Reviewing the hits of yesteryearBy Yong Shu Hoong
THE QUESTS
The Very Best Of The Quests (EMI)Way back in the '60s, a local band was so big that it was able to topple international acts on Singapore's pop music charts.
Hard to believe? The Quests did just that and more.
The band had its own TV and radio shows. It performed countless concerts. It even had a fan club in Hongkong.
Reggie Verghese plays electric and acoustic guitars, with Lim Wee Guan on drums, Vernon Cornelius on vocals and harmonica, Jap Chong on vocals and rhythm guitar, and Henry Chua on bass. Together, they deliver guitar-driven pop songs reminiscent of those by The Shadows.
But a number of songs come with a local twist. Like the Chinese New Year song, Return Of Spring and instrumental renditions of Mandarin pop songs like Silent Love and Sayonara.
Also included on this compilation album are the band's No 1 single, an original song called Shanty, and cover versions of well-known hits like Simon And Garfunkel's The Sound Of Silence and My Favourite Things (from The Sound Of Music soundtrack).
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MATTHEW AND THE MANDARINS
The Very Best of Matthew And The Mandarins (EMI)Move over, Kenny Rogers and Willie Nelson -- here are the Singapore cowboys.
Led by Matthew Tan, the five-member Matthew And The Mandarins plays a melodic blend of country-western songs.
The compilation album of the band's greatest hits includes cover versions of Stranger (by Kris Kristofferson), Movin' On (by Merle Haggard) and Margaritaville (by Jimmy Buffet). There are also original numbers like Let's Put The Sing In Singapore and the very popular Singapore Cowboy.
Ready to get on a horse and ride into the sunset with Matthew And The Mandarins? The next best thing is to listen to this album. It not only brings back fond memories of the good old days, but also offers a reminder of a time when country music was all the rage in Singapore.
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Let's Put The Sing In Singapore
CRESCENDOS
The Complete Crescendos (Polygram)Crescendos' claim to fame is that its first release, Mr Twister, actually outsold Connie Francis' original version.
The line-up of the band consisted of John Chee, Raymond Ho, Leslie Chia and lead singer Susan Lim (who later died in a drowning accident).
Their repertoire were mainly American songs, like Skeeter Davis' Silver Threads And Golden Needles and Connie Francis' Frankie, performed in the band's own unique way, and notably, Lim's powerful vocals.
The band also reflected Singapore's multi-racial culture by singing Malay songs like Lenggang Kangkong and Waktu Fajar, and the traditional favourite, Bengawan Solo.
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NAOMI AND THE BOYS WITH HENRY SURIYA Remembering Naomi And The Boys With Henry Suriya (Polygram)
Still water runs deep. Robert Suriya may be a quiet person on the surface, but he was one of the most prolific songwriter in the Singapore pop scene in the '60s.
As the leader of Naomi And The Boys, Suriya wrote about 80 per cent of the 68 songs recorded by his band.
His younger sister, Naomi, provided the heart-wrenching vocals to many of the band's hits, like It's All Over and I Know, both of which were composed by Suriya. The band's cover version of Happy, Happy Birthday Baby was also a big hit.
This CD also includes songs written by Suriya and sung by his elder brother, Henry.
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STRAYDOGS
BigO Singles Club (BigO)Straydogs has been described as the first rebel rock band in Singapore.
On this CD single, you can still feel the passion in Straydogs' blues-influenced songs -- now captured in full digital clarity.
The CD was released as part of BigO Singles Club series by BigO, a local rock magazine. It came with the magazine's October issue in 1994.
You can read more about Straydogs and the amazing tale about how the songs were recorded.
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Copyright © 1998 Singapore Press Holdings. All Rights Reserved.
