Various Saigon Supersound 1965 to 75 Volume One

Description

Saigon Super Sound is the story of a musical era that was almost lost. The selection of tracks is limited to the period between 1965 and 1975, the so-called Golden Era in the South of Vietnam, where under difficult circumstances a lively pop culture had developed.

The music of Vietnam in the sixties was shaped by three currents: Nhc (red music or communist revolutionary music) had developed around the beginning of the 20th century in opposition to the French colonization of Indochina. It usually promoted independence, socialism and anti-capitalism in its lyrics and was the dominant genre in the communist North. These were mostly heroic songs celebrating the men and women who left their families to bravely fight against the French and, soon enough, also the US Army.

This collection focuses on the South, where under imported western influence a new kind of pop and rock music had developed: Nhc Vng (yellow music or golden music), Nhc Tr (young music). Nhc Vng are poetic, often sentimental and sad love songs (Tnh Khc) as well as simple, easily accessible compositions which praised the beauty of the homeland (Qu hng). This genre had also developed since the 1920s under French colonial influence, namely the chanson that was much appreciated by the growing Vietnamese bourgeoisie. Latin rhythms and dances such as the Bolero, the Rumba, Tango and Cha Cha Cha as well as Slow Rock were also integrated into the standard repertoire. Just a year ago I saw a large group of younger and older people dancing Tango at night, when Nguyn Hu street is converted into a pedestrian zone. When the Americans entered the war, they also brought rock- n-roll and soul music to Vietnam which became quite influential for local artists. Young music (Nhc Tr) was performed by newly formed bands like Dew Drop, The Dreamers, CBS Band and The Strawberry Four. There were all female bands too, such as the Blue Stars (of whom, unfortunately, no usable recordings have survived) who performed at the G.I. Clubs. They covered American rock and soul hits, translating or simply making up new lyrics in Vietnamese. Very few of these were even recorded, but many popular singers including Hng Cng, Mai L Huyn and Carol Kim added imported styles like Twist, Soul, Agogo, Surf and Mashed Potatoes to their repertoire of popular ballads. – Bandcamp