Koes Bersaudara / 1967

Sublime Frequencies

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The first in a series of (Sublime Frequencies) releases to chronicle the Indonesian popular music scene from the late 1950s through the late 1970s—titles to come will consist of single artist releases and various artists compilations dedicated to specific styles or genres. This CD features the first-ever reissue of KOES BERSAUDRARA’s two extremely rare and almost impossible-to-find original recordings from 1967—The So-Called The Guilties (12-song full-length LP) and Djadikan Aku Domba Mu (8-song 10-inch LP). Guilties has long been considered by Indonesian music historians as their nation's legendary garage rock masterpiece, not to mention the first record to directly challenge or speak out against the Indonesian government. Recorded live in the studio in a few hours, the album is laced with a raw, guitar-driven sound that forays into previously unexplored realms of the mid-'60s Beat generation. Though Guilties is obviously inspired by Western bands of the period, the record possesses a unique feel throughout and will challenge you to find obvious derivative Western sources (with the exception of the Byrds guitar style on "Apa Sadja"). Djadikan Aku Domba Mu was recorded a few months before the Guilties album and has a much dreamier feel overall. Some of the tracks are more psychedelic and reminiscent of the ballads the Koeswoyo brothers would create at the end of the 1960s. Also included in this set is the studio outtake "The Land Of Evergreen," the only cut in this collection that was recorded in stereo. One of four tracks on this CD sung in English, "The Land Of Evergreen" features an absolutely stunning guitar intro and is one of the best songs the band ever created.