Friday, July 28, 2017

Thai Funk from The Impossibles! "Stage Show" (1974)

                                           

The Impossibles were really big in Thailand throughout the Seventies, playing Soul, Funk, Country and Ballads alike. They recorded their 1975 Album “Hot Pepper” in Sweden while on Tour in Europe: reportedly they were the first Thai Rock Band to record a whole album in English.  They took their name from a 1960s cartoon called “The Impossibles” (a Hanna-Barbera TV Series). The group split up in 1977. While “Hot Pepper”, originally issued on Philips in 1975, has been repressed (unofficially?), “Stage Show” from 1974 has not been repressed. A couple of weeks ago I found this record in a small shop and did not expect too much, since most later records from The Impossibles were rather unlistenable (cheesy ballads). .. but not his one! It gets immediately funky, starting with an awesome version of Stevie Wonders “Superstition”, and stays funky and soulish (think Kool & The Gang, Barry White etc.). The only song I had to omit is a cover of Hank Williams' “Your cheatin’ heart”. I am a big fan of Hank Williams, but I want to spare you (and the world) this cover-version from the Impossibles… anyway, the rest is awesome, please enjoy! If you like to see the songlist, it can be found on Discogs…