Hoodoo Download: Singaporean Blues MP3s

I'm still waiting to stumble upon that hallowed "Straydogs: Live at the Golden Venus in '67" bootleg, but I think my hopes are in vain. In the meantime, enjoy what you can, and I'll keep posting tracks as they trickle in.

Siva Choy & Crossroads
In 1999, Siva re-released his comedy album Why U So Like Dat with a few bonus tracks -- one of which, "The 5 C's," is a Chuck Berry-styled rocker about a guy torn by the materialistic neuroses of Singaporean women. E-mail veeyo@singnet.com.sg to order a copy of the album.

TITLE: The 5 C's [2:43]. Written by Farid Long. From the album Why U So Like Dat? Viyo Records, 1999. Size: 1.32 MB.
PERSONNEL: Siva Choy (vocal), Steven Rufus (sax), Richard Khan (drums), John Chee (guitar), R. Segar (bass), and K. Ravi (piano).

The New Vintage Blues Band
New Vintage cut a self-titled, self-released demo (eight tracks) in 1999. You can download it for free (in RealAudio) from their Web site at http://www.newvintageblues.com.

Skunk Jive (featuring Kelvin Ng)
The following recordings stem from three different "sessions": two radio broadcasts done in the studio and one home demo. Beware: the radio recordings suffer from some nagging static (blame my antenna), but Kelvin's harp still comes through loud and clear.

TITLE: Heartbreak Hotel [1:30]. Written by Lieber/Stoller. Taped from a studio broadcast on 93.8 FM, "The Living Room," October 1998. Size: 0.64 MB.
TITLE: How Long [1:29]. Written by L. Carr. Size: 0.64 MB.
PERSONNEL: Kelvin Ng (vocal and harp) and Gerry Nelson (guitar).

TITLE: Scratch My Back [5:25]. Written by J. Moore (aka Slim Harpo). Taped from a studio broadcast on Passion 99.5 FM, July 1999. Size: 2.27 MB.
PERSONNEL: Kelvin Ng (vocal and harp), Ken Chang (guitar), and Gerry Nelson (guitar).
TITLE: Boogie Chillen [5:50]. Written by Hooker. Size: 2.47 MB
PERSONNEL: Kelvin Ng (vocal and harp) and Ken Chang (guitar).

TITLE: Trouble No More [3:55]. Written by M. Morganfield. Taped in Madam Sim's living room, March 1999. Size: 1.67 MB.
PERSONNEL: Sleepy Chang (vocal, guitar, and foot tapping).

The Straydogs
The recordings of the Straydogs suggest their "model" influence of the sixties, The Rolling Stones. "Freedom" (recorded in 1971) is no 12-bar blues, but it shows off the fretwork of two of Singapore's best guitarists: Jimmy Appudurai-Chua and Lim Thian Soon. E-mail singbigo@singnet.com.sg to order the back issue of BigO No. 106 (the CD single is included in the package). It'll cost you S$12.

TITLE: Freedom [2:24]. Written by Terry Tan and Dennis Lim. From the CD single The Straydogs. BigO, 1994. Originally released as an EMI single in 1971. Size: 1.01 MB.
PERSONNEL: Terry Tan (vocals), Lawrence Koh (drums), Dennis Lim (bass), Jimmy Appudurai-Chua (guitar and harp), and Lim Thian Soon (guitar).

The Universal Blues Band
The Universal Blues Band released their debut album, Get on the Blues Train, in 2000. You can download selected tracks from the band's Web site at http://www.ublues.com.