Music release
Cambodian Rocks
Cambodian Rocks is a 1996 compilation of 22 Cambodian rock and pop songs from the late 1960s and early 1970s, first issued without titles or credits.[1][2]
About the release
The 22 songs span psychedelic rock, garage rock, psychedelic pop and romvong, the Cambodian circle dance.[1][3] Most were recorded in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[1][4] The music joins Western rock and pop with Cambodian styles, Khmer vocal techniques, new ways of playing and the rhythms of the circle dance.[1][4] Cambodian scales and vocal styles sit over the American psychedelic rock that reached the region during the war in neighboring Vietnam.[2]
Yol Aularong's "Jeas Cyclo" opens with traditional Cambodian percussion and scales before it turns into organ-driven garage rock.[4] Some songs are Cambodian versions of Western hits. Yol Aularong's "Yuvajon Kouge Jet" is modeled on Them's "Gloria," and Sinn Sisamouth's "Srolanh Srey Touch" is a Cambodian take on Santana's "Black Magic Woman."[2][4] Ros Serey Sothea sings on most of the tracks in some way.[4]
The cover shows a charcoal rubbing from Angkor Wat.[1][2][5]
History of the release
The American traveler Paul Wheeler first heard the music on buses while traveling through Cambodia.[4] He went to bootleg tape booths and sang and hummed the songs to vendors so they could find the tapes he wanted.[4] In 1994 he bought about six cassettes in Siem Reap and made a mixtape of his favorite tracks.[1][5]
The underground reissue label Parallel World released the compilation in New York in 1996.[5] A 13-song vinyl edition came first, followed by a 22-song CD.[1][3] The album was reissued in 2003, still with an anonymous track list.[2] Because no singers or song titles were named, the record was in effect an uncredited bootleg, and the label's failure to credit the artists or pay royalties to their families raised ethical questions.[2] Fans and researchers later identified every track, much of the work done by people sharing information online.[1][3]
The musicians
The release credits Cambodian performers including Sinn Sisamouth, Ros Sereysothea, Pan Ron, Yol Aularong, Liev Tuk, Meas Samon, Dara Jamchan and In Yeng, with Paul Wheeler as compiler.[1][3] The scene they belonged to was destroyed by the Khmer Rouge.[4] Nearly every musician in Cambodian rock was killed by the Khmer Rouge or disappeared.[4] Ros Serey Sothea disappeared in the late 1970s and was almost certainly killed by the Khmer Rouge; the same is true of Pen Ran and Sinn Sisamouth. None of their remains have been found.[2]
Legacy
Loser City called the compilation more than a primer on the music, and a view of a scene wiped out before it could reach its full potential.[4] The album has been praised for its music and for its historical and cultural importance.[1] Its circulation also contributed to the 2015 documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten.[1]
Track list
The songs include "Jeas Cyclo" and "Yuvajon Kouge Jet" by Yol Aularong, "Chnum Oun 16" by Ros Serey Sothea, and "Srolanh Srey Touch" by Sinn Sisamouth.[4][2]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Wikipedia, Cambodian Rocks
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Stranger Fiction, On Cambodian Rocks, a compilation of Cambodian psych rock from the 70s (February 26, 2021)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wikipedia, Cambodian rock (1960s to 1970s)
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 Loser City, Today We Drink Wine: Looking Back at the Tragic History of Cambodian Pop (June 19, 2015)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Firebird, Rock and the Regime (May 23, 2021)