Hard Ride – Rabbitt

Hard Ride – Rabbitt

This one’s for those guitar-heads out there who love nothing better than an electric guitar having a good old work out. I have no doubt that Trevor Rabin would make most lists of Greatest South African guitarists. One only needs to listen to the mastery on ‘Hard Ride’ to realise this. The song is guitar heavy and shows off his talents with an axe.

If one wishes to make international comparisons (although hardly necessary with Rabin as he did go on to international success as a member of Yes and as a composer of Hollywood film scores), one could liken him to Mike Oldfield as not only was he extremely good with a guitar, ‘Hard Ride’ also shows off his skills with a keyboard as there are piano-esque bits that dance around the howling guitars.

When listening to this track, it is easy to see why those guys in Yes took Rabin into their fold as it has a prog feel to it while still being pop rock. It thunders along at pace, carried by the guitar, but there are also orchestral swirls that boil in this cauldron of sound, lifting the song from being just another guitar track and making it a track of substance.

If you were a young teenage girl fantasising about taking Trevor Rabin (or any of the other Rabbitt boys) home to meet the parents, it would probably have been best to play them something like ‘Charlie’ as an introduction rather than ‘Hard Ride’ as ‘Hard Ride’ rocks and rocks hard. It’s a juggernaut of a track that doesn’t stop for breath.

Where to find it:
Boys Will Be Boys – Rabbitt (1976), Fresh Music, FRESHCD153

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Getting Thru To You – Rabbitt

Getting Thru To You – Rabbitt

What do you do when one of the main guys in your band leaves? Sometimes you call it a day, sometimes you get in new main guy and hope that he or she fits in. But sometimes you look around and think, well we can do this without them. And the latter is what Rabbitt did when Trevor Rabin decided to flee the hutch. Neil, Duncan and Ronnie decided to give it a go as a threesome.

They drafted in Julian Laxton as a producer and recorded the band’s 3^rd and only post-Rabin album, ‘Rock Rabbitt’. ‘Getting Thru To You’ is taken from that album and it would get to number 15 on the Springbok Top 20, matching the peak of their last Rabin hit, ‘Morning Light’. Obviously there would have been comparisons to see if the remaining members of the band were up to the challenge and in ‘Getting Thru To You’ fans would not have disappointed.

It is perhaps a little harder edged than their previous work and that may well be down to Laxton’s production work. It is also more of a straight rock track that lacks the kind of symphonic/operatic tinge a la Queen that Rabin brought to their earlier stuff. But this is being a little nit-picky as the overall the effect is a great rock track that not only has pace to it but generally maintains that Rabbitt freshness.

Sadly for Rabbitt fans, ‘Rock Rabbitt’ would be the band’s swansong and it is probably somewhat overlooked because Rabin had left the band. Perhaps the message of the track was that they were trying to get through to you that they could made good music without him.

Where to find it:
The Hits – Rabbitt (1996), Gallo, CDRED602

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Morning Light -Tidal Wave

Astral Daze

Tidal Wave saw a number of hits on the Springbok charts with their catchy pop/rock songs such as ‘Mango Mango’, ‘Green Mamba’ and ‘Spider Spider’. But about half a decade before Rabbitt released their song called ‘Morning Light’, the Waves had included a (different) track of that name on their only album in 1970.

And where their hits had a more pop angle to them not dissimilar to the Rabbitt song of the same name, Tidal Wave’s ‘Morning Light’, is a much harder edged track. Don’t be fooled by the almost jazzy piano intro to the song, or the glam rock thump that the piano moves into. Those are just there to lure the listener into a screaming and wailing cauldron of sound as within a few beats there is a ragged edged guitar and a wailing vocal that rockers such as Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin would have been proud of.

At the time, I guess the record label would have thought that ‘Morning Light’ was probably too ‘heavy’ to be released as a single, but it was the same year that Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’, Deep Purple’s ‘Black Night’ and Led Zeppelin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ all charted on the Springbok Top 20, so it would not have been completely out of place, although the biggest hits of that year were Chris Andrews’ ‘Pretty Belinda’ and Dave Mill’s ‘Love Is A Beautiful Song’. It is more likely that the record company felt that ‘Spider Spider’ would be a bigger hit and they were probably right as ‘Spider Spider’ proved to be the 11^th biggest hit on the Springbok charts (using a top 20 points basis) where the highest place of the 3 aforementioned hard rock tracks was ‘Paranoid’ which was ranked 49^th.

However, we are once again thankful to the compilers of the ‘Astral Daze’ CD series for reminding us of a track many would have missed out on the first time around. ‘Morning Light’ rocks and rocks hard. It is drench in those kinds of sounds of the early 70’s and outrocks Rabbitt’s later song.

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

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Charly Go Crazy – Robin Auld

Iron In The Sky – Robin Auld

Rabbitt sang about ‘Charlie’ and Sean Rennie sang about ‘Charly’ and both were singing about going crazy over Charlie/Charly (even though Rabbitt’s Charlie was a dog). But Robin Auld took a different approach to ‘Charlie/Charly’ in that this Charlie was a him and he was going crazy.
‘Charly Go Crazy’ finds the Kommetjie Kid in a playful mood. Right from the outset there is a bouncy, lively guitar which lights up the song. And dancing around the guitar is a warm harmonica that injects a blues note into the proceedings.
The song first appeared on Auld’s 1991 album ‘Love Kills’ and would re-surface in 2000 on ‘Iron In The Sky’ and between those two versions he changed from ‘Charlie’ to ‘Charly’. However, to paraphrase Led Zepplin, the song remained the same.
But why, you may well ask, is Charlie/Charly going crazy. Well, judging from the lyrics, it is about the return of the troopies from the border war which ended in 1990. So there would have been reason to go crazy.
Robin tends to have a deeper meanings in his songs that the light-hearted instrumentation can sometimes disguise. But here one could be excused for thinking that the music matched the meaning as it is a celebration of the end of a conflict.

Where to find it:
The Best Of Robin Auld Vol 1 – Robin Auld (1999) TicTicBang, BANGCD888

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African Trilogy – Samson

African Trilogy – Samson

Cedric Samson (no relation) was a stalwart of the 80’s music scene in South Africa and even spent some time presenting the TV show ‘Pop Shop’ (which was the closest thing we had to a few minutes of MTV a week back then). He was a member of an early incarnation of Rabbitt and also featured in Morocko who brought us the awesome ‘Bow-Tie Boogaloo’.

However, one of his lesser known bands was one simply called Samson which produced, as far as I can tell, one solitary album called ‘African Trilogy And Other Curios’. The ‘African Trilogy’ in the title refers to an eight and a half minute epic track made up of ‘Sun Dance’, ‘Rain Dance’ and ‘Fire Dance’. Samson joined forces with Neville Paulson and a pre-Via Arika Renee Veldsman for the vocal force on the album and the track was written by Rodney Canes and Hilton Rosenthal. Rosenthal rose to fame producing most of Johnny Clegg’s work and this shows through in the African feel to the track. However, it’s not in the same vein as Juluka, but rather more akin to Hawk’s ‘African Day’ stuff. It is like an 80’s version of Hawk. It has the stomping African drums rhythms, but this is merged with a more synth sound.

This epic track could get one out there and dancing and singing along to it. It has a catchy tune and rhythm, and given the components of the song, you can dance to it in any weather – sun, rain or fire. If you enjoy the syncopated sound of Africa, then you would want to search out this not very well know track.

Where to find it:
Vinyl: African Trilogy And Other Curios – Samson (1980), WEA, WBC 9005

Locomotive Breath – Rabbitt

Locomotive Breath – Rabbitt

Way back in 1971 a band called Jethro Tull (who were named after a famous agriculturist from the 1600-1700’s) recorded a song called ‘Locomotive Breath’. It appeared on their album called ‘Aqualung’. A couple of years later, in 1973, a local band called Rabbitt recorded a cover of it which had the same piano intro. That version would make it to number 11 on the Springbok Radio. However it was not the Rabbitt that people came to know and love later in the 70’s. This was an early incarnation of the band where the only member who would feature in the more popular line-up, was Trevor Rabin. He was accompanied on that early version by Errol Friedman, Francis Roos, Louis Forer and Cedric Samson.

Move on a few more years and Friedman, Roos, Forer and Samson had been ditched in favour of Faure, Cloud and Robot. This new line-up decided to dust off the old Tull classic and try it again, this time as a cleaner pretty boy rock version rather than the dense Freedom’s Children-ish rock version of the earlier line-up.

So which to choose from, the 73 version of the early incarnation or the 75 version from ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ (this is of course presuming you are happy to put the Tull version aside for a bit). Well, as already mentioned, the early version is a dense rock affair which has it’s own appeal, especially to those who like a thick sound, while those who prefer a crisper, quicker ‘train on a track’ paced sound with an electric guitar solo to air guitar to version, then the latter version is for you.

What the early version did reveal was what a talent we had in Trevor Rabin as you can already hear someone who knows how to handle an axe. By the time he picks up his guitar a few years later to re-record the song with his new band mates, he is well on his way to being noted as one of South Africa’s great guitarist. It’s up to you to choose which version you prefer, but the bigger question that comes from these 2 versions is did the way the word ‘Charlie’ is sung in the line in ‘Locomotive Breath’ that goes ‘Old Charlie stole the handle and the train it won’t stop going’, have any influence on Patric van Blerk when he wrote Rabbitt’s later hit.

Where to find it:
Boys Will Be Boys – Rabbitt (September 2006) RetroFresh, freshcd 153 (CD)
The Hits – Rabbitt (1996) Gallo, CDRED 602

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1976 version

Lifeline – Rabbitt

The Hits – Rabbitt

Rabbitt slowed things down a notch when they recorded this one. Their bigger hits such as ‘Charlie’ and ‘Locomotive Breath’, although not frenetic or particularly noisy, were certainly rockier affairs. But here we are in slow rock ballad mode. There are some aaahh’s underpinning the verses which are not that far away from the similar part on 10cc’s ‘I’m Not In Love’, but where 10cc keep it cool, Rabbitt do throw in some electric guitars every now and then to remind one that they knew how to handle an axe.

‘Lifeline’ really shows off the craftsmanship of Trevor Rabin and the boys when it came to putting a song together. The production is also slick, giving this love song a velvety feel as it seems to glide along on a cushion of air.

While their rockier numbers like ‘Charlie’, ‘Morning Light’ and ‘Locomotive Breath’ had chart success, ‘Lifeline’ prefers to hang around in the background, taking a slow seductive approach compared to the more ‘in your face’ sound of the hits. It showed another side of Rabbitt that I’m sure the girls loved just as much as their bouncier side.

Where to find it:
Boys Will Be Boys – Rabbitt (September 2006) RetroFresh, freshcd 153 (CD)
The Hits – Rabbitt (1996) Gallo, CDRED 602

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House Of The Rising Sun – Hot R.S.

House Of The Rising Sun – Hot R.S.

‘The House Of The Rising Sun’ had been around for a while (possibly having its early origins in the 17th century), but was flung into popular culture by The Animals who took this traditional folk tune and introduced a rock element into it, so the song has become used to trying out different genres. And in South Africa it decided to see what it sounded like as a pounding disco anthem.

Cue Kevin Kruger and Dan Hill who assembled a band calling themselves Hot R.S. (I wonder where they got the name from). They drafted in a certain Rabbitt called Trevor Rabin, a chap called Cedric Samson, another called Duncan MacKay and for a sexy feminine touch a pre-Via Afrikan Rene Veldsman was called upon. They then set out turning this old folk tune into a mammoth dance track.

With drums pounding and atmospheric keyboards swirling around in your head, you can bust more than a groove on the dancefloor to this one. But don’t start out with the John Travolta moves as you will need to preserve your energy because the song, which takes up the whole side of the LP, clocks in at nearly 15 minutes, so build up to that moment when you swing your white suit jacket round your head.

And you may just have to have a cold shower standing by for the end of the song because as you head into the last 4 minutes or so, Rene Veldsman, who has been slinking sexily around the song, moves into orgasmic overdrive in a way that makes Meg Ryan’s ‘When Harry Met Sally’ effort seem positively faked. This must have had the mother grundies turning in their graves before they even died.

During the song, Rene also pleads ‘Rise again baby’ and Kruger, Rabin, and Veldsman did so under the name Disco Rock Machine which also produced some brilliant rocking disco track as the 70s drew to a close and the 80s dawned on us.

Hot R.S.’s version of ‘The House Of The Rising’ is a classic epic that is like a gym work out. I am sure that those troubadours of the 17th century would have marvelled at how far and how many roads their song had travelled.

Where to find it:
House Of The Rising Sun – Hot R.S. (1991), RPM, CDRPM 1120

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Time Of The Season – Neil Cloud

St Cloux – Neil Cloud

Most of you will know the Zombies’ song ‘Time Of The Season’ which was a number 2 hit for them in SA in 1969. Back in ’69 the song was a shimmering, sexy, smokey song in that 60’s garage style. About 9 years later and following the demise of one of South Africa’s biggest bands, ex-Rabbitt drummer Neil Cloud took the song and decided to funk it up.

Disco was all the rage then and what better to do than take a nice old 60’s rock classic and turn it into a floorfilling-get-down-and-boogie-till-you-puke-funk-n-roll 70’s disco classic. A lineup of well known names pervade the song with Johnny Boshoff on bass and keyboards and being responsible for the beautiful string arrangements that give the song wings. Malcolm Watson provides the funky, thwacking guitar that Chic’s up the song. Lofty Shultz is among the names responsible for the brass that warms the song up and Rene Veldsman (she of Via Afrika fame) brings a sultry vocal to make love to Neil Cloud’s breathy ones. Lastly, there is of course, Neil’s drumming. It’s not just a straight forward keep the beat going drums, there are cascading and twiddly drums thrown in every now and then.

Drummers are not renown for having solo careers post the break up of a band, and even fewer actually make even half decent music on their own. But some of them do and Neil Cloud was one. While none of the tracks on his only solo offering ‘St Cloux’ (which included ‘Time Of The Season’) made the charts in SA, both ‘Time Of The Season’ and the epic 17 and a half minute cover of Marmalade’s ‘Reflections Of My Life’ (with a bit of the theme to ’The Good The Bad And The Ugly’ thrown in for good measure) made the cut for what is arguably the definitive collection of South African disco music – Gallo records’ ‘Disco Fever’. ‘Time Of The Season’ was a song that was one of the stand outs of its genre.

Where to find it:
Disco Fever – Various Artists, (July 1999), Gallo, CDREDD 627 (Out of print, so you may struggle)

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Charly – Sean Rennie

Charly – Sean Rennie

Sean Rennie was born in Ireland, auditioned for the Vienna Boys Choir, but didn’t make the grade. He moved to South Africa in 1964 and formed a band called Purple Haze. While still with the band he started making a name for himself as a solo arist. His first Springbok Top 20 hit was in 1970 called ‘I’ll Walk With You,’ which made it to number 13. A few years (and singles) later, he popped up with ‘Charly’ (2 years before Rabbitt’s ‘Charlie’ a completely different song). ‘Charly’ made number 4 on the SA Top 20 and had a 13 week run there.

Perhaps it’s just the fact that he was born in Ireland, but there is a Joe Dolan thing going on in this song. It’s a love ballad similar to those that Dolan was famous for and Rennie’s voice, while not quite as sharp, has a similar pleading quality to it. Where it does differ from Dolan is that the song hinges around a psychedelic riff that has been modified for a pop song. A Greek bazouki sound pops up during the chorus giving the song a Mediterranean flavour.

‘Charly’ tells the typical story of boy meets angel, boy marries angel, angel buggers off. The stuff of true romance. It was produced by David Gresham and Alan Goldswain and was a good example of what was popular pop back in the 70s. It was a local(ish) lad doing what the artists in the UK and US were doing, and doing it well.

Where to find it:
Various Artists – The Best of SA Pop Volume 3 (1994) GSP, CDREDD 610

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