’ve come across. Child acting star Fung Po Po (a teenager by the time this record was cut) was a terrible singer, at least in English. Her unnamed band plays okay, but their backing vocals sound like a parody of a Chinese band singing in English. Put this all together and it means that this is a great record
Hong Kong/USA
The Fabulous Echoes – Cry I Do/Candy. Liberty, 55801
This is what I have heard: Most of the band members are Filipinos (although two of them were born in HK), one was a Scot and one was from Sri Lanka. Based in Hong Kong, they were spotted at a nightclub by an American and landed up in the USA. They started in Las Vegas, were on Ed Sullivan and ended up in Waikiki. They cut several records during that time. This one is quite fine. After a few line-up changes and new name (Society of Seven) the band continued on in the US until recent times.
I got another of their US recording this year as well, Please Leave Her To Me/Quit Messin’ Around (Liberty 55755), which is okay, but nowhere near as good as ‘Cry I Do’, and far away from garage
Indonesia
Tikki, Takki, Suzy, Lies [Dara Puspita] – Ba-Da-Da-Dum/Dream Stealer. Green Light 44S
From 1970 and a dance tune, not garage. But Dara Puspita were great and I am happy to have the Swedish version of this record. Also released in England, the Netherlands, Spain and Singapore/Malaysia. I’m still looking for that last one
Malaysia
A. Rahman Onn & The Strangers ep. Lucky, SL 7750; and Anchor, MSM 1002
I have had a beat-up copy of this on the Lucky label for years, but managed to get a better copy on Lucky and a good copy on Anchor, at the same time. It’s all great Malay 60s garage; one slow moody number and three faster ones. Very glad to have good copies now
A. Rahman Onn & The Strangers ep. Parlophone, EGEP 671
This one’s from 1969 and probably wouldn’t appeal to many people here: too much wah-wah and guitar noodling. The heavy riff on ‘Chinchin Mas Telah Di-Terima’ might appeal to some though. It works for me
J. Sham ep. Royal, RE 121006
The song ‘Surat Ku Untok Mu’ appeared on the Pop Yeh Yeh comp. It’s the best track on the record.
Rocky Teoh ep. Top, TOP 21001
I made a post about this ep elsewhere on the forum, but no-one could help me. I think this is one of Rocky’s last records, but I avoided it in the past because three of the four tracks are CCR covers and the title-track is ‘Bonnie & Clyde’; I mean the Georgie Fame song? Completism got the better of me, however, and it turns out it’s not Georgie Fame and it’s not Serge Gainsbourg either. The only mention of Bonnie and Clyde is ‘If you say you ever loved me, Bonnie and Clyde loved alone’. The chorus goes ‘Baby baby! Mumble mumble mumble …’ I can hardly make out a word, but I like it.
Singapore
Fatimah M. Amin & The Clans ep, Olympic, TRC 1004
The two tracks by Fatimah M. Amin on this record are good, but I rate the two tracks sung by band members A. Anis and Noor Hassan as even better. Some good organ work by M. Azman to be heard here
Antartics – We’ve Been In Love (Anyway) / Nancy Pancy, Columbia, DO 4732
I’ve got a few records with the Antartics backing the singers Eddie Ahmad and Ahmad Jais, most of which are good, but until I got this record I had none by just the band themselves. I knew that when the Yardbirds were in town in 1967 they met with the Antartics and this single was recorded around the same time. When I first heard the A side, I classed it as a pretty good beat song, whereas I thought ‘Nancy Pancy’ was beat, but verging on garage with some nice fuzzy guitar breaks (the guitarist Joe was apparently inspired by Jimmy Page). After repeated listens I think it is a great record. One of the best of the year for me, for sure
Fabian’s Boys + Halipah, Norfizah and Alistini Bajuree ep. Globe, SM 3313
One of the few bands who sometimes recorded in Bawean (aka Boyanese). The other famous one was the Swallows. One track from this ep, ‘Bersiar-siar’, appeared on the Pop Yeh Yeh comp, but ‘Terona Taoa’ with Alistini singing is a top notch garage tune and demands hearing as well. The two slower songs are also pretty good
A. Halim & De’ Fictions ep. Suria, SA1006.
Cool Malay beat tunes. Some nice organ work here. I have had the pirate version of this one (MSM, TER 6082) for ages. Nice to get the original release as well
Jeffridin & The Siglap Five ep. Glycos, CEP 1003.
A pirate of Philips ME 0140 SE. The two slower tracks on this ep probably won’t appeal to many people here. ‘Berjanji’ and ‘Kenangan-Ku’ might do better
Jeffridin & The Siglap Five ep. Lucky SL 7752
This is more like it. ‘Siti Haida’ in particular is a good garage tune. The record is the same as Philips 437 815 PE, but with a different cover. Lucky does not seem to be a pirate label, but I am not sure why Philips would have let them release this
Les Kafila’s with Rukimin Judie and Hasnah Haron ep. Parlophone EGEP 633
A beat-up, but playable copy of this excellent ep. ‘Ikan Todak’ with Rukimin singing appeared on the Steam Kodok comp. The Hasnah Haron side is pretty cool as well
M. Osman + Kamsiah M. Ali & The Clans ep. Eagle, TK 1014
The M. Osman tracks are decent garage tunes, but not his best
A. Ramlie & The Ramlies ep. Olympic 1031
Two slow, moody tracks and two faster ones on this ep. One of the faster ones, ‘Sidara Jelita’, is the pick for me
The Wisma with J. Kamisah and Jaafar Ahmad ep. TNA, TEP 207
Good Malay 60s garage
Singapore/Brunei
The Sandblues with D.K. Aminah, A.K. Emran and Norsiah A. Hamid ep. Olympic, TRC 1025
Good Malay 60s garage. I particularly like Norsiah’s tracks on side 2. All the singers were from Brunei
Singapore/Malaysia
Often records were cut where the singer was from Singapore and the band from Malaysia, or vice-versa. Sometimes it’s hard to tell where they were from, so I’ll just put them in here until I get better information
Azizah Muhamad and orkes Nirwana ep. Olympic TRC 1010
Excellent Malay garage, esp. ‘Shorga Idaman’ which is on the Pop Yeh Yeh comp.
Ainie Hamid and The Vultures ep. Playboy, NFEP 5028
Decent Malay 60s garage
S. Latifah ep. Parlophone, EGEP 676.
Two of the tracks on this ep are overblown, horn-laden affairs. The other two are good Malay pop songs, one of which I would even dare to call ‘psych-tinged’
