Magical Nights - Saigon Surf Twist & Soul (1964-1966) | Phương Tâm

Magical Nights - Saigon Surf Twist & Soul (1964-1966)

by Phương Tâm

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Voodoo Rhythm Great compilation ,solid Cardboard paper and insane Booklett for a great price .. thanks

daniel van kleef Whats there not to love, waiting for the vinyl release! Favorite track: Có Nhớ Đêm Nào (Remember the Night).

Rodent An amazing piece of history. I'm so glad this has been collected and issued.

Blundervan How can anyone not love this?

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

$10 USD or more
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
The deluxe
CD release comes housed in a 6-panel digipak, with two 32-page booklets in English and Vietnamese,
featuring extensive liner notes by Hannah Hà and Mark Gergis, exclusive photos, album and sheet music
art, original magazine and newspaper extracts, nightclub advertisements + more.

Includes unlimited streaming of Magical Nights - Saigon Surf Twist & Soul (1964-1966) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 7 days

Purchasable with gift card

$17 USD or more
Limited Edition Double LP Saigon Surf, Twist and Shout 1960s
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Orders from France will ship after January 3rd, 2023
Please be patient with all order shipments due to the holidays.

These are in stock and will post as soon as we can get them out.

The album features 25 tracks, restored and remastered from original records and reel tapes. Deluxe double LP release comes with two 14-page booklets in English and Vietnamese, featuring extensive liner notes by Hannah Hà and Mark Gergis, exclusive photos, album and sheet music art, original magazine and newspaper extracts, nightclub advertisements and more.

Includes unlimited streaming of Magical Nights - Saigon Surf Twist & Soul (1964-1966) via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Có Nhớ Đêm Nào (Remember the Night) 02:59	buy track
2.	Buồn 18 (Sorrow At 18) 03:09	buy track
3.	20-40 (20-40) 03:07	buy track
4.	Anh Đâu Em Đó (Wherever You Are, I Will Be There) 03:18	buy track
5.	Nếu Có Xa Nhau (If We’re Far Apart) 03:58	buy track
6.	Phút Say Mơ (In My Dream) 03:28	buy track
7.	Đêm Huyền Diệu (Magical Night) 03:26	buy track
8.	Nhịp Đàn Vui (A Merry Tune) 02:53	buy track
9.	Ai? (Who?) 02:41	buy track
10.	Vẫn Yêu Hoài (Still Loving You Always) 02:34	buy track
11.	Ngày Phép Của Lính (A Soldier’s Day of Leave) 03:10	buy track
12.	Lá Thư (The Letter) 03:38	buy track
13.	Đôi Tám (Double Eight) 02:56	buy track
14.	Thần Tượng (Idol) 03:21	buy track
15.	Nhớ Mình Anh Thôi (Missing Only You) 02:50	buy track
16.	60 Năm (60 Years) 03:05	buy track
17.	Tình Lính (A Soldier’s Love) 03:42	buy track
18.	Buồn Lên Thành Phố (The Sadness of the City) 03:26	buy track
19.	Lòng Trai 20 (Heart of a 20-year-old) 02:30	buy track
20.	Nếu Có Em (If I Have You) 02:58	buy track
21.	Tình Mơ (Dreamy Love) 02:35	buy track
22.	Bước Giang Hồ (My Wonderful Journey) 02:42	buy track
23.	Những Ngày Qua (Bygone Twisted Days) 03:06	buy track
24.	Còn Nhớ Gì Không (Do You Remember?) 03:04	buy track
25.	Thế Hãy Còn Xa Lắm (Still So Far Away) 03:23	buy track

about

Sublime Frequencies is honored to present the first ever retrospective of Phương Tâm, the groundbreaking Saigon teenager who became one of the first singers to perform and record rock and roll in 1960s Vietnam.

By chance in early 2020, Hannah Hà (USA) learned that her mother, Phương Tâm, had once been a famous young singer, performer and recording artist at the heart of Saigon’s music scene in the early 1960s. The family had heard some mention of their mom as a singer at the time, but the extent of her legacy and the many songs she had recorded came as a big surprise. Further investigations soon led Hannah to producer Mark Gergis, compiler of Saigon Rock and Soul (2010, Sublime Frequencies), enlisting him to join her on a journey of discovery and recovery. The result is this essential document of Phuong Tam’s brief but prolific career, and at the same time, reuniting the long-lost music with its singer.

The unique strengths and qualities of Phương Tâm’s voice, coupled with her commanding stage presence, had swiftly elevated her to top billings on Saigon’s nightclub stages. Parallel to the brutality and uncertainty of an already protracted war, South Vietnam’s music and recording industry were developing at a rapid pace in the early 1960s. Globally, musical trends with wild, ephemeral dance crazes were being thought up weekly; the twist, hully gully, the mashed potato – none of them a problem for Phương Tâm. She soon caught the attention of Saigon’s leading recording companies and composers (Y Vân, Khánh Băng, Trường Hải, Thanh Sơn, Y Vũ and Mặc Thế Nhân, among others). Her energy translated unsurprisingly well in the studio, backed by electric guitars, contrabass, drums, lush brass sections, saxophone, piano, organ and rich backing vocals.

Between 1964-1966, Phương Tâm would record almost 30 known tracks, released by the three main record companies in Saigon. The teenage starlet became a vital centerpiece of pop music of the time, and one of the very first singers to perform and record rock and roll (known locally as nhạc kích động, or, action music) – though as you’ll hear, she could also transform a jazz ballad into something otherworldly. While these musical styles were undeniably influenced by contemporary trends worldwide, the musicians and composers worked to localize the sounds, incorporating linguistic adaptations, lyrical content and past artistic traditions into something all their own.

In 1966, as Saigon’s music scene continued to evolve and escalate, Phương Tâm walked away from her singing career without looking back – marrying the man she loved and beginning the next rich chapter of her life. But her recorded output had laid the stylistic groundwork for the following generations of singers, and many of the songs she first sang would later be further popularized by others. Her impactful, but short- spanning career has seen her legacy remain historically understated until now.

Due to the lack of master tapes or documentation from pre-1975 Vietnam, and the scarcity of records and tapes that had survived the war, it was difficult to grasp the extent of Phương Tâm’s discography. A collective effort was required in sourcing materials and information to compile this record, involving key collectors and producers internationally (Jan Hagenkötter - Saigon Supersound, Cường Phạm, Adam Fargason, Khoa Hà – granddaughter of composer Y Vân, and researcher Jason Gibbs). As the veils of history were slowly lifted, the genuine thrill was witnessing Phương Tâm herself, hearing these songs for the first time in over 50 years – sometimes since the day she recorded them.

At the heart of this project is a family story – Hannah Hà’s dedication to recovering and sharing her mother’s musical legacy is helping put Phương Tâm back on center stage after 55 years. But it is also a story that adds critical context to the fragmented understanding of Vietnamese popular culture during the 20th century, particularly after so much has been lost to war and dislocation.

25 tracks spanning Phương Tâm’s recording career: early rock and roll, surf, twist, soul, blues and jazz ballads recorded in Saigon between 1964-1966, featuring electric guitars, contrabass, lush brass, saxophone, drums and organ, and rich backing vocal arrangements. Restored and remastered from original records and reel tapes.

Deluxe CD release comes housed in a 6-panel digipak, with two 32-page booklets in English and Vietnamese, featuring extensive liner notes by Hannah Hà and Mark Gergis, exclusive photos, album and sheet music art, original magazine and newspaper extracts, nightclub advertisements + more. Digital version is accompanied by a 41-page pdf booklet. Vinyl release forthcoming in 2022.

credits

released October 26, 2021

Produced and compiled by Mark Gergis and Hannah Hà

Co-production, research, assistance and contributions:
Jan Hagenkötter, Cường Phạm, Adam Fargason

Audio restoration and mastering: Mark Gergis

Audio assistance and consultation:
Peter Conheim, Jake Rodriguez, Janto Djassi Rößner

Front and back cover design: Miles Stegall
Layout and Design: Mark Gergis

Translations: Hà Xuân Trừng, Hoàng Chí Cường, Cường Phạm,
Jason Gibbs, Hannah Hà

Thank you:
Cẩm Vân Đổ, Bradley Freeman, Jason Gibbs, Khoa Hà, Đức Văn Huỳnh, Ayesha Keshani, Taryn Lamm, Nguyễn Bá Hiển, Chris Menist, Saigon Supersound, Matthew Stahl

Special thanks to Phương Tâm

All tracks ©+℗ Sublime Frequencies + Phương Tâm
All rights reserved - 2021

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about

Sublime Frequencies Seattle, Washington

SUBLIME FREQUENCIES is a collective of explorers dedicated to exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers via film and video, field recordings, radio and short wave transmissions, international folk and pop music, sound anomalies, other forms of human and natural natural expression not documented sufficiently enough by various communication channels. ... more

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