Saturday, February 6, 2010

The Rickshaw Five and Hoo Mei

12043 - Skip School Flu (Clip)
(R. Boling)

12044 - Jungle (clip)
(Kim Larn, Bragi Music Co. BMI)

A Mai-Lin production
Recorded in Hong Kong,

Encore Records - P.O. Box 2801
Washington D.C. 20013
Affiliate of Era International
1964

A 1962 copyright on the "Skip School Flu" side and a 1964 copyright on the "Jungle" side. Both titles were also issued on the CMP label. See The Nite Cats and the Rickshaw Five entry. "Jungle" on Encore is probably a re-recording of the CMP recording, while "Skip School Flu" (along the "Summertime Blues" line) is possibly the same recording. Anyway an unusual "sophisticated" label design for a record pressed by Rite.

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1 comment:

  1. Hello, it's Jan. 2015, I just did a search on "The Rickshaw Five" and found your web site. I never heard the "Nite Cats'" version of this record (either side), but I know it's NOT the same as the Encore version, because I was the bass player on the later version! It was made in a commercial recording studio in an office building on the north side of K Street N.W. in Washington, D.C., in March 1964 (yes, I am now 74). It was NOT recorded in Hong Kong, and there was no established group called the Rickshaw Five, just a few local musicians put together by the producers and an Asian girl singer named Mai-Lin (as "Hoo-Mei?"). The only one I knew was the drummer, a black dude in his 30's named Teddy Porterchinko. He was the owner of a local coffeehouse where I used to hang out at night and play his stand-up bass in jazz jam sessions. He was asked to help with this recording, and had me bring along my German-made Framus electric bass (it was cheap, but all I could afford, which is why it sounds so "muddy" on the recording). The guitar player and singers had sheet music, but I only played by ear--you can hear me screw up the key changes in the bridge and the 3rd verse. When I asked for another take, the producer said "Don't worry about it, it's only rock & roll--nobody'll notice!" The flip side, "Jungle," was a total unrehearsed, unscored jam led by the drummer. The whole thing was a sham, and I never got paid (all I got was a copy of the record, later). I'm running out of space for this comment, but anyone who wants to know more details can contact me at: rncrelac@aol.com.

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