Blog: Mod-ified Music

I'm starting afresh so that I can blog about music that extends beyond the confines of this blog. It has been huge fun running Mod-ified Music for the past four years (almost), and getting to know all of you. But as much as I love 60s music (and I still do, honestly), I've realised that there's so much more to explore. Hence the new blog .

My latest Mod-ified Music radio show (we're now onto episode 18!!) is available for download here . Among the thrilling songs played in this episode is TypeWriter's very Joe Meek-sounding "For Your Everything", with its Beatlesque chorus. Download the song here , and visit their MySpace ! And do check out Unpopular.Radio here .

I've blogged about her before, but now I've finally got her cd. Mareva Galanter makes for addictive listening! Mareva Galanter - Les Cornichons Mareva on wikipedia, here . There are several Mareva clips on Youtube. This is my favourite:

The Vampires were an all-girl group in the Singapore 60s music scene. According to the sleeve (paraphrased and roughly translated with assistance): this EP features Du Di Na on vocals, backed by The Vampires. Du Di Na joined The Vampires as singer 2 years prior to the release of this EP, and the group has won many fans among the young. The Vampires - Han Yu Qu (Chilling Rain Song) Interesting side note: the above picture was taken at Cavenagh Bridge , which is still standing in Singapore today.

• The Vampires - Han Yu Qu (Chilling Rain ... » Han Yu Qu (Chilling Rain Song).mp3

Because I can't read Chinese characters, when it comes to deciphering names of singers and song titles, I'm lost. Hence when picking my choice of blogging material, it's always easiest to stick to recognisable covers of pop songs, or at the very least, singers with English names. In this example, I don't know the singer's name, but this is too awesome a cover not to share! And check out that terrific sleeve art! It Never Rains On Southern California

• It Never Rains On Southern California » It Never Rains In Southern California.mp....mp3

I'm back after a long blogging hiatus. And with new music to share, as you've gathered from the recent posts (& more to come, I promise). I still love local Singapore 60s, and it's with great pleasure that I present one of my favourite buys of this year! This is Stevie Loraine, backed by The Clansmen, comprising: Abdullah Abu (lead), Derrick Nunis (rhythm), Philip Monteiro (drums), and Raymond Lazaroo (bass). I'm guessing it was released (or purchased) in 1967, because that's scribbled in marker on my sleeve. Prior to this EP, Stevie Loraine recorded one backed by [...]

Something special for the girl pop fans! A chirpy Dusty Springfield cover by the late Irish singer, Maisie McDaniel. I just found this vinyl yesterday, and it's a song I can't wait to share! Maisie McDaniel - Something Special Maisie McDaniel's orbituary write up, here .

A recent quirky local 60s find. This EP is best described on its sleeve as 4 "Country and Western numbers with the a-go-go beat". Says the sleeve: "Rocky Wong, the 'Singapore Hill Billy Singer', also nicknamed as the 'Cowboy from Pasir Panjang Hills', and whose style of singing resembles that of Slim Whitman, is no stranger to the music scene. Rock had competed in the "All Malaya Amateur Talentime Competition" during the 1950s and had since then appeared in many variety shows, nite clubs, the British Forces, Radio and Television." Rocky Wong & The [...]

Eux Autres is a brother-sister duo, Nicholas and Heather Larimer, from Portland. If you're a fan of happy cheery 60's-inspired pop tunes in the vein of Saturday Looks Good To Me, you won't be disappointed. Their second full-length album, Cold City, was released in 2007. I just got my copy last week (ordered it from Darla.com!) and I'm excited about sharing this wonderful find! Eux Autres - The Deadball Era (Megaupload link) Eux Autres' official site, here . Allmusic's review of Cold City, here . Nicholas Larimer directed [...]

Dusty Springfield called Baby Washington her all-time favourite singer. With her powerful, moving and soulful voice, it's easy to see why. Baby Washington sang first in a vocal group, The Hearts, before branching out as a solo singer in 1956. Baby Washington - Hey Lonely (Megaupload link) Baby Washington on Wiki, here . Baby Washington's Sue Singles, at Amazon, here .

Zouzou is an iconic French model, actress and singer of the 1960s and early 1970s. She dated several famous men in her heyday, including Brian Jones, and Jack Nicholson. Zouzou - Il Est Parti Comme Il Etait Venu More about Zouzou at Wikipedia, here .

Mod-ified Music Ep 12 on Unpopular.Radio Tues / 17 June 2008 / 10PM - 11PM Listen Above shows a film still from 'Blow Up' , which Modcentric is super excited to catch this Thursday at the National Museum . Film features 60s Beat Girls Jane Birkin and Gillian Hills!

A chance find in Bangkok . I thought this was a compilation at first (and the cd came bundled with a cute tote bag too), but Melting Holidays turned out to be a twee pop band from Japan. And their lead singer has a whispery voice, exactly like Kahimi Karie ! Their last album was released in 2005, but they have contributed to several compilations since. While I'm at it, I must say that Smallroom label is a Thai indie pop fan's dream, as they locally distribute tons of international indie acts (lots of twee pop eg. Elefant releases) [...]

Be My Baby is still one of my absolute favourite songs. And discovering new cover versions of your favourite songs is always something special. French Ye Ye girl Sophie covered this in her 1963 EP . Sophie - Reviens Vite Et Oublie (Be My Baby) Read about Sophie at Ready Steady Girls, here . More Sophie sleeve art, here .

My latest radio show over at unpopular.radio is a must-listen for all those who enjoy local 60s Singaporean pop. As many of you would have realised, it was popular for Asian acts in the 60s to cover international hits (eg. Nancy Sinatra, The Beatles, etc). But there were also Singaporean acts who chose to cover other local acts. So in this episode of Mod-ified Music, you'll hear covers of Naomi & The Boys, Shirley Nair (above), and others. It's Singaporean music covered by fellow Singaporeans. How cool is that? Download here: Mod-ified Music Ep [...]

This is not a genre I'm very familiar with, but this compilation is a good introduction to the world of 'Chicas Ye Ye'. I was lucky enough to stumble on it on eBay, and I'm most pleased with it. Volume 1 presents songs by Adriangela, Silvana Velasco, Ivana and Lorella. Adriángela - Me Gusta La Gente ChaChaCharming has a fascinating article on the Spanish Girl singers scene, here .

I found this curious cd while on holiday last week at Bangkok. Holidays for me are a great chance for music shopping, and this trip was no exception. So I got this cd primarily based on the pretty cover, not knowing much about the "teen idols" performing the bossa-nova covers. While in all honesty, this cd is nothing much to shout about (some of the arrangements and instrumentation sound very karaoke), this track got the ye-ye fan in me excited. Laura - La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser

I personally think this is an awesome single, with its classic Brill Building sound. Unfortunately for Julie Grant, this single proved to be a non-event, as her label failed to promote her. Despite her quality recordings, Julie never quite managed to make her name as a major recording star and the flow of singles stopped at the end of 1965. Interestingly, Julie won a talent contest at a Brighton holiday camp in 1960, beating Helen Shapiro ! Julie Grant - Baby Baby (I Still Love You) A well-researched bio on Julie [...]

Because I can't sleep, and I was inspired by DJ Colleen Crumbcake's Linda Scott posting at her blog , I decided to share an early girl pop song that never feels to make me smile. Diane Renay and Linda Scott are very similar in style, and were the same age, though Linda Scott's big hit "I Told Every Little Star" came 2 years before Diane Renay's "Navy Blue". Written as a follow-up to "Navy Blue", Diane's biggest hit, it's very similar in sound and theme to the 1963 chart-topper. Diane even refers to it as "Navy Blue [...]

Brand new in my collection! Isn't the sleeve design cool? Ernie Djohan was an Indonesian singer who sang mostly English covers, like this Lulu cover. Most of her recordings were backed by the Band 4 Nada or Her Buana Suara. I found this nice collection of Indonesian Girl Pop (yet another genre to dwelve into!) sleeves here , though The Reynettes are from Hong Kong, not Indonesia. Ernie Djohan & Her Buana Suara - To Sir With Love More Ernie record cover art here .