Change This Blog To An Internet Shopping Centre?

Maybe I should convert this blog into an internet shop like e-Bay or Amazon.com and start selling the products that I write about. Won't it be a great idea? Imagine the amount of money I can make with just a 10% cut. These letters below are just a few of the mail I have received where surfers and friends have requested to buy CDs, vinyls (records) and books. Here are some of the letters:

1) Just spent 60 Euros on a boring research book recently. This one sounds interesting. Any chance you could fly me a copy Andy? Will do an internet transfer from UOB. :)

2) I am Santhosh from India. I would be extremely grateful to you if you could help me get the MP3 of the following songs of Ervinna. I had a cassette which had 22 English songs of Ervinna, which got destroyed. I have managed to find 13 out of that 22 - but could not get the following 9 songs. I am ready to pay.

3) This musta be the Dinoref that you have mentioned to me... gonna have to see if I can gets my hands on one of Michael Goh's albums of Dinodevotion...

4) Wow, the book by Yusnor Ef is a major discovery for me. I have many songs from that era, now I need that book to accompany them. Please provide some info on where to buy it. Many thanks!

5) "Mary Ho Any chance you have a Red Fender Stratocaster in your collection? ; ) Also, you mind sending me an autograph version of your CD? I will do a $fund$ transfer from here if you don't mind.

6) Do you know of any other copies of the EP (The Diamond Four) that are in existence?

7) Mary Ho commented on a post you were tagged in."I don't have a red one at the moment but would love to own one if I can find it.:) I'm in London now, saw one at Harrod's yesterday but it's a three quarter size... I didn't buy it. Glad you mentioned my CD, will autograph it and send you a complimentary copy. Please let me know where I can send it to.:)"

No I'd rather leave it as a blog and make my usual comments about Singapore 60s music. So please keep on writing because this coming November the blog will be 3 years old. And I am not trying to promote it. Just having fun. And I probably won't earn 2 cents from it.

What do you readers think?

Images: from Google.

Original article: Andy Lim.

Esplanade Sea Dragon Songs Singapore 50s Part 1

Part I:

Page references are from the coffee-table book, 'Remember The 50s: Objects and Moments of a Dynamic Era' by Tectum Publishers 2010 (image 3).

Nothing jolts the memory like snapshots of old. Using the coffee-table book as a guide, the content as milestones and the photographs as lightning conductors I recreated my own teenage journey as I flipped through the pages of time and reminisced the moments, momentos and music of the 50s.

Images quickly conjured in my mind as I read the short paragraph about the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (page: 18). In the first week of June 1953 when I was only 13, Singapore celebrated the coronation in style. I recalled how my parents booked one of Adelphi Hotel's uppermost rooms facing North Bridge Road so we could watch the coronation floats passing by below us. This event could have been the original concept for our annual Ching-gay parade.

A trip to the old Esplanade the next evening revealed the most fascinating sight that I had ever seen in the 50s. A dozen sampans at sea were carrying a beautifully illuminated sea dragon spouting neon lights (image 1) but from afar the illusion was so life-like and breath-taking. And this was a time before the advent of high technology and laser lights.

As I turned around to face inland, the crowned 20-storey Asia Insurance Building before us stood high and mighty in the night sky. It was the pride and joy for Singaporeans then as the building was the tallest on the island. Neon signs below the crown twinkled brightly announcing, Long Live The Queen (image 2).

In the same year certain songs played constantly over the radio waves. Bill Hayley's Crazy Man Crazy, Les Paul and Mary Ford's Vaya Con Dios, Perry Como's Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes, Dean Martin's That's Amore, Kay Starr's Changing Partners and Earth Kitt's C'est Si Bon were some of the more conservative ones featured on Radio Singapore.

Do you remember the 50s in Singapore? Or perhaps your parents do? Are you aware that God Save The Queen was Singapore's National Anthem in the 50s?

Check out Part II soon for references from the book about the hula hoop, pony-tail, Tupperware, Capris, Match-Box Cars, Cadillac 59, Playboy, Drive-Ins and James Dean.

Images 1 and 2 by courtesy of Susan Brooks.
Image 3: Book cover 'Remember The 50s' Editor: Mariel Marohn (Tectum Publishers 2010). NLB Singapore. Ref: 306.09045 REM.
Original article by: Andy Lim.
(This posting is not a book review.)

Foreign Songs Become English Hits (Part I)

FOREIGN SONGS BECOME ENGLISH HITS (1):
It is a well-known fact that countless 60s popular and classical music from foreign countries become English language hits in the UK, US and other parts of the world. This posting will focus on some of these classics. We start in Asia.

MANDARIN: Rose, Rose, I Love You is an English adaptation of the Mandarin song, Méigui Méigui Wǒ Ai Ni by Yao Li (1940s), the only song written by a Chinese to become a major English language chart hit.

The English lyrics were written by a British DJ, Wilfred Thomas and recorded by 50s pop singer Frankie Laine and the Norman Luboff Choir, with Paul Weston and his Orchestra in 1951. The song, with different English lyrics, was also covered in the UK by Petula Clark (1951) and by Kyu Sakamoto (1960s).

JAPANESE: The second Asian song, Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto went to the top in 1963. So far, this is the only song by a Japanese singer to hit the ceiling in the U.S. The Japanese title is Ue O Muite Aruko, which means I Look Up When I Walk. It is definitely a Singaporean favourite even till today. The Blue Diamonds (Holland) recorded it with English lyrics in 1963 and personally, is one of the best versions!

FILIPINO: Another Asian pop classic, the very famous, Anak (1971) or child is a Tagalog song written and sung by Filipino folk-singer Freddie Aguilar. It has been translated to over a hundred local and international languages. The English version, by Aguilar, is a direct translation of the original and should not be missed by anyone who loves a beautiful rendition of an exceptionally sad song.

Freddie Aguilar Anak Philippino Music Influence (June 24, 2009)

Sukiyaki Kyu Sakamoto US/Japanese 60s Music (July 4, 2009)

Image: google

Information: Wikipedia Songs

Original Article: Andy Lim

(2) USA Connection - Valentine's Day Posting From Dino Martin Peter's "Dean Martin" Blog

"I'm spending this Valentine's Day behind the bar at Green Street, and there's no where else I'd rather be! My sweetheart brought me flowers. I've got three Dean Martin records on rotation. I'm pulling shots of Leftist, that taste like dark chocolate covered orange peel, for all the lovebirds on their dates. I hope you are feeling the love buzz today like I am. What do I care how much it may storm? I've got my coffee to keep me warm. Happy Valentine's Day" (Devorah Freudiger, Feb 14, 2010)

Hey pallies, read DMP's blog and have a Dinotime!

Image/Article: http://ilovedinomartin.blogspot.com/

Remembering Dean Martin - From Andy To DMP

FROM DMP's BLOG:

"Hey pallies well our month of Dino-remembrance started windin' down. But, still a few more Dino-days to honor our Dino and his passin' on Dino-winter-day...

Gotta 'fess up that I just had to share this trib to be able to one more time share my fav of fav Dino-seasonal clips....loves this version of the white stuff more then I can ever say. To read this in it's original format, clicks on:

http://ilovedinomartin.blogspot.com/

(On December, 25th in 1995, actor and singer Dean Martin dies at the age of 78. Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio, in 1917. From then on it's show biz history when this great man - Elvis Presley's idol and favourite singer -flooded the 50's to the 90's with his magical, music and movie moments. Long live Dino Martin.)

You Tube: DinoLewis1945

Image: http://www.last.fm/music/Dean+Martin/+images/2734308

(3) Passion Singapore 60s Music & Dean Martin

SING60sMUSIC, SINGLISH & DINO:

"I had encouraged Andy to trys out his own form of patter usin' what he tagged Singlish...a combo of his native tongue and English, and here is where he created in honor of our Dino... all I gotta say is that my Dinobro has just started my Dinoday off with a huge Dinobuddagrin with this fun post! Thanks pallie, for all your efforts for our Dino and for bein' such a cool Dinopallie! Dinodelightedly." DMP October 23, 2009.

It just goes to show the passion people have. It will be an exception in our country if Singapore 60s music has followers like Dino Martin Peters who takes time and trouble to write, almost every other day, about Dean Martin. Queen's English, Standard English or even in Singlish, I wish more enthusiasts would write and blog about Singapore music from the 50s.

Image: Dino Martin Peters.

Article: DMP/Andy Lim.

(2) Dinomemories Are Made Of This In Singlish: For Good Friend From DinoAmerica Shiok Lah!

A suggestion by DMP that this posting is written in Singlish. So here goes:


SING60sMUSIC, SINGLISH & DINO:

(1) Hey, dis Dino Marting huh, he damn good man, firs time I hear him sing ah... Wah lau! His voice ah, chin song leh!

(2) Wah, you got hear or not? Never hear this one leh. Me-mo-lee meh of dis ah! Song ah! I listen till die man, like so many time until play a-gain an a-gain.

(3) Yah, wat I tole you seek-stee song better den today one! Today one got use bad word one.

(4) Hey, go sorping sen-ter, see god sell CD or not. Want to come or not? Wah lioaw! Ding Marting. See bay shiok ah!

(5) Es-pen-sip ah, Dino CD. No money to buy...

(6) Ah yah, never my, I pay, I pay, cheep lah... He sooper star you know or not?

Image: http://www.coutant.org/ (Dino is with Jerry Lewis, his partner in crime).

Article: Andy Lim Collection.

(1) Hey Pallie, Dinolingo Dinoexplanation By Dinopal Dino Martin Peters. Lots Of Dinoeffort.

SING60s MUSIC, SINGLISH & DINO

ANDY WROTE:

Wow, DMP your postings about Dino are unending. Where do you get all the multi-media information from? And how did you develop this Dinopatter. I'd love to learn from you. I could develop a SingMusic patter too? Many Singaporeans speak Singlish (Singapore English), like, "Ah, your Dino Martin blog very good lah! Shiok (great, fantastic)! Must carry on, lah, don't stop."
Wednesday, October 21, 2009

DINO MARTIN PETERS REPLIES:

Hey pallie, likes thanks so much for all the appreciato you have shown for my work for Dino here at ilovedinomartin. I get idears for many many of the Dinoposts through my subscription to what is called google alerts... I have 'em for the taggs Dino Martin, Dean Martin, and ilovedinomartin and thus I get most of all the web postin's for our Dino... and I picks the best from 'em to share here at the Dinoblog.

The Dinopatter started early in my web work for our Dino. First came the Dinoisms when our Dino guided me to the Dinonotion that I coulda add Dino to almost every word to express my passion for our Dino.... even created 'bout '90 Dinodefinitions at a pad tagged Urban Dictionary... go to http://www.urbandictionary.com/author.php?author=kentsmokerguy&page=4to checks 'em out.

The rest of the Dinopatter came as I thought 'bout the way our Dino speaks... likes droppin' the 'g' on 'ing' works... and of course callin' everyone pallie... etc. Certainly you coulda develop your own sort of patter and Singlish woulda be such a cool way to start... let's me know when you start so likes I can checks it out.

Everythin' I do here, I do for liftin' up our Dino... but likes pallies like you who are so encouragin' of my Dinoefforts are so very very much Dinoappreciated... thanks pallie and have a great day in our Dino....
Thursday, October 22, 2009

Check him out lah, he got everything on Dean Martin. Really shiok!

Image: http://www.ilovedinomartin.blogspot.com/

Article: from the same website by Dino Martin Peters.