Knowledge is Power, Work is Worship

V/A — Coronation Issue: Selected Nepalese Folk Songs & Tunes

I found this record at a shop in Munich. It's a collection of "folk songs" and "folk tunes" from Nepal, issued by the Shree Ratna Recording Corporation in 1975. Ratna Records was (and may still be) the state run recording and releasing arm of the national Radio Nepal.

I put folk songs and folk tunes in quotes, because the songs on this record and from the Ratna label in general aren't purely folk. It's not easy finding info about Nepalese music on the internet; what I have found is either in academese or very dry (though informative). General consensus from the sources is that Nepalese popular music in the 20th century, especially from the 50s and 60s onward, is a mixture of local folk musics with indian ragas and western music (both pop and classical).

These three forms mix perfectly to form a style wholly different. A lot of the instruments are either common to or borrowed from India—most notably the percussion used throughout this record. But the melodies are quite different from the Indian musics I've heard and are often played on western instruments: violin, organ, guitar, etc. I'm guessing the melodies are based on folk forms.

The closest comparison I can think of is Bayon, the east-German/Cambodian 70s krautish group. Especially my favorite song from the record: Prem Dhoj's "Yo Naniko Siraima" (Nepalese pop songs are titled by their first lyrics).

I have a few more 7" EPs from the Ratna label that are just as great. I will be posting them in the coming weeks. As well, one can find many Nepalese songs on the WNSO website, though most of the songs I've heard there are heavily synth-laced.

Llllllaaaaallllllloooooo

I put the 45 rpm single of the Lalo Schifrin soundtrack to Che! down on my record player, but forgot to switch to 45 rpm. I think it actually sounded better on 33 1/3 rpm. Listen for yourself. Of course you'll want to compare it to the original, which can find on the internet, I'm sure.



I haven't heard much Lalo Schifrin. Or well, I haven't listened to very much Lalo Schifrin—as in given a concentrated listen to something I chose to hear. We've all heard him, extensively probably. After all, he did write the Mission Impossible theme song, as well as other notable tunes.

It's been almost a year and a half since the last time I posted to this blag; two years since a post of any real substance. Finding time's not so easy. Actually, that's not true. Finding time when I'm not tired or wouldn't prefer just completely vegetating— that's not easy. But I've been buying strange records that have never been and never will be on CD, nor reissued on LP; many of them I don't expect to ever see in a shop ever again. And I plan to resume transferring them to my computer and posting them.

This isn't one of them. You can find the Che! soundtrack easily, probably on CD even. Though, slowing the CD down isn't as simple.