Schoolboy – Asylum Kids

Schoolboy – Asylum Kids (They were Robb’ed)

Schoolboy – Asylum Kids

The Asylum Kids were one of the leading bands in the late 70’s early 80’s punk movement in South Africa. Led by the enigmatic Robbi Robb (later Tribe After Tribe) they soon captured the attention of Benjy Mudie but their outspoken lyrics and comments from the stage also got the security police interested in them, but not for their musical talents.

‘Schoolboy’ was their first single which was released in 1981. The picture sleeve depicted a bunch of disaffected schoolkids on the kerb, one has a guitar and leather jacket instead of a blazer, while another nonchalantly smokes a cigarette. The image itself would have been enough to raise the ire of the masses of mother grundies that infested the country.

Unlike some punk of the day, the Asylum Kids never took on the thrash, reckless sound. They were more Clash than Sex Pistols. To my mind, this less noisy approach was a sign of intellect in that the lyrics were too important to be lost in sneers and screams. ‘Schoolboy’ was probably the “poppiest” tune that the Kids recorded. It doesn’t have that dark edge that later songs like ‘No, No, No, No’ and ‘Fight It With Your Mind’, but it was an important part of the development of one of the country’s greatest punk bands and is still one of the stand out songs of that era.

Where to find it:

The Complete Asylum Kids – Asylum Kids (2005) Fresh Music, FRESHCD 147

Video:

Slave – Lucky Dube

Slave – Lucky Dube

Ultimate Lucky Dube

After Peter Tosh died, Lucky Dube became the biggest selling living reggae star in the world until his tragic death in 2007. Not bad for someone who didn’t start out as a reggae artist. Dube’s early musical efforts were in the Mbaqaga style and it was only about 3 years after his first release that he switched to reggae. His reggae career didn’t start well with the release, ‘Rasta Never Die’ being a flop, but the follow up, ‘Think About The Children’ went gold.

Released in 1987, ‘Slave’ was one of his most popular songs which, contrary to what one might think about a song called ‘Slave’ during the apartheid years, was actually about alcoholism. The influence of the likes of Peter Tosh can be clearly heard on this track, but there is also the distinctive township keyboard sound that shows its South African roots.

The album of the same name shifted over half a million copies and gained Dube recognition outside South Africa. He is still a huge star in large parts of Africa.

Where to find it:

The Ultimate – Lucky Dube (2010), Gallo, CDLUCKY 16
The Essential South African Trip – Various Artists (2007), African Cream

Lyrics:

Ministers of religion
have visited me many times
to talk about it
They say to me
I gotta leave it I gotta leave it
It’s a bad habit
for a man
But when I try to leave it
my friends keep telling me
I’m a fool amongst fools

Chorus:
Now I’m a slave, a slave
I’m a slave
I’m a liquor slave
I’m a slave, a slave, slave
I’m a slave
Just a liquor slave

I have lost my dignity
I had before trying
to please everybody
Some say to me
yo yo
I look better when I’m drunk
Some say no no no
I look bad you know
Sometimes I cry
I cry but my crying
never helps me none

Chorus:
‘Cos now I am a slave, a slave
I’m a slave
I’m just a liquor slave
I am a slave, a prisoner
I’m a slave
Just a liquor slave

Every night when I’m
coming back home
My wife gets worried
‘cos she knows
Shes got double trouble
coming home
Sometimes I cry
I cry lord I cry
But my crying
never helps me

Chorus: (till fade)

(Written by Lucky Dube)

Video:

Gimme Dat Banana – Strobe

Gimme Dat Banana – Strobe

Okay, so ‘Gimme Dat Banana’ is a cover version and the Strobe version isn’t too much different from the original by Black Gorilla. Furthermore, Strobe didn’t come up with a new song for the B-side of the single, but simply did a cover of ‘Funky Jungle’ which was the B-side of the Black Gorilla single. Given all this, you may well be asking why this is regarded as a South African song you need to hear. Well, I think that both versions are worthy of a listen, but South Africa embraced Strobe to a greater degree than the UK took to Black Gorilla. Strobe’s version peaked at 12 on the SA charts while Black Gorilla only managed to crawl up to 29 on the UK charts.

Perhaps we were far more at home with the funky jungle drums, strange tribal-esque chanting and screeching bird calls on the record than our European counterparts. Whatever the reason, ‘Gimme Dat Banana’ is a foot-stomping affair that would have had most party goers in 1977 off their seats and bouncing round the dance floor.

I have no information about who Strobe were, but it doesn’t really matter who does the song, as long as it sounds like the original. Hell, I grew up on the version that appeared on Springbok 35 (remember those?) and loved it back then and still love it now that I have obtained both Strobe and Black Gorilla’s versions.

Where to find it:

Second hand singles bins

Video:

Black Gorilla: