Artistic Logos Promoting Music Of The Past

What will they think of next? Logos created by people who truly love music from the past. These imaginative, artistic and beautiful images have been inspired by (1) an old drive-in movie sign, (2) a radio station in the US and (3) an Elvis Presley favourite , Blue Suede Shoes. Images: Google. Inspired by: LL.

Leggy Fashion Models, Drooling Band Boys

A long time ago in the 60s and 70s, way before Jade Seah and Nadya Hutagalung appeared on our local catwalk, Singapore had its share of beautiful, leggy and sexy fashion models. One of the more popular modelling agencies that had these damsels was Joan Booty's.

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Annual dinner and dance events held by business organisations had top bands, pop artistes, comedians and variety shows to entertain the staff but they were incomplete without these agencies providing models to strut the stage of the hotels, theatres and nightclubs in Singapore. So wherever the get-together was held, these ladies provided the oomph and glamour and the more revealing the girls were, the larger the members in the audience and louder the wolf whistles.

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When I spoke to the 60s band boys about such events and the live music they provided as the models appeared on stage, one comment was, "We try to play the simplest tunes with the simplest chords because we'd rather drool over the girls and their swimming costume changes than think of our guitar chord changes." The statement is meant more as a joke because the bands take their music accompaniment of models on stage seriously, so woe betide those bands that are frivolous or non-professional because they will not get another contract the next time around.

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[Note: Spelling of 'boutique' to 'Bootigue' understandable but why 'gue' and not 'que'? The above advertisement appeared in a souvenir magazine for White And Blue Nite at the Victoria Memorial Hall on Saturday, 28th February, 1970. The dance was to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the P.I.E.U. Bridgestone Branch and sponsored by Bridgestone Singapore Company (Private) Ltd. Anyone attended this function?]

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The band in attendance was The Stylers and the compere was Larry Lai. Hey LL, you remember this one?

Original article: Andy Lim

Image: Randy Lee Collection.

(J) Sangam Boys, Jabis 5, Vinnoli Music Party, Kugiran Empat Sekawan, Indian 60s Music

The postings about Advertisements On Vinyls prompted a friend to send an article:
"Tonic Chop Gajah, which literally means Elephant Brand Tonic is an interesting vinyl and features a number of bands all singing about the virtues of the Tonic, which was very popular in Malaysia and Singapore in the 60s.

The performers are the Sangam Boys, Jabis 5, Vinnoli Music Party, and Kugiran 4 Sekawan. There are four tracks on the EP and all are sung in Malay, although the singers spell out the name of the Tonic in English.

The Sangam Boys are known to me mainly for backing other artists, such as S. Roha and Halim Yatim. A group called Vinnoli Music Party was still operating in Singapore in the early 2000s at Indian functions, and they might be the ones who do a more Indian sounding track.

There was an 4 Sekawan that backed some Malay singers in the 1960s. Jabis 5, of which I know nothing, could also be a band, or it might be the group of singers."

Could be the last posting in this series on advertisements. Thanks Steve!

(If I am not mistaken the Sangam Boys are also Tamil speakers. Please correct me if I am wrong because we have a large Tamil population in Singapore. I am not sure if they have produced records in Tamil.)

Image/Original article: Steve Farram Collection, Darwin, Australia.

(I) Denon Stereophonic With Zhang Xiao Ying

It is quite obvious that this back cover of Zhang Xiao Ying's Prinstar EP vinyl is promoting the 60s Denon stereophonic record player, popular amongst the general public who cannot afford expensive European, British or American sets.

The stereo set consists of a record player, a radio/tuner/amplifier and a pair of simple speakers. In this typical 45rpm Chinese recording made in Singapore, Zhang Xiao Ying is accompanied by a well-known guitar group called The Travellers although the songs are not part of the promotional package as offered by other advertisements on vinyls.

Vinyl covers were used as a means of promoting products because back in the 60s a popular singer could generate at least 10,000 copies of an Extended Play record. Each EP sells for less than US$4.00, an affordable price for any teenager or person in the street. Usually the company advertising the product paid for the production of the sleeve, saving the music company some money from its total budget.

Image/original article: Andy Lim Collection

(H) Hotel Reservations Ariverdeci Roma Brazil Auf Weidersehn'n

The montage above comes from an EMI/Electrola Long Play F665 524 called, Dance Around The World In SRS Hotels. According to the back cover the reservation service connects customers to more than 100 leadings hotels. The music, from 22 selections, features some of the most popular melodies in the 50s and 60s.

The songs, some of which are familiar with Singaporeans include, Zorba's Dance, The Kangaroo Flop, Limbo Rock, Hare Krishna, Arrividerci Roma, Brazil, French Cancan, Auf Weidersehn'n, Pata Pata and surprise, surprise, Kyu Sakamoto's (image), Sukiyaki and Singapura sung by one Imca Marina and composed by John Mohring.

The Orchestras are pretty well-known in Europe then, Hugo Strasser's and Harry Roche's. It may take a while to sort out the other faces on the montage. Anyone familiar with the personalities?

Image/original article: Andy Lim Collection.

(G) Cigarette Advertisement With Theme Music

When cigarettes were the order of the day up to the 70s, advertisements were rampant and most of the popular brands of tobacco were sold in Singapore. These advertisements could be heard on the radio or rediffusion and seen on both the small and large screen. Newspapers, magazines and even vinyl records were promoting cigarettes (image).

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By the early 70s, the Singapore government had already realized the negative effects of smoking, and implemented regulations for smoking vide restricting smoking in public places and advertising of tobacco. Now smoking is totally banned in Singapore and to get a puff, one can only do so in designated areas. It is also expensive to smoke.

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On Side One of the 45 rpm vinyl (image), the title theme, Get Away From The Everyday, was sung in English on the first track while the second track had the same theme played on the organ. On Side Two, the saxaphone was used to play the Consulate theme.

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The back cover promoted Consulate Filter Tipped Menthol Fresh in its green box and Consulate King Size Filter Tip Virginia in its maroon box. In the 60s the people were enjoying movie theme songs, airline theme songs, condensed milk theme songs and cigarette theme songs. What other theme songs were there? Anyone?

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Image/original article: Andy Lim Collection.

(F) Frances Yip - Cathay Pacific - Hong Kong - Geylang Sipaku Geylang - Oh Di Mana - Rak Khun Kao Laew - Beautiful Seoul - Widuri.

A sequel to Frances Yip's Discovery Album in 1974 by Cathay Pacific Airways, this album is Discovery 2 where, 'songs from the heart of Asia and beyond' had been recorded. With her strong, crisp and beautiful voice, Ms Yip sings melodies from 13 different countries.

They are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, India, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

Until 1973, singing was only part time for her but when she came in first in a talent competition, the contracts came in fast and furious. She joined Cathay Pacific to promote the airline and has cut many singles, EPs and LPs too. The image shows the back cover of this particular EMI Long Play recording done in Singapore in 1978.

If the reader still cannot remember Frances Yip, then one of the greatest hits in Chinese pop history may. Shanghai Beach.

(E) Advertisements On 60s Vinyls Pop Jingles

When Milkmaid Milk promoted their sweetened condensed milk, they gave away a free vinyl (image) with the January 1971 issue of a well-known Singapore woman's magazine.

The EP has 8 tracks but none of them are pop songs. Side One has the jingle, Grow Tall Little Man in English, Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese, Malay and Tamil while the fourth track is the musical version.

Side Two has another jingle, Go Get Milkmaid Milk sung in Singapore's four official languages and the two Chinese dialects. The back cover has the lyrics of the two jingles.

These two jingles are so popular that even today older Singaporeans remember them. Grow tall little man/Don't fall little man/You've got a lot of growing to do... It is Singapore 60s music, produced, composed and sung by our local boys and girls.

It is not surprising that many seniors today grew up drinking their coffee and tea with this particular brand of milk. Did we have a choice?

Image/original article: Andy Lim Collection (Nestle Record: MM 11.11.70 Stereo/Mono).

(D) New Seekers: Buying The World A Coke

The New Seekers in a Coca Cola advertisement made a recording on an EP. It was the very popular, I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing reworked as, I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke.

It's still remembered to day by many baby boomers and the world at large. The jingle made it to the top 100 best selling single in the UK, end 1971, came 7th in the U.S. and was at the top of the international pop chart.

This recording is unique to the younger generation and a recent display of the vinyl to some college students resulted in some squeals of delight.
Image/original article: Andy Lim Collection.

(C) Elvis Presley Impersonator A-Go-Go Shell

Philips Records and Shell Petrol produced a few EP vinyl specials to promote A-Go-Go Shell in the 60s (image) - Philips 112000DE.

Wilson David's cover of Dean Martin's, That's Amore is one of the songs featured. The others included, Honey Bee by P & B Group, Spanish Flea by Pablo Rotero and the Shell Song by Ger Van Leeuwen Orchestra.

Many companies in the 60s advertise on both LPs and EPs. Check March 21st 2009 and April 1st 2009 under 'vinyl records'.
Image: From Andy Lim's Collection.

(B) Western Union Band Singapore, Levi Jeans.

This post is not an advertisement but the vinyl was. In the 60s some companies advertise their products on 45 rpm records and the jingles were whistled or sung by youths who love such novelties.

Levi Jeans was a household name in the early years as the blue denim was considered an in-thing amongst the young and fancy. Eye-brows were raised when someone donned a pair of Levi Jeans in the 60s and admiration for the macho man or skin-tight sexy woman was everywhere.
Levi's even had its song recorded, and this time by our own local band the WESTERN UNION BAND and the jingle went:

"It fits my mind/And it fits my soul/And it fits my generation/It makes livin a laugh/And loving a life/And walkin a celebration/I'm standing up/Callin to be counted/ Walkin proud in my Levi's/Levi's got me walkin proud/I'm walkin proud in my Levi's/ I've arrived/I'm alive/I'm walkin proud in my Levi's.

(Posting is similar to the one on March 24th, 2009.)

Image/original article: Andy Lim Collection.

(A) Milk Advertisement On Vinyl With Strollers

A well-known brand of milk produced a 45 EP vinyl to promote its reconstituted milk. It was distributed free by a local woman's magazine in its June, 1972 issue.

The Strollers' recorded in stereo the song, New Woman on Side One. On Side Two were four tracks promoting the milk product in English, Malay, Cantonese and Hokkien. The back jacket displays the lyrics and milk product. The front cover (image) is beautifully designed with three pretty Asian ladies depicting the new woman.

It is common knowledge that vinyl records were used in the 60s and 70s for advertisement purposes. And popular singers and bands were used to attract customers. Do you have this piece of vinyl?

Image: Andy Lim Collection.