South Vietnam "Yellow Music" / Rare 45 RPM Vinyl / Lê Thanh
$
192
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Description
This auction is for a rare 45 RPM vinyl record of South Vietnamese "Yellow Music" also known as Folk/Country/Bolero music. This record and the sleeve are in awesome condition. The record was pressed in dark red vinyl. The year this album was pressed is unknown, but it is believed to have been between 1960-1970. There are four songs on this album and below are the song titles and the artists who sang them listed in Vietnamese. I've not translated the Vietnamese song titles in this listing as quite frankly, the translation didn't even come out correct in English. Please read the below information to learn a little more about these unique albums that are quite rare and don't surface on the market too often as they were banned when the Communist government took power in Vietnam in 1975. **This cover has a catalog number for this release #660 / 2076 on the blue side while the opposite side (black) is for a different release, #659. Please see pictures.
I've included a few period pictures of the artist, they are only for information purposes in this auction, I do not own originals or reproductions.
"During the next war — the Vietnam War — the official music genre allowed by Hanoi was revolutionary or red music. The content of such music was to honor leaders, the communist party, and support production in the rear and war in the front. The tempo was usually fast, and the melody vehement. A few songs were emotional, but they were in general not encouraged.
There was no entertainment or music industry in the North as the singers worked for state-managed units, either civil or military, and got paid as public servants. Recording and broadcasting was monopolistic, primarily through the Voice of Vietnam radio. The release of music for commercial purposes was beyond imagination.
ADVERTISEMENTTo the contrary, below the 17th parallel, music took on quite another life. Since the late 1950s, songs were written mainly using boléro, rhumba, and habanera rhythms. In combination with Southern traditional music, a genre of music that was peculiar to Vietnam was born – slow and sad. With simple but poetic and meaningful lyrics, the songs told a lot about life: family, country, sadness, happiness, but most significantly: war and love.
Remarkably, anti-war songs were also accepted, they co-existed with the songs honoring the soldiers of the Republic of Vietnam. Yet, there was no such songs in the North to honor the president or his party.
Moreover, the music industry boomed in the South with lots of recording firms and music stages which, within two decades, introduced to the market hundreds of singers, many of whom became boléro legends: Thanh Thuy, Hoang Oanh, Phuong Dung, Thanh Tuyen, and Che Linh. These singers have been famous since the early 1960s and are still singing." (Excerpt from article in The Diplomat / 2016 / Dinh Duy)
Please see pictures of item condition. Item will be shipped via USPS media mail (handling charge has been included). No Refunds/Return. International buyers will need to pay for customs, fees, etc. For multiple orders, I will combine shipping.
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