Srilankapop!



Aaaaaaaand were back! It's been a while, nice to see y'all. Q: "Where you been Senor El Guapo?" A: "Oh you know, traveling the globe having adventures. That is what I do best by the way, thanks for asking."

So, on a recent danger-filled trip to the wild, primitive and suburban jungles of Uxbridge, London, I stopped by the local charity shop and perused the never-changing record section filled with Duran Duran and Lonnie Donegan records, hoping for a bit of a surprise.

When you're digging through records, what exactly is the criteria that makes you go, "Yes! I'll have that one!" even if you don't have the slightest idea what kind of potentially ear-splitting hellishness may reside on it?

Records are one of the few occasions when you sometimes (I stress sometimes) can definitely judge a book by its cover. If it's got a really psychadelic sleeve then you're usually guaranteed something remotely entertaining if not mind blowing, and so on and so forth.

So, did you know that there was a groovy 60s pop scene in Sri Lanka? I know I didn't. Behind the previously mentioned Duran Duran records I came across these Sri Lankan 45's with awesome covers that screamed Grooviness with a slight hint of cheese. Anyway, with no way to listen to them I figured even if the music is crap the sleeve art was worth my hard earned 50p weekly allowance money.

Once home I threw down my bags and tore up the three flights of stairs (at 41 year old speed) to my little musical attic cave and slapped those little suckers on my turntable one at a time and.........It wasn't too damn bad! Think mid-60s elvis clambake meets Bollywood meets Dick Dale, sort of, but not? Don't expect to have your mind blown, but hey when was the last time you heard 60's Sri Lankan pop music?

I actually have a Sri Lankan classmate who told me these guys are all Sri Lankan superstars and that this kind of music is called "Baila", which brings me to the first record because it's by a man known as the "King of Baila"! Not only does Desmond De Silva look like a pretty swinging dude he is apparently a major advocate for people with Autism in Sri Lanka, Go Desmond!

Desmond Desilva - Maw Bima Heradha.



Milton Mallawaaratchi, or as I like to call him "Mr. Personality" (he doesn't seem terribly excited in the cover pictures), was a composer and extremely popular playback singer in the late 60s and early 70s. Playback singers are the ones who sing the songs in Bollywood movies that the actors lip-synch to. Anyway apparently he used to draw crowds of thousands and won a best playback singer award once! Woo Hoo! Or as they say in Sri Lanka "Woo Hoo!"

Milton Mallawaaratchi - Malin Maley




Priya Suriyasena was a music teacher turned serious heartthrob with teenage Sri Lankan girls in late 60s and early 70s. He's still kicking around, singing and breaking the hearts of little old ladies around the world. The label has a stamp across it that says it was bought at the "Ultra Sonic Record Bar" If the shop was as cool as their name, I would love to have seen it! This one didn't come with a cover, I could only find a tiny picture of this Sri Lankan adonis, feast your eyes, ladies!


Priya Suriyasena - Ratakin Eha Ma



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