Check this out.. one the best hard rock 80's band from Malaysia. Guitarist Joe, is no doubt the best in Malaysia but not recognised... very low profile.
Naja (Burnmark's) - Opera Sang Bara
Tracklist :
01. Tangisan Sayonara
02. Opera Sang Bara
03. Bunga Pesona
04. Mencari Cinta Yang Hilang
05. Luka
06. Warisan
07. Kritikal Cinta
08. Wajah Kehidupan
09. Pesta Pinga
10. Mekar Istana Cinta
Just gave this a listen. 3 songs stood out as some of the best I've ever heard from Malaysia - quite reminicent of RISING FORCE and the likes, but as often with these Malay bands the major part of the record is filled up by awful schmallads. Why was this so common among these bands? Was it the only way for them to score a record deal? Or did they really think this is what HR/HM is all about? Any clues to this mystery, deadspit? I'm not dissing your scene, I'm honestly dumbfounded about this
It was the only way for them to get a deal. I guess it worked since hundreds of bands got deals. It seems like they needed to have at least 4 ballads in every album. I dont recall most albums having any less than that... maybe at the least 2 but that would be a rare ocurrence. But bands would generally play very few ballads live since there wasn't much way of controlling that. This was only one of the many obstacles Malay bands had to face. Anyways, the ballads "assured" them success, and they did help quite a few bands to became rock n roll superstars who still play to this day, and many others became of course "one-hit wonders".
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Yes I do agree with your observation Dan... It does pissed me off a bit though but as Derrick said it is a way to get a record deal with the major label or else stay underground and not recognize .. such band like Rator, Nebiras, Bazzah etc.. I actually can't really recall any band in that era late 80's & early 90"s that actually at least 80% of the album with heavy and fast songs except Junction - Petualang.. I think only two songs are slow...
It is often that if you look at the covers of all those promo LPs, you notice that all heavier tracks are crossed out by the radio stations. So if the band wanted to get radio access, they had to do ballads...
roihlem wrote:It is often that if you look at the covers of all those promo LPs, you notice that all heavier tracks are crossed out by the radio stations. So if the band wanted to get radio access, they had to do ballads...
I even have an album where they've crossed out the heavier songs on the actual VINYL
