At 71, Singaporean blues musician Lim Kiang releases debut album
Published on
14 Jul 2021
Published by
The Straits Times
SINGAPORE - It is better late than never for musician, singer and songwriter Lim Kiang, a blues rock veteran in Singapore.
At 71, he has released his first solo album Last Dog Standing. The title is a nod to his role as founding member and bass player of Straydogs, a pioneering R&B and blues band who were active from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s.
Many of the songs tell the story of his past - the wild parties of his youth, the colourful characters that have come and gone from his life and the places in Singapore that have disappeared.
The album comprises eight songs written in the last few decades, including two reworked versions of Straydogs songs, Cold Morning and Mum's Too Pampering Redux.
Mum's Too Pampering, the band's debut single, was first released in 1967. The original Cold Morning, together with another song Freedom, was released as a double single in 1971, which went to No. 1 in Malaysia.
The rest of the songs were co-written with his brother-in-law Mickey Wu.
Opening track Katong is an ode to the neighbourhood that he grew up in. It references spots such as the now-defunct Cold Storage cafe and the iconic Red House Bakery.
The album cover is a photo of a massive tree in Kuo Chuan Avenue in Katong. Lim recalls: "When we were young, even before the band started, we would always hang around this tree because there was an ice kacang stall next to it."
It was under the tree that the members of Straydogs, who included his elder brother Seow, discussed forming the band.
The musician, who is married and has a daughter, is speaking to The Straits Times at his flat in Teban Gardens.
Lim was 16 while the rest were two to three years older when the band started in 1966. Because he was younger, he was only meant to be an interim bass player, but he ended up being the one constant member as the line-up changed several times over the years.
The song Chasing The Night is about how he and his friends used to gatecrash house parties in their schooldays and "steal other people's girlfriends".
Butterfly is about being infatuated with a prostitute who was a customer at a bar at the old Tanjong Pagar railway station where he worked. Lim's family used to run the hotel and bar there.
When train tickets to Johor sold out, she would ask Lim for help. Through his connections, he would help her buy her ticket, and this went on for about a year. "I was only 17, 18 at the time," he says. "One day, she told me, 'This will be the last time, I'm going and I'm not coming back.' I was heartbroken."
Another song, Oh Paul, is a tribute to late Malaysian musician and singer Paul Ponnudorai, whom Lim was close to; while Sad Situation is a lament at how many elderly people in Singapore still have to work hard to make a living.
Lim sings and plays the bass on the songs. Many other musicians perform on the album, including other Straydogs members such as co-founder/harmonica player Ronnie Kriekenbeek and drummer James Tan, who also financed the album.
Renowned guitarist from the Singapore jazz scene, Rick Smith, was arranger for two songs, Butterfly and Mum's Too Pampering Redux, while seasoned musicians such as guitarist Noel Ong and bassist Clement Yang were also involved in the recording.
The songs are available on music streaming services such as Spotify and KKBox.
Appropriately enough, Lim has also released 100 copies in vinyl, the format of his old band's early releases. They are not sold in stores and buyers will have to e-mail him at limkiang @ gmail.com.
The first 200 copies of the album on CDs are already sold out and he has pressed another 100 copies.
Lim, who retired about a decade ago after a guitar shop that he co-owned, Guitar77, closed down, is also a member of Welcome To The Machine, a band that play songs by influential British band Pink Floyd.
He still has a lot of melodies in his head for future songs and does not rule out a second album.
"If time permits, you know, I'm 71 years old. I can die tomorrow or even after the next breath. If there's a chance to record, I'll record. If not, it's just like that lah."
Last Dog Standing is available on platforms such as Spotify and KKBox.
Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.
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