"Aaaaaaaaaaaa" "Moreeeeeeee" "Oooo isn't he cute!" The high-pitched shrieking, the enthusiastic head-banging, the crowd swaying together in unison… The whole hall's in a state of collective hypnotism.
Up on stage, the five young men, armed with their Fender guitars and a Rogers drum set at the back, grin their acknowledgement of the ardent adulation as they continue to bang, strum and sing a repertoire of familiar tunes.
"Did the women throw their panties on stage too?" I joke to the earnest-looking gentleman sitting opposite me as I entertain a flurry of images of 'Beatlemania' that erupt in my mind.
The fried chicken that he'd been about to take hovers in mid-air as he splutters: "Err, not quite!"
It was never quite Beatlemania, but if Omar Ariff is to be believed, The Strollers also enjoyed a sizeable following.
It is the only Malaysian band to date to be contracted by an international recording label to release and record English songs. Its heyday came in an era (60s and 70s) when the kugiran (an abbreviation of kumpulan gitar rancak or electric guitar bands) reigned supreme.
"They're Malaysian legends," exclaims the 56-year-old former human resource consultant-turned-author. And it's for this reason that he decided to embark on an ambitious book project, which would serve to "immortalise" this forgotten local band in the annals of history.
"They were the voice of their generation," he adds passionately.
And so, after a most challenging year and a half, peppered by obstacles, Omar's labour of love, The Strollers — Malaysian Pop Legends, released in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the band's first hit, I Wanna Thank You, was born.
The modest paperback, which is currently available in several Borders outlets and a number of independent bookshops, chronicles the story of a group of young men from diverse ethnic backgrounds who sang completely in English.
These lads stood out in a music landscape that was predominantly dominated by the sounds of pop yeh yeh, a genre of pop music which began in the mid-60s and said to be the Malay answer to the explosion in the West of the electric guitar sound of groups like the Beatles and other British rock and roll bands.
"My book takes readers through the early years of the band and their many 'incarnations'; the life-long friendship of the early band members and the all-important collaboration that earned them their legendary status," continues Omar, eyes shining.
Then, as an afterthought, he poses: "Have you ever heard of them?"
A pause ensues, followed by a look of disappointment as he notes my sheepish shake of the head. "Oh, I'm sure your dad in England would have. They would have been from his era," he adds swiftly, as if to assuage his own dismay.
Well, my father is 72. And if I'm not mistaken, the members of The Strollers would be in their 70s by now. So sure, Dad would probably have heard of them although if I remember correctly, dear Dad used to enthuse a lot more about The Shadows (English instrumental rock group and Cliff Richard's backing band from 1958 to 1968).
But I don't tell him this. Instead, I ask Omar, an "Old Boy" of the prestigious Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), to talk me through his book journey, truly the ultimate "fan ode".
The smile returns once again — and I don't feel so brutal!
LOVE AT FIRST LISTEN
"It was in 1973 and I was nine when I first heard my elder brother, Hakim, sing Just As I Am," recalls Omar.
"He used to sing this song a lot in the bathroom. I was taken by the lyrics and melody. The lines, 'Just as I am. For what I am…' remained in my memory for the next couple of years."
When he was in Form Four, Omar, the 10th child of Penang General Hospital radiographer Omar Farouk and housewife Olah Abdul Rahman, shares that he went to a music shop to make a cassette tape recording of his favourite songs.
Chuckling, he says: "The first song I wrote on that piece of paper was Just As I Am. I'd listen to the song again and again. I didn't know anything about The Strollers then; only that they were a local band."
Fast forward to 2010 and Omar chanced upon a music video on YouTube posted by someone called Keith Yoong. It was a video for Do What You Gotta Do by The Strollers.
"I was so excited," he recalls, adding: "Then I scrolled the rest of his playlist and found Just As I Am. That discovery triggered my interest to find out what had actually happened to the band."
On March 12, 2010, duly charged by the recent turn of events, Omar decided to create a Facebook group which he called "Remembering The Strollers of Malaysia".
Enthusiastically, he explains: "It was called The Strollers of Malaysia because from my research, I discovered that there was already a band by the same name in England, which was formed in 1961. A rock band from Sweden also took on the name when they formed in 1999. To be honest, I didn't know the whereabouts of the Malaysian Strollers or whether any of them was still alive!"
As fate would have it, Omar stumbled on Strollers 2 not long after. A quick call to the gentleman who was doing their promotional work, one Sunny Tan, and he was led to the contact number of Hussein Idris, a former drummer with The Strollers.
It was also through Facebook that Omar came into contact with Andy Chang, the nephew of The Strollers' bassist, Billy Chang.
"Andy gave me the number to his uncle, Billy, and I made the call. That was in 2010. By then, I'd also learnt that a few of the band members were still alive. Two of them had migrated to Australia," remembers Omar.
So did you track them down? I ask, excitedly, taking a long sip of my cappuccino.
"Err, no," comes the simple reply. For some reason, things came to a full stop and life plodded on.
STARTS AND STOPS
It was only three years later, in 2013, that Omar made contact with Hussein.
"I wanted to find out whether the band had any plans to commemorate the 40th anniversary of their album, Waiting Is…," remembers Omar. But Hussein wasn't able to give a definite answer.
That same year, the father of five called a local English radio station and told the deejays there that it was the anniversary of Waiting Is.
Suffice it to say, they were rather nonplussed. "The deejays were completely clueless about The Strollers," says Omar, wryly.
And again, things came to another full stop.
But then, rather unexpectedly, a call came from Hussein. It was 12.49pm on Aug 4, 2016, recalls Omar. "He called to tell me about the band's participation in an upcoming 'The Return of the Legends' concert. I felt so humbled that he even thought to call me."
Sept 17, 2016 is a date Omar will never forget. It was the first time that he clapped eyes on Billy, Hassan and Hussein on stage at Istana Budaya. "I went with my brother, Hakim and brother-in-law. I was thrilled," exclaims Omar, eyes shining.
After the show at Istana Budaya, he proceeded to make arrangements to meet with The Strollers trio at Tropicana City Mall, Petaling Jaya on Sept 28, 2016 for dinner, together with his long-time school friend, Zainol Azmi and the latter's friend, Zaimanur.
Shares Omar: "When I met them, I already had in mind that I wanted to revive The Strollers brand and hopefully one day, immortalise them so that future generations would remember the band as they do the Beatles."
But then, the whirlwind of work commitments took over and once again, the full stop ensued. It was to be another two years later that Omar would finally embark on his dream — to write a book on his beloved band, The Strollers.
"People often ask me why I would want to write a book on them," shares Omar, adding wryly: "And this question is usually preceded by, 'Are you a journalist?' My reply is simple. I tell them I'm just a fan who believes that The Strollers deserve their rightful place in Malaysian music history for what they've achieved."
It's his fervent hope that Malaysians will finally acknowledge and appreciate this hugely talented home-grown band whom he believes truly embodies the Malaysian spirit.
"I want the music and legacy of The Strollers to be preserved," he says softly, his gaze travelling to the world beyond the windows shielding us from the midday glare outside.
FOR THE LOVE OF MUSIC
"I guess you can call it an obsession," concedes Omar, his tone laced with mischief when I point out his apparent rabid "fanboy-ing" of the band, who, from the outset, had always been a multi-racial band with its Malay, Chinese, Eurasian and Indian make-up.
"It's like a 10-year obsession," he muses, before adding: "I mean, I liked the songs that I heard. And then when I found out that they came from a Malaysian band AND a Malaysian band that recorded and sang ONLY English songs… I was intrigued."
I listen in rapt attention as Omar takes me back to 1965 when the band first made their name at the RTM Radio Talent Time Show, having caught the eye of Radio Malaya producer, Adrian Hendroff, who gave them a tip — to compose and perform their own instrumental numbers. The advice was duly taken.
"None of the band members had any formal musical training and each composition was arranged 'playing by ear'," says Omar, his face lighting up at my look of surprise.
Each member, he continues, worked out their individual chords and drum beats and played each number from memory.
The Strollers made it to the finals, performing a song called In and Out. "It was band member Amrin who came up with the title because during rehearsals before the finals, people kept coming in and out of the room which the band was practising in," shares Omar, chuckling at the story.
The Strollers eventually emerged champions of the instrumental band category. "And that was when they established themselves as a force to be reckoned with," exclaims Omar.
In 1969, the band was offered a recording contract to release a single by CBS Records International.
Recalls Omar: "First they started off doing cover versions of other people's songs but by 1972, the band decided to record their own songs."
The Strollers went on to release nine singles, one EP, one album and 33 songs, of which 17 were original compositions.
"I decided these guys must be legends," enthuses Omar, noting me leafing through the pages of his book, which he has placed on the table.
Unperturbed, he continues: "The main group, comprising Hussein and Hassan Idris, together with its youngest member, Nand Kumar, Billy Chang and Michael Magness, the eldest in the group and considered by many as the face and voice of The Strollers, broke up in 1975."
Adding, Omar muses: "I guess it had something to do with the changing taste in music. These guys subsequently went into hibernation. They still played, but with a different line-up."
In the last decade, members of the group have started to return to the music scene, but not as the original group.
Billy, Hassan and Hussein formed their own "Strollers" groups and have been seen performing at places such as Uncle Chilli's [PJ Hilton] and Hard Rock Cafe. Meanwhile, Hussein helms The Strollers2.
How would you describe their "sound", I couldn't help interjecting, noting a pause in Omar's recollection.
The Penang-ite smiles before answering: "A lot of people say their sound is very psychedelic. But I don't think that's accurate. Psychedelic has connotations of LSD. The Strollers were never that."
Continuing, he shares: "When you talk to the band members, they never claim their sound is psychedelic. They're more into commercial pop. Not rock. They were definitely very influenced by the Beatles, The Shadows and all the guitar bands."
In 2016, The Strollers finally got their overdue recognition when they were awarded the title 'First Malaysian Pop Band' by the Malaysia Book of Records at the Return of Legends concert at Istana Budaya.
Voice low, Omar says: "These guys played music for the love of it. They weren't really bothered about contracts. Sadly, there are no videos of them performing although they did actually perform in front of the Agung, Al Marhum Sultan Abdul Halim, in 1972. The RTM orchestra was led by Johari Salleh."
THE THREE P'S
This book journey, which Omar describes as "something I felt I had to do", was nothing short of challenging.
"It was driven by what I call 'the 3 P's' — passion, perseverance and prayers."
Chuckling, he shares: "Some people had been incredulous — including The Strollers themselves! I remember when I approached them with my plans, they asked whether I was a musician. Even during the interview stage they were sceptical. I don't think they had very high hopes about this undertaking. "
After all, Omar, who has a background in Commerce, concedes sheepishly, he only had one other book under his belt — a self-help book called Petua Mendapatkan Pekerjaan Pertama Anda (Tips For Getting Your First Job).
"And there I was, attempting to do this massive project. It was akin to raising the phoenix from the ashes!" he says, chuckling, before adding: "They even asked me whether anyone would be remotely interested to buy the book in the first place!"
The second P involves perseverance. Shares Omar: "By the time I reached the third person during the interview process, I realised I was in trouble. Two of them were in Australia. I actually sent them a questionnaire. They never responded within the timeline given."
Continuing, the self-confessed history buff recalls: "Then I had another problem. I had nothing on Amrin Majid — the guy who started it all. Then by chance, somebody gave me his younger sister's contact number. Through her, we were able to get a good picture of Amrin. And that provided the starting point of the book — the first chapter: Era of Kugiran."
Incidentally, Amrin, who was born in Medan, Indonesia, passed away in 2010 at the age of 60 after suffering four strokes over several years.
On the first day of Ramadan last year, one of the members living in Australia, Jimmy D'Oliveiro, finally replied to Omar's emailed questionnaire.
The other, Michael Magness, formerly a guitarist with a band called The Blue Dominoes, declined to participate, for reasons known only to him.
"By the time I got Jimmy's answers, I knew I could start writing the book," says Omar.
"Meanwhile, info for Michael was based on information from friends. By July of last year, I managed to complete the first draft."
Omar had to rely on personal narratives, old newspaper cuttings and random research on the Internet for content.
Information about dates and places proved the biggest hurdle. Surviving band members did their best to recall and share information. In certain cases, he had to rely on relatives of deceased members to construct their story
The final P is Prayers. Omar shares that it was quite a task trying to get someone to write the book's preface. To cut a long story short, after much patience and a lot of waiting, he finally secured YB Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, to pen a special message and The Strollers fan, Tan Sri Dr Lim Ewe Jin to complete the book's Foreword.
"I prayed hard throughout," says Omar, wryly.
NEVER-GIVE-UP SPIRIT
As he was writing the book, Omar shares that he contacted a major bookstore to gauge their interest. They politely declined. Then he spoke to an author-friend who had self-published her book.
"The problem with self-publishing is the money has to come from your own pocket. So I dithered about that," recalls Omar.
He went on to approach two other publishers — independent ones.
The first one wanted the full manuscript before they'd even give him a quotation.
"After some terse emails, I abandoned that route," he confides, exasperation etched on his face.
"Then I called up another party. The person in charge was a Mat Salleh. He said he'd forward my draft to his external reviewer."
The review that came back was, in Omar's words, rather unflattering. "They wanted me to include the bigger picture of the music scene then, including writing about other bands that made up the landscape. Of course, I didn't have all the information. All I had was the interview material and stuff from the Singapore Straits Times archives."
Exasperatedly, he adds: "Anyway, I was writing a book about The Strollers. Why would I allow for other bands to share the space? That basically ended the printing options with those publishers."
And so he decided to self-publish. The book was eventually published by Rabak Literature Publication. The aim was to release his labour of love sometime in mid-March this year. Incidentally, Music for Musicians Concert, a 12-hour non-stop music marathon, had also been slated for then.
"But then MCO happened," recalls Omar. "But it didn't stop me. During the three months, we managed to get everything printed and the book was finally ready on June 30. I was so relieved."
Did you get to show the band members the book, I ask, curious.
His head bobs enthusiastically in response. "When I showed them it, they didn't exactly jump with joy but I could see the sparkle in their eyes. They thanked me and told me they never thought this would happen."
Proudly, Omar confides that he left his full-time job to focus on this "personal project".
"My wife was incredulous. A lot of people were. But it was something I had to do. Back in my mind, I knew I was racing against time. Any one of the members of the band could leave us."
The youngest surviving member, Hussein, is already 71.
In fact, he adds, the band's first official drummer has passed away. Even Jimmy (D'Oliveiro), currently residing in Australia, suffered a stroke early in the year.
Says Omar: "I sent the book to him but it hasn't arrived yet. I just hope he gets to read it and even pose with it. Then all will be complete."
So what's next, I ask. He smiles before replying: "Next, I want to see The Strollers back on air. I want Malaysians to know about them, our Malaysian pop legends. I don't want a 'P. Ramlee situation' where people only appreciate them when they're dead. It'll be too late!"
Omar Ariff can be reached at omar.ariff@gmail.com.