-- Trái đất rung rinh!
Nhưng .....
-- Các bạn rộn rã Niềm Vui!!
-- Se lòng xúc động!!
Khi nghe... HÙNG CƯỜNG cất giọng buồn...
"THƯƠNG-TƯỞNG"
-- The sun Explodes!!
-- The earth shake!
But .....
-- Friends, you'll be energetically Happy!!
-- Heart-broken and moved!!
When you listen ... to HÙNG CƯỜNG raise his sad voice...
"LOVE ILLUSION"
The exaggeration in these claims is obvious, however Hùng Cường was the best paid entertainer in the Republic of Vietnam. Famous as a singer and an actor in cải lương plays and on screen, one could make the claim that he was the Elvis Presley of South Vietnam. This is an announcement for his first cassette from the Đuốc Nhà Nam daily paper of January 29, 1972. Prior to that, since 1958, he had recorded over 200 tracks for the Capitol, Continental, Dư Âm, Hồng Hoa, National, Nhạc Ngày Xanh, Sóng Nhạc, Sống Mới, Sơn Ca, Tân Thanh, Thiên Thai, Tình Ca 20, Tình Ca Quê Hương, Việt Hải, Việt Nam and Vô Tuyến record labels.
Với 4 ban nhạc thời danh nổi tiếng nhất hòa âm hết cỗ chê:
1) -- "Lê văn Thiện" 2) -- "Phương Hoàng"
3) -- "Trần Trịnh" 4) -- "Blues-Notes"
Lê Văn Thiện and Trần Trịnh were both established expert song arrangers. Phượng Hoàng (Phoenix) and Blue Notes (not Blues Notes) were both bands that recorded and played in Saigon clubs.
There are 20 tracks on the Hùng Cường 1 / Chủ đề: Thương Tưởng album. They are listed at Cover Nhạc Việt. Unlike many Hùng Cường prior recordings, this album is full of sad love songs. Many are classics of Vietnamese song. He also included a few of his own previously unrecorded compositions.
It had a common practice on 7" recordings to give the name of the arranger who was also the band leader. I am disappointed that on this cassette album there is no breakdown of which musicians / bands performed on which tracks or who arranged what. I am primarily curious to know the role of the Phượng Hoàng band. They were the most innovative band of that time and place and were known for their "hard" rock sound. There are no tracks on Hùng Cường's album that have that hard edge.
I know less about the Blue Notes band. They were led by Duy Hải who played piano at Queen Bee night club when Khánh Ly managed the music shows there. The Blue Notes may have accompanied Khánh Ly on her legendary recording of Trịnh Công Sơn songs, Hát Cho Quê Hương Việt Nam. No band is credited there, but they are given as the accompanying band on Hát Cho Quê Hương Việt Nam 2. From listening to recordings, they usually included a saxophonist and trumpet player along with a rock combo. This is a instrumental combination on Hùng Cường's album. I have never seen a listing of the members of the Blue Notes.