Various – Begging the Moon: Phleng Thai Sakon & Luk Krung, 1945-1960 Thailand Luk Krung Folk Music Album Compilation
Label: Death Is Not The End – none
Format: 16 x File, FLAC, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: Sep 30, 2022
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Luk Krung
Tracklist
1 Somyot Tassanphan– It’s Not Raining All Over the Sky
2 Wongchan Pairot– Deceived
3 Ruangthong Thonglantom– Wedding Tomorrow
4 Wongchan Pairot– Begging the Moon
5 Songphan Kwanphoon– Touch
6 Komin Nilwong– Majesty Above the Sky
7 Poonsak Pattayakosol– Look
8 Phongsri Woranuch – Sorry Letter
9 Phon Pornphakdee– Frightening
10 Thanongsak Phakdithewa– One Love
11 Wongchan Pairot– Lonely
12 Ruangthong Thonglantom, Winai Chulabusapa– Swan and Crow
13 Phongsri Woranuch – The Farmstead Awaits You
14 Chen Yenkhae– Poor Homeless People
15 Nanta Pitanilapalin, Naris Aree– Love Me for a Long Time
16 Suwanna Seneewong– Beyond Desire
Begging the Moon is a collection focused upon an early-to-mid 20th century style of Thai popular song,
commonly named Phleng Thai sakon (meaning “song which is both Thai and universal”). With recordings taken
from the end of WWII until the start of the 1960s, many of these tracks may also be referred to as Luk
krung (meaning “child of the city”) a more urbanised style of popular song that is in contrast to the Thai
country music known as Luk thung (“child of the field”).
Following the Thai cultural revolution of the 1930s and the following reign of west-leaning premier Plaek
Phibunsongkhram, Thai culture began to adopt more and more western influences – with Thai traditional and
classical music starting to incorporate western notation and particularly Jazz-orientated themes. Thai folk
melodies were also adapted to create “ramwong” – a merging of popular western dance music styles such as
the tango or rumba, spear-headed at the time by the pioneering Suntaraporn band.
In the years following the end of WWII, the Phleng Thai sakon began to gradually develop sub-genres such as
phleng talad (market songs) or phleng chiwit (life songs) focused on rural topics, and sung with rural
accents. A little while later this would lead to a formal demarcation in the music – with the polished and
western ballad-orientated music known as Luk krung, and the more traditional/country style now dubbed Luk
thung. The gap between the two would then widen, both musically and culturally, right up to the present
day.
The recordings compiled here can broadly be categorised as being in the former Luk krung style, though some
tracks may touch on rural subjects and motifs. However that is not to say they are overpowered by western
musical influence – many of these tracks display potent aspects of traditional Thai music within their
