Medley 1 – Kariba
Medley 1 – Kariba
Kariba were a studio act that included the talents of drummer and producer Kevin Kruger, the guitars of Jethro Butow (who’s name appears in the credits on many a great SA album), Nippy Cripwell on bass (another name that would be familiar to those who study credits on local albums) and Kim Kallie. They made a couple of albums in 1981 and 1982 which cashed in on the popularity of ‘medley songs’ which the ‘Stars On 45’ records had sparked.
While the big ‘Stars on 45’ hit featured a medley of 60’s pop classics, Kariba went in for a medley of reggae songs and on ‘Medley I’ (taken from their first album and not to be confused with the ‘Medley I’ on their second album) and more specifically the hits of Bob Marley. The medley includes ‘No Woman No Cry’, ‘I Shot The Sheriff’, ‘Kaya’ and ‘Could You Be Loved’.
As with ‘Stars On 45’ there is a short intro and interlude of an original piece included at the start of the song and as a bridge between ‘Kaya’ ‘Could You Be Loved’. The result is a nice little reggae medley, well executed and pleasant on the ear. You may argue that doing a medley of hits was not original (we had also seen a couple of other local medleys called ‘Hits On 46’ and ‘Let’s Play SA’ which brought local hits into the mix), but doing it with reggae tunes was not something we had seen up till then. ‘Medley I’ by Kariba was a damn fine song.
Where to find it:
Kariba – Kariba (1997), Gallo, CDRED 612
Video:
1001 South African Songs You Must Hear Before You Go Deaf 