Tag: 70s

Dina Mariana – Mari Bergoyang

Dina Mariana – Mari Bergoyang (Pop Remaja Vol. 1, 1978)

Known as the “Ricky Martin of Indonesia” among hipsters from Wisconsin, because like Ricky, she was able to successfully transition from being a famous child singer to a soap opera actor. I was hitherto unaware of Ricky’s stint as a bartender on General Hospital in the 90s, but after binging all of his episodes on youtube I am now thoroughly hooked on the show. Can someone please explain why Sonny was stupid enough to marry Lily?! Yes, I know she blackmailed him, but still.

New Dimensions – Bio-Imagery Programming

New Dimensions – Bio-Imagery Programming

 (Figure Enhancement System, 1978)

The first 15 minutes of this recording is your average run-of-the-mill relaxation/deep-breathing borefest. But then all of the sudden and seemingly out of NOWHERE it takes a surprisingly creepy and humorous turn. I could hardly believe my ears! (Although I’m certainly not complaining now that I’ve got the biggest knockers west of the Ganges).

Becky Mello – Kealakekua

Becky Mello – Kealakekua (1978)

“People often wonder how songs are written”, Becky Mello said in 1978. “Perhaps energy writes songs. A combination of human, environmental, and cosmic energies zeroing-in on someone who acts merely as interpreter.” 

So she had the energy thing worked out. She even made sure to give these “conglomerate energies” co-writing credit on each of her songs. The only thing left to resolve was which one of these glamour shots of Becky would go on the back of the record and which one would go on the inner sleeve:

VS.

Becky battled with her promoters from RLM Records until the wee hours of the morning, and although the exact details of the numerous shady deals that went down are still a mystery, there was definitely some blackmail, intimidation, and a gift certificate to Kimo’s Surf Shop involved. As the sun rose over Kailua Kona, they finally reached a consensus. Any guesses as to what was decided?

Meta Roos & Nippe Sylwéns Band – Here We Are Falling In Love Again

Meta Roos & Nippe Sylwéns Band – Here We Are Falling In Love Again

Meta Roos and Nippe Sylwéns Band must have been the hippest jazz outfit in all of Sweden back in 1978. And not just because of Meta’s feathered bangs, which were considered cutting-edge fashion at the time. Or because of these highly-covetable headphones: 

There’s not a lot of information in English about Meta Roos, unfortunately. All I know is that many years later she would sing the theme song “A World Full Of Life” in the Swedish dubbed version of The Lion King, and provide the voice of the mother weasel in… well, some movie that has a mother weasel.

The mystery is still out on Nippe. Swedish translation sites seem to indicate that either the word nippe or sylwén means “jewelry”, from which we can conclude only one of two things: that his ancestors were the makers of fine quality gemstone necklaces, or his parents were a tad kooky in choosing “Jewelry” as the first name for their baby boy. But we mustn’t worry ourselves over these petty details when there is music to enjoy. For now let’s venture back to 1978 for a cozy evening at the Gyllene Cirkeln jazz club in Stockholm…