Orang Outang – Hawk

Orang Outang – Hawk (Primate Scream)

Orang Outang - Hawk

A few entries back in this blog when talking about Magic Man by Neill Solomon, I said that that was one of the few songs that featured an mbira. Well, here’s another one. Hawk (known internationally as Joburg Hawk), used the instrument to have a quiet-ish start to a song that quickly begins to pound to the rhythm of African drums while Dave Ornellas’ powerful vocals battle with Audrey Motaung for supremacy. The result of the vocal battle is a draw with both singers coming out top.

The song was written by Freedom Children’s Ramsay Mackay and recorded by Harambee when he was in that group. Their version is also worth a listen if you can get hold of it. It’s less pounding, but features a nice sax. Margaret Singana also wrapped her vocal chords around the song for another worthwhile effort and Brian Finch’s version features a nice Zulu harp. I’ve yet to find a bad version of the song, but I still keep coming back to Hawk’s version for its sheer force of delivery.

Where to find it:

Africa She Too Can Cry (Official CD re-issue) (2004) RetroFresh, freshcd137

Video:

Don’t Push – Mikanic with Ernestine Deane

Don’t Push – Mikanic with Ernestine Deane

Mikanic are Mike Rennie and Nick Turner from Sons of Trout, and the band name is a condensed version of Mike and Nick. Ernestine Deane was the wonderful voice behind Moodphase5ive and has gone on to forge a solo career for herself. Collaborations between well known artists does not always work and can sometimes result in dis-synergy (a word I made up all by myself) where the sum of the parts is less than the individual. However, this is one of those happy occasions where, to
express it in mathematical terms, Don’t Push > Mike+Nick+Ernestine.

‘Don’t Push’ is a beautifully delicate song. The gently guitar plucking, haunting violin and muted drums underpin the intertwining of Mike’s plaintive and Ernie’s breathy vocals to create an understated masterpiece. It does sound as though the song just came into being rather than being pushed out through a painful creative labour. One could almost change the words of the chorus from ‘Don’t push, don’t shove, we don’t need no help falling in and out of love,’ to Don’t push, don’t shove, we don’t need no help writing this song.’

Where to find it:

Swimming With The Women – Mikanic (2002), Rhythm, RR036

A Moment in Cape Town – Various Artists (2002), Wonder Label

Video:

Abergavenny – Quentin E Klopjaeger

Abergavenny – Quentin E Klopjaeger (Having a Wales of a time)

Abergavenny

Abergavenny is a town in Wales, sometimes referred to as the Gateway to Wales. Judging by the pictures on the internet, it is a rather charming town set amongst rolling green hills and features a ruined cathedral and the River Usk. However, this is a review of the song and not the town.

That said, knowing a bit about the town helps you understand why Quentin E Klopjaeger was so cheerful about going there (that and the fact that no one would know him as really being the famous Billy Forrest using one of his many aliases). There is a carnival atmosphere about the song with flutes and drums and brass bands.

Released in 1969, this is a cover version of the Marty Wilde hit (to those of you who grew up in the 80’s Marty was Kim Wilde’s dad) and follows that version quite closely. However in those days that was the main form cover versions took and we can proudly lay claim to a version as good as the original.

Where to find it:
Fantasy – Quentin E Klopjaeger (Polydor 277019), 1969
The Heart And Soul Of – Billy Forrest (Gallo CDREDD 654), 2001

Lyrics:

Taking a trip up to Abergavenny
Hoping the weather is fine
If you should see a red dog running free
Well, you know he’s mine

A chase in the hills up to Abergavenny
I’ve got to get there and fast
If you can’t go
Then I promise to show you a photograph

Ah, passing the time with paradise people
Paradise people are fine by me
Sunshine forever, lovely weather
Don’t you wish you could be…..

Taking a trip up to Abergavenny
Hoping the weather is fine
If you should see a red dog running free
Well, you know he’s mine

Ah, passing the time with paradise people
Paradise people are fine by me
Sunshine forever, lovely weather
Don’t you wish you could be…..

A chase in the hills up to Abergavenny
I’ve got to get there and fast
If you can’t go
Then I promise to show you a photograph
A little photograph, a little photograph
Up to Abergavenny

La-la-la-la……

(Written by Jack Geller & Frere Manston)

Website:

http://www.rock.co.za/files/klopjaeger_index.htm

Video:

Marty Wilde Version:

Links:

Abergavenny tourism:

http://www.abergavenny.net/