Give Me The Good News – Crocodile Harris

Give Me The Good News – Crocodile Harris

Crododile Harris – Give Me Good News

With the help of Tully McCully, Crocodile Harris constructed ‘Give Me The Good News’ around a beautiful piano lullaby tune. Some lush orchestral sounds are added while Crocodile’s emotive vocals build into the crescendo of the brassy chorus that fairly soars. However, unlike some other anti-war songs, (Dylan’s ‘Masters of War’ for example), this is not an angry song. It is almost like a father telling a child not to grow up going to war. This feeling is perhaps brought on by the lullaby lilt to the piano and, as the song draws to a close, a child-like xylophone accompanies the piano.

Harris, (real name Robin Graham), scored it big with this anti-war song. Not only did the song spent 8 weeks on the Springbok Top 20 , peaking at number 14 in 1982, but also went on to shift 650 000 units in France. Who says good news doesn’t sell?

Where to find it:

• Give Me The Good News – Crocodile Harris (1983, WEA Records, 24-0212-1)
• The Best Of Crocodile Harris – Crocodile Harris (2007)
• SA Party – South Africa’s Greatest Hits – Various Artists (2009, Gallo, CTS 5028)

Video:

Lyrics:

If we accept the word forever
Maybe we should live together
And not be scared to watch
The late night news
You can’t use guns to build a nation
A bullet never was creation

Give, give me the good news
War’s the one game where we all lose
Give me the good news

If I accept the word tomorrow
Can I file away my sorrow
And not be scared to watch
The late night news
You can’t use force to sell a promise
Dictatorship was never honest

Give, give me the good news
War’s the one game where we all lose
Give me the good news

Give, please give me the good news
War’s the one game where we all lose
Give me the good news

If I accept the word forever
Maybe we should live together
And not be scared to watch
The late night news
You can’t use guns to build a nation
A bullet never was creation

Give, give me the good news
War’s the one game where we all lose
Give me the good news

Give, please give me the good news
War’s the one game where we all lose
Give me the good news

Give, give me the good news
War’s the one game where we all lose
Give me the good news

Written by Tully McCully and Geoff Coxall

Naked – Naked

Naked – Naked

Kaolin Thompson from Naked | image: Fresh Music

No, I haven’t chosen this one because it should get me more hits on this blog, and yes, there really was a group that called themselves Naked and they did have a song called Naked (released in 1998), the CD single of which did feature a naked person on the front, but all artistically done.

The band was made up of Kaolin Thompson, Darrel Mordecai, Crallan, Sean Fourie and Sean Ou Tim and were produced by Neal Snyman. The song is a relaxed affair with a funky beat and some echo-ey guitars which underpin Koalin’s breathy vocals, the latter making the refrains somewhat seductive. The chorus soars in comparison to the refrain and shows off the strength of Koalin’s vocal talent. There is also an ethereal feel that the guitar brings to the song.

Naked is a love song, Naked is a lovely band, so get listening. Clothing is optional.

Kaolin went on to record a solo album.

Where to find it:

SA Top 40 Hits of All Time Volume 6 – Various Artists (2002), Sting Music, STIDFCD037

Put Your Hand In The Hand – Alan Garrity

Put Your Hand In The Hand – Alan Garrity

Put Your Hand In The Hand – Alan Garrity

The 70’s in America was a time when there were a lot of “Christian” songs floating around the popular music scene. ‘Put Your Hand’ was one of these and encourages people to grab the hand of Jesus (The Man From Galilee). This Gospel number has all the feel of an old traditional one, but was actually written in 1970 by Gene MacLennan and was first recorded by Anne Murray. It has subsequently been recorded by such luminaries as Joan Baez, Elvis Presley and Donny Hathaway. However, it was a Canadian group called Ocean that had the biggest hit with it, taking their version to number 2 in US. Their one features a mix of male and female vocals.

Alan Garrity’s version is a well-executed one. He delivers a strong vocal performance and his voice has a slight Elvis sound on this recording. His version topped the South African charts in1973 and stayed there for 4 weeks. The mystery that I have not been able to resolve though, is who sings the female vocals on this version. Anyone out there know?

Where to find it:
Various Artists – The Best of SA Pop Volume 1 (1994) GMP, CDGMPD 40485 (CD)

Video:
Alan Garrity

Anne Murray

Joan Baez

Elvis Presley

Ocean

Donny Hathaway

Lyrics:

Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.

Everytime I look into the Holy Book I wanna tremble
When I read about the part where a carpenter cleared the temple
For the buyers and the sellers were no different fella’s than what I
professed to be
And it causes me shame to know I’m not the people we should be

Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.

Mama taught me how to pray before I reached the age of seven
And when I’m down on my knees, that’s when I’m close to heaven
Daddy lived his life for two kids and a wife, but you do what you must do
But he showed me enough of what it takes to get me through

Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.

Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.

(Written by Gene MacLennan)

Mdlwembe – Zola

Mdlwembe – Zola

Umdlwembe – Zola

If you’ve ever seen the movie Tsotsi, you will recognise this tune from the opening credits. The lead character and his mates are in a shack. The mates are playing dice, while Tsotsi, his back to the camera stares out the window. The mates ask, ‘what are we doing tonight,’ and Tsotsi turns, an intense, mean look on his face. At the same time that you are introduced to this venom, you are hit with the first pounding beat of the heavy kwaito track ‘Mdlwembe’ by Zola. The harshness of the song compliments that of the surroundings as the film takes one into the tough underbelly of a township.

As the opening credits run, you get a glimpse of Zola himself, who plays one of the movies bad “baddies” (as opposed to the protagonist who is a baddie who comes good). His real name is Bonginkosi Dlamini, and has had a successful life as actor and kwaito singer as well as having his own TV show and clothing range.

If, like me, your first introduction to the song was through the movie, you may wonder whether it can hold its own when listened to without the movie. The synergy between the visuals of the film and music are powerful, but listening to the song on its own, you realise that it’s just as powerful and loses none of its pounding clout.

Where to find it:
Umdlwembe – Zola, Ghetto Ruff, (2000), CDGRUF019

Video:

Dance Sum More – Mango Groove

Dance Sum More – Mango Groove

Mango Groove burst onto the music scene in the late eighties with their infectious brand of afropop.  They were slightly different to the rock oriented music of Hotline or the slightly punky sounds of eVoid in that they were pure pop. And what great pop songs they brought us. Their early hits ‘Love Is The Hardest Part’ and ‘Move Up’ both charted on the Radio 5 charts, reaching number 11 and 6 respectively. But it was with ‘Dance Sum More’ that they managed to top the Radio 702 chart. Strangely this song did not chart on Radio 5.

Both the earlier hits were perfectly good dance pop tunes, but they were trial runs for the real McCoy. ‘Dance Sum More’ was where Mango Groove pulled everything together and you realised that this was a band that was going places. ‘Up, up, get up, up, up, get up and dance,’ Claire Johnson appeals to you in this brassy, breezy number and she hardly needs to persuade one as the music is so full of the joys of the dance floor.

Where to find it:
Mango Groove – The Essential Mango Groove (2008), Gallo, CDREDD 694 (AN)

Video:

Lyrics:
Dance my pretty, dance some more
get clever, whenever you feel your body moving
Dance my pretty, across the floor
discover a lover and get the party grooving
Up, up, get up, up, up
get up and dance
Dance, dance dance
dance some more…….

Dance my pretty, dance some more
get clever, whenever you feel your body moving
Dance my pretty, across the floor
discover a lover and get the party grooving
Up, up, get up, up, up
get up and dance
Dance, dance dance
dance some more…….

Written by: John W.H. Leyden, K Botha, J Lerole, B.G. Lewis & M Mtswala

Astral III – The Invaders

Astral III – The Invaders

There’s A Light There’s A Way

Uitenhage. Now who would have thought anything great would come out of there. But something did and that was Johnny Burke and his mates who formed the group the Invaders. Starting out as the Astronauts in the early 1960s, they had a few line-up changes as well as a name change and soon were setting the South African music scene alight with songs such as ‘June’, ‘Ice Cream And Suckers’ and ‘Shockwave’. In 1968 they scored a number 16 hit on the Springbok Radio top 20 with ‘Chapel Of Dreams’.

Three years later came another chart entry with ‘There’s A Light There’s A Way’ which was backed by ‘Astral II’, a song also worth checking out, but it doesn’t have the clout of ‘Astral III’. From the first chords of mark III of the ‘Astral’ songs you are hit by    searing guitars, pounding drums, dense Hammond organ and soaring vocals. The song is full on and in your face, not dissimilar to early heavy metal offerings from Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. A little over 2 minutes into the song, there is a blistering minute long guitar solo from Joey Moses that Jimi Hendrix would have been proud of.

It is not surprising that this track found its way onto the first Retro Fresh ‘Astral Daze’ compilation. It is one of the great rare tracks from those heady days when South African musicians were just beginning to ROCK!!!

Where to find it:
Astral Daze – Various Artists, RetroFresh (2005), FRESHCD148

There’s A Light There’s A Way – The Invaders, MVN (1971), RetroFresh (2010), FRESHCD173

Ons Soek Rock En Roll – Karen Zoid

Ons Soek Rock En Roll – Karen Zoid

Chasing The Sun – Karen Zoid

After the runaway success of ‘Poles Apart’, Karen Zoid’s debut album, all eyes (and ears) were on ‘Chasing The Sun’, her second album released in 2003. And it didn’t disappoint. Just the title of the track ‘Ons Soek Rock En Roll’ should have been enough to let people know that she was carrying on where she left off.

‘Ons Soek…’ has a go at the X-Factor generation and everything fake that people think cool. Karen is looking for the real deal, she wants boerewors on a braai not beans out of a tin. She wants people to recognise raw talent as opposed to glorified karaoke singers and she gives a perfect example of what she is looking for when she growls in her best Janis Joplin voice ‘ons soek rock en roll.’ She is also well backed up by her band who know how to rock. As she claims in the song, she is indeed die raas in jou generaasie.

Where to find it:
Chasing The Sun – Karen Zoid, (2003, re-issued by Just Music, 2007), CDJUST171

Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet – Maria

Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet – Maria

Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet – Maria

Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet – Maria

Discovered by Dickie Loader, Maria Lopez (born in Lourenco Marques)
had a string of hits that charted on the Springbok Top 20 in the 70’s.
Her biggest hit was a cover version of Dutch artist Bonnie St Claire
‘Clap Your Hands And Stamp Your Feet’. Bonnie managed to get to number
3 in her country with her version, but Maria went to the top in South
Africa.

There is a sort Slade-lite feel to the song. Maria doesn’t quite have
the raw edge growl of Noddy Holder, but the song itself does boast a
pounding glam rock beat. One could also argue that Maria’s version is
not too dissimilar to Bonnie’s, but the main point of this list is
that these are songs that form part of the South African psyche and
that our memories are based on the versions we would have heard. But
no matter which version you chose, there is little doubt you will be
clapping your hands and stamping your feet to this number which was
made with party DJs in mind.

Where to find it:
Various Artists – The Best of SA Pop Volume 1 (1994) GMP, CDGMPD 40485 (CD)

Video:
Maria:

Bonnie St Claire:

Lyrics:

What I wanna say
was it yesterday
that I saw you also there
yes I know you tried
close by my side
to draw my attention dear
but you understand
that I really can not come
in touch with you
but if you really will,
if you want it still
I tell you what you have to do
Well clap your hands
and stamp your feet
and I’ll come runnin’,
runnin’, runnin’ baby
well clap your hands
and stamp your feet
and I’ll come running
running, wait and see.

Huma la la la, Huma la la
Huma la la la la

And it’s great to see
that you want just me
and I think I’m the happiest
girl you’ve ever met
just be sure of that
I’d like to tell it
the whole wide world
Every moment dear I wanna be near
I wished I had a crystal ball
so that immediately I knew
you needed me by doing
our strange way to call
well clap your hands
and stamp your feet
and I’ll come running,
running, running baby
well clap your hands
and stamp your feet
and I’ll come runnin’,
runnin’ wait and see.

Huma la la la, Huma la la
Huma la la la la

(c) Tekst & Muziek : Peter Koelewijn

The Eagle Has Landed – Dickie Loader & Freedom’s Children

The Eagle Has Landed – Dickie Loader & Freedom’s Children

The Eagle Has Landed – Dickie Loader

This unlikely teaming up of a rock ‘n’ roller with a prog rock outfit
produced a startling result.  Dickie Loader started making records in
the early 60’s with his band The Blue Jeans. This music tended to be
covers of rock ‘n’ roll classics like ‘High School Confidential’,
‘Summertime Blues’, and ‘Sea Of Heartbreak’. But when the decade
rolled over, he went into the studio without his Blue Jeans (hopefully
he was wearing other trousers) and produced an aptly entitled album
called ‘A Breath Of Fresh Air’.

Three of the tracks on this album featured Freedom’s Children, those
heavy rockers of ‘Astra’ fame. The results were quite possibly a
little off putting for Loader fans, but fans of the Children would
have loved it.

‘The Eagle Has Landed’, a song about the moon landing, is a dense
affair, packed full of screeching guitars, heavy bass and a powerful
vocal performance from Loader. This track is a juggernaut that rams
its way through your consciousness and leaves your speakers exhausted.

Warning: Do not listen to Sonja Herholdt immediately after listening
to this; your brain will not be able to handle the gear change.

Where to find it:
Astral Daze - Various Artists, RetroFresh, (2005), FRESHCD148

Sibuyele 915 – Amampondo

Sibuyele 915 – Amampondo

Hi-Jivin’

Amampondo seem to want to hit things. And just as well they did,
because they probably wouldn’t have been famous if they didn’t.
Fortunately for those around them, the things they wanted to hit were
musical instruments – drums, xylophones and such like. Their ability
with these instruments apparently hit the right notes with Madiba as
they are reputed to be one of his favourite bands.

Dedicated to the people of the 915 Langa barracks, the Sibuyele 915
translates as ‘Back to 915’.  The song is a joyous marimba-fest, full
of life and energy. There are whistles (human types), cowbells and a
chant of the title that pulse throughout the song. Along with a few
changes in pace to keep things fresh and exciting. This song will have
you singing ‘Sibuyele 915’ long after the last plunked sound of the
marimba has died from your speakers.

Where to find it:
Hi-Jivin’ – Various Artists, Gr.Ex, (1997)