It seems appropriate that a song called ‘Sien Jou Weer’ (‘See You Again’ if you are not au fait with Afrikaans) begins with that sort of country-ish on the road again sound that you get in the movies as the hero/heroine sets off on a trip. You never quite know if you will see them again.
The music here has a rhythm of a train, a smoothness of the countless whiskeys consumed on the way, the desolation of the open road and a voice as gravelly as the tar on which you ride. You can smell the memories and sadness that gather in the slipstream of the departing sound, but the singer has to go. As Piet sings, ‘kyk nou die langpad/roep my al weer/daar is nou genade en liefe/en nog baie meer’ (‘look, the highway/calls me again/there is mercy and love/and so much more). The call of the open road is strong with this one.
This is Piet Botha and Jack Hammer at their smooth best. They can sometimes rock hard, but when they turn their collective hands (and voices) to those blues, they know exactly what to do and in ‘Sien Jou’ Weer’, they created something of beauty. It’s a song that once you’ve listened to it, you have no objections to seeing it again on your playlist.
Where to find it:
n Suitcase Vol Winter – Piet Botha (1997) Wildebeest Records, WILD005
The subtitle of this Jack Hammer classic is ‘Ballad Of Andre Stander’. For those who may not know it, Andre Stander was a South African policeman who was also one of the countries most notorious bank robbers. He would sometimes go out during his lunch break while working as a policeman, and rob a bank, later returning to the scene as the investigating officer. His life is captured in the 2003 film ‘Stander’.
But what has Fort Lauderdale got to do with all this, you may well ask (unless of course you know the story). Well the law eventually caught up with Stander in South Africa, but he managed to escape to the US. He was eventually found out and ended up being killed by a policeman in Fort Lauderdale.
That is probably why Piet Botha and his Jack Hammerers sing ‘don’t go to Fort Lauderdale’ in this song which tells the story of Stander in 3 minutes and 40 second, while the film takes nearly 2 hours. There is something about Stander, the barefaced cheek of what he did, that seems to appeal in the same way that Bonnie & Clyde and Ma Baker have intrigued people for years. And Jack Hammer tell the tale in their typical raw-edged guitar and growling vocals way. Although it has a similar subject matter, one can’t compare ‘Fort Lauderdale’ to Georgie Fame’s honky tonk ‘The Ballad Of Bonnie & Clyde’ or Boney M’s disco ‘Ma Baker’. This is a completely different genre. I wonder what it would sound like if The Police did it.
Where to find it:
Anthology – Jack Hammer (January 2000), Wildebeest Records, WILD020
The name Sarajevo always conjures up the words war and genocide after the Bosnian war of 1992 to 1996. There were some horrific stories that came out of Bosnia and it’s capital Sarajevo. Jack Hammer, led by Piet Botha, seemed to capture some of that horror and violence in this hard-hitting song from their 1996 album, ‘Death Of A Gypsy’.
From the very first second of the song we are assailed by screaming guitars and pounding drums, which one could easily equate to the pounding of bombs and screams of those on whom the bombs and missiles were falling. But inbetween these barrages of sound, there is an ominous lull where the guitars become the background noise while Piet’s gruff voice half sings, half shouts the lyrics that tell some of the history. The delivery is somewhat akin to a prophet calling judgement upon the people, a voice in the wilderness. The chorus (sung by another member of the band, possibly Stean van der Walt) is the voice of a parent urging the children to ‘Go now go now child/Go with the night and go to the mountain’ to run away from the war.
The memories and news of Sarajevo and the atrocities that happened there were very fresh when Jack Hammer recorded this blistering political song. While this song is particularly about Sarajevo and the Bosnian war, it could easily apply to any situation in the world where such atrocities have happened (and we know that there are many of them). Perhaps what one can take from this, apart from a pounding of your aural senses, is the last line of the second verse, ‘Mother you must take your children/Away from the frontline’.
Where to find it:
Death Of A Gypsy – Jack Hammer (1996), Wildebeest, WILD001
If you weary and feeling small, don’t worry, be happy because ‘Die Son Kom Weer’. Well that’s according to Piet Botha anyway in a song that was recorded for possible inclusion on ‘Die Hits’ album, but, for reasons known only to the Botha powers that be, was not released then. It has since surfaced on a compilation called ‘The Demos 2001-2002’ which, from what I can tell is only available as a download.
For a song with an upbeat title, it is surprisingly melancholic and downbeat, which makes one investigate it a little deeper. And it’s not really saying that there are better days before us (and a burning bridge over troubled water behind us) where everything will be absolutely lovely, but rather it is just a gentle encouragement to continue battling on as if Piet is gently pushing you forward, through the difficult times.
Although, the song was recorded as a demo and it is a little raw round the edges, it is still a quality recording with Piet’s deep and laid back tones rubbing shoulders with some gentle blues guitar which plays an almost hypnotic riff while a steady rhythm comes from the drums with splashing cymbals that are almost like a steady, soaking rainfall on the song as we await the return of the sun.
Where to find it:
The Demos 2001-2002 (Not an official release, but available on iTunes, Amazon and as an MP3 at: http://www.jackhammer.co.za/mp3.html)
‘For Annette’ finds Piet Botha and his band in a quieter, more reflective mood. There is a sadness running through the song which seems to be about a woman who has turned to the bottle: “I know the way the she drank her wine/Red yellow all the time just to get away”. It is sung from a stand point of a friend of this ‘Annette’ watching and understanding but not liking. The reasons for the “Too many living sharpened tears” is what “Some call [it] love in a place that died”.
To match the subject of the song, there is that distinctive Jack Hammer rough edged guitar sound and a grungy emotional vocal, but it’s not as in your face as some other material in the band’s portfolio. It’s serious subject and the music matches it.
It’s not all doom and gloom thought, there is the bittersweet line “And I can see you smiling” which suggest that there is some positive left in ‘Annette’s’ life. This is a song to sit in solitude and listen to, while reflecting on life and friendship. It’s a song for watching the sun go down on a particularly emotional day. It has a certain soothing quality to it that won’t wash the blues of the day away, but will slowly dissolve them, leaving you better off for the experience.
Where to find it:
Anthology – Jack Hammer (January 2000), Wildebeest Records, WILD020
Piet Botha found his way into Jack Hammer via Raven and Wildebeest, both of whom produced some rock singles in the late 70’s and early 80’s. But with Jack Hammer, Botha seemed to have found his calling and the band has been going for over 25 years now. Not a bad feat not only in South African terms, but in world terms.
‘Street Of Love’ is the opening track to Jack Hammer’s third album, the 1994 offering ‘Ghosts On The Wind’ and from the first howl of the guitar at the outset, you know you are in for a rock treat! The rest of the song doesn’t let you down. Playing some ZZ Top-esque blues rock the band burn rubber on the street of love. Piet Botha’s voice growls like a Harley Davidson prowling the neighbourhood causing any dad’s listening to this to contemplate incarceration for their female offspring.
Piet Botha has also produced some wonderful solo material, but (and this is not a hard and fast rule) he tends to keep the harder-edged rockier stuff for his band. ‘Street Of Love’ showcases Jack Hammer at their blistering best.
Where to find it:
Anthology – Jack Hammer (January 2000), Wildebeest Records, WILD020
Ghost On The Wind – Jack Hammer (1994), Inhouse Records, INH 160 CD
Road Works (1984 – 2009) – Jack Hammer (2009), JHCD003
There is something menacing about the title song of Piet Botha’s 2003 solo album. Well, you call a song ‘Die Mamba’ and of course there will be something menacing about it. Mamba’s are not cute. But it goes deeper than the name. The music itself is threatening and edgy, full of guitars and drums that assault you with a wall of sound. It is somewhat reminiscent of the denseness of Freedom’s Children.
The lyrics talk of a musician roaming the country with an almost lecherous eye on the groupies (‘jong bokkies’) that he wants to bite. Not something a young woman should play to pa just before telling him you’re off to a Piet Botha gig. You may just find yourself grounded.
Despite the menace in the song, it is a great track to lose yourself in. Wail along to the guitars, growl along with the vocals, let your senses be pounded by the beat, and then crawl out the other end of the song with that elated feeling of having escaped from a frightening, but somehow exhilarating ordeal.
Hulle roep my die mamba
Die hele kontinent behoort aan my
En ek beweeg
Maar ek hou nie baie van die woestyn
Want daar is nie jong bokkies
Bokkies om te byt..
Hulle roep my die mamba
En jy sal die vrees sien in hulle oge
Hulle roep my die mamba
By die hoor van my naam begin hulle bewe
En as jy by my pad loop staan
Dan kom die bliksem ek belowe
Jong bokkies…bokkies om te byt
Hulle roep my die mamba
En ek looi die kitaar
Op die lang pad gebore
En toe sommer net daar laat staan
Ek en my vriend adder loop by die nag
Al daai heerlike diertjies wat wag
Jong bokkies….bokkies om te byt
En dan sê hulle : “Hey hey hey
My mamba baby”
One wonders if the person Piet Botha is singing of in ‘n Suitcase Vol Winter was told to Vat Jou Goed en trek Ferreira. The drifter is on a train to nowhere, on the run from a woman who wants to shoot him, and all he carries with him is a suitcase full of winter. There is a stoicism about the man in question. He is on the run to nowhere, but this suits him (dit pas my goed). It is a rather bleak image, but there is also a gritty realism about it.
Piet’s growling voice manages to capture all these feelings. He sounds almost as if he doesn’t care, yet at the same time there is a desperate edge to the vocals. This is all laid on top of some blistering blues. From the first thudding beats of the guitar and building, with the aid of harmonica and piano, into a desperate, desolate soundscape that seems to compliment the emotional and physical landscapes one can imagine this man on the run is travelling through.
Except for the fact that the lyrics are in Afrikaans and there is a full band sound, ‘n Suitcase Vol Winter sounds as if it could easily have slid out of one of the great Delta blues singer’s guitars. The subject matter and the rhythm fit perfectly. This is, without a doubt, one of the great Afrikaans blues tracks.
Goeienag Generaal – Piet Botha / Jack Hammer (A Farewell to Army mates)
Piet Botha – ‘n Suitcase Vol Winter
The border war in South West (as it was then) and Angola had a significant psychological effect of a lot of young white South Africans conscripted to go and fight there. These effects are still felt by many today and, until recently, was hardly ever spoken of.
In 1997, Piet Botha spoke of it and did so in powerful words against an angry guitar backdrop. The track appeared on his critically acclaimed album ‘‘n Suitcase Vol Winter‘ and talks of the war being fought for all the trappings of capitalism. It was fought for ‘Vir Harry Oppenheimer en al sy maats, Vir Rembrandt van Rijn en Alfred Dunhill, En die OK Bazaars, En die hele bloody spul by die SAUK, Julle was die oorlog vir die CIA.’ And while the war was being fought for these people, Whitey, was being shot by an AK47.
Whether you agree with Piet’s view of the reasons for the war or not, this is one of the great anti-war songs that thunders along with venom, anger and a pounding rhythm. It sounds just as good on the live versions that are available as the studio ones do.
Where to find it:
‘n Suitcase Vol Winter – Piet Botha (1997) Wildebeest Records, WILD005 Bootleg – Piet Botha and Jack Hammer (February 2001) Pofadder Records / Intervention Arts, INT 011/ POF 001 (Live version) Live At The Nile – Piet Botha & Jack Hammer (July 2004), Wolmer Records, F1000292 (Live version)
Lyrics:
Ja, dit was die oorlog vir die nuwe dag
Vir die kerkraad, swanger meisie wat wag
In die reën, al die kinders wat die dominee seën,
Al die jong laaities nou net uit die skool,
Welkom, welkom
Dit was vir die ryk man op Waterkloofstraat
Blink gebou, almal werk, maar niemand mag praat
Was vir die weduwees en die armes van gees
En almal in uniform, en die kapelaan lees
Maar Whitey, jou oë op daar dag
Was blou net soos die lug
Toe ons weer so kyk
Het ‘n AK jou fucked-up geskiet
Goeienag Generaal
Hulle was die oorlog vir die nuwe dag
Vir Harry Oppenheimer en al sy maats
Vir Rembrandt van Rijn en Alfred Dunhill
En die OK Bazaars
En die hele bloody spul by die SAUK
Julle was die oorlog vir die CIA
Generaal ry rond in sy blink swart kar
Speel skaak met die kinders van ons land
En agter hom is die wêreld nou erg aan die brand
Maar Whitey, jou oë op daar dag
Was blou net soos die lug
Toe ons weer so kyk
Het ‘n AK jou fucked-up geskiet
Goeienag Generaal
Guitar solo
Maar Whitey, jou oë op daar dag
Was blou net soos die lug
Toe ons weer so kyk
Het ‘n AK jou fucked-up geskiet
Goeienag Generaal, slaap lekker
