That Goddam Motorsai! The Best of Lam Phaen Sister No1

This album of molam music from Thailand's north-east region, Isan, is the first of two late 70s/early 80s reissues by Japan's EM Records. It features the funky, streetwise lam ploen (a style mixed with Thai country music, disco and rock) of gritty singer Khwanta Fasawang, whose career was masterminded by legendary Thai producer Doi Inthanon. He developed the lam ploen (confusingly called lam phaen in the album's title) sound with singer Hongthong Dao-udon, and was one of the first Isan producers to embrace and exploit the then-new cassette tape technology.

Fasawang emerged in the early 80s with a series of hits, including ‘Lam Phaen Motorsai Tham Saep’, a standout track on the album. Her lyrics generally cover love, fast money, motorcycles and drinking. The smooth productions of Doi Inthanon became the sound of Thailand's north in the early 80s.