Tat Ming Pair - The Story of the Stone - Music Box

Performer: Tat Ming Pair Record Label: PolyGram
Publication date: 1987
Executive Producer: Huang Zuhui

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01. Separation (Instrumental)
02. Street Angel
03. A Wonderful "New World"
04. A windless autumn
05. The Story of the Stone
06. Mourning
07. Cracking
08. Rear Window
09. A person on the road
10. Abandon

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  • In 1985, Lau Yee-tat, who had previously formed two bands, DLLM and Oriental Electronic Orchestra, placed an advertisement in the "Swing Biweekly" magazine, publicly recruiting a singer to form a band. Wong Yiu-ming, who worked as a DJ at Commercial Radio 3, volunteered and entered Lau Yee-tat's musical world, thus giving birth to "Tat Ming Pair".
  • Through Yu Zheng's introduction, Tat Ming Pair signed with PolyGram. In March 1986, Tat Ming Pair released their first EP, featuring a strong British electronic music style. In September of the same year, Tat Ming Pair released their first album, "Tat Ming Pair II," with the track "Lost Night Train" becoming their first chart-topping single.
  • In February 1987, Tat Ming Pair released their second album, *The Story of the Stone*, with Lau Yee-tat composing all ten tracks. The opening track, "Leaving," and the closing track, "Abandoning," connect the entire album as a concept album, musically diversifying beyond its electronic foundation, allowing Lau Yee-tat to create a more imaginative space. Chan Siu-kei's lyrics depict the hypocrisy of a materialistic world, voyeurism, rampant speculation, and the misanthropic sentiment, vividly portraying a glimpse into the late 20th century through Anthony Wong's haunting vocals. The album includes refreshing electronic tracks like "Street Angel," the punk-infused "Beautiful 'New World'," as well as poignant and melancholic pieces like "Lament for the Past" and the wistful and bittersweet "Rear Window."
  • "The Story of the Stone," adapted from "Dream of the Red Chamber," is both profound and poignant. This hit song by Tat Ming Pair was the third band song to reach the top of the RTHK Chinese Song Chart. Due to its profound lyrics, unique musical style, and Anthony Wong's free-flowing, soulful vocals, the song is widely recognized as a classic of Cantonese pop music.
  • "The Story of the Stone" has only 144 characters, yet it succinctly summarizes the theme of the literary masterpiece "Dream of the Red Chamber." The chorus uses a series of reduplicated words to express the singer's bewilderment, helplessness, and sorrow. The use of reduplicated words, while complementing the imagery, also influenced the style of Tat Ming Pair's lyrics, establishing their refined, sharp, and aesthetically pleasing characteristics. Liu Yida's composition is stunning, both psychedelic and melancholic. Starting with the first harp arpeggio, he uses a beautiful double-stop guitar to play the main melody of the chorus, a continuous guitar riff that unfolds like a dream. Anthony Wong brings his clear voice to its fullest potential; his exquisitely beautiful vocals elevate the song to a transcendent level.
  • From their debut EP in 1986 to *Do You Still Love Me?* in 1988, Tat Ming Pair's musical style entered its first phase, characterized by a series of fast-paced electronic songs such as "Street Angel" and "Rear Window." The influence of British New Romanticism and synthesizer pop was very strong in these works. In stark contrast to the electronic fast songs were simple, tranquil ballads, including "Windless Autumn," and folk-style ballads with a strong national flavor, such as "The Story of the Stone."
  • The former embodies the delicate and inner beauty of Tat Ming Pair's musical style, while the latter reveals its roots and classical character.
  • The works "Unresolved Feelings" in 1989 and "Neurosis" in 1990 represent the second stage of the development of the Tat Ming School's musical style. During this period, the styles of the works became more diversified, and the means of musical expression became richer and more varied.
  • "Nerve" became the farewell spark of the 1980s band trend. The disbandment of Tat Ming Pair officially ended the glorious years of the band group and marked the end of the band trend.
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