India? is the third studio album by the band Suns of Arqa, recorded and released in 1984 by Rocksteady Records. The album was produced by Suns of Arqa founder Michael Wadada. It is their fourth album overall when including their 1983 live album with Prince Far I, and this is indicated subtly on the spine with the letters "Vol IV". The spine also reads "Such big ears, but still you can't see".
'India?' is a radical departure from the style of the previous two albums Revenge of the Mozabites and Wadada Magic. As the title suggests, this album has a strong Indian feel to its arrangements and instrumentation. It has not been released on CD, however three of the five tracks have found their way onto other Suns of Arqa CD releases.
Track A1 'Give Love' which features Ras Michael appears on the 1991 compilation CD 'Land of a Thousand Churches', and tracks A3/B2 (Kalashree/Vairabi) both appear on the 1992 CD Kokoromochi.
The sleevenotes for this LP include thank-yous to Adrian Sherwood, Style Scott, Gadgi, Martin Hannett, Chris Nagle and Kevin Metcalf.
India (Syriac: Beth Hindaye) was an ecclesiastical province of the Church of the East, from the seventh to the sixteenth century. The Malabar Coast of India had long been home to a thriving East Syrian (Nestorian) Christian community, known as the St. Thomas Christians. The community traces its origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. The Indian Christian community were initially part of the metropolitan province of Fars, but were detached from that province in the 7th century, and again in the 8th, and given their own metropolitan bishop.
Due to the distance between India and the seat of the Patriarch of the Church of the East, communication with the church's heartland was often spotty, and the province was frequently without a bishop. As such, the Indian church was largely autonomous in operation, though the authority of the Patriarch was always respected. In the 16th century, the Portuguese arrived in India and tried to bring the community under the authority of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The Portuguese ascendancy was formalised at the Synod of Diamper in 1599, which effectively abolished the historic Nestorian metropolitan province of India. Angamaly, the former seat of the Nestorian metropolitans, was downgraded to a suffragan diocese of the Latin Archdiocese of Goa.
India is the first studio album by Spanish singer Vega, released on November 7, 2003 on Vale Music Spain.
This album represents her success after having sold more than 200.000 copies of her first single "Quiero Ser Tú" (Spanish for "I Want to Be You"), which was a task to be accomplished before being entitled to a recording contract. The album itself sold more than 110.000 copies in Spain alone.
The country, India, has always been an inspiration to Vega, and that is why she decided to name her album after it. All but two songs on the album, "That's Life" (Frank Sinatra cover) and "Believe" (K's Choice cover), were written by Vega. The eighth track, "Olor A Azahar", is dedicated to the city she was born in.
The first single from India was "Grita!", which became the best-selling single of 2003 in Spain. After the success of the first single, "La Verdad (ft. Elena Gadel)" and "Directo Al Sol" followed. Elena Gadel, a member of the girl-group Lunae, whom Vega had met during the time they were part of Operación Triunfo, also helped with the background vocals for "Grita!".
There's a little girl lives on our street she's awful sweet and pretty
The boys stand on their heads for her but she thinks they're all silly
She's got freckles on her nose her hair is light and sandy
Penelope Candance is her name but we call her Penny Candy
She doesn't know what a nickel is she's got no use for dollars
There's always a penny in her hand and a licorise on her collar
She's the sweetest girl in town the little boys think she's a dandy
But the monkey shines don't bother her when she's eatin' Penny Candy
Penny Candy she eats that messy kind Penny Candy she eats it all the time
[ guitar ]
She brightens up the neighborhood her little face is always glowing
And when she's in a hurry we all know where she's a going
It's to the little corner store that's awful close and handy
Then once again her happy face is black with Penny Candy
Penny Candy she eats that messy kind Penny Candy she eats it all the time
[ guitar ]
She's always got a smile for you if you should ever meet her
And with Candy on her face her smile is a little sweeter
Penelope Candance is her name and she likes that fine and dandy
But if you want to see her dimples show just call her Penny Candy