Beyond the Tea Dance: The Story of Singapore Sixties Music, Vol. 2
Joseph C. Pereira
Singapore: Select Books, 2014
ISBN: 9789810792848

Beyond the Tea Dance is the second volume of Joseph Pereira’s comprehensive survey of the Singapore pop music scene in the 1960s. Apache over Singapore, the first volume, was published in 2011.

The second half of the sixties saw seismic shifts in the global music scene. In Singapore, newer breed of bands was coming to the fore, many with outlandish names. Tea dances became increasingly popular. Discotheques started sprouting up to cater to a new hip crowd. Pop Yeh Yeh, which had always been active alongside the mainstream pop music scene, came into its own with many releases. Singapore bands were very active playing the British services circuit and in Vietnam.

But, as the decade drew to a close, several pivotal events signalled the end of this glorious era for Singapore pop music.

Beyond the Tea Dance examines in rich detail all the major bands and singers in this turbulent period.